Jul. 8, 2009 - A penny for your...floor?

The floor below is made using pennies as "tiles" with dark grout.

Another version used by a homeowner in a smal bathroom uses light grout, but I don't think that is practical as lots of light grout is difficult to keep clean, especially around a toilet.

I'm not totally sure that I like the idea, but it was interesting enough to pass the idea forward.

Dec. 14, 2008 - The Boy Genius Report

Setting this link down here for my own use to keep up with technology outside of the Real Estate Industry.  No necessarily appropriate for my blogroll on a Seattle based Real Estate Blog, but we should all keep both eyes open and toward the future. 

THE BOY GENIUS REPORT

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Jul. 10, 2008 - Pottery Barn Paint Colors That Sell

I did a search of properties that sold recently and quickly and found some interesting colors on the walls.  While neutral may be what most agents say you should do, when inventory is stacking up and properties all start to look the same, sometimes the one that really stands out with color is the one chosen.

These are acutal colors on the walls of recently sold homes.  Sorry I can't show you the whole photos, but I'm not allowed to repost the photos of other people's listings.  These are up to the minute "SOLD" colors.

The long skinny color is right fromt he wall of a sold property.  It shows a little darker in the photo than it acutally was in person, so I'm going to give a couple of examples.

The first is Semolina from the Potter Barn Collection that I've mentioned before.  The second is also from Sherwin Wiliiams, but not the Pottery Barn Colors and is called Robust Orange, the last one that I have seen a couple of times is Flamme Orange

These are pretty bright colors, so get a color sample and try and area first.  Use sparingly and as an accent color in combinations.  Semolina was on the side wall that met the darker color.  A fabulous comibination, but clearly not for everyone.  Your wood tones should be warm tones to mix with these colors.

The color above is taken from an actual wall of a recently sold property.  It was an accent color used in an alcove in the hallway.  The walls next to it were light and soft taupe.

Pottery Barn's Pear Green is similar in tone. Stem Green which I've mentioned in an early post is a little closer and these greens look good together.  But the color in person was actually a lot closer to that last green which is Benjamin Moor Malachy Green.

The above color also came from an actual wall of a sold property.  It was the staircase wall going up from the first floor to the second floor.  You will notice that the three patches of color I took directly from the walls of thehomes are not as even toned as the color chips.  These show the variations of the color under different lighting conditions.

The right end may be similar to Benjamin Moore's "maryville brown", but really that is just the lighting affect.  The second brown, Seville Brown, is much closer to the right tone, but too dark. It's hard to tell if the original color was the last, Brown Sugar, and it darkened at the bottom of the stairs, or it was Seville Brown that lightened at the top.  But those second two are definitely in the right color family.

The color of SOLD...is not always boring :)

May. 7, 2008 - What's so good about Bamboo Hardwood Floors?

I recently listed a townhome at Rivertrail in Redmond where the owners replaced the carpet on the first floor with bamboo flooring from bamboohardwoods.com 

Above is a sample of the flooring used, and I am noting some info from the brochure so I have a link to some FAQ's about this "strand woven engineered" bamboo floor.

Why Use Bamboo?

"Bamboo is harvested and replenished with no impact to the environment.  It can be selectively harvested annually and is capable of complete regeneration without the need to replant.  Because of its short growth cycle, it can be harvested in 3-5 years vs. 10-100 years for most tree woods."

Strength and Durability

"The Janka Ball Harness Test measures the force required to drive a 11.28mm steel ball half it's diameter into the wood.  The test is a good indicator of resistance to denting as well as its harness for nailing and drilling."

From softest to hardest: Fir-Pine-NA Cherry-Walnut-Moso Bamboo-Red Oak-White Oak-Maple-Kempas-Solid Bamboo-Tropical Bamboo-Merbau-Brazilian Cherry-Woven Bamboo.

The Finish

"Finished with UV ceramic...a non-toxic UV cured layer. Above that is a hardened scratch resistant top coat that can be recoated without sanding.  The overall finish is formeldehyde free and warrantied by the manufacturer for 25 years."

Engineered vs. Solid

"An engineered floor, by definition, is cross laminated.  These floors are real wood from top to bottom vs. Pergo which is particle board witha picture of wood laminated on it."  Engineered floors were developed in part so that they could be installed over radiant heat and because they are more stable in areas where hardwood alone does not hold up well.  So engineered wood is the choice when you are continuing into the kitchen from the living areas as engineered floors will hold up better in kitchens and bathrooms.

Woven Strand Bamboo (see page 22 of 2008 Product Catalog) hits the highest level of 3000 on the Janka Hardness scale.  "Flooring this hard is very rare and offers an extreme resistance to dents".

"No wood floor is scratch-proof...pads should be adhered to the feet of all furniture...spike heeled shoes should be removed...pet nails should be trimmed and furniture should be lifted whenever possible."

Floor Facts:

Lifetime Warranty against manufacturer's defects

25 year factory finish warranty

Square edge, no "v-grooves" to trap dirt

Harder than Oak, Walnut and North American Cherry

Aug. 7, 2007 - Blog Tour USA - Seattle

Recently in San Francisco at Inman News' Real Estate Connect, I had the honor of assisting in stripping off the decals from theBlog Tour USA RV with Joe and Rudy of Sellsius, my partner Kim Harris and Kevin Tomlinson of South Beach Condo Blog.

The above photo was takin in front of my house when Sellsius was here in Seattle.  Bottom row left to right is Marlow Harris, Stephanie, Deborah Burns, Rudy Bacharaty, me, Rhonda Porter. 

Top row right to left is Jillayne Schlicke, Caleb Mardini, Matt Heaton, Robbie Paplin, Larry Cragun, Joe Ferrara, Kim Harris, Galen Ward, Tim of Seattle Bubble and Mike a tech guy at Windermere.

Jul. 13, 2007 - I want this house-it has great Onions!

I might not think this photo was odd if it were the #13 shot or so of 15 photos.  But it was one of ONLY FOUR total photos!

Picture of front of house.  Picture of back of house.  ONE photo of ONE room, which was not the kitchen...and then this shot of the food in the pantry.

Call me crazy, but I've never had someone say, "ARDELL, I MUST see this house.  It has some great Tuppeware and some of the best onions I've EVER seen!

Jul. 2, 2007 - Recording a Milestone

Andrea's braces removed!  YAY!!!  A lesson for all of us women.  Just smile for the camera...no makeup required. 

Jun. 27, 2007 - Project Blogger Winner - Kevin Tomlinson

I have personally declared Kevin Tomlinson of South Beach Florida the Winner of Project Blogger.

The Competition has had its ups and downs, so this is my way of Coaching Kevin, so he can get the competition off his brain, and focus on his blog efforts.

It's not about the winning, Kev!

Jan. 8, 2007 - Read Later

I'm stashing some things here that I don't have time to read that I want to go through more thoroughly at a later date.  No rhyme or reason to the list.  Just stuff for myself.

Staging

Mary McKnight

Coolest Real Estate Stories of 2006

Biggest Stories in 2006

Compensation or Performance

The WHOLE thing

Dec. 29, 2006 - Geno's Mug Shot

My Geno changed his famous coffee shop photo, so I'm putting it here for posterity and my future enjoyment.

Hey Geno...I call you My Geno like Our Dell, which is how I got my name.  We Italians are very possessive.

Hope you had a great vacation!