Curb Appeal That Welcomes You Home
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When we think about the exterior of a house, the roof and siding come to mind first. While they are critical elements to keeping the weather out, there are many ways to decorate your home's exterior and create a warm and inviting atmosphere on the outside. These include:
- Landscaping that frames your home with different colors, shapes and heights.
- An inviting front door/entryway along with well groomed driveway and sidewalk.
- One or 2 decorating touches from shutters to window trim (wood and/or paint) that pops and one of my favorites, a trellis (right) with character even when there are no flowers.
  
A combination storm / screen door can also dress up a house while letting sunlight into your home's interior. This is one of the most practical improvements you can make as it saves energy too, replacing electrical lighting with natural light, plus an added layer of air that helps keep your home warm / cool depending on the season. |
Outdoor Spaces for Relaxing & Entertaining
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The American porch (Michael Dolan's book, The American Porch offers a historical perspective) used to be an informal gathering place for neighbors, friends and family. As lifestyles changed - moving to the suburbs (larger lots), driving more than walking and less free time (longer commutes), porches have declined in popularity. We still have some great porches and when you've got a view, you certainly want to enjoy it:
  
Americans also want more privacy which has led to outdoor living spaces in the backyard. Home owners have lots of choices for these spaces that can be enjoyed for many months each year. The most popular are decks and patios that can be used for family meals as well as entertaining. There are pools and spas for hot weather and tree houses or swing sets for the younger crowd. Many hobbies can be enjoyed at home from sports (a small putting green or basketball hoop) to a potting shed to keep plants and tools organized and near the garden.
  
As you plan this year's vacation, consider making an investment in more outdoor living space that you and your family can enjoy more than one or 2 weeks this summer. Research your investment and you are likely to recover more than half the cost, i.e. decks recoup from 60 to 80% of their cost on resale according to the 2008 Remodeling Cost vs Value report.
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Ideas for Outdoor Fun
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Too often our idea of fun is going to ... the beach, a park, the movies or something to do with electronics. Here are some web sites that can take us back in time, to simple games that are fun, inexpensive and anyone with a backyard can enjoy:
- 10 Fun Outdoor Games for Kids - starts with Big Foot Relay, and ends with Blind Snakes ... for kids and family members, small to big!
- Reunion Party Games - offers great fun and a chance to learn more about your family. Put everyone's name in a hat and draw names. Discreetly interview the person during the party and find out one secret that no one knows. Towards the end, gather together and share the secrets learned. Everyone must write down who they think each secret is
about and the person who guesses the most people correctly wins a prize.
- The Great Game List at Fun Attic - is the best site out there, as they're not just selling something. They have lists of games - ball games, skill games, carnival games, circle games, icebreaker games, learning games ... check this site out!
What I really liked about Fun Attic are their beliefs, "... that children are our future, and we must do all that we can to prepare them. What we teach our children today will determine the success of all future generations. One fundamental step in this ongoing process is the building of
relationships. This starts first and foremost with family (mom and
dad), then with friends and classmates. Fun-Attic provides tools for you to use to build those relationships through a fun and interactive approach so that when you add your
time (this means you too dad) and energy, you have a simple formula for enriching young lives."
 
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