Saturday, February 28, 2015

Organize Your Small Space and Put it to Good Use

Here We Have Some Great Visuals that might Inspire You!

posted by Sound Marketing for House Smart Home Improvements

 

A small organized bedroom keeps a child's room clean and simple.


















Taking advantage of the bright yarn and other craft supplies this great room makes the storage art.




How clever! I love this closet turned into a kid's office.

 

 

 

 

Sophisticated storage. It's open and there's a lot on those shelves but it looks great.






 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out all the wall organization in this sophisticated townhouse.





































Nicely labeled boxes  with adequate shelving improve the functionality of this small space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

House Smart Home Improvements are experienced professionals with an  A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau. When it’s time to replace your windows, doors or  furnaces and heat pumps, or to install  insulation, and other energy-efficient home upgrades,  Give us a call. 604-585-2020. Right now, save 100 per window for a limited time if you live in the lower mainland, BC Canada    

 HOUSE SMART HOME IMPROVEMENTS
Phone: 
604 945-1904 / Fax: 604 945 1903
Email: info@housesmarthomeimprovements.com
Showroom: #4 120 Glacier St, Coquitlam BC V3K 5Z6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, February 14, 2015

When Do I Prune?


posted by Sound Marketing for House Smart Home Improvements

Summer-Blooming Trees and Shrubs 

Plants that bloom in summer, such as potentilla, butterfly bush, and crape myrtle, produce their flowers on new growth from the current season. Prune them in winter while they're dormant, or in early spring just before they push out their new growth. You can even cut them all the way to the ground in late winter, and they'll still bloom that same summer.
Test Garden Tip: Save time by using a pole pruner with a rotating head to remove stems all the way to the base of the plant. That way, you don't have to bend over for each cut, saving not only time, but also wear and tear on your back!




Shrubs Without Showy Blooms


Cut back shrubs grown primarily for their foliage, such as barberry and burning bush, almost anytime except in late autumn. New growth that starts after late-season pruning won't harden off properly before winter. If you want to do major pruning, it's best to cut the shrub back when it is dormant in winter.












Clipped Hedges

Shrubs such as boxwood and privet are often sheared to form a hedge. To maintain a solid wall of green, shear the new growth frequently during the early part of the growing season. Keep the top narrower than the base so that the upper branches don't shade the lower ones. Stop shearing the hedge approximately six weeks before your area's average first frost.
Test Garden Tip: If you're growing a privacy hedge, reduce the amount of pruning maintenance needed by selecting shrubs that grow only as tall and wide as necessary to provide screening. Allow them to grow into their natural form, and little, if any, pruning will be required.





Deciduous Shade Trees

Prune shade trees such as oak, linden, and ash when they are dormant in winter. It's easiest to see the branching structure at this time of year, and you're less likely to spread diseases through the pruning wounds. As with non blooming shrubs, avoid pruning them late in summer.
Test Garden Tip: Trees that produce a heavy sap flow when pruned in winter -- maples, birches, elms, and dogwoods -- are known as "bleeders." The sap flow may be unsightly, but it doesn't harm the tree. To avoid the bleeding, you can wait until the leaves have fully expanded in summer.

 

 

 

 

 

Deciduous Fruit Trees

Apples (including crab apples), peaches, pears, plums, and cherries should be pruned in midwinter. Although winter pruning removes some of their flower buds, the goal in pruning fruit trees is to open up the tree to allow in more light for a better crop of fruit, rather than to get maximum bloom.
Dormant pruning is especially important for apples, pears, and crab apples because pruning wounds during the growing season expose the trees to a bacterial disease called fireblight.
Test Garden Tip: To control the spread of diseases while pruning, dip your pruning shears in rubbing alcohol or a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water.




Broadleaf Evergreens

Most broadleaf evergreens, including holly, mahonia, and some types of magnolias, need little pruning. The best time to prune them is in early spring, just before they put on their growth spurt. You can do minor shaping and pruning at other times of year, too.
Test Garden Tip: Save on holiday decorations by snipping a few branches for winter holiday greenery.










