Home Improvement - Home and Garden 2014

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Home Garden

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Rain Gardens ■

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Do-It-Yourself Paint Project

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April 2014

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Landscaping

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Home & Garden 2014

Rain gardens benefit homes, watershed Although rain gardens are among those home improvement projects that typically require contractors or those experienced in landscaping to install in residential yards, Val Streeter noted the personal and broader benefits of such a system.

“It can improve your drainage and direct your runoff away from your home’s foundation,” said Streeter, stormwater planner for the Tulalip Tribes, whose Natural and Cultural Resources Department recently worked with the Snohomish Conservation District to install a rain garden in the front yard of Grant and Glendy Morrison’s home. “It can also serve as the site for beautiful plants that attract a variety of wildlife. It’s a cosmetic and practical amenity for your home, but it also fosters a healthier watershed as a whole.

Water stays cleaner and fresher when it’s in the ground. The longer it stays on the surface, the more likely it is to pick up pollutants that will eventually carry into Puget Sound.”

Streeter explained that the proper size of a rain garden depends not only on how much water is directed toward the parcel of land that it’s on, including water that comes from surrounding parcels, but also the amount of imperious surface area around the prospective rain garden, including rooftops and driveways.

“You also need to look at the type of soil you

have, in the area where your rain garden will be sited, to see how well it drains water,” Streeter said. “If you’ve got really good draining soil, your rain garden should be equal to about 10 percent of your impervious areas. If you’ve got a really bad draining soil, with a high clay content, it should be equal to about 20 percent.”

Streeter recommended the Tulalip Natural and Cultural Resources Department, Washington State University and the Snohomish Conservation District as excellent sources of information for homeowners who are considering rain gardens.

“The Snohomish Conservation District in particular offers great advice and a wealth of expertise, and in some instances will even help homeowners design their own rain gardens,” Streeter said. “Even if you don’t use a contractor, you’re still going to have to rent heavy equipment, like a backhoe and a mini-excavator, and you’re still going to have to find someplace to put all the soil that will be displaced by your rain garden. Even for a relatively small residential rain garden like the Morrisons’, that added up to about 10 yards of soil, and a contractor might have more options on where to put that than you will.”

Streeter noted that contractors also offer expertise on the proper soil to install in a rain garden.

Even a relatively small residential rain garden, such as the one recently installed at Grant and Glendy Morrison’s home in Tulalip, requires a great deal of preplanning and labor.

“It has to be really good organic soil, with enough sand to allow for good drainage,” Streeter said.

Either way, the excavation of the hole for the rain garden should be followed closely by the installation of new soil and the placement of plants and rocks.

“Bigger plants will cost more, of course, but you’ll be able to see them bloom sooner, which could be good depending on the season,” Streeter said. “The rocks are there to provide proper

inlets and outlets for the rain garden, that won’t be worn away by erosion. Not only do you need to direct the surrounding water into your rain garden, but if it fills up, it also needs someplace where it can flow out into, whether it’s a drainage ditch or another parcel of property.”

For more information, contact Streeter by phone at 360-716-4629 or via email at vstreeter@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov, or the Snohomish Conservation District by phone at 425-335-5634 or online at http://snohomishcd.org.

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Do-it-yourself priorities: Safety, preparation, functionality When it comes to do-it-yourself projects inside the home, Smokey Point Lowe’s assistant store managers Eric Sofie and Allen Rel advised homeowners to expect the unexpected.

“Whatever you do should be at your comfort level,” Sofie said. “You wouldn’t start off on do-it-yourself auto repairs by tearing apart your transmission.”

Sofie identified bathroom renovations as one area where homeowners “can get a lot of bang for your buck,” although he warned that even what might seem at first like a relatively simple replacement of a faucet, sink or toilet can often lead inevitably to more intensive repairs.

“First off, before you even begin, you need to make sure you’re not working on the only bathroom in your house,” Sofie laughed. “And once you’ve gotten to work, you could find mold under your sheetrock, or discover that your floor is rotten, or even have to locate matches for pipes that have since been discontinued, so you need to set aside a contingency fund.”

Both Sofie and Rel emphasized that research is essential, not only to map out what types of renovations you want to conduct, but also to determine what

sorts of inspections and permits you might need to obtain, from the city and the county, if you expect to do certain types of work on your plumbing or electrical systems.

Likewise, whether do-ityourselfers shop at Lowe’s or another store, Sofie and Rel advised them to inquire about the store’s selections of parts, rather than simply assuming that the parts they have on display are all that they have.

While a touch of paint offers a more simple method of sprucing up an interior, the duo agreed that shortcuts in painting never wear well in the long run.

“Don’t go inexpensive with your paint,” Sofie said. “You may pay less on your initial purchase, but you’ll save more money if you don’t have to apply as many coats.”

“If you’re looking to touch up your cabinets, you still need to do the prep work so that the paint will grab hold,” Rel said.

“If it’s not primed properly, you could see it bubble up.”

Neil Nichols and Brent Stier, of the paint department at Arlington Hardware & Lumber, echoed Sofie and Rel’s advice that a quality paint job is one of the least costly methods of im-

Brent Stier, of the paint department at Arlington Hardware & Lumber, points out the varying filament lengths and thicknesses in a quality paintbrush.

proving your interior, but also agreed that you don’t want to bargain-hunting on the cost of the paint itself.

“Even at $40 a gallon, it’s a deal compared to what you’d pay for the same square footage of wallpaper covering,” Stier said. “Colors influence us psychologically.”

“For bathrooms, shades of green, gray and blue evoke the water,” Nichols said. “For kitchens, consider white or even red.

