Outdoor Fix-Ups: Improving Outdoor Lighting

Houzz. July 1, 2016. By Kerryn Ramsey: Here are some easy ways to introduce effective and evocative lighting in the backyard, without hiring an electrician. Great lighting will help you enjoy your outdoor areas all year long, however, it’s important not to have the light so bright that it washes people out and hurts the eyes. An ideal amount of illumination allows people to see each other, eat a meal and find their way around the area safely while still creating an intimate mood. While task lighting is essential, it’s the more whimsical additions that make outdoor areas come alive.

Safe Rooms and Other Hot Design Trends

Los Angeles Times. June 22, 2016. By Lisa Boone: Go big or go small. Or figure out a way to do both. That’s the choice facing design fans in Los Angeles this weekend.

12 Consigli Che Vi Faranno Risparmiare Soldi in Giardino

Houzz. June 19, 2016. By Lidia Zitara: A volte il giardino si trasforma in un terribile mangia-soldi. Ma arginare le spese è possibile: vediamo come. Le pavimentazioni
Un’altra delle spese maggiori in giardino sono le pavimentazioni.
Se avete una buona manualità e siete in grado di gestire calcestruzzo, livelle e rulli, realizzatele da soli, magari inserendo un mosaico. Ma dovete essere ben certi di fare un lavoro da esperto, altrimenti meglio affidarsi a un professionista.

Hummingbird Sage Lures Wildlife

Houzz. June 4, 2016. By Margaret Oakley: This native California ground cover thrives with little water on grassy slopes, under trees or in patio containers. Hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea) forms a fragrant carpet in the shadier spots of California gardens. The magenta blooms of this herbaceous perennial ground cover appear from late winter into fall, attracting hummingbirds and butterflies to their sweet nectar.

Green Your Garden with Ferns

Los Angeles Times. May 21, 2016. By Janet Kinosian: Don’t exclude ferns from your dream garden just because there’s a drought on.

Water-wise yet luxuriant ferns might sound contradictory. After all, don’t ferns and their flowy green fronds spread on wet forest floors and need constant spritzing when grown inside?

Read Before You Refi: 5 Tips for a Higher Home Appraisal

Trulia Money Matters. April 21, 2016. By Laura Agadoni: If you’re hoping to refinance the mortgage on your home, there’s one big roadblock between you and that lower rate: the home appraisal… To start your appraisal prep, make sure your home is clean (inside and out). Appraisers are human, after all, and can be swayed by how pristine (read: well-cared-for) a home looks.

6 Landscaping Mistakes that Destroy Your Yard

Realtor.com. March 29, 2016. By Jamie Wiehe: As warmer temps approach—quite slowly, depending on your part of the country—you might already be sweating your lawn. And with good reason: Good landscaping can add up to 28% to the overall value of a home.

No Pond, No Problem

Lawn and Landscape. February 10, 2016. By Brian Horn: Pondless waterfalls have the benefits of a water feature without the hassle…

The trend now is maintenance-free water features. Instead of homeowners taking an active role in maintaining the feature, they want something they can see and hear but don’t have to touch. That attitude has led to a rise in the popularity of pondless waterfalls.

Santa Monica’s Last Unadulterated ‘Shotgun’ House

Los Angeles Times. January 24, 2016. By Nita Lelyveld: It’s just a little slip of a house, three tiny rooms in a row.

But when its narrow front door opened on Saturday, people lined up for a chance to get in.

What is believed to be Santa Monica’s last unadulterated “shotgun” house — one straight, hallway-less shot from front door to back — had been through so much to reach what amounted to this moment of rebirth.