Home & Garden

Do you know what the number two return on investment for home remodeling projects is?  Kitchens?  Bathrooms?  No, it’s garage doors!  When you buy a mid-priced garage door, you get between 73 and 84 percent back in added value to your home!  That makes a garage door investment one of the smartest and least expensive additions to your home.  By the way, number one is for a new entry door.

(NAPS)—Here’s a fashion-forward look at the designs, colors and styles that are in season for your home. Updating the look of your nook can be easier and less expensive when you turn to the newest decorating trends and tones.
For example, Erika Woelfel, design trend forecaster and color expert for Behr Paints, suggests these four popular styles:

For years, quaint European village architecture has captured the imaginations of many.  This fascination eventually transformed into influence and style, as shown by the common ‘Storybook Style Architecture’ threads weaving their ways into our daily experiences.  Even in Santa Clarita, simple ‘Storybook Style’ attractiveness partially embeds itself into the city’s design guidelines and seems to be everywhere.  But where does it come from?  And with current environmental concerns, where is it going?

(NAPS)—In response to the economy, many families are opting for “Backyard Getaways”—fabulous parties thrown at home, as opposed to leaving town for lavish vacations.
Party City has partnered with celebrity event designer Samantha Goldberg to help inspire party planners with savvy and budget-friendly tips for the ultimate Backyard Getaway.

It is difficult to believe that just last December Laurene Weste presided over the ground breaking ceremony for the Community Gardens of Santa Clarita at Central Park.  So much has been achieved in such a short time but of course the seeds of the project were germinated several months earlier when a group of interested residents approached the city to request assistance to help this idea bear fruit.

Spring midterms are upon us, which means that final exams are not far behind.  For college students, this also means that it is time to make arrangements for the summer.  Perhaps you will be returning home for a few months.  Or maybe you will be away much longer as you spend a few semesters studying abroad.  Either way, it is time to start making arrangements for your belongings while you are away.  Here are a few tips.

(NAPS)—If the summer festivities are at your house this year and you’re concerned about the cooking, you’re not alone. According to a recent online survey conducted by Harris Interactive, more than 80 percent of respondents said they cook for their guests when entertaining but many still struggle to reduce time, energy and mess in the kitchen. Thirty-five percent said they mostly cook what they know but might try a new recipe when entertaining.

Especially in today’s economy, the kitchen is the core of the home.  More families have been cutting expenses by cooking meals at home.  The kitchen is a place where family and friends gather around for dinner; prepare food for special occasions, and where you invite your neighbor over for a cup of coffee.  It can also be the most worn down room in the house because everybody hangs out there!

LED has made it possible to illuminate your entry way, master bedroom, and dining room with elegant chandeliers without experiencing the energy bill blues. Prior to the breakthrough in energy efficient bulbs chandeliers were more burden than beauty.  An average chandelier has 30 bulbs, each needing 25 watts of energy to light, adding up to a total of 750 watts.  That kind of power costs over $95.39 a year to maintain. 

A lovely spring afternoon, the sun’s gentle reminder that spring is here bringing warmth to your guests as you gather around the elegant outdoor patio furniture for a freshly prepared meal.  The songbirds are out, and blooming flowers radiate the anticipation of a gorgeous summer to come.  Such are the joys of the outdoor lifestyle.  Since 1954, Tropitone has upheld a tradition of excellence in the manufacturing and design of outdoor patio furniture, outdoor bar stools, patio umbrellas, market umbrellas, chaise lounges, patio chairs, outdoor dining chairs and outdoor furniture sets. 

No room?  Need to add space to your garden?  Or are you just a minimalist gardener?  Imagine a beautiful container design that adds a focal point to your garden, an antique urn spilling beautifully into your landscape.  Now imagine them filled with edibles instead of ornamentals!  The container design holds a bevy of leaf lettuce in the cool months, and is filled with herbs in the summer.  The urn has thyme cascading from its small mouth with a lavender plant as its “bones.”  The size of the urn will keep the lavender smaller than its in the ground sisters and both plants should last year round with care.  

Thanks to the community of Santa Clarita and neighboring areas we have outgrown our retail center’s design space.  We are expanding and growing even in this economy!  We want to thank everyone for all of the wonderful referrals!  And say thank you to all of the designers and new/remodel builders, plumbers, installers, electricians, cabinet and glass companies that refer and use us!  Advantage Tile can’t be more pleased that everyone has embraced our presence here in Santa Clarita. 

Rafael Pulido is a living, textbook definition of the phrase, “Water Expert.”
“Our job here is to bring in the raw water from Castaic Lake, and we treat it and filter it using several different processes in order to ensure that the water going out is of very high quality,” said Pulido, one of nine Water Treatment Operators at the Castaic Lake Water Agency’s Rio Vista and Earl Schmidt Water Treatment Plants.

It would be difficult to imagine a landscaped garden without roses.  With ample sun, average water, and good air circulation, roses can be enjoyed by almost anyone.
Roses have excellent landscape value.  Ground cover varieties blanket gentle slopes and open areas.  Hedge type roses require less maintenance than other roses, and provide walls of color.  Other rose varieties can add accent color to the garden, and provide armfuls of blossoms for cutting.

Everywhere you look there is something about “Green.”  Much of the talk about Green relates to saving energy and water.
Energy is the most pervasive.  Energy boils down to electricity and gas.  We will start with electricity.  Energy Star is the label you need to look for on appliances to get the most efficient running equipment.  Refrigerators and televisions are the biggest consumers of electrical power.  Second are lights.  Florescence light fixtures and the LEDs are the best available to help you consume less electrical energy.  Heating and Air Conditioning consumes a lot of power.  There are high efficient systems on the market.

A. Allbright Painting, Inc. is extremely proud to announce that we completed painting the home of our 6th Annual Paint-It-Forward Charity recipient, Keri Ross, on Saturday, March 12, 2011.  The Paint-It-Forward Charity Giveaway has been the highlight of our company year after year for the past six years, and this one was no exception.  

Why would you choose anything less than a designer who can take what your visions are and blend them into the surrounding topography of your home?  And when it comes to creating that outdoor Swimming Pool Retreat for your backyard, you would want to work with a designer extraordinaire who can do just that.  Your designer should start with a site inspection to determine the feasibility and compatibility with the personality of your property, the natural landscaping around you and what your likes and dislikes are. 

At first glance this question may seem amusing.  Even though the old saying “opposites attract” is frequently true, clutter and disorganization can be stress inducing for a person who is orderly living with someone who is not.  There are several studies that highlight the potential for stress within relationships between people with dissimilar organizational habits.  Even Dr. Phil addressed the situation on his show when a wife thought she was a bad spouse because of her inability to organize her life while her frustrated husband thought she was not a good role model for their children.  Believe it or not, disorganization and clutter impacts relationships.