Needle-Leaf Evergreens

Most trees and shrubs with needle like or scale like foliage (spruce, juniper, cypress, arborvitae, fir, yew, Douglas fir, and false cypress) are best pruned early in the growing season.
Avoid cutting back into wood that has no green needles; it may not sprout new growth. As with broad leaf evergreens, you can trim a few branch tips in midwinter to take some greenery indoors.












House Smart Home Improvements are experienced professionals with an  A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau. When it’s time to replace your windows, doors or  furnaces and heat pumps, or to install  insulation, and other energy-efficient home upgrades,  Give us a call. 604-585-2020. Right now, save 100 per window for a limited time if you live in the lower mainland, BC Canada    

 HOUSE SMART HOME IMPROVEMENTS
Phone: 
604 945-1904 / Fax: 604 945 1903
Email: info@housesmarthomeimprovements.com
Showroom: #4 120 Glacier St, Coquitlam BC V3K 5Z6

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Extreme Home Make Overs


posted by Sound Marketing for House Smart Home Improvements

KITCHEN

Before: Dark & Dated

 

Old cabinetry and tile counters covered this kitchen before its renovation.















After: Open & Airy

The cabinets and surfaces were swapped in favor of Ikea units painted Barely Beige by Benjamin Moore and topped with zinc. Above, open shelving displays collectibles alongside everyday dishware. The ceiling is painted Creamy White by Benjamin Moore.




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 BATHROOM

Before: Builder Basic

This tract home's master bath looked the same as it did when it was built in 1998.













 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After: Full of Personality

By retaining the master bath's layout, the homeowner avoided the expense of moving plumbing lines, relying instead on cosmetic updates. One change: a single sink console, made possible by closing off a secondary closet entrance. The exterior door opens straight onto the pasture.
Victoria Pearson



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
DEN

Before: Kitschy Cabin


A corner hearth originally occupied this den.









 

 

 

 

 

After: Bright & Modern

To create symmetry, a contractor relocated the corner hearth with a new one, centered on the wall opposite the open kitchen. Built-in cabinetry on either side of the fireplace reinforces the sense of balance. The homeowner traded her single living-room settee for two generous Ikea sofas and a Ralph Lauren chair, all slipcovered for easy cleaning. The pine coffee table came from a garage sale, and the metal "C" is from a local garden store.
 Victoria Pearson




LIVING ROOM

Before: Living Room

This room allowed the homeowners to start from scratch.













 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After: Living Room

Each wallboard was removed and numbered, then put back in place after the electrical updates. Scraping away decades of paint revealed original artistic details, including marbleized baseboards and faux bird's-eye maple panels, which a restoration painter was able to revive.

In the living room, Pottery Barn pillows adorn slipcovered armchairs by Lee Industries. The homeowner bought the set of framed prints at a flea market for only $94; she's collected the ironstone for years.
Bjorn Wallander 








 GARAGE

Before: Garage

A garage used as a low-key hangout space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After: Garage

Take converting a garage a step further with sleeper sofas that allow the room to double as guest quarters. The homeowner also installed beadboard on the lower walls and painted the rafters white.

Among the room's wallet-friendly finds: a Crate & Barrel sofa, West Elm pouf, and yard-sale chair. The homeowner purchased the model boat at a local antiques store.

Bright idea!
Bring artwork onto an easel for an unexpected, eye-level display.
William Waldron 








 BEDROOM

Before: Bedroom

Think outside the box. Rooms can have complete reincarnations, with surprising results.
William Waldron


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After: Bathroom

The former master bedroom became a stunning bath, with a glass shower enclosure that maintains the room's expansive, wide-open feel. Limestone tiles compose the shower's floor; subway tiles cover its walls.
William Waldron


















House Smart Home Improvements are experienced professionals with an  A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau. When it’s time to replace your windows, doors or  furnaces and heat pumps, or to install  insulation, and other energy-efficient home upgrades,  Give us a call. 604-585-2020. Right now, save 100 per window for a limited time if you live in the lower mainland, BC Canada    

 HOUSE SMART HOME IMPROVEMENTS
Phone: 
604 945-1904 / Fax: 604 945 1903
Email: info@housesmarthomeimprovements.com
Showroom: #4 120 Glacier St, Coquitlam BC V3K 5Z6