You want food colors, but more dessert than dinner. It’s like your car. One of the cheapest ways you can maintain high performance in your car is to change your spark plugs.”

“Don’t buy cheap paint, though,” Stier said. “Again, you wouldn’t put $1-a-quart oil into a nice car, would you?”

Stier and Nichols both recommended paint in the $30 to $40 per gallon price range.

“If it’s as low as $15, just put it back on the shelf,” Stier said.

“The only reason to buy that paint is if you really like painting,” he laughed, “and repainting.”

Stier placed equal emphasis on the importance of selecting a proper paintbrush or paintroller.

“If you get a cheap brush, you’ll be leaving marks all over your walls,” Stier said. “If you get a cheap roller, you’ll be dipping it back into the pan every 15 seconds.”

According to Stier, the key to selecting a quality brush is to examine its filaments, which should vary in length and thickness.

“On a cheap brush, all the filaments are the same,” Stier said. “It’s like trying to paint with a garden rake. That’s why that paint that’s laid down by those brushes looks so choppy.”

Moving onto other areas of household renovations, Rel

and Sofie agreed that kitchen renovations represent the most challenging and potentially rewarding home improvements that one can make.

“You usually only have one kitchen, so this is the one that will probably put you out the most while it’s being worked on,” Rel said. “At the same time, improvements to your kitchen and bathroom can add the most money back to your house’s value.”

Rel warned against anything less than having a 360-degree, three-dimensional plan in place, before starting any work on your kitchen.

“You need to sit down with a consultant, have pictures and measurements ready, and lay out any and all changes that you want to make, right then and there,” Rel said. “Whatever changes you make, you need to Neil Nichols, of the paint department at Arlington Hardware & make sure the rest of the kitchen Lumber, recommends paint in the $30 to $40 per gallon price will still be configured to match range. them.”

Rel echoed Sofie’s emphasis your flooring doesn’t cover all replacing them, if all you want on functionality by pointing out the floor under your cabinets,” to do is improve your kitchen’s that non-slamming drawers and Rel said. “You need to ask your- appearance.”

“Bottom line, your three pricabinet doors complement a self how much work you actually want to do, and how much work orities in any do-it-yourself projhousehold with small children.

“Of course, once you start your budget can cover. Remod- ect should be safety, preparation moving things around in your eling your kitchen cabinets can and functionality, in that order,” kitchen, you might discover that be an option, rather than just Sofie said.

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Landscaping can be done fast, cheap or good, but not all three Bryan Fosmark and Zak Venturo have served the landscaping needs of local homes for years with their Marysvillebased Washington Lawns business, and one of the biggest mistakes they’ve seen prospective customers make is not preparing properly for all aspects

of something as expensive and time-consuming as exterior landscaping.

“Some people will get into it before they’ve saved up enough money to do it right the first time,” Fosmark said.

“You’ll save more money in the long run by spending enough

money that you won’t have to spend it twice, especially since it’s that much more expensive to try and fix something that you skimped on to begin with.”

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budgets for the next five to 10 they need to have the foresight here because we have a simiyears, since Venturo noted that not to do things like planting larly rainy climate and kind of the added expenses won’t nec- trees too close to their houses. ground.” essarily end once the landscap- If it’s a dwarf tree, maybe you “You’re not going to be can get away with planting it as planting a lot of cactus in this ing has been completed.

“You also have to budget close as 10 feet to your house, area,” Venturo laughed. for upkeep and maintenance, but otherwise, I wouldn’t plant Fosmark recommended especially with water features,” it within 20 feet, because those flagstone hardscaping, “beVenturo said. “For example, if root systems will grow.” cause it’ll be worth more than “You should also be laying you paid for it, if it’s installed you’re installing a pond, you need to plan to clean it regu- down lime in the spring and properly,” and agreed with Venfall, if you have trees,” Marti- turo that hiring a fully licensed larly.”

“So many people don’t plan nez said. “Trees take nutrients and bonded contractor for such adequately to deal with water from the soil, and lime restores landscaping work is essential. drainage,” Fosmark said. “Just the soil’s pH balance by putting “What we always tell people because you’ve planned a proj- those nutrients back into the is that you can get a landscapect doesn’t mean you’ll be able soil.” ing job done fast, cheap or to stick with that plan if it’s not Martinez recommended good,” Fosmark said. “You can realistic.”

Scotts lawn and garden prod- get two out of those three, but Joel Martinez, of First ucts as “kid and pet-friendly,” you’ll never get all three.”

Choice Landscaping in Arling- and touted the fact that Ortho Both men lamented the curton, agreed that poor drainage weed and pest killers don’t seep rent state of residential developis one of the most prevalent into water systems. ment, which they see as giving “I’m able to treat my cli- many homeowners substandard problems that he’s had to help his clients deal with in the Pa- ents’ lawns and gardens with landscaping to start with. cific Northwest over the years, 80 percent to 90 percent or“Many of those builders but he offered some simple so- ganic products,” Martinez said. aren’t aware of how to install lutions that homeowners can “I use all the products I recom- quality landscaping,” Fosmark undertake before they even call mend at my own home, and said. “That’s why you might I’ve got kids, pets and a well.” buy a home and find that a professional landscaper.

Venturo cited well-done you’ve got glacial till under “You want to lay down fertilizer, twice a season,” Martinez hardscaping as one area where your grass, or that your drainsaid. “The winter is especially homeowners can yield returns age is garbage.” important, because otherwise, on their investments, while The two landscapers, who you run the risk of dealing with Fosmark pointed to the over- routinely consult with soil scimoss in the spring.” seas origins of two of the most entists, praised Washington Martinez added that throw- prevalent trends in gardening State University for promoting seed down in the spring here in