Protect Yourself from Burglars While Away

written and posted by Sound Marketing for House Smart Home Improvements

Home burglaries happen most during July and August, not surprisingly the same months as people pack up and go on holidays. Here is a handy guide for protecting your home and belongings while you are away.

1) Set timers on interior lights: You want to appear at all costs as if you are home...and setting interior lights to come on at certain times in the evening will go a long way in creating this impression. You may also want to program outdoor lighting to come on at certain intervals.

2) Forget facebook: Never let friends on Facebook or Twitter know you are away by posting pictures and information about your whereabouts.You really can't be 100% sure that it is only your friends who see this. Best not to leave any possible way that your being away can leak out to the wrong person.

3) Lock away valuables: Do you have a safety deposit box? or even a safe with a combination lock at home? These are the places to put your valuables such as jewlery, and important documents.

4) Set your thermostat: Programmable thermostats are perfect for automatically adjusting your heat and air conditioning while you are away. 

5) Insulate your pipes: Do you live in a really cold area? You should consider insulating your pipes to ensure they don't freeze while you are away. You will want to make sure you set your thermostat to 55 degrees or higher.

6) Turn on the sound: Connect an old, analog type television or radio (modern, electronic ones come on in standby mode -- not in playing mode), or burglar deterrent CD recordings with a schedule-able player with timers.

7) Arrange for pickup: Have a trusted neighbor or relative/ friend close by? Have them pick up your mail, and keep an eye on your house from time to time.

8) Arrange for yard work to be done: This could be as easy as a neighbor's son that you pay to mow and water your lawn and plants, and trim your yard while away.

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

Downsizing Creates Freedom from 'Stuff'

written and posted by Sound Marketing for House Smart Home Improvements

Thinking of Downsizing?

 Moving into a more affordable space,... or just feeling the need for having less 'stuff'? You might be asking yourself, do I own this stuff or does it own me? Where did it all come from and why did I think I needed it?
Or maybe you have grown very attached to things and have a hard time thinking of letting them go. Even as you feel strongly that it is time to re-create your space to have it make more sense for your world today, letting go of stuff is sometimes not easy and not just because of the work involved.

Here are some tips to get you going:

1) MENTALLY PREPARE

 

Getting rid of things can be an emotional endeavor. But try to ponder the freedom you will have when you don't have to continuously dust, organize, and move around your stuff. You will have more room for what you really use, wear and need. You will be able to put your hand on what you want without constantly looking for it amongst the stuff you don't really use. Yes freedom! You might find as you begin to purge, that you have more than one of the same things. You bought it again because you couldn't find the first one!

2) TAKE PICS AND POST THEM

Start by taking pictures of 
things in your home that you feel most comfortable parting with. Put ads in places like Craigslist to entice people that may be searching for those specific items. 

3) HAVE A MOVING SALE

Post information about your sale on line and include pictures of various items you have for sale in your ad to entice the public. Put out what you know you won't regret selling at first. If you don't mind people coming into your house, it can be a lot easier than having to put it outside and drag it in again for your next sale.

4) KICK IT TO THE CURB, OR GET A FREE PICK UP

Have a good will organization like Big Brothers pick up at your house a few days after your sale, so you can start giving away stuff that doesn't seem to interest anyone, like clothes you no longer wear, or grandma's fur coat.
Or just anything you would like to donate. Remember - 'Freedom'! If you live in Canada, there are bins you can put books into at places like the Superstore. 

5) REPEAT STEPS 2, 3, AND 4 IN A WEEK OR SO

This gives you more time to clean out more spaces, and get more brave at letting go of collectable things. Try to sell your most precious things, if you have to let them go, out of the advertising on craigslist etc. That way, you may receive more money for those items, as you will attract buyers who are actually in the market for those particular items.

6) ONE ROOM AT A TIME

Start working on one room at a time, with the goal to be clutter free. Think of if you were going to rent out your property, as a vacation home. How would it look if it were really to attract others? Give each room the most spacious feeling possible. Now that you are clutter free, maybe it is time to paint or redo the cabinets or floors. 

