ADU's and the City of Seattle

In 1988 when I bought a house that was previously a duplex (after WW2 Seattle eased housing restrictions to allow apartments in homes, as there was a housing shortage then). In the 80's and 90's Seattle cracked down on the "illegal' MIL apartments, and I had a hard time getting two garbage cans and two recycling bins so my tenant and I could have separate cans. The city came to "inspect' the house and the regulation was you could have a family member live in your apartment in your home, not a stranger, so there must be an interior staircase connecting the two units and if there was a second kitchen, there could be no stove, in fact the city made me remove my range/oven.

fast forward to now: OK to have both a MIL and a backyard cottage, and OH! they can cook while they live in your basement or backyard...

For more information on this current Seattle regulation, here is a article that was published recently by Curbed Seattle

Should I Choose a 15 year or 30 year Mortgage?

When you meet with a loan representative to secure financing after you've made a home purchase one of the questions you'll be asked is if you would like a 15 year term or a 30 year term. Time to make that decision.

At this point you need to consider your options. A 15 year term will likely give you a higher payment over a shorter time period, but a 30 year term will give you a lower payment with a longer time to pay it off.

Several things to consider are your job stability and your financial situation. Would you like to put more money into savings or a retirement or education account each month? The lower payment with a 30 year loan plus the tax deductions may make this a better choice.

If your job is stable and you don't see any changes in your future, this might be a good option and you will be paying less interest overall.

One other option if you want the lower payment but would still like to pay off your mortgage early, is to make biweekly payments rather than monthly payments. This alone will shave years off of your mortgage.

The bottom line, which is best for your budget and peace of mind?

New Lifestyle Vision Guide!

It’s time to create your 2019 lifestyle! Let your imagination run wild with my gift to you. Get a free Lifestyle Vision guide here.

Lifestyle Vision Guide 

Staging Your For Sale Home

If you've been looking for a new home to buy, no doubt you've been in lots of homes already. Did you think about how you felt about the house when you walked in? Do you know why you liked or didn't like that home? Curb appeal is certainly a contributing factor but how about the furnishings.

A homeowner who is selling their home wants to appeal to as many people as they can. How can you do this in your home? The easiest way to help those potential buyers "move in" to your home is by removing your personal belongings. Help those buyers envision this house, as the perfect home for them, the one they've always wanted to lived in. You don't want to sell the house with your "lived in" look but instead, stage your home with neutral belongings. A staging professional will remove the clutter and create the sense of a warm, inviting atmosphere.

This is a good time to appeal to the emotions of a home and the neighborhood. Who will most likely buy your home? Is it a single person living in the city or is more likely to be a growing family? Maybe it will be a couple or friends so think about how your home fits into the neighborhood.

Fresh paint, designer furniture and accessories meant to appeal to the perfect buyer will enhance your homes appeal. This is a best reason to use a staging professional when you sell your home.

Remember that you can control the message your home displays to potential buyers. Make it the best that you can and let's chat about the benefits of using a staging professional.  ~ D. Lisa

It's Moving Day!

Once you've bought and sold a house it's time to move. Now this can be fun or it can be a dreaded chore. You've change the utilities, you've checked the kids school records, you've made arrangements for the pets while you move. Moving day has arrived. After checking Pinterest and downloading all the moving checklists you think you have this move all organized and are ready. Then comes the first night in your new home. You did find the linens for the beds and the kids school clothes for Monday but oh dear, you didn't think about the first few hours in that new home. My solution is a moving day kit. All you need to do is head for Target or Fred Meyer or even the local drug store and buy a clear storage container. In this box add a few things that you know  you're going to need as soon as you arrive. Several of the items that I want in my kit are:

• Roll of toilet paper
• Hand soap
• Roll of paper towels
• A few trash bags
• All purpose cleaning spray or wipes
• A shower curtain liner
• Shampoo and conditioner
• A few snacks like granola bars
• Pain relievers
• Plastic utensils
• Paper plates, cups and bowls
• Box cutter
• Shower curtain liner

This box can be packed ahead of time and should travel in your car with you to your new home. Now at least you're ready with a few essentials to get the show on the road. 

Curb Appeal

First impressions really do matter. That's why it's important if you're looking to sell your home that you make the best first impression that you can. You can create a positive first impression with just a few simple projects.

Paint your front door. You don't always need to paint your entire house but painting the front door in a memorable color will help it stand out and make a good impression.

Boring old house numbers are most likely the same as all of your neighbors. You can replace those numbers with new fresh updated and colorful numbers. The can be painted or metal and they don't always have to be the same size.

If you have a mailbox in front of your house, plant a garden around it or even replace the mailbox. You can often find unique mailboxes at farmer's markets or seasonal markets.

You can add interest to your entryway with a pot of flowers or even a chair or a sitting area. Let folks imagine themselves sitting there morning or evening and watching the neighborhood happenings.

Flower boxes are a great way to add a pop or color or interest to an area that looks a bit tired in the summer sun. Go bright and bold. Remember that you don't always need to have flowers in a traditional flower box, but use an old boot, beach bucket or any kind of interesting container.

