Someday is NOT a day of the week

I tend to channel my inner Scarlett O'Hara, particularly when I don't want to do something.  I say to myself, "I'll think about that another day".  However, with a large to-do list and a house load of chores to do, more often than not, I really need to channel my inner NIKE ad exec, and<em> just do it.</em><br/><br/>That being said, there are some times you just need to get things done and you have to resort to alternative methods to <em>get some help</em>.  I'm not suggesting it's going to be easy, especially if you have teenagers, but here are a few ideas you may want to try out:<br/><br/><address><strong>Procrastinate</strong>.  Do you ever feel as if you are the only person in your house who knows how to load the dishwasher, or do a load of laundry?  Well, stop doing it for several days and let everything pile up.  Eventually someone will take the hint and load it, right?  (Uh, well this is actually <em>WRONG!</em>  If you or your significant other don't do it, no one will, so just bite the bullet and do it yourself.)</address><strong>Buy ice cream</strong>.  This is only effective on very small people, particularly those under 6 years old.  If you have tiny people living in your home, you can bribe them with ice cream to help or do small chores.<br/><br/><strong>Fail miserably</strong>.  If you do something badly enough, enough times, you will find you will not be asked to do it again.  My teenage daughter is particularly good at this tactic, so I'm thinking of how to turn the tables on her!<br/><br/><strong>Get sick</strong>.  Although this is a bit drastic, a house full of kids all managed to get themselves meals, and keep the house relatively clean when I had the mother-of-all summer colds.  Did I detect sympathy in their eyes?  Either way, stuff got done!<br/><br/><strong>Win the lottery</strong>. Nothing makes better sense - win big and you can hire someone to do chores.  If it makes you feel better, you can call this strategy "outsourcing" or "delegating".<br/><br/>Well I hope that was helpful!  Unfortunately, it seems my garden isn't going to water itself, and the lawn furniture isn't going paint itself either.   So despite all of these extremely useful suggestions, I think I'll just double up on my B vitamins, have another cup of coffee, and get moving.<br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> 

Someday is NOT a day of the week

I tend to channel my inner Scarlett O'Hara, particularly when I don't want to do something.  I say to myself, "I'll think a...

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Play, but play it safe!

It's almost the 4th of July, and that means fireworks, bonfires, and partying.  I'm just gonna get this over with and be a huge downer here... Unfortunately, those fireworks mean the potential for house fires.  So<em>, listen up!  And then I promise to post something FUN! </em><br/><br/>Our modular home came wired for smoke detectors in every room, including the basement.  When one detector goes off, all of the detectors in the house go off, which is, well, <em>alarming</em>, and very loud!  But that's what we want - my husband is a fire fighter, and so, we get a little freaked out about house fires.   It's scary to think about 2/3 of house fires happen where the home did not have working smoke detectors.  You need to have working alarms in each bedroom and in living areas. Carbon monoxide and smoke detection combination alarms are best, but are especially necessary in the basement.<br/><br/>You should test your existing detectors every year.   If your current smoke alarm is "chirping" that means it needs a new battery.  If you don't notice any chirping, you still need to test your alarms - just press the center button until the alarm sounds. If it sounds, your alarm is functioning properly. If it doesn't, change the battery. If you change the battery and it still doesn't work, you need a new smoke detector.<br/><br/>If you don't have your house wired for the smoke detectors, you can use battery powered smoke alarms.  (I got an email today that Amazon is having a sale on the combination alarms at $21.75, which is a <em>HUGE</em> savings. I've put a link to the alarms - on the right - if you are interested. These alarms have a high rating <em>and</em> are on sale for a fraction of the normal price.)<br/><br/>So with the 4th of July right around the corner, fireworks and bonfires coming up, please play it safe and make sure either your current alarms are working, or buy new working alarms.<br/><br/>Okay, lecture over.  :-)<br/><br/> 

Play, but play it safe!

It's almost the 4th of July, and that means fireworks, bonfires, and partying.  I'm just gonna get this over with and be a huge down...

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Halfway to a new garden!

The garden project is coming along!<br/><br/>We managed to rototill the area we want to plant, which is most of the front of our house and along the side.<br/><br/>It was an eventful day!  As it turns out there were a lot of things already <em>planted</em> in our garden-to-be.  Such as:  gigantic rocks, wasp nests, and the invisible fence line!  As you can imagine we were <em>delighted</em> at our findings, but rather than celebrate, we still had to ready the area for our new shrubs and flowers.<br/><br/>With my mothers help, I had arranged all the plants where we wanted them to go, or maybe more aptly, where they needed to go.  Big A measured each plant from the house and made a map of the garden-to-be.  I also took pictures of the area with the plants laid out so that we could use the photos as reference.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0025.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-333" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0025-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0025" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>He then used spray paint to outline the edge of the garden.  I have to admit, we were not precise with the outline of the garden.  Our criteria was that it had to be about 5' out from the foundation, because some of the shrubs have a 10' spread when they are full grown.  Also, the garden itself had to encompass some of the huge boulders we have near the house so that Big A didn't have to move them!  Fair point!<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/marking.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-334" height="163" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/marking-300x163.jpg" title="marking" width="300" /></a>Then Big A got to work with the rototiller.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Big-As-job.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-335" height="270" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Big-As-job-300x270.jpg" title="Big A's job" width="300" /></a>The ground was very dry and had a lot of clay and rocks - big rocks.   I wanted to run the rototiller myself, however, when I saw how much it was pulling, even for Big A, I thought I'd better not push my luck.  (At that point we'd already been stung by wasps and I didn't want to end up in the ER with a missing limb...)  So while he rototilled, I raked, cleared out the sod and rocks, and maybe most importantly, dealt with our other two helpers - the dog and the 4 year old.  Helpers can be hard to manage!  But I have my ways:<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Helper.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-336" height="260" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Helper-300x260.jpg" title="Helper" width="300" /></a><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Taking-a-break.jpg"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-337 alignleft" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Taking-a-break-278x300.jpg" title="Taking a break" width="278" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>We finished with the area rototilled and raked ready for planting.  This part of the process took us about 7 hours total.  We were very happy when it was finished, cuz it was admittedly a long and tiring day, compounded by finding wasp nests, and dealing with 90 degree heat. By 5 p.m. we called it quits and headed to my in-laws pool!<br/><br/>Which. Was. Heaven. :-)

Halfway to a new garden!

The garden project is coming along! We managed to rototill the area we want to plant, which is most of the front of our house and along the ...

