Karen Hansen

Lately I’ve been suffering from serious “new home” envy. There is nothing more exciting than selecting the colours and finishes for a brand new home. Like many, I can see the appeal of starting from scratch, especially with all the choices available today. Twenty years ago the only options we had were department stores. Now, there’s an enormous world of product available, including stores that cater to handy people who like to do the work themselves.

Whether freshening up with paint or selecting finishes for brand new Barrie homes, planning ahead will help you make the necessary choices with confidence. The first step is to determine your individual needs: think about how you want your space to function and take the time to write it all down.

The next step is my favourite: finding your inspiration! Collect images that inspire you from books and magazines and create a scrapbook or folder. Keep them all in one place where it is easily accessible. It’s also rejuvenating to create inspiration boards using cards, photos, fabrics and clippings from just about anything. Discover your style by observing colour and pattern trends that repeat themselves throughout your collection of images. Your hidden and not-so hidden style will become evident, revealing colour preference and traditional or modern aesthetic. This discovery can help with further selections of materials and finishes.

Choosing your floor is a perfect place to begin. Great flooring decisions lay the groundwork for satisfying design. Think of your floor as the fifth wall in any room. Hardwood remains today’s most popular choice. This classic adds value to your home. It’s a natural insulator, is easy to clean and with proper maintenance, lasts for years. Laminate flooring is also very easy to maintain and comes in an exploding range of wood looks and various patterns. Ceramic and porcelain tiles are great for high traffic and moisture prone areas of the home. This type of flooring material wears well, resists stains and is available in amazing colours and textures with options for size variance and creative patterns. Pratt Homes offers a complete range of today’s flooring choices to make any “new home” selections start out right!

After determining an overall colour scheme and selecting a floor finish, it’s important to remember lighting. As a rule, rooms need four types of lighting – ambient (overhead), task, accent and decorative. This helps a space to function well and look fabulous.

Fine-tune your finishes by selecting cabinets and counters in colours and textures that compliment your desired look – but don’t forget the details! Hardware is like the jewellery that highlights the fashion of a room making it elegant and extra special.

Set aside some extra money for the fun stuff. After all, accessories truly finish off a space and give personal style to every “new home”.

I’m not putting up the “For Sale” sign just yet, but one day I won’t be surprised if I find myself planning ahead to create the “new home” of my dreams!

For more interior design inspiration, stop by the Pratt Homes Design Studio in Barrie, Ontario.

Today's low-maintenance building products have eliminated a lot of time-consuming and often tedious home upkeep, however no home is completely maintenance-free. Every homeowner should set up a regular schedule of check-ups and clean-ups to protect their investment and to avoid costly repairs over the long term.

Each season your home goes through changes in temperatures, weather conditions, aging, and of course normal wear and tear. In order to keep all the components of your home running smoothly, and to avoid costly repairs later, it’s helpful to conduct regular seasonal maintenance.

• Check sealing/caulking around windows and doors for air and water leaks. The majority of heated air in your home is lost through the windows and doors. Go through your home and open windows to check the seals and caulking around window frames for good condition. Check weather strips on doorframes for contact with doors. Replace any worn or damaged caulking and weather seals.
• Check the grading around your house for settlement. You want to ensure there is a positive slope away from the house so that water will not pool against the foundation wall. Raise the grade if required by peeling back the sod and adding topsoil.
• Drain all exterior water lines at your lawn taps, leave the outside valves open and shut off the exterior water supply by closing the valves inside the house to prevent the pipes freezing during the winter.
• Clear away leaves, dirt and pine needles from eaves troughs and examine them for leaks at corner seams and the downspouts for damage or loose pieces. Make sure there are splash pads beneath the down spouts that direct water away from the house.
• Clean or replace your furnace filter and HRV filter. Clean air filters will keep your family healthier in the fall and winter months. Fall is also a good time to have annual servicing done to your furnace.
• Check your clothes dryer vent for lint build up and vacuum it out if required to prevent the risk of fire.
• Test your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors to confirm they are in good working order.
• Check the garage overhead door tracks and lubricate the bearings.
• Check your floor drains to ensure trap is filled with water. If it is dry, add water to just below floor level.

Keep in mind that the fall season may be short. Should winter come early, it could be too late to prepare your home effectively so think about starting fall maintenance as soon as possible. These helpful tips will give you a jump-start on the season to ultimately ensure the proper maintenance of your Barrie condo, townhome or house this fall season.