Places To Visit

I can't believe that it's almost May and now I'm thinking about places that I want to visit this summer.

I just found a very cool list about some great ice cream stops in the eastern part of the state. While I'm dreaming about summer, I just might make a trip east of the mountains to visit some wonderful sounding ice cream stores in Spokane, Pullman, Yakima and even in Ellensburg. In fact a trip to Ellensburg makes a great day trip. Here is a link so you too can read all about these yummy sounding places. The Ice Cream Trail.

Kitchen Thoughts

My kitchen is need of some updating so I've been reading articles about kitchen remodels and design. I realized there are some other criteria to consider other than just what kind of counter tops I want and should I paint my custom oak cabinets white.

It never occurred to me that the type of hood fan I choose might be dictated by the local building code. I sure wouldn't want to have a violation and have to redo my hood fan.

I also am thinking about drawer pulls or knobs because right now I don't have any. I do love the look of my unadorned cabinets but I know that new hardware will update the look. I just never thought about the fact that I might need two or three different types or sizes to work on all the different types of door and drawer fronts.

Then there are the counter tops. I assumed that I would just replace the counter tops with granite or quartz and straight edges like I currently have but now I'm thinking they should be an eased edge or slightly softened corners. I think that's more in style with my kitchen than the bull nosed or very rounded look.

I have thought about the sink. I already know that I want an undermount sink so it's easier to keep the area clean. It also looks so neat and tidy.

The last thing I can think about today is the toe kicks. Hmm.. I guess these don't need to match the cabinets especially if they're white. Maybe stainless steel would be good, especially with the stainless appliances.

What about you? Are you thinking about making changes or updating your kitchen. What kinds of materials are you thinking about?

Thinking About The Garden

I hear people talking and thinking about the garden they are planning this year. Yes, it's almost the end of January and here in the northwest we are dreaming about spring and planting gardens.

There are some things that you can do if this is part of your plan for 2017. As you're thumbing through gardening journals and ordering from the seed catalogues you can also:

1. start tomato and vegetable seeds in peat pots.
2. Grow salad greens and herbs indoors with seed starting trays.
3. If you can get outside, you can apply pre-emergent to prevent weeds in your lawns.

As it gets closer to March you can:

1. Build raised garden bed.
2. Cultivate vegetable gardens.
3. Plan spring flowering shrubs like azaleas.
4. Apply lawn fertilizer and repair and seed bare patches.

This will keep me busy and thinking about the growing season again. What about you? Do you have garden plans for spring?

Thinking of Spring

Even though the first day of winter has not even arrived, I'm starting to dream of spring. I'm thinking of green grass, flowers and of course sunshine and warm weather.

One of the interesting ideas that I just came across was to paint a faux floor rug on your deck. Oh, this one has me thinking.What ideas are you dreaming about for srping?

Kitchen Cabinets

If you think you'd like to do a kitchen upgrade that's really noticeable and fresh looking, consider making a change to your cabinets. There are several things that you can do for an updated look.

Paint - You can change the color of the cabinets so that  it creates the illusion of new cabinets. A lighter color will make the entire kitchen look brighter and more spacious.

Refinish or re-laminate - If you like the natural look, you can sand and varnish the cabinets to make the kitchen look warm and inviting. If the cabinets are laminated, they can be covered with wood or vinyl veneers.

Create open shelving - Remove the cabinet doors and create open shelving. It will create space and allow your dishes to become part of your decorating scheme.

New hardware - This is one of the easiest things that you can do yourself. New drawer pulls or handles on doors can provide an instant upgrade. There is a wide variety of styles and materials available.

Honey for my honey

As a child I loved it when my mother served us honey. As an adult I'm learning more about honey and like what I see and really appreciate the fact that you increase many vitamins and minerals when you add honey to your diet. According to the USDA Agricultural Research Service, one tablespoon of honey contains 64 calories, 17 grams of carbohydrates, plus trace amounts of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, iron, zinc and selenium. It's also a benefit to the plants because the bees pollinate the plants when they collect nectar from the flowers.

Raw honey can contain pollen which may not be good for folks with pollen allergies but when honey is processed a team of researchers from Utah found that in the processing, nutrients were not removed from the honey but it actually increased the mineral content and the antioxidant qualities of the honey. 

Now honey can have a regional flavor and that flavor will depend on the flowers that have been used for the nectar collection. It never occurred to me however that honey is an animal product and is not considered vegan. 

I think I'm going to buy some different types of honey the next time I venture out to the local farmers market. I wonder which one will be my favorite kind? If you have a favorite, let me know and I'll try to find it also. 

Sketches

Got a new scanner! Now I can upload some
crazy little sketches I've been saving.

Someday I'll have a sketch show.

Art Market as unregulated as the Drug Market?

Thanks to Jenn Graves for posting this. These videos are worth watching. Robert Hughes, ranting about money and reminiscing about being an art critic since the 60's

Sketches from Europe