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The Dead Fly and DIY

I'm not a morning person.  Well, <em>technically</em> I am.  I get up early, but as anyone who knows me well will tell you - if you know what's good for you, best not to speak to me until I've had at least two large cups of coffee. This morning was no different.  I got up and shuffled into the kitchen to make myself a cup of personality.  I was lost in thought, thinking about the day ahead.  Big A was going to borrow a rototiller and we were going to get the garden dug along the foundation.<br/><br/>Yesterday, my mother came over and we had placed all of the plants and drew up a <del>slap-dash</del> very precise map of said garden.  I took a ton of pictures of the area so that I could use them as reference as to where the plants were supposed to go after we dug the actual garden.<br/><br/>I got my coffee made and poured myself a large cup: extra cream and sweetener.  (I know, I use sugar-free sweetener, and full fat cream - remember, I walk on the wild side).  I took a big slug, heaven!  But wait, in my peripheral vision, I think I saw something.<br/><br/>Floating. In. My. Coffee.<br/><br/>Which only a <em>millisecond </em>before had been undoubtedly close to being swallowed!  My brain struggled to catch up - what <em>was</em> it?  Surely just coffee grounds!  Maybe a large crumb of bread?  Please let it be bread!<br/><br/>I said please!  But to no avail.  It was:  A big, dead, nasty fly!<br/><br/><em>I shrieked. THAT</em> is not the way to start the day!  Nor does it bode well for the rest of the day!  Was it a bad omen?<br/><br/>Big A suddenly swooped in and took over.  Thank God for that man, he knows I am cranky in the morning, and that it was in everyone's best interest for him to get me <em>another cup, STAT</em>.<br/><br/>I finally calmed down and realized I had survived the ordeal, and was going to be O.K.   With a little trepidation, but a bug free cup of coffee in hand, I headed out to inspect the job site.<br/><br/><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-330" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00062-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0006" width="300" /><br/><br/>It actually looked harmless enough!  Yay!  Use the rototiller around the foundation and around the large rocks - and like <em>magic </em>- ready to dig some holes.  I'm pretty sure even Big A, the one who gets stuck with the hardest work, was fairly optimistic!<br/><br/>But alas, the fly <span style="text-decoration: underline;">was</span> a bad omen, and it wasn't quite that easy... Looking back now, I can almost smile.  I say <em>ALMOST</em>, because these words are in the forefront of my brain:  heat stroke, missing limbs, bees nests, and dog poop.   All of which made for an interesting morning!  But that post will have to wait until tomorrow.  After I've had my coffee.<br/><br/>(No people or animals were harmed in this project, yet.)

The Dead Fly and DIY

I'm not a morning person.  Well, technically I am.  I get up early, but as anyone who knows me well will tell you - if you know what...

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I'm Packin' Heat

I just finished using a gun.  Okay it was only a staple gun, but for me, that should have been danger enough for one day.  However, as I keep telling my kids (to annoy them), I like to live on the edge!  So I also used a knife.  The kind with the razor blade slide thingy, oh, wait, I just looked it up - apparently that is called a "utility knife".  <em>Very fancy. </em><br/><br/>Anyway, last week I started thinking about reupholstering  my ottoman, and couldn't find any of my staple guns.  After several false starts at many different projects, I never did find my staple gun(s), and I basically got nothing accomplished.  Finally, Big A came to my rescue and found a very old rusty staple gun in the bottom of one of his big tool chests. I decided I had better at least finish the ottoman and get one thing done this week.<br/><br/>Here was the problem with the old ottoman:<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0020.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-313" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0020-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0020" width="300" /></a><br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00212.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-303" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00212-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0021" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>All four corners have split and although I have sewn the edges back together before, years of the "little darlings" jumping on the furniture, has not helped my cause.  So now it's definitely time to either re-cover the thing or buy a new one.  At this point in time, I'd rather cover it than spend the money, but we'll see how it looks after the restoration!<br/><br/>Taking a good look at the ottoman, I realize that it's not in terrible condition structurally, and, I really <em><del>am too lazy to</del> </em>don't even need to take off the old fabric.<br/><br/>First, I unscrewed the legs, which took all of about 23 seconds:<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00222.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-304" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00222-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0022" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>Then, using the utility knife, I plucked the buttons off of the top of the ottoman - another 17 seconds.  This is my kind of work!  I laid out the fabric, wrong side up, which is a leather-like  material (sounds so much better than <em>pleather</em>).  And then plopped the ottomon in the center, upside down.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00072.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-306" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00072-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0007" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>I made sure the edges wrapped up and around the ottoman, with about 3" spare on the underside.  I pulled the fabric taught, and started stapling all the way around, keeping it tight.  After I got staples around all four sides, I went back and filled in with staples, about 2 inches apart.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0010.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-307" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0010-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0010" width="300" /></a><br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00121.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-308" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00121-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0012" width="300" /></a>When I got to the corners, I spent what seemed like several hours (in reality was 10 minutes) trying to get the "pleats" to look nice. With limited patience, here is what I said to myself: "Oh for goodness sake, just staple the <em>dang thang</em> and get this over with!".  And so I did.   I used the handy utility knife to cut the excess fabric, and I screwed the legs back on.  Presto!<br/><br/> <br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0004-21.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-312" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0004-21-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0004 (2)" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>I have to say the pleats may drive me to distraction.  But after spending only an hour of my time and zero of my money, I think I'll try to live with pleats, rather than rips for a couple of weeks, and see how it goes!<br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> 

I'm Packin' Heat

I just finished using a gun.  Okay it was only a staple gun, but for me, that should have been danger enough for one day.  However, as I kee...

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Painting pictures

Yesterday was a complete deluge, so I wasn't able to take any pictures of our handiwork!  The Master Painter and I wanted you to see what we had accomplished, so here are a few pictures.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00032.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-240" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00032-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0003" width="300" /></a>This is the unpainted lattice.  We chose a black stain, in hopes that it would look good with our black shutters.<br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00071.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-241" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00071-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0007" width="199" /></a>Here it is stained.   I think it looks pretty good, and when I finish the whole porch (rather than the 1/2 that is done), I will post a picture of the front of the house.<br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>We also managed to paint our second-hand steps to the back of the house.  Yesterday I posted a picture of the stair treads I'd like to buy too.  However, my lab decided she would decorate the steps for me.  Wasn't that thoughtful?<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00044.jpg"><img alt="" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00044-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0004" width="300" /></a>

Painting pictures

Yesterday was a complete deluge, so I wasn't able to take any pictures of our handiwork!  The Master Painter and I wanted you to see wha...

