Some of us are “lucky” enough to get hand-me down furniture. Sometimes this is a blessing, sometimes a curse…especially when guilt is thrown in for good measure. How can you turn that piece of furniture from drab to fab?

Side tables:
-Chipped, dented, dinged up from lots of “love”? Take a palm sander to it, and refinish with varnish or primer and a paint color for a fun accent piece.
-Take off handles and replace with something more modern for an updated touch.
-Gather photographs and place on top of the table, find a piece of glass (or have one cut) and place on top of the photos. This will hide the blemishes, and be a photo album for all to see your fun adventures.
-For glass tables with metal legs, sand down the paint on the legs, remove the glass top, and use metal spray paint to give new life to the table.

Hall-way tables:
These tables tend to collect stuff. Keys, mail, coupons, loose odds and ends, etc. How can you jazz them up?
-Following the side-table ideas, you can also find a neat plate or collecting dish for loose change and keys while adding a touch of style.
-Can’t find a “neat plate”? Have a night out at a paint-your-own pottery place and create one yourself!
-Have a basket for your chargers and electronic devices to hang out in.
-Small hooks can be added to either end for umbrellas, light jackets, or keys.

Large pieces of furniture like that huge china cabinet…
-If there are doors on the bottom half of the piece, consider putting on new glass doors, or if it has glass doors, find some trendy fabric and put that in to bring in some color.
-Replace handles with new ones if some are broken, missing, or just horribly outdated and ugly.
-Before doing major rehab, ask your parents about the piece and if it is ok to alter it. If they are ok with it, consider tahing the top half off, and using the bottom half as additional kitchen storage, dining room storage for napkins, placemats, runners, table cloths, candles, candle holders, or decorating pieces. Other storage may include wine, serving plates & bowls, or any other items that are pulled out for special occassions.
-Use the top half as a knick-knack holder, or place on a bar top, install some glass holders and use as a display case for your nice barware. Don’t want the fussiness? You could also display your liquor collection.

Mirrors:
-Sand & repaint
-Paint a funky design and use as an accent piece.
-Add tile around the edges
-Take the frame off and use as a frame for a painting instead.
-Have a new one, but want the aged look? Paint a base color, then crackling paint, then your top color.

This Mini-Series of posts is dedicated to all of you first-timers dying on the vine for ideas to make your first place as comfortable as possible without moving back in with your parents.

Many of us move in our few possessions and wonder where to start. Think about your place and where you think you will spend most of your awake time. For a majority of us, that would be your living/dining area.

In your living room, pick a paint palate (if you are renting, check with your landlord first to avoid paying $$ when you move out) that is neutral to work with most everything you will likely add to it. Mauves, topes, beiges, light sage greens, or light yellows all work. If you can’t paint, there are other wall solutions available, such as hanging blown up photographs, paintings, or other artwork. Think about your walls as a blank canvass and display these pieces like a museum might.

Next look at the flooring. Quick fixes for any problem areas are colorful rugs. Pick a rug that corresponds to your wall color, or if your walls are bright white, choose a colorful rug that has the colors you WOULD like to have in your room.

Peek-a-boo, I see you! If you dont’ want your neighbors to see your every move, window coverings are a must. Shades are typically used, but if you want to bring in more design, choose panels that bring in added color. If you are looking for a comfortable space, choose like colors. If you are looking for more drama, pick contrasting colors.

Finally, where are you going to sit? If you are lucky enough to move in with one, great. If not, consider buying a comfortable futon (can double as a guest bed for those nights you want to have friends stay the night). Or watch for sales at your local furniture store! You might start out on camp chairs, but this will get old fast, so really consider buying a decent piece of furniture. It doesn’t have to last forever, but it should be able to last awhile. If you have some furniture, but it doesn’t match, consider re-upholstering it for a unified look! Don’t know how? That’s ok, there are books and people out there who do it all the time, and chances are it costs less for them to do it than for you to buy new.

