Living

Living How long should they last? Nothing in life lasts forever – and the same can be said for your home. From the roof to the furnace, every component of your home has a life span, so it’s a good idea to know approximately how many years of service you can expect from them. This information can help when buying or […]
Living How to Decorate a Rental Abiding by rental rules is important, but so is style and making a house feel more like a home. Thus, we’ve put together a little list for you to help personalize your home, while still insuring you get your security deposit back by the end of it. Storage – Let’s be honest, rentals often lack sufficient […]
Living Five Essentials for Your Home Office Most people dream of working from home, but ask anyone who does it on a regular basis, and they’ll tell you how hard it can be to stay productive when you work where you live. The most disciplined telecommuters will tell you that you need a structured routine and organization to rise and grind and […]
Living Decorating Your Home in Ultra Violet: Pantone Color of The Year 2018 Each year, design pros eagerly await the Color of the Year announcement from the experts at Pantone®. No matter what the hue, it’s always sure to make a splash—and home goods are no exception. From appliances and décor to tile and paint, manufacturers will start rolling out options to match (and complement) the Pantone Color of […]
Living Three Projects, Three Ways: Valentine’s Gifts for Your Loved Ones The ladies at “A Beautiful Mess” have amazing craft ideas, so we decided to try out their flower collage. The results are so fun! Supply list: A favorite family picture- blown up to 5*7 or larger Fabric flowers; you can find these at a local craft store. For a fun touch, pick up some fabric butterflies […]
Living Home Security Systems: Protecting the People and Things You Value the Most Home Security Systems: Protecting the People and Things You Value the Most   With warmer weather come open windows and extended vacations, so it should come as no surprise that the highest percentage of home burglaries happen during the summer months. With that in mind, now is a good time to start thinking about the […]
Living Outdoor Living Trends Summer is just around the corner and there is no better way to prepare than indulging in some exciting backyard inspiration. Your outdoor living space can be more than just a place to spend time with family and friends; it can be your sanctuary as well. This year is the time to turn your backyard […]
Living Indoor Air Quality Basics Most of us tend to think of air pollution as something that occurs outdoors where car exhaust and factory fumes proliferate, but there’s such a thing as indoor air pollution, too.  Since the 1950s, the number of synthetic chemicals used in products for the home has increased drastically, while at the same time, homes have […]
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Living Preparing Your Home for a Winter Wonderland As they say, winter is coming, and while it is tempting to curl up and hibernate in bed for the next few months, you shouldn’t put off these important home maintenance duties. Clean and check the gutters: While you are on the roof hanging holiday lights, make sure your gutters are clear of leaves, secured to the house, and […]
Living Affordable Tips To Up Your Home’s Curb Appeal You’ll never have a second chance at a first impression, so let’s make it count! When it comes to upping your home’s curb appeal, there are plenty of small changes you can make that have a big impact. And best of all, you don’t need to call in the pros or spend a fortune to […]
Living Five Reasons You Need Renters Insurance It might be tempting as a renter to think that you don’t need an insurance policy if you’re renting an apartment or home, but not having one could cost you more than you think. A 2016 poll by the Insurance Information Institute found that only 41 percent of renters have their own renters insurance policy. Here […]
Living Practical Resolutions: Making Your House a Home Your home is a reflection of your tastes, your lifestyle and your ambition, and many of us are regularly transforming our homes one way or another to fit our adjusting needs. Whether it is refreshing a room to fit your style, reorganizing a closet to accommodate the holiday excess, going green to save the planet […]
Living Practical Resolutions: Preparing for the Best in 2018 Everyone’s list of things to accomplish in the upcoming year is different, but one thing is pretty universal: most of us are too ambitious for our own good. The best thing to do is make reasonable goals for yourself and work towards accomplishing them one at a time. So be realistic. You may not renovate […]
Living New Year, Bold Home “New year, new me” is so 2017. We thought we would change things up a bit because frankly, 2018 deserves better and so do you. This is the year to be bold. In fact, if there was a color named “bold” we would recommend it for your kitchen remodel. Once a month we will be showing you a […]
Living The Tax Benefits Every Homeowner Should Know About This article originally appeared in Times of San Diego  The housing market is predominantly very strong and more and more people are becoming homeowners. While there are many intangible benefits to owning a home, such as pride of ownership and setting down roots in the neighborhood, the tangible benefits are just as great. In addition to […]
Living The Harsh Realities of Renovation A brief update on our progress thus far and a few reflections on buying a Seattle fixer: Lows: The amount of Ibuprofen.  The reality is renovations take a lot of hard, back-breaking work.  Our home was built in the early 1940s and the walls are mostly plaster which is pretty difficult to work with (demo, […]
Living DIY: Giving Our Fireplace a Facelift A story of a DIY project… While we were willing to do some major updates to the bathroom, plumbing and electrical, we decided to pick a few areas of our 1940s fixer to do some smaller, mostly cosmetic updates. One of these projects included giving the fireplace a little facelift to bring it into this […]
Living Seven Phases of Home Renovations The 7 Phases of Home Renovations: Phase 1: Get super pumped about an idea. Pin, pin, pin on Pinterest until you’re bursting with excitement. Tell everyone about your amazing project. Phase 2: Collect materials. Realize things cost a lot. Begin project fueled by coffee, nervous anticipation and adrenaline. Phase 3: Get halfway through the project. It doesn’t look exactly like your Pinterest board but it’s still […]
Living New Home Construction Trends to Watch Out For So what’s in? Bringing the outdoors inside. Do this with larger glass windows or folding glass doors. Minerals as hardware. Large geometric tiles on floors. Mixing metals, such as brass and gold. Interior paint color – Grey still has a heavy influence, but it is warming up a bit and getting softened with a stone color. Of course, […]
Living Moving on up! Moving is stressful, whether it is across town or cross-country.  Once you have closed on your house, the reality of packing, moving, and setting up a new home can become overwhelming. While no list can make a move “stress-free”, planning ahead and staying organized can help make your move a little smoother.  Here is our […]