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DIY tips

Building a modular home or any home often leads to a loooooong to-do list.  Try to make your life a little easier with these DIY and home improvement tips from me.  Actually, some are more of a "warning" than a "tip", but you'll get  my drift.<br/><br/>Make a plan.  Your plan should of course reflect the order in which things should be done, time it will take, cost, etc.  I think you can see the value in this, so I won't pontificate on it, but I will tell you a true story.  And I will give you the moral of this story right now: Don't be me.  I didn't make a plan once (alright I try to go plan-less all the time, but I don' recommend it).  Anyway, I decided to repaint a bedroom.  I gathered all of my painting supplies, and set to work sanding and cleaning the walls.  Next, I primed the walls and let that dry.  I set to work painting for painting for the next two days, a really beautiful chocolate color.  It looked pretty darn awesome!  And <em><strong>then</strong></em> I painted the ceiling white. (In case you don't get it, a plan would have come in handy here. Take my word for it.)  Moving on...<br/><br/>Do what's necessary!  (Or, to be clear, don't do unnecessary things!)  For example, unless you can afford a landscaper (I wish!), use your natural surroundings.  Instead of removing trees, consider giving them a little trim, and leave them there.  Instead of moving a boulder, plan around it.  Our yard is full of trees, and yes, they're a pain to mow around.  But they're beautiful.  And frankly, it's easier to mow around them than to cut them down, drag away the branches, and cut up the wood.  Also, several boulders turned up when we dug our foundation.  Rather than haul them away, we kept the nice ones and plan to plant around them.  (In 2023.)<br/><br/>Budget your projects. The harsh reality is that your project, no matter how big or small will cost up <em>at least</em> 35% more than you anticipate.  This is something that bites me in the butt all the time!   I guess a good rule of thumb is to add 50% on top of what you think your project will cost, and if you can afford that, yay! Just painting buys me at least three extra trips to Home Depot!   Halfway through painting I need more paint, or the dog runs off with my paint brush (happened!), and I need to buy a new one.  And I never budget for those extra trips! Then end up eating only stale bread for two days to save money.  Again, don't be me!<br/><br/>Be realistic about your skills.  Some things you just have to be brutally honest about.  If your toilet is backing up into your tub and that "water" is flowing out of the tub and onto the floor, I don't have to tell you that if you're not a plumber you should probably call one, do I?  Similarly, if you think you can fix a faulty electrical outlet with a knife, well, you probably <em>really</em> need an electrician.  Whatever your project, think carefully.  Not only is your budget important, but so is your skill level.  If you get half-though a project and you find you can't finish it yourself, you're going to call a professional anyway, thus messing with your budget big time!  I'm really struggling with whether or not I am able to do my patio installation project myself.  But, it could be an interesting future post if I tackle this myself, and can't finish the project.  The title might be something like "Who needs a patio, when you could have a Shallow Hole?" or "How to find a good Chiropractor"...  We'll see.<br/><br/>Phew, all this talk of DIY and projects, and it's the weekend!  Home Depot in the morning <em>and</em> I think I have two things I'm gonna cross off my to-do list.  But it's not a promise.  More of a threat than a promise.<br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> 

DIY tips

Building a modular home or any home often leads to a loooooong to-do list.  Try to make your life a little easier with these DIY and home im...

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Finally, a pantry!

I have spent my whole life with too little cabinet space, barely any closet space, and certainly without a walk-in pantry.  Over the years, regardless of how little space I had, I loyally joined BJ's and Sam's Club, stocking my imaginary pantry, only to face the reality that I didn't have room for anything in bulk.  So when we were designing our modular home, I was pretty much giddy at the thought of a walk-in pantry!<br/><br/>A lot of the modular homes we saw featured kitchens with built in pantries.  However, to have one specially built for you would be an easy adjustment.  In fact, we had ours made larger than the model home had shown.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0007.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-202" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0007-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0007" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>Our pantry is built into the corner of our kitchen.  You can clearly see the door to the pantry, and the wall that juts out.  It's hard to see from that picture, but that area is approximately 7 feet wide x 6 feet deep.  We do lose a little space in the kitchen, but we still have room for our island (with seating) and a kitchen table with seating, even with that space utilized as a pantry.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00043.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-203" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00043-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0004" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>The pantry came with these beautiful built-in shelves.  There's plenty of room for anything we need to store.  And we store a lot: dog food, small appliances, paper products, canned goods, unruly house guests, empty chip bags, etc...<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00061.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-205" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00061-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0006" width="300" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>And, there's still plenty of room left unused!  Making use of a storage system would give us even more room, if we need it.  Clearly, I need a shopping day at Target!  I've been doing a little "window shopping" on line, and there are literally hundreds of ideas for storage containers - from plastic, to stack-able baskets, to crates...  Not only Target (I just always wanna go there!), but dollar stores or garage sales are always good for ideas too.<br/><br/>Here are some awesome pantry organization ideas... Not that I think <em>our</em> pantry will ever be as organized as these!<br/><br/><a href="//api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&key=cdee124b11d6baacda6c3e29b12e23dc&loc=http%3A%2F%2Feasygoingorganizer.com%2F2012%2F05%2F01%2Fpantries-to-strive-for%2F&v=1&libid=1338831391564&out=http%3A%2F%2Feasygoingorganizer.files.wordpress.com%2F2012%2F05%2Fpantry3.jpg&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Dpantry%2520storage%2520containers%26source%3Dblogsearch%26cd%3D12%26ved%3D0CDUQmAEwATgK%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Feasygoingorganizer.com%252F2012%252F05%252F01%252Fpantries-to-strive-for%252F%26ei%3DEvLMT9n3CrGf6QHw2KmeDA%26usg%3DAFQjCNHKqOupdZUSj-wGNJKRpb_J9SqAmg&title=Pantries%20to%20Strive%20For%20%C2%AB%20Easy-Going%20Organizer&txt=&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13388313779211"><img alt="" height="300" src="http://easygoingorganizer.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/pantry3.jpg?w=200&h=300" title="Pantry3" width="200" /></a><br/><br/>I love the idea of hanging the tin bins on the inside of my pantry door.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/cool-kitchen-pantry-design-ideas-21.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-209" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/cool-kitchen-pantry-design-ideas-21-234x300.jpg" title="cool-kitchen-pantry-design-ideas-2" width="234" /></a><br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/cool-kitchen-pantry-1.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-206" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/cool-kitchen-pantry-1-285x300.jpg" title="cool-kitchen-pantry-1" width="285" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/>I like these baskets because they slant so that you can see inside them!<br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> 

Finally, a pantry!

I have spent my whole life with too little cabinet space, barely any closet space, and certainly without a walk-in pantry.  Over the years, ...

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Mix and (don't) Match!

When you're looking at your kitchen cabinets and floor, don't be afraid to <strong><em>mix it up!</em></strong><br/><br/>I think a lot of people want to match the cabinet wood to the wood floor.  But if you look at yesterdays post about laminate floors,  you'll see two different colors of laminate, and if you put them together, they bring out the texture and beauty in one another.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0003-2.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-191" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0003-2-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0003 (2)" width="300" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00042.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-195" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00042-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0004" width="300" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>That was how I chose my kitchen cabinets and laminate floor.  I love the contrast of  the light and dark.  The light colors of the cabinets, are pretty, and blend in with the lighter walls, which draw your eyes to the dark island.  (I loved that island, so I wanted it to stand out.)<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0001.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-196" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0001-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0001" width="300" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>The contrast of the three woods warm up the large kitchen:  light cabinets, dark floor, and distressed black island.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0003.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-197" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0003-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0003" width="199" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> 

Mix and (don't) Match!