Why does this happen you ask? I believe it is for several reasons.
1. If you are looking to move to a more desireable school district, summer is the best time to move. Your kids are out of school, so you are uprooting them in the middle of their lessons.
2. Everything is green. No doubt about it, good curb appeal helps sell a house faster, and when you can visualize what is growing versus what is not, it’s a lot easier to know what you are buying on the outside. If a house has beautifully manicured lawns and gardens, you will instictively feel that the home is just as well taken care of.
3. It is undoubtedly easier to move your possessions from one place to another when it is nice outside. You don’t have to worry about blizzards, below freezing temperatures or ice.
4. If the house doesn’t come with a beautiful lawn, there is still plenty of time to plant and allow the roots to take. When you move in the fall or winter you are stuck with a drabness until the next spring.
5. More inventory to choose from. As a seller, it may be tempting to hold off until the fall to list your house to avoid competing with five other houses on your block. However, if your house has something(s) to offer a buyer that the other houses don’t, you may have a better chance of selling it compared to the other houses. If you know your other neighbors, think about doing a neighborhood garage sale or an open house tour one weekend to encourage many buyers to look at the different houses all at the same time! You may be helping out your neighbor, or you may be the lucky one to get an offer!
6. List in the spring when listings are at a low point before the big surge. You will be able to take advantage of the new green, better weather, and lower competition numbers. Plus, when your house sells, you will have more inventory to shop from!

2. Adjust your thermostat down, 2 in winter up 2 in summer. (Save 2000 lbs of carbon dioxide; approx. $98 to $200 a year.)

3. Check your waterheater; set it no higher than 120 degrees (Save 550 lbs of carbon dioxide and $30.)

4. Take shorter showers, avoid full tub baths (350 lbs of carbon dioxide and save $99 a year).

5. Install a low flow shower head; (700 lbs carbon dioxide; save $150 a year).

6. Buy home products locally. (big savings on transportation costs; helps the local economy rather than sending profits away to mega-corporations)

7. When you buy new appliances, try to buy Energy Star qualified models.

8. Plant a tree… trees suck up carbon dioxide save 2,000 lbs of carbon dioxide.

9. Insulate your water heater and save approx $40 a year.

10. Unplug unused electronics (up to 1000 lbs; save approx $256 a year.)

11. Turn off your computer when not in use.

12. Air dry your clothes…. and save approx. $75 a year.

13. Change out single pane to double pane windows (save 10,000 lbs of carbon dioxide; approx $436 a year.)

14. Switch to a tankless water heater.(save approx $390 a year)

15. Insulate your walls and ceilings (save 2,000 lbs; approx $245 a year).

16. Replace old appliances… save hundreds of lbs of carbon dioxide and hundreds of dollars.

17. Buy minimally packaged goods could reduce your garbage by 10%. (Save 1200 lbs of carbon dioxide a year and $1000.)

18. Fill the dishwasher before running (fight water waste and save approx $40 a year.)

19. Install a programmable thermostat. (700 lbs carbon dioxide; save $150 a year).

20. Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner… saving 350 lbs of carbon dioxide a year; about $70 savings).

21. Get a home energy audit… (save about 30% of energy bills; over 1,000 lbs of carbon dioxide a year depending on home size.)

22. Recycle…. (one of the top performing environmental options! save 2400 lbs of carbon dioxide a year.)

23. Recycle your organic waste (compost).

24.Buy recycled paper products.

25. Buy fresh instead of frozen… frozen food takes 10 times more energy to produce!

26. Eat less red meat… methane is the 2nd most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale when they breathe.

27. Support and buy at your local farmer’s market.

28. Don’t leave an empty roof rack on your car… this can increase fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 10%.

29. Keep your tires inflated; improves gas mileage by 3%.
Plant a bamboo fence.

30. Use bamboo for floors, bowls, cutting boards, etc.

31. Unplug your electronics when you are not using them.

32. Install drip irrigation in your landscaping.

33. Use a lap top rather than a desktop it uses much less power.

34. Buy shade grown coffee, and gold reusable filters.

35. Install a ceiling fan to improve heat and cooling circulation.

36. Repair your leaky indoor and outdoor faucets.

37. Upgrade your toilet to a low flush model. (save about 1,200 gallons of water per year per toilet)

38. Collect rainwater and use it for gardening.

39. Buy low-VOC paint and donate the leftovers.

40. Wash clothes in cold water; use biodegradable detergents that are manufactured for this use.

41. Carpool when possible. Bike when possible. Walk when possible.

42. Plant flowers and shrubs that are Xeric (avoid need for irrigation).

43. Teach kids to be green by making them responsible for the recycling and match whatever they make in deposit.
44. Refrigerators eat up the most electricity in the household. Maximize efficiency by keeping the freezer at 0F. Replace with Energy Star models

45. When its time for a new car choose a more fuel efficient vehicle. Many new cars now offer greater than 30 MPG ratings.

