The housing downturn of the last few years, caused a lull, for many home builders. Steve Moore, a partner with BSB Design in West Des Moines, Iowa, an architectural firm, spent the time studying what features people wanted in their new houses. In an article from the Chicago Tribune, Moore discusses the features that are being sought in modern homes. … Read More
Future Design Trends
Every year at a meeting of the National Association of Home Builders, hundreds of room photos are viewed to award the best designs for the Best in American Living Awards. The designs that are repeatedly seen, in the hundreds of photos that are entered, can be harbingers of design elements that will show up in homes over the next few … Read More
Puddles
Puddles that form around the foundation of a home or on a driveway, are indications of water drainage issues. Puddles of water near a foundation will eventually find cracks and seep into the basement or foundation of a home. The videos below provide information on what to watch for when house hunting, or possible ways to proceed to fix standing … Read More
Are Demographics Driving Housing Styles
In many subdivisions, the exterior style of every house is the same, or rows of townhouses in cities, that are identical. Many subdivisions were built by the same builder, so even if the exteriors vary, many of the design elements such as cabinet color, flooring, and counter top styles are the same. This is beginning to shift. Generation X, Y, … Read More
Swimming Pool Maintenance
Looking to buy a house with a swimming pool, or recently purchased a house with a swimming pool, watch the videos below for ways to clean and maintain your pool. Then all you will need is sunscreen, to enjoy your swimming pool this summer. Cleaning a Pool Removing Algae Winterizing Pool Testing Pool Chemicals Filtering System For assistance in buying … Read More
Are Tubs Out
The web site Houzz.com conducted a survey on bathroom remodeling trends. Tubs, showers and lighting were the biggest trending topics in the survey. 54% went for glass enclosed showers in the master bath, and 37% within other bathrooms in the house. The glass enclosures may be related to having well lit bathrooms, some were even opting to have lights within … Read More
Home Building Trends
A recent article in the Chicago Tribune interviewed Jim Wentling, a Philadelphia architect, who compiled a list of home building trends in 2011. He has recently updated his list, and below is a summary of recent home building trends. Home Building Trends from 2013 The great room or family room is seeing a bump in size. While the formal living … Read More
Estimates on Value of House
Web sites such as Trulia, Zillow, and SmartZip offer estimates on what a house is worth, or how much the house would sell for if it was on the market. It is not unusual that the estimated value varies wildly on these three sites, along with it not matching the asking price. The Chicago Tribune recently did an article on … Read More
Dangers of Carbon Monoxide
Carbon Monoxide is produced from the incomplete burning of such fuels as: coal, wood, charcoal, oil, kerosene, propane, and natural gas. Carbon Monoxide is produced in many household appliances such as furnaces, stoves, water heaters, and portable headers. Carbon Monoxide poisoning occurs when the devices malfunction or are improperly vented. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has an excellent information page … Read More
New House Searching Feature
Finding a house can be very challenging. The technology used to find new houses should not. A new house search feature has been added to Roushouse.com to make looking for houses easy and pain free. Type in a city, zip code, or address to start the search. The search can be limited by property type, listing price, and … Read More