When you're looking at your kitchen cabinets and floor, don't be afraid to mix it up! I think a lot of people want to match the cabi...

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Painting

When you build your new modular home, your dealer will be back in one year to check on your home, and because of the house settling, they will fill in any cracks in the walls or ceiling.  They will ask you to wait that year before you paint, so that you don't have to re-paint where the cracks have been filled.  Houses settle, and new houses settle a lot.<br/><br/>I was sitting in our living room one day, about a month after living in our home I noticed a big line across the ceiling. Of course being all house proud and surrounded with the comfort and bliss of my new home, I was shocked and horrified!  But no need to worry, the builders will fill that.  However, this exactly why they suggest you don't paint.  You're gonna have to paint over the filled in cracks.<br/><br/>We couldn't live without any color on the walls for a year, so we decided it would be worth it to paint before we moved in, and just touch up after the inevitable settling.  It's really no big deal - we've had to touch up the paint around the house all of our lives. Paint gets dingy and scratched and cracks appear all the time.  All it takes is a little fresh paint and about 15 minutes of your time to touch up.  Just remember to save your left over paint, and save the paint chips, and label which room they belong to so that you can always get a (nearly) perfect match for patching up.   I have a kitchen drawer that has all of my paintchips, labeled, and neatly stored.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0001.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-175" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0001-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0001" width="300" /></a>Okay so I exaggerated when I said "neatly stored", but I know where they are if I need them!  See them there on the left?  I just write on them which room they belong to, and keep them there in a pile, next to the binoculars and Christmas ribbon!<br/><br/>Personally, I want, need, loooove color on my walls.  If you want all white or monochrome, I think that looks awesome too, but it's not for me.<br/><br/>I specifically have a thing for yellows, golds, and brown, with hints of maroon.  I love sunsets.  Think about the colors you wear, think about a favorite curtain pattern or throw pillow.  What are the colors you gravitate towards?  Of course, you need to go light if you don't have a lot of natural light, and you want it bright.  Go warm if you have tons of light and want your home to seem more cozy.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00081.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-177" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00081-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0008" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>Sunset picture inspires my color choices.<br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>And here are two pillows - I'm not particularly fond of the patterns, but the colors are my colors.  I wanted my wall colors to match these pillows.  It sounds goofy, but it's true -  go for colors that you love having around you.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00061.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-178" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00061-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0006" width="300" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0005.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-179" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0005-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0005" width="300" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>Next, armed with your favorite color pillow, shirt, painting, etc... go to your home store of choice.  When it comes to picking paint, you'll no doubt be advised to look at the color wheel. Is it me, or is that thing totally overwhelming?  Doesn't it seem too much like hard work?  Well, it does to me.  So rather than tangle with the color wheel, just grab the paint chips that tickle your fancy (those little pieces of cardboard with all the examples of color on them) and stuff 'em in your purse.  They're free!  I like to choose the larger square pieces with one color, rather than the strips with 5 colors per strip.<br/><br/>I usually choose chips that match my colors, then grab lots of the same color, although in slightly different shades.  Take them home and carry them around to each room, because those small variances in shade and hue, look different in all rooms, and at different times of the day.  I once chose a beautiful medium gray for my old dining room and painted the whole room before I waited for the light to change or really let the color grow on me.  It was a lovely gray, until the light changed in that room, and then the paint (and my whole dining room) was no longer grey, it was purple!  Not quite ugly, but definitely NOT what I'd had in mind!<br/><br/>So once you've looked at all the colors in each room, you'll definitely have narrowed it down.<br/><br/>If I'm selecting different colors for each room, I want my colors to <em>flow</em> from one room to the next.  You want the color in the kitchen to go with the color in the dining room, and with the color in the halls... Think about this:  take the colors you like for your various rooms and put them all together on a white piece of paper, would they make a nice color combination for a curtain or a throw pillow? If they all go together nicely, your rooms will flow.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00091.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-181" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00091-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0009" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>(In the above picture, you can see I have two gold/yellow tones. That white strip of ceiling where you can see a recessed light, will be a reddish/maroon color eventually.)<br/><br/>* Note: kids bedrooms are different.  I believe in letting them have their own space and choosing their own colors, no matter how awful you think those colors are.  As I mentioned my affinity for sunset colors, my kids have completely different tastes. Our kids have bedrooms in electric blue, frog green, denim blue...  Our only rule was the flooring had to be our choice (a neutral gray carpet), and they could choose any paint they wanted.  After all, it's their space, and walls are easy enough to change.  While their rooms are now electric hews, with Eminem and David Beckham posters, I just close their bedroom doors and go to my happy place.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0011.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-180" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0011-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0011" width="199" /></a>This is a happy place...<br/><br/> 

Painting

When you build your new modular home, your dealer will be back in one year to check on your home, and because of the house settling, they wi...

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Happy Memorial Day!

<a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0004.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-171" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0004-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0004" width="199" /></a>

Happy Memorial Day!

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Patio Installation - am I nuts?