46. Bring cloth bags to market. Avoid plastic shopping bags.

47. Join The Stop Global Warming Virtual March. This is a non-political effort to bring people concerned about global warming together in one place.

48. Add your voice.

49. Fly less if possible or offset your travel by investing in renewable energy projects.

50. Share this list, do as many things as you are able to do, and talk to everyone about our environment. Let’s make a better world for current and future generations together, one household at a time.

Revised from source: Santa Fe Green Realtors (2006)

Vintage light fixtures and cabinet hardware are a great way to make a statement in your home this spring. Chandeliers and brushed metal hardware, are great for giving your home a romantic feel. If you can’t afford antique store prices many home improvement stores and consignment stores may have what you are looking for, even IKEA and Walmart have inexpensive options.

According to Pantone, which is considered the world-renowned authority on color, Splashes of Sunshine is the color palette for this spring. However instead of having bright and colorful accent pieces, the bright colors are being seen in the furniture and wall color. Some of the popular colors this spring are turquoise, violet, coral and bright yellow.

Be inspired by the outdoors, this spring beaches, mountains and coastlines are a huge inspiration for this spring’s color palette. Ocean blue, mossy green and turquoise (voted color of the year by Pantone) are colors that are perfect for decorating your home this spring.

Mix up your colors, mix bold and bright with neutrals. If you are a bit worried about painting an entire room a bright color don’t worry you don’t have to, instead paint your walls a neutral color, pink champagne and violet gray are popular this spring and then keep the bright color choices for furniture and accent pieces.

With nature as a popular theme for this spring don’t forget about natural fabrics, from your throw pillows to area rugs natural fabrics are in this spring. Wool, jute and seagrass are perfect materials if you want your home to have a natural appearance without going completely ‘green’ (which is much more costly then simply buying new accent pieces and throws and giving your walls a fresh coat of paint).

Metallic accent pieces are great for creating contrast if you have a room that is overall pretty neutral in color. A great way to do this would be to add a metallic framed mirror or picture frames to a neutral wall for example, a pink champagne wall with a brushed gold mirror or picture frames would give your room a vintage warm appearance. This would be a perfect for any master bedroom.

BEHR also has another way to create contrast with bright colors this spring, which is to mix colors of the same color palette, for example a dark blue with a light blue. A way to do this is to use one color on the wall and use the other color for the accessories. To keep the room from going to color overboard beige and cream furniture work great to offset the color.

The American Institute of Architects reports that “without the rapid appreciation in home values seen between 1995 and 2005, design of kitchens and bathrooms has recently been somewhat more modest. Functionality is now preferred to more and larger kitchens and bathrooms within U.S. homes. Households are placing a premium on products and features that promote energy efficiency, and adaptability in the use of space for seniors and those with accessibility concerns. … Integrating kitchens with family space remains a design priority, as does including areas devoted to recycling, pantries, computer workstations, and spaces devoted to recharging laptops, cell phones and PDAs.”

This kind of “reverse growth” is a blessing when it comes to cost savings. The average U.S. household spends around $1,900 a year on utility bills. The U.S. Department of Energy says green ways can cut your bills by up to 25 percent. Functional design is a good place to make big changes. Other energy saving ideas include:

•LED lighting: The abbreviation for “light-emitting diode,” these environmentally friendly lights give off the same light as regular 40 watt bulbs, but they last 50 times longer, making them a cost-effective option for lighting your home.

•Water saving toilets: Low flush toilets use only 1 to 2 gallons of water per flush compared to the usual 3 to 5 gallons.

•Renewable flooring: All renewables are not made the same, and a savvy homeowner should explore what option best fits their needs. You can choose from bamboo, natural linoleum, cork flooring, and even wood floors.

