Great Online Resource for Leather Furniture Information & Reviews
April 19th, 2010 categories: Decorating
I was in the market recently for a family room sofa. After two fabric sofas that quickly showed their age, I decided to go leather. Not an easy decision to make with three dogs who have sharp claws. I was worried that I’d have to buy a lifetime supply of Liquid Leather.
The major benefit of leather is the ease of pet hair removal. You can easily wipe it off of leather - with fabric, the pet hair sticks and can be hard to remove even with vacuuming, lint rollers or even washing. And leather ages - fabric just looks old.
One resource I found while researching furniture is My Furniture Forum, a chat room set up by The Keeping Room out of Alexandria, Va. The Keeping Room sells brands like Hancock & Moore, Bradington Young and Leather Craft. The owner of the store, Duane Collie, manages this forum and answers questions about furniture, especially leather furniture.
I looked on-line and went to some local stores. I asked a lot of questions - about leather grades, construction, size, durability, etc. But I found that no one answered my questions better than Duane.
Once I decided to purchase from his store, he suggested I choose an altogether different sofa than the one I originally wanted based on my family’s height and where the sofa was going. The Journey Sofa from Hancock & Moore.
And it is honestly the most comfortable piece of furniture I’ve ever owned. I spent a little more than I wanted to but it’s the right size for my tall family and incredibly comfortable. The seats are high enough so the dogs can’t easily hop on. And it tilts back a little for television watching.
If you’re on the hunt for furniture and don’t know what to buy, especially if you want leather furniture, My Furniture Forum is the place to look.
Another place to look for advice on buying furniture is on IVillage’s Garden Web furniture forum, where I originally found the link to My Furniture Forum.
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Open House This Sunday, 4/11, Noon-4 PM 227 James Street, Newington
April 9th, 2010 categories: Central Connecticut News & Information, Real Estate Listings
I’m hosting an open house this Sunday, April 11, from Noon-4 PM at 227 James Street in Newington, CT.
For more details and direction, click on the flyer below.
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Easter Egg Hunt 4.3.2010 to Benefit Our Companions Domestic Animal Sanctuary
March 31st, 2010 categories: Central Connecticut News & Information
This Saturday, Farmington Miniature Golf & Ice Cream Parlor (Rt 4 Farmington) is hosting their annual Easter Egg Hunt.
For a $1.00 donation to Our Companions, kids can search for their share of 15,000 eggs. Start time varies based on age. There will also be other activities there like a bounce house, face painting and photos with the Easter Bunny.
For more information, go to Our Companions’ web site.
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Don’t Be Afraid of a Radon Mitigation System When Buying a Home
March 30th, 2010 categories: Central Connecticut News & Information, Home Buyers
Radon can be a problem for any home. A naturally occurring, radioactive gas found underground, radon can enter any home through cracks in a home’s foundation or in well water where it becomes trapped and cannot dissipate. In high levels, radon can cause cancer.
Radon is everywhere. The issue is the level - the EPA recommends that homes that test at 4.0 pCi/L or higher have a mitigation system installed. It can be in one home on a street and not any others or in all homes on a street but one. In Connecticut, Hartford County has the lowest reported levels in the state but some towns in Hartford County are notorious for the high levels of radon.
Weather affects radon levels. And if the soil around the home or nearby has been disturbed, radon levels can go up or down in a home.
Radon can be reduced to safe levels with a mitigation system. This is what a radon mitigation system might look like.
Essentially it’s a pipe inserted into the ground with a fan that sucks the radon up and out of your basement.
As a home buyer, you may think, “If there’s a radon mitigation system in the home then there is a problem with radon and therefore a danger.”
You may also think, “When I go to sell this house, no one will want to buy it with radon in it.”
Both are reasonable concerns.
But since radon levels over time can change due to weather, soil conditions, or nearby construction, a radon test below the level of 4.0 pCi/L can give you a false sense of security. What if the test was done improperly? What if conditions have changed?
Personally, I’d prefer to have a radon mitigation system installed in my home, especially if I were going to be spending any time in the basement. I can understand a buyer’s concern about an installed radon mitigation system but isn’t it safer to have one installed than not? And couldn’t it be used a selling point rather than a negative?
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Using Color to Sell Your House Faster
March 23rd, 2010 categories: Decorating, west hartford
Here’s a tip I picked up at a class yesterday: yellow homes sell faster.
Really? I was a little skeptical so I did some homework. Unfortunately, my research shows only one thing - real estate agents don’t bother to enter in exterior color in the MLS.
We’ll just have to trust Jeannette Fisher, a real estate investor and author, that yellow homes do sell faster - if they’re painted the right shade of yellow and in the right price range.
Lower to mid-range homes painted a “pale, sunny yellow” are the fastest selling homes. Check out this home featured on the web site by a color consulting firm out of New Jersey, Your Color Source.
If you can’t commit to that much yellow or don’t have the time/energy/money to repaint the entire house, painting your front door yellow will make it stand out from the usual red door. This front door looks great with painted white trim and grey shingles, as featured in Real Simple.
Design blog, Simplified Bee, identified a comparable Farrow & Ball color, Dayroom Yellow.
Higher end homes sell fastest when they are painted a complex, muted color - one that has a tint of brown or grey in it and that would be described as “sage green” for example.
A few ideas include this color scheme from Behr. Using Sandstone Cove on the siding, Almond Cream on the trim and Quiet Storm on the shutters.
And this one, also from Behr. Siding is Spanish Galleon, shutters are Sled and door is Burnt Tile.
Choose wisely if you’re going to be reselling soon. It’s great to pick a color that will stand out from the rest of the homes on the market, as long as you’re not standing out as the “god, what were they thinking” house.
All of these homes and colors would look great in any neighborhood in West Hartford.
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