This is how I roll:  (Okay, I don't roll, I usually stumble, but anyway...) I'm walking through Home Depot with my man.  We are there specifically to get the stain for the front and side porches.  As we enter Home Depot, there's an easel with a sign announcing that there's a "How to Make a Patio" class on Saturday.<br/><br/><em>Light Bulb moment! </em> My mind is racing... We want to expand our porch and add a large deck, but our rather meager budget isn't going to allow this any time in the near future.  So how about I install my own patio?  I'm giddy at the idea, but my husband is looking like a puppy dog left out in the rain.  And I know that look.  He's not thrilled with the idea.  Not because it isn't a <em>brilliant</em> idea - it's because it means <em><strong>he</strong></em> is inevitably going to have to help me, and by "help", I mean "do all of the back breaking labor in his free time".<br/><br/>Now, I feel bad about this.  <em>BUT</em>, it means we can make better use of our back yard for BBQ's, for fires in the fire pit, for coffee with the birds, and lunches with the kids.  And we don't have to wait until we can afford the deck!  And I promise, I will make it up to my hubby - back rubs for a month!<br/><br/>If my handsome, charming, kind husband will agree to help me... The process itself looks fairly easy, although very labor intensive.  I did voice my reservations about how difficult this would be, but the guys at Home Depot assured me that I could do this project myself, without help!  (And I'm a 5'3", 120 lb weakling, with a bad back).  Some of those pavers weigh 40lbs, each!  Okay, so I'm not fool enough to try this by myself, but I believe the HD guys that it's do-able.<br/><br/>So with that belief firmly planted in my (pea) brain, this is a general idea of what the project looks like.  I'm planning on this taking a weekend!<br/><br/>I looked all over and there are all kinds of pavers and bricks you can use for the patio.  Home Depot had them, I know Lowe's has millions, and lots of the local farm stands even have them.  I haven't decided on one yet, but when I do, I will get a square foot size of patio and buy the amount of pavers I need.<br/><br/>Then the fun begins.<br/><br/>1.  Measure and mark the area for our patio dimensions.  You can do this with string and stakes, but the HD guys said to use spraypaint.  <em>Smart!</em><br/><br/>2. Dig up the ground (call utility companies to be sure there are no underground lines). Edge around your perimeter, and then dig out the entire patio area, 6" deep.  Use plastic edging around the edges.<br/><br/>3. Make sure this shallow hole is level, with, well, a level.<br/><br/>4. Fill the patio hole with 2" of gravel and use a hand tamper to compact it.  Then put in 2" more of the gravel and compact that.<br/><br/>5. Add 1" paver sand and tamp down.<br/><br/>6. Arrange your paver stones or brick in the pattern you want... drop them straight down, don't slide them into place.<br/><br/>7. After laying the paver stones, sweep the paver sand all over the top, filling in the cracks with the sand.<br/><br/><em><strong>THAT'S IT!!!</strong></em>  Sit down and enjoy the view!  Well, in theory, that's how easy it is.  I'm gonna try it anyway.  What could go wrong?<br/><br/>Don't answer that.<br/><br/>(Details, pictures, and possible swear words to follow... )

Patio Installation - am I nuts?

This is how I roll:  (Okay, I don't roll, I usually stumble, but anyway...) I'm walking through Home Depot with my man.  We are ther...

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Porch Railings...

Day two of staining the porch railings on our new modular home, and it is coming along.  After two full days of work, with the stain scented wind in my hair, and bees around my ankles, I think I have finally cracked the code to painting quickly and efficiently.<br/><br/>I had to cover the composite decking, because I do not want to have to deal with cleaning stain droplets off of the deck floor.  So I bought 4 large plastic sheets from Home Depot, which set me back all of $4.  I taped the plastic down and got to work.<br/><br/><em>Not so fast!</em>  It was windy and the plastic was paper thin.  You can probably imagine the wind blew the flimsy plastic, slapping it into the wet stain, and then wrapping it around my bare calves, thus staining my legs.  <em>Not</em> what I call a good look for summer. And not my finest hour.<br/><br/>To add insult to injury, I inevitably dripped stain on the plastic, and managed to step in it every time.  Then worried about tracking it around and had to constantly check the bottom of my flip-flop. This clearly wasn't gonna work.<br/><br/>So I rummaged around in the basement and found a large piece of cloth.  My first thought was the stain will bleed right though it to the flooring. Despite my worry, I folded the cloth into a 3 ft long square and placed it under the railing where I was working, moving it as I went.  This worked much better.  It was heavy enough that it didn't blow in the wind, and there were not wet drip marks to step in!<br/><br/>So, my advice is: save yourself $4.  Wahoo!  Just enough for a RedBull! (I hate them, but you're gonna need one!)<br/><br/>Regardless of your drop cloth, staining is sloooow going.  If you have wooden balusters and they're turned, as opposed to smooth, I feel for you!  Here's my advice:  choose smooth balusters if you're going to end up staining them.  Better yet, choose plastic so you don't have to stain them at all!  Only joking!  But for two days I can tell you I was thinking "<em>Curse choosing the turned spindles!</em>", only the version in my head had some more colorful words in it...<br/><br/>Here's what I advise for staining, provided you have turned balusters:<br/><br/>The porch posts are the easy part.  The surface is larger and smoother. The porch posts or columns extend from the porch ceiling to the floor of the porch and support the porch roof.  To stain the porch posts I used a 2" foam brush.  This seemed to work well, and foam brushes are so cheap you can use as many as you need.<br/><br/>The turned balusters are a serious snore-fest to stain. Balusters are usually 36 inches tall and are offered in different widths and styles. We have a <em>turned</em> baluster, which means more nooks and crannies than an English muffin, to paint in.  Balusters are placed between top railings and the bottom rail and are usually spaced 4 inches apart.  What that means is: even if you have a small porch, you'll still <em>LOTS</em> off balusters to stain!  *Caution: May cause marked drowsiness and irritability.<br/><br/>So, the posts go pretty quickly.  But if you get stuck, I mean, volunteer to stain the balusters, like I did, here's the fastest way I found to get it done:<br/><br/>Start by using a 1" foam brush.  Get the brush wet in the stain, but not dripping wet.  Squish it into all of the nooks in the turns first.  Don't worry if it's a little thick, you can even it out after.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00031.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-162" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00031-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0003" width="199" /></a>Then slather the stain from the top down, like you're slathering on BBQ sauce, and even out any drips.  Just make sure you get a <em>good cover</em>.  But within reason...<br/><br/>It's really easy to be a perfectionist and get caught up in going over every little tiny weeny crack and bump on the wood.  Don't bother!  Just put the stain on fairly thick, even it out and keep moving.  I did an experiment and stained several of the balustrads really, really carefully, and a couple the fast, efficient way. Guess what?   Can't tell the difference when they're dry!<br/><br/> <br/><br/>Well that's it for staining the porch railings.  And one thing off my "to do list".  Only 19 to go!

Porch Railings...

Day two of staining the porch railings on our new modular home, and it is coming along.  After two full days of work, with the stain scented...

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Staining the front porch railings, finally!

There's no getting around it.  We've complained and procrastinated - our front porch railings still need to be stained.  Here it is (almost) Memorial Day Weekend and we have 20 people coming over for a clam bake on Monday.  So, it's gonna be done.<br/><br/>Yesterday we went to Home Depot and spoke with the "paint guy with a very deep voice and lots of tattoos" (pretty sure that's his official title). He was very helpful and advised us to go with a semi-transparent stain in California Redwood.  I've seen a lot of houses where people have used a similar color on their porches and decks, and I hope/think/pray it goes well with our siding, because we ended up buying a 5 gallon bucket of the stuff!   (We don't like to mess around.)<br/><br/>Mr. Deep Voice told us that the stain is water based, so we'd better hurry up and get the wood stained before the rain hits Saturday and washes our hard work away.  Great!  Now we only have until Saturday, if we want it done for our party on Monday.<br/><br/>So, here we are at noon on Thursday, and there's a <em>LOT</em> to go.  (At least it shows some progress, and I'm very pleased with the color.)<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0008.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-158" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0008-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0008" width="300" /></a>Bummer for me, the H is off to work, I have a toddler who needs a nap, and two tweens who need to be picked up from school!<br/><br/>How am I going to get this done?  I'll tell you how!  I'm gonna get off my computer, suck it up, and get out there!<br/><br/>Pix of the finished railings tomorrow! (okay, realistically, Monday.)