Congress has acknowledged the unique circumstances affecting members of the military, the foreign service and the intelligence community by making the following exceptions that apply to both the $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers and the $6,500 tax credit for repeat home buyers.

Exemption From Tax Credit Recapture Rules
•Typically, homes that are sold or that cease to be used as a principal residence within three years of the initial purchase are subject to recapture of the tax credit.
•However, qualified service members who sell or move from a tax credit home within three years of the initial purchase due to official extended duty are exempt from the recapture rule.
Extension of Tax Credit Deadlines
•The home buyer tax credit is available for qualified purchases with a binding sales contract in place on or before April 30, 2010 and closed by June 30, 2010.
•However, for qualified service members who are ordered on a period of official extended duty, these dates are extended for one year. For these home buyers, the tax credit applies to sales with a binding sales contract in place on or before April 30, 2011 and closed by June 30, 2011.
•A person who is forced to return to the U.S. for medical reasons before completing an assignment of at least 90 days of qualified official extended duty outside of the United States may qualify for the one-year extension.
Definitions
•“Qualified service member” means a member of the uniformed services of the U.S military, a member of the Foreign Service of the U.S., or an employee of the intelligence community.
•“Official extended duty” means any period of extended duty outside of the United States for at least 90 days during the period beginning after December 31, 2008 and ending before May 1, 2010

By Andrew Wineke
The Gazette

This week’s announcement that Rocky Wind Power would soon begin manufacturing small wind systems in Colorado Springs got a lot of attention for the 25 jobs the company will bring to the area and for the company’s status as the city’s first renewable-energy company.

You might be wondering, however, what exactly a “small wind system” is and whether you should consider bolting one to your roof.

The football-field-size wind turbines that Vestas is manufacturing and erecting on Colorado’s eastern plains are big wind — with each turbine able to power hundreds of homes. By contrast, a small wind system is usually sized to power a single home, providing about 5,000 watts of power (compared with the 3 megawatts of one of Vestas’ behemoths).

“For as little as $10,000, (people) can have free electricity for the rest of their lives,” said Steve Stultz, Rocky Wind’s chief financial officer.

Small wind turbines have become popular in recent years with farmers and ranchers, said Brodie Ayers, a renewable-energy specialist with the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union. Those turbines are typically located in windy areas and placed on towers 80 or more feet high.

Most zoning regulations prohibit anything like an 80-foot tower in a residential neighborhood. Rocky Wind instead uses a vertical-axis design that looks something like an overgrown egg beater and sits directly on a home’s rooftop.

“There’s nothing in our code that prevents you from installing one this afternoon,” said Dennis Hisey, El Paso County Commission chair.

Vertical-axis designs have been around for decades, said Ron Stimmell, small-wind manager for the American Wind Energy Association, a national industry group. But putting a turbine on a rooftop is too close to the ground to capture steady winds, even in windy areas, and past rooftop designs have struggled to live up to their potential, he said. The ground causes drag and slows wind speeds.

“I have yet to come across a rooftop installation that has performed as promised,” Stimmell said. “It’s in your economic interest to go as high as you can — you’ll get faster winds and more money in your pocket.”

However, Mona Newton, central regional representative for the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office, thinks rooftop wind systems show promise.

“I’ve gotten so many calls over the years from people who want to put up a wind turbine in their backyard,” she said. “I think that we’ll probably see quite a bit of acceptance of them.”

A 5,000-watt rooftop turbine from Rocky Wind costs about $16,000 (the company’s smallest system produces 1,800 watts and costs $10,000). Stultz said his company’s systems typically pay for themselves in 4 to 6 years (including a 30 percent federal tax credit), and will last for 30 years.

Just because you have a wind turbine doesn’t mean you can cut your power lines. Small systems tie into the electrical grid and, when the turbine produces more power than needed, the home’s electrical meter will actually run backward. When the wind dies, the utility provides power as usual.

“The advantages are that you’re producing your own power and you’re hedging your utility cost for the long term,” Newton said.

Wind Power Article, Courtesy of The Gazette

For more information on these wind power generators, go to: Rocky Wind Power