The Green Way to a Fresher Bathroom

Welcome back!

I just came across the most wonderful way to scent your bathroom.  Danny who writes the blog Simply Green came up with a simple and affordable way to have an instant Eco Bathroom.

I’m going shopping tonight for a cheap bathroom renovation that will smell devine - thanks Danny!

Urban Home Treasures – Beautiful and Affordable

Some of us are living in the home and community of our dreams, others are still looking. If price is a factor for you here is yet another reason to look at your urban centers and the new urbanist communities that are springing up around the country.

 

The thing about new urbanism is that it forces us to look again at our urban areas through the eyes of those of with the creativity, passion and ability to renew old communities. Terra not Terror is a great blog about environmentally friendly lifestyles that I came across yesterday because of blogger Terra’s discussion of the recent Akron Metro Living Tour.

Akron, Ohio is a city I discovered about 19 years ago when I was just finishing school in Michigan. I met someone at school who hailed from Akron and who seemed flabbergasted that I’d never heard of the city before. “You haven’t heard of Akron – the once rubber capital of America?” he said with great offense. Being from another country to the north, I think I could be excused from this essential piece of knowledge .

Anyhow that began my odyssey of discovering a gem of an old city named Akron. Visiting my friend’s West Akron family home on the weekend became something I truly enjoyed as I roamed the heavily treed streets, fantastic old stores and scenic parks nearby. What got me then was how affordable some of these grand old homes were. One draw back – the best deals needed the greatest renovation work. Anyhow, jobs took us to other states, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Akron and the fellow who introduced me to this city (he’s now my husband).

If you need to understand what kind of benefits there are to gain in living in an urban center like this, besides the great financial bargain to be had, take a look at this site for an example of urban living that might be available near to where you live. Many of the Akron neighborhoods featured are situated close to downtown and unbelievably beautiful metro parks.  These are added bonuses for those of you who want and appreciate great architecture, decent sized homes and the sense of community awareness that are core to revitalized communities like this.

Price tag: There are many neighborhoods, but among the best deals are those featured in West Hill.  These homes range in price from $40,000 to $180,000. The neighborhood has also become a project of the Cleveland Restoration Society’s Heritage Home Program. The program serves as a benefit for rehabilitating and remodeling these gorgeous homes.

Best of all “The presence of the Historic District at West Hill has increased the value of the area in terms of city awareness, neighborhood pride and reclamation of housing stock and increased property value.”

The Top Ten List of Communities is Here!

As promised many moons ago, I have finally compiled the “Top Ten List of New Urban Communities” and it is ready and waiting for your review – complete with colour pictures and commentary! For those of you who are interested in what some of the developers are offering in new home/condo construction take a look at the new list under the “Top Ten Communities” menu tab above. The list features communities from all over, including Colorado, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Washington and Canada.

Please note that some of these communities are located in the suburbs and others are in the city. Since new urbanism is all about quality, affordable living that supports “green” lifestyles in communities that are walkable places designed for people and socializing (not cars!) the communities selected offer or plan to offer those very things.

Please take a look for yourself and call the appropriate contacts to better determine the suitability of these housing options for your family. At the very least you’ll get some ideas about what you’d like to find for purchase or rent in your own region or what you’d like to add, change or enhance in your own cozy community. Remember our communities are what we make them to be!

Garage Sales and Life’s Little Journies

Garage sales are a big deal in my community. Our street use to do one every spring and then the last two years we passed on the “opportunity.” Well this weekend my neighbor got me all into the garage sale fever again.

My neighbor and I are both early birds. We’re out either on our porch or busying in the garden around 7 a.m. each weekend morning. On Saturday she asked whether I was going to “the” garage sale. It was one of those sales being held by a real “Martha Stewart” type homeowner. Her house is one that everyone loves (great decor, grass is ALWAYS green, and hubby never falls behind on fixing chores). You know that her stuff is going to be terrific. I wasn’t planning on visiting her sale because that was too much pressure for me and I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to withstand the early morning crowd crush.

My neighbor got me out of my chair anyway. Off we went walking through our neighborhood to garage sale mecca. We bumped into two power walking neighbors who quickly decided to do a u-turn and join us on our trek to the sale. You should have seen us with our hair in various stages of disarray and our vintage (I’m being kind) tops and shorts. I was literally dressed just to putter around the lawn, and I definitely looked the part.

At the sale, I ended up deciding that I did not need yet another side table or teflon pot, but I did get a great brass finger towel stand for the kids’ bathroom and a chess set for my son.

You know it wasn’t what I purchased that made my morning so sweet it was the people and conversations that I had along the way that made me happy and grateful to live in my community.

St. Louis Loves New Urbanism

A St. Louis, Missouri, newspaper (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) reports on the growing popularity of new urbanism communities in the St. Louis region. One couple profiled said they decided to move to a new urban community so that they could have “more than a home.” They wanted a place where they didn’t have to drive everywhere and could walk safely around their neighborhood. The experience is a new and pleasant one for many new residents making a similar move in that region:

“A few weeks ago, Lee Ann Borcherding sat on her front porch with her daughter Lisa, 20, in New Town, where hundreds of homes rise out farmland and are connected by canals.

There’s a small market, a frozen custard shop, real estate offices and restaurants. People kayak, bike, skate and drive golf carts around the neighborhood.

“On the weekends you can’t sit out here without seeing 20 bikes go by,” Lisa Borcherding said.

Often sightseers show up just to look at the place. There are concerts at a local amphitheater, and people gather at the town hall to watch movies and drink martinis. “We are like in a zoo,” Lee Ann Borcherding said, adding that it’s a little difficult to get in and out of the area.

Richard Ward, a local real estate consultant, said New Town is probably the best example of new urbanist development built from scratch.”

Read the whole story here.

Affordable Residential Rebirth

There is the perception that many “new urban” style developments are expensive. The truth is the cost of buying a home in a new urban style development varies. Some are pricey others are created to be affordable. You really do need to look around and I promise I’ll have the list of new urban style communities out by September!

For now, take a look at a recent New York Times profile of the rebirth of a community in downtown Tacoma Washington. This “new urban” style community consists of afford ably priced newly constructed homes. Take a look at the pictures featured in the story – the homes are very attractive.

“Phase 1 consists of 90 market-rate houses, 40 below-market-rate houses for sale to buyers with incomes less than 60 percent of $49,584, the city’s median, and about 300 subsidized rental units — town houses and apartments in multifamily buildings.

When the 188-acre development is completed in 2009, it will have about 250 market-rate houses, 100 below-market-rate houses and 815 subsidized rentals. Financing for the project includes a $35 million federal Hope VI grant, $9 million from the Washington State Housing Trust Fund and about $60 million in private funds generated from the sale of low-income tax credits.”

Full story.

Live and Work at Home In Style

The picture in today’s post features the “live/work” units that are part of the Cornell community in Markham, Ontario (Canada). Cornell is a new urban style development that has that friendly “old fashioned” feel.

Let’s say you’re a Mary Kay consultant or a virtual assistant or graphic designer…couldn’t you just imagine yourself settling into one of these units that has your “store-front” office on the main floor and your living space on the top two? It may not be for everyone but for those who need a separate space for their business but can not afford to lease commercial space, this is an affordable alternative that also gives you a prime “storefront” location. For work at home moms this is ideal!

Peonies

My gardening abilities have developed slowly over time. I started dabbling when the kids were toddlers in our first home. Those toddlers are now teenagers so you’d think I’d have mastered the basics of gardening by now… [Read more]

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