Staining the front porch railings, finally!

There's no getting around it.  We've complained and procrastinated - our front porch railings still need to be stained.  Here it is ...

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Air Conditioning

Yesterday I was sitting in my office writing about how I’m not particularly fond of Air Conditioning.  I like the windows open and the smell of the cut grass!  As I sat here, the breeze was blowing in the windows, and my husband was out mowing.  It was lovely, except...<br/><br/>I couldn’t stop sneezing!  I confess, it occurred to me: if the windows were all closed and I had AC, I probably wouldn’t be suffering from allergies as badly.  Because of all the sneezing, and the itchy, watery eyes, this is my second week without mascara (<em>I know!</em>).  And they say it’s going to be a long allergy season, since our winter was so mild.  And the weatherman says it’s going to be <em>HOT</em> too!  Perhaps I should have given the whole house AC a little more thought...<br/><br/>Seriously, besides keeping us cool, and me grumbling about my allergies, there are some definite health benefits to Air Conditioning.  In hot climates, or on scorching hot summer days here in Central NY, we’ve all worried about our elderly or very young family members and neighbors during heat waves.  Excessive heat can cause fatigue and dehydration, which are both dangerous.  It goes without saying that an air conditioning system can reduce symptoms of fatigue as well as the risk of dehydration.  A <em>CLEAN</em> air conditioning system can help with external allergens (ie. pollen!) and can help with your overall air quality too.<br/><br/>Also, let’s not forget the importance of a good night’s sleep.  I feel for my kids when it’s really hot.  They have to sleep with covers on them at night (<em>it’s a known fact that bad guys can’t get you if your under covers</em>).  Of course that gets hot, and sleeping is a lot easier when you’re cool.<br/><br/>Air conditioning systems are expensive, and often need repairs - so depending on the systems your builder offers, it’s a good idea to check out Consumer Reports for the most reliable brands.  If you do end up putting in an air conditioning system, there are ways to reduce your monthly bills and to keep your house cooler in general:<br/><ul><br/> <li>Keep blinds and shades closed in the windows that get the most sun.  This really, really keeps the temperature down in your house.</li><br/> <li>Use a ceiling fan to circulate the cool air around you.  This way you can turn your AC thermostat up a few degrees, and still feel just as cool.</li><br/> <li>The new Energy Star light bulbs produce less heat, so there’s less hot air to cool down, thus reducing your cost.</li><br/> <li>AC units have programmable timers so that you can set cooling times around your schedule.  Just set the AC to come on about an hour before you get home, rather than cooling an empty house.</li><br/> <li>Cook on your grill.  And if you get sick of grilled food like I do by the end of summer, can you plug-in your crock pot outside?  Do anything but use the oven, which adds tons of heat to your house!</li><br/> <li>Make sure the AC filter is clean.  Periodically have a professional check your duct work , vents and registers for leaks.</li><br/></ul><br/>If budget is an issue, ceiling fans can be effective, as are window AC units.  And there’s always the stand-by of placing the underside of your wrists under cold running water for a few minutes.  That’s what we are doing, at least for this summer.

Air Conditioning

Yesterday I was sitting in my office writing about how I’m not particularly fond of Air Conditioning.  I like the windows open and the smell...

