Some like buying brand new homes, filled with the latest amenities. Others prefer the charm of an older home, with its unique nooks and crannies and old-world craftsmanship. If you fall into the latter category, keep in mind that charm can come with unexpected landmines. While you are tempted to focus on the design elements that make an older home appealing, it’s important to consider structural issues as well. No matter how much you love those...

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Are you getting ready to look for your first home? There’s more to the task than checking out bedrooms and back yards. First, you need to consider important financial issues. Here are 3 key tips, from the real estate website Keeping Current Matters: Get pre-qualified: In a competitive home market like Denver, you need to be able to act immediately if you see a house you’d like to buy. If you are already pre-qualified for a loan, sellers will...

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Whether you want to update your longtime home or reconfigure your newly purchased residence, remodeling is a seductive thought. After all, who doesn’t love to imagine that their dream home is just a contractor away? But remodeling comes with its own set of challenges. From budget woes to daily dust and disorder, a home project can seem like a virus – something you just endure until it’s over. What are the symptoms of the ailment? Houzz article...

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You can decorate sleek. You can decorate vintage. Or, if you’re following a current trend, you can just do as you feel and decorate “cozy.” “Cozy seems to be the buzzword for 2018,” designer Joan Craig recently told the Associated Press (AP). “Every client this year has told us they want their home to be soft, warm, relaxed, luxurious…and easy.” What does this mean in practical terms? Here are 4 tips to creating a cozy home, from AP: Think lush...

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You’re out getting drinks with a friend when it starts to rain. Meanwhile, at home your sprinklers are set to turn on, despite the downpour. Should you: a) race home to turn them off and avoid wasting water and money; or b) forget about it and order another round of martinis? Actually, we choose option c): Why not just pull out your smartphone and turn your sprinklers off from your seat at the bar? When it comes to watering your lawn, a...

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Years ago, a person alerted of a fire had 17 minutes to get out of their home before the fire and smoke grew out of control. Today, that number has dropped to an alarming three minutes or less. Why the difference? Experts say modern design is the culprit. “Open floor plans provide oxygen and don’t provide barriers,” notes a recent article in the Washington Post. “And synthetic building materials and furnishings burn at a much faster rate than...

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