Articles tagged: Home & Garden
HOME & GARDEN: Claiming unused attic space in a home for a rental apartment
Posted: Jun 07, 2012There are many reasons to claim rentable space in your home. Perhaps a family member needs a separate place to live, yet wants to be close to the family. If the house is located near ... Read more »
home & garden: Dinky split-level home no longer meets family's needs
Posted: May 31, 2012I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Split-level houses are the most difficult to remodel. The main reasons are the multiple levels. Stairs are encountered in everyday and every night living. The kitchens ... Read more »
Home & GARDEN: Open loft in house modified to make more usable space
Posted: May 24, 2012Trendy, dramatic spaces can look really cool and exciting. Lots of angles create modern lines, and these uniquely-shaped spaces complement contemporary furnishings. When a new family moves into a house like this, priorities may be ... Read more »
Home & GARDEN: Adding function to a house with a 1970s angled floor plan
Posted: May 17, 2012Angles are great. They can add interest to an otherwise boring floor plan. Introducing these, or designing a home full of angles takes restraint, and careful planning. The same goes for chaotic roof lines. There ... Read more »
Home & Garden: Home with no proper entrances drives owners crazy
Posted: Mar 08, 2012The way we (ourselves and our family) enter our houses is kind of a big deal. If our path is blocked or crowded, it can add strife to our lives. The way our guests enter ... Read more »
Home & Garden: Ann Arbor architectural historian turns to the past to create color schemes for homes
Posted: Dec 22, 2011Rob Schweitzer is a colorful character. The Ann Arbor-based architectural historian has been the exterior color consultant on close to 1,000 homes across the country and around the world, from Queen Anne’s to Craftsmen to ... Read more »
A 'blooming miracle': Volunteers mount remodeling effort that allows woman with polio to stay in her Ann Arbor home
Posted: Nov 17, 2011Liina Paasuke hasn’t allowed polio to stop her from leading an independent life: She learned to drive using hand controls, she graduated from the University of Michigan, she helped raise a foster son, she had ... Read more »
HOME & GARDEN: Transforming abundant subterranean space into a beautiful finished basement
Posted: Oct 13, 2011New houses tend to have these marvelously large and open spaces in their basements — ready to finish. Builders know that homeowners will eventually finish these spaces, so they create them with finish-able eight-foot ceilings; ... Read more »
Habitat for Humanity's ReStore goes upscale with new, second location on Jackson Road
Posted: Oct 06, 2011Habitat for Humanity is known for building houses. Now it is filling them. When it opened its ReStore five years ago, Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley began offering the general public a chance to ... Read more »
Frank Lloyd Wright inspired this Ives Wood neighborhood Garden of Eden
Posted: Jul 07, 2011Even though they are on a corner lot, Andrew Caughey and Shelly Neitzel wanted the side yard patio of their Ann Arbor home to be private and to have the feeling of being a world ... Read more »
REMODELING: Two-story addition transforms second floor of home to make it more livable
Posted: Jun 16, 2011What is better: Three mediocre (or slightly less than mediocre) bedrooms, or a sensational master suite and a good-sized second bedroom? The old real estate rules would have you keep the three bedrooms, but with ... Read more »
REMODELING: Small addition improves home's function in a big way
Posted: Jun 09, 2011I have frequently said that homes built in the 1950s were usually very well built. Some marketing folks are now referring to this era of homes as “mid century,” which make them sound more grand ... Read more »
REMODELING: Ordinary home with minimum bedrooms adds luxurious master suite
Posted: Jun 02, 2011It’s a fact that most people who buy a house plan a major addition either to update and add current amenities and/or to tailor it to their personal needs. When looking for a home with ... Read more »
REMODELING: Vacant basement converted into a private apartment for grown children
Posted: May 26, 2011In many cultures it is normal for adult children to live at home, even after they are married. Our culture traditionally urges our children to fly once they are out of college or can become ... Read more »
home & garden: Empty-nesters plan to ready house for first-floor living
Posted: May 19, 2011The economy has forced us to modify our current and future plans for our homes. Rather than downsize, many empty-nesters are opting to modify their homes to stay, and have room for returning children. That ... Read more »
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