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Ceiling Fans

One of the options we chose <em>not</em> to include in our modular home was central air conditioning.  We do have a furnace, so if we decide we need central air down the road, we can certainly install it.  I’m hoping that we wont need air, because it gives me a headache, and because I love the windows open and the smell of fresh air and cut grass in the summer.  We have our house closed up all winter, and I don’t want it closed up in the summer.  Of course we live in Central New York, not central Texas, so that at least allows me the option of choosing fans.<br/><br/>We're also hoping to realize some savings with the fans, both in summer and in winter.  Central air costs about seventy times more to run than a fan.  And, according to the fan experts, a ceiling fan can make you feel 3 to 8 degrees cooler.  That's not too bad.<br/><br/>(Today I’m using the term “we” loosely.  My husband would love AC.  So, I will post on AC tomorrow, and consider his opinion).<br/><br/>Our modular home builder wired every room for ceiling fans.  Yesterday it was 91 degrees, which is hot for May, but the house was nice and cool, with just the fans going.  I’m hoping that’s a good omen, but I’ll have to let you know how we’re doing come mid-July when every day is 90 degrees.<br/><br/>If you do want central air, you can still use a ceiling fan and raise your AC temperature, which will also enable you to save money.<br/><br/>I did a quick look on The Home Depot website and there are about 15 pages of ceiling fans, ranging in price from $34.97 to $1908.09 .  Of course loading your house full of 2000 dollar fans, it may take a while to realize any energy savings!<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/cheap-fan.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-130" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/cheap-fan.jpg" title="cheap fan" width="300" /></a>This is the least expensive fan:<br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/exp-fan.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-131" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/exp-fan.jpg" title="exp fan" width="300" /></a>This is the most expensive:<br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>You don't have to go to those extremes - as I remember ours cost around $90.  If you decide to buy a couple of ceiling fans, either to help keep the AC temperature up, or to use on their own, you need to get the right size.  Here is a guide to buying the right size fan (from The Home Depot):<br/><br/><strong>Fan Size</strong><br/><br/>Select a fan that is sized to match the dimensions of the room where it will be installed. Fan size is determined by measuring the width straight across from blade tip to blade tip. While a fan may be larger than necessary, as long as it has enough room to rotate properly, a fan that's too small will not effectively circulate the air.<br/><div dir="ltr"><br/><table><colgroup> <col width="65" /> <col width="110" /> <col width="135" /> <col width="313" /></colgroup><br/><tbody><br/><tr><br/><td>Fan Size</td><br/><td>Room Size (Sq. Ft.)</td><br/><td>Room Types</td><br/><td>Points to Consider</td><br/></tr><br/><tr><br/><td>32"</td><br/><td>Up to 80</td><br/><td><br/><ul><br/> <li>Bedroom</li><br/> <li>Bathroom</li><br/> <li>Kitchen</li><br/></ul><br/></td><br/><td><br/><ul><br/> <li>Matching fan size to room ensures greater energy efficiency</li><br/></ul><br/></td><br/></tr><br/><tr><br/><td>42"</td><br/><td>80-120</td><br/><td><br/><ul><br/> <li>Bedroom</li><br/> <li>Office/study</li><br/> <li>Porch</li><br/></ul><br/></td><br/><td><br/><ul><br/> <li>Outdoor areas require specially-designed fans</li><br/></ul><br/></td><br/></tr><br/><tr><br/><td>44"</td><br/><td>120-144</td><br/><td><br/><ul><br/> <li>Bedroom</li><br/> <li>Living room</li><br/> <li>Patio</li><br/></ul><br/></td><br/><td><br/><ul><br/> <li>Downrods and angle mounts allow installation in tall ceilings</li><br/></ul><br/></td><br/></tr><br/><tr><br/><td>52"+</td><br/><td>144+</td><br/><td><br/><ul><br/> <li>Family room</li><br/> <li>Great room</li><br/> <li>Patio</li><br/></ul><br/></td><br/><td><br/><ul><br/> <li>Remotes and wall controls make adjusting fan speed easy</li><br/></ul><br/></td><br/></tr><br/></tbody><br/></table><br/></div><br/>I’m not trying to play favorites here, but The Home Depot really does have a huge selection of fans.  I bought mine from the store, rather than online, and it was easy to get the right sizes, and I had a fun afternoon looking at all the fans and lights with my Mom!   All of the ceiling fans I bought had lights.  I needed the lights, but certainly, they come without lights depending on your taste and budget.<br/><br/>Here is our ceiling fan in the living room. The light is not very bright because the shade is a teracotta color.  We don't need a lot of light in our living room because it gets a lot of light from outdoors in the day, and at night we want it ambient rather than bright.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00211.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-134" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00211-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0021" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>That <em>WAS</em> in our bedroom, because I <em>thought</em> I wanted it to be nice and dim and romantic in there.  But it turns out I don't!  I want to read at night!  So we took this out of the living room:<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0020.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-135" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0020-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0020" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>Not only can I read at night, I find my outfits actually match nowadays!<br/><br/>When you use your ceiling fan, and this may seem obvious, but sometimes I like to state the obvious - in the summer months, make sure the blades are blowing down.  We generate heat, and fans push that hot air away from our bodies.  When we sweat, the moving air cools us as well.  Ceiling fans do not make the air cooler, they just cool <em>YOU</em>.  To be clear, no need to leave ceiling fans on if you're not home, they cool people not the air.<br/><br/>Ceiling fans are also efficient during the winter.  Almost all ceiling fans have  a switch to change the direction of the blade.  In winter, your heat rises, so all your heat heads up to the ceiling.  I’ve read that the air at the ceiling is 15 degrees warmer than the rest of the room!  <em>What?! </em> If you change the direction of the blades and keep them  on the lowest speed, you will gently force the heat back down to the floor, where you are!<br/><br/>Now here’s a tip:  When winter is over, and you decide to switch the direction of the ceiling fan blades, stop and think.  What is that long handled duster I own used for? Why don’t I use it on the ceiling fan blades?  Because, according to a friend of mine, not <em>ME</em>, if you skip this step, and just switch the direction and turn the fan on, you will walk back into a room full of little tiny dust bunnies.  That must have been really funny for my friend.<br/><br/>You have to get your ceiling fans up.  I’m lucky.  I have a live-in electrician.  And he’s tall.  So, he hung our ceiling fans in the blink of an eye.  One day this Spring we even decided to switch the ceiling fan  in the bedroom with the one in the living room, and by the time I had a cup of coffee he had the fans switched.  Good job, darlin!  <em>BUT</em>, if you don’t know what you’re doing and don’t have someone handy in your life, hire someone.  The fans can be heavy, you have to stand on a ladder a fool around with wires.  <em>Not</em> a good idea.<br/><br/>Well, that’s it for today and ceiling fans.  Now I’m off to help my hubby with cutting the poison ivy vines from our trees - <em>no, not really! </em> That’s not a good idea either!

Ceiling Fans

One of the options we chose not to include in our modular home was central air conditioning.  We do have a furnace, so if we decide we need...

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Tray Ceilings

Look up!  Isn't that what your mother always told you? Oh, no, that was stand up straight, anyway...  The ceiling is sometimes referred to as the fifth wall, and although I'm not big on painted ceilings in every room, I do believe they have their uses!  Keeping rain out is always handy.  In our modular home, the ceiling in the dining room is very useful in another way.<br/><br/>If you've decided to build a modular home ask your dealer about the possibility of a tray (or trey) ceiling.  FYI: A tray ceiling is a recessed area like an inverted tray, cut into the actual ceiling, so that the center of the ceiling is higher than the surrounding edge, by about 12".  It’s easy to add during construction and creates architectural interest galore!  I’m not saying add one to each room, but a tray ceiling in your master bedroom or dining room would be very dramatic.<br/><br/>AND tray ceilings are perfect for modular homes because they are very modern looking, and, modular homes are generally modern!  Deep, huh?<br/><br/>Our floor plan is fairly open. As I mentioned we have a very large family and we needed the kitchen, dining room and living room to be open, so that we can all eat and still see one another.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0054.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-121" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0054-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0054" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>In these two pictures you can kind of see what I mean.  Where the two stools sit, is a bar area to the kitchen.  And below, the view from the bar to the living room and dining room.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0057.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-122" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0057-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0057" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>However, for nights when its just a few of us, or two of us (yeah right!) we wanted our dining room to have it’s own feel.  The modular home we chose came with a tray ceiling (Shown, but not Included!).  This was the answer to our dilemma.  The tray visually separates the dining room from the rest of the house.  And this makes me happy!<br/><br/>A really pretty way to enhance the tray ceiling is with lighting.  The kind of lighting would depend on you design and decor.  We chose recessed lights in the tray, which are on a dimmer.  We can use either the chandelier, or the recessed lights, or both.<br/><br/>As you can see, I haven’t finished painting my tray ceiling.  I want to highlight and paint the area of the tray where the lights are, a contrasting color to the golds we currently have. And, I am going to, I mean with my husbands blessing, I <em>would like to</em> paint some sort of glaze or mottled look on the actual ceiling.  However, convincing him that this will look amazing, is another story!  I may have to wait til he’s working late, and plan my attack... When that actually happens I will post an update.<br/><br/> 

Tray Ceilings

Look up!  Isn't that what your mother always told you? Oh, no, that was stand up straight, anyway...  The ceiling is sometimes referred ...

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My Modular Home Pictures

I took a couple of pictures to show you some of the changes we made to the specifications or inclusions in our modular home:<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0511.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-108" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0511-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0511" width="199" /></a><br/><br/>This is the front door.  The original door came with a very ornate window, and we chose the lead, with no colored glass.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0515.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-109" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0515-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0515" width="199" /></a><br/><br/>Here is our back door/laundry room/mud room!  And here are the muddy shoes!  SO, we put a pocket door from the kitchen to the mud room and VOILA!  (See below!)<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0517.jpg"><img alt="" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0517-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0517" width="199" /></a><br/><br/>Ha ha! See, isn't that nicer than looking at muddy boots and laundry!  I'm a problem solver, not a cleaner!<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0519.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-112" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0519-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0519" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>This is a picture of one of the pendant lights that hang over the island.  The original pendants came with plain white glass shades, but we found these as Lowe's, and looooove them!<br/><br/>For now, that's it!  Have a wonderful weekend!<br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> 

My Modular Home Pictures

I took a couple of pictures to show you some of the changes we made to the specifications or inclusions in our modular home: This is the fro...