7) WHAT TO DO WITH ANY REMAINDERS

If you have some precious  items that didn't sell, you may want to consider consignment at some second hand or antique stores.

Good luck! Remember, the real beauty is outside in nature. Get out and enjoy it.

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

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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

Front Yard Edible Landscaping?

posted by Sound Marketing for House Smart Home Improvements

  Of all the different types of landscaping, one of the least understood is edible landscaping. Edible landscaping is something that offers an alternative to conventional landscapes. More specifically, edible landscaping is landscaping that includes trees and shrubs that bear fruit and other food, so that you can really make the most out of your landscaping design.

 
There are quite a few different plants that can be included in edible landscaping designs, but only the most productive and disease resistant varieties should be included in this categorization.

 PLANT VARIETIES

  When it comes to edible landscaping, there are many plants to choose from. Almond, apple, artichoke, bamboo, cherry, burnet, blueberry, blackberry, chokeberry, currant, cherry, chestnut, chives, gooseberry, jostaberry, kiwi, loquat, lovage,medlar, grape, fig, elderberry, dandelion, peach, pistachio, pecan, persimmon, plum, quince, raisin tree, rose hips, sage, rosemary, rhubarb, strawberry, and pineapple guava, these are just a few of the different plants that can be used in edible landscaping.

Although the idea of edible landscaping once sounded far-fetched and unimaginable, today it is alive and well and this is in both warm and cool climates. Not only is this landscaping beautiful and appealing to look at, but resourceful as well because you can eat the food these plants bear. The combinations are truly endless, and uncommon fruit trees can really enhance even the most bland and stubborn landscape.
These plants offer a touch to any landscape that no other plant can. They add a uniqueness and a sort of personality to any landscape and are usually alive year round as well, which is just another benefit offered by this type of landscaping.

TIPS

One of the most important things to remember when creating an edible landscaping design is that you should think outside of the box. Although when most people think of food gardens they think of the basic rectangular garden, there are many variations that can be put on this design. The basic design is not even going to be the most productive or attractive design, so try to take a different approach.

Also remember that urban yards can make up in vertical space what they lack in horizontal space, and they do this by taking on a multi-layered approach. Edible landscaping can be a really great option, as long as you choose the right plants and maintain them properly so that they are healthy and thrive.

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

4 Beautiful Landscaping Tips

From www.bmg.com

posted by Sound Marketing for House Smart Home Improvements

 

 Plant in Numbers 

One of the easiest landscape ideas to implement -- and one I always use when designing a garden or landscape -- is to plant big swaths of the same plant for bold interest. Here, for example, I love how the planting bed offers a big, bold burst of chartreuse from a mass of golden creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'). It's contrasted (in color and texture) by a planting of blue fescue (Festuca 'Elijah Blue'). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Create Bold Contrasts 

 

One of the easiest and most basic landscaping ideas is to create contrasts. Consider color: When you pair rich burgundy-purple with chartreuse, the gold hues seem to become brighter and the purple tones seem to become richer and darker. Together the are much more effective than when used alone. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Embrace Trees & Shrubs 

 

Trees and shrubs are some of the most important players in gardening ideas, and gardeners often give them the least amount of attention. It's easy to use them to make an impact, especially if you select varieties that have colorful foliage. Go a step further with this landscape idea: Execute some creative pruning. Here, for example, sheared golden false cypress and columnar holly make for a delightful contrast against sheared purple barberry.

 

 

 

 

Add Islands 

 

It's easy to plan all your beds and borders along the perimeter of your property, but adding an island bed that floats in your lawn is a simple landscaping idea for making a good-looking yard. I like to make island beds extra effective by adding height to the middle of the yard. Plus, you need to walk around the planting to see what's behind it, so it adds a bit of mystery. 

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: 604 581 1985
Email: info@housesmarthomeimprovements.com

Showroom: #4 120 Glacier St, Coquitlam BC V3K 5Z6 
604-945-1904 (office hours)  - 604-585-2020 (24-Hour)