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Modular home inclusions

When you have chosen the modular home you are most interested in, your dealer will more than likely be happy to accommodate any changes you wish to make.  We were given a list of the specifications that were included in the modular home we wished to build.  Most prefab home dealers will give you a list of what is <em>SHOWN</em> in the modular show house, and what is actually included!  Essentially, we took that list home, crossed off certain inclusions we had no use for, and added features we wanted.  We added ideas we had seen in the past, or had seen in other modular show homes.  Our dealer then gave us a new price based on our specifications, and he gave us new blueprints reflecting our changes.<br/><br/>Here is a list of <em>SOME</em> of the changes we made.  I hope this list might give you some inspiration.<br/><br/>Things we added to our specifications:<br/><br/>-Added a door between laundry room and kitchen.  There was an arch way between the two rooms, so to eliminate noise from the laundry, we added a pocket door.  (Note: the laundry room is also a "mud room" of sorts, so it's nice to shut the door and not have to look at muddy boots!  You know, rather than put the muddy boots away...)<br/><br/>-All rooms wired for ceiling fans. We did not opt for central air, but may add that in the future.<br/><br/>- We had TV jacks put in all rooms.  Better to have the TV jacks and outlets there than have to add them at a later date.<br/><br/>-13 course basement.  I guess my husband didn’t want to have to duck while he was hiding from me when I ask him to help me in the kitchen...<br/><br/>-TV jack and outlet in cabinet above fridge - we hide a small tv in this cupboard, so that it’s not out on the counter or mounted on the wall.  I like having a tv in the kitchen, but I don't want to see it when I have company over!  (We wanted the have the cabinet doors slide in, like a tv cabinet, but our dealer couldn't do that - no biggie in the scheme of things).<br/><br/>-Plumbing stubs and conduit chase to 2nd floor for possible later use. Again, better to have this done than have to do this years later when you want to use rooms for something different. (BTW email me if you know what plumbing stubs and conduit chase are!)<br/><br/>-Lights either side of front door and extra external lights.  We live in the country and don’t have street lights, so lighting outside was essential.<br/><br/>-Fill in space between bath and shower.  There was a gap of about 6” between the tub and shower in our master bath, so we had them fill that with decorative tile - why clean the floor in that tiny space?<br/><br/>-Reversed floor plan so driveway was to the side door.<br/><br/>-Added a 3rd dormer and made the dormers themselves larger.  This was my husbands idea, and our dealer showed us what that would look like with a CAD.  It just looked so much better, so we went for the extra cost. (There was also additional cost for the freight the extra size).<br/><br/>-Added 2 feet to the living room and dining room area.  The dining room really needed the extra room to fit our large table.<br/><br/>-Roof pitch.  We changed the roof line to give us more room in the upstairs.<br/><br/>-9 ft ceilings.  My husband is tall.  I now have my very own step-stool.<br/><br/>-We had the builder add a ½ wall in the master bathroom, next to the toilet, for privacy reasons. (Don't ask, it just works!)<br/><br/>-Had grids put in windows, on the top half only.<br/><br/>-The glass in the front door was too ornate for our taste, we chose a different door.<br/><br/>-Interior doors chosen from another modular show home, we liked the cottage-feel.<br/><br/>-Laminate for kitchen floor.  We wanted laminate floors for the entire kitchen, living room and dining room, but cost kept it to kitchen only.  However, now I love the carpet throughout the rest of the house.  In the winter it was so warm and cozy.  It just feels good!<br/><br/>-Dining room tray ceiling.  Because of the open floor plan, I think the tray ceiling makes the dining room feel distinct.<br/><br/>- We had a wood shelf put in the in master bedroom closet. It's not as if I can reach it, but it is extra space for jeans that will fit <em>next year</em>!<br/><br/>-Lights in all closets, except...  Strangely, we forgot to have a light put in our linen closet, and I think we use that the most!  (Eye roll).<br/><br/>-We had pendant lights hung over the island in the kitchen, which look amazing.<br/><br/>-The kitchen had tons of cabinets, but we had them also include a revolving corner cabinet.  This is great for large, hard to store items like vases.  Furthermore, we had a cabinet included just for cookie sheets, pizza pans and cutting boards. It just makes me happy.<br/><br/>-We chose a kitchen island from a different modular show home, and chose bead board for the island. It is beautiful.<br/><br/>-The house came with some recessed spots, but we doubled up, and added under cabinet lights in the kitchen.<br/><br/>-All of our hardware and cabinetry was different from what was shown in the modular show home.<br/><br/>As you can imagine, with all of these additions, we also got rid of a lot of features that we didn’t feel we needed.  I won’t give you a complete list, but for instance:<br/><br/>-We did not keep the wine refrigerator, bar sink and faucet.<br/><br/>-The original specs included a wall stove, and I wanted a free standing stove.<br/><br/>-There was a circle window in one of the peaks, and a half-circle window above one of the windows, that were both omitted.<br/><br/>As you can see the possibilities are endless.  If you think of and idea you like or you see something in a magazine, or <em>whatever</em>, just ask your modular home dealer! If you have a good dealer/builder I'm sure they will be happy to help you!  And, as usual, if you have any cool features in your home, please comment!<br/><br/>I will post some pictures tomorrow.

Modular home inclusions

When you have chosen the modular home you are most interested in, your dealer will more than likely be happy to accommodate any changes you ...

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Prefab Home by IKEA

<span>Have you seen the Aktiv, prefab home for sale that was in the news a couple of months ago?  Aktiv is being marketed as 'your own personal Euro designer flat… only where you want it!'  </span>For a mere $86,500 you can have a modular home from IKEA!<br/><br/>Actually, this prefab home is designed by Oregon-based Ideabox with help from IKEA designers.  The "Activ" features 745 sq. ft. of living space, complete with a kitchen, bathroom, washer/dryer, fridge, flooring, and two storage areas that are accessible from outside. However, I'm pretty sure you're gonna need more than the weekend and an allen wrench to put it together!<br/><br/>I do think this is an interesting idea, and I appreciate a furnishing giant like IKEA is helping to draw attention to modular homes.  But for those of us who have done a little homework on the subject of modular homes, you can buy a much larger modular for that price.  That cost doesn't include the land, the foundation, a builder, etc...<br/><br/>Anyway!  Thought that was interesting.  Now back to your regular programming!<br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> 

Prefab Home by IKEA

Have you seen the Aktiv, prefab home for sale that was in the news a couple of months ago?  Aktiv is being marketed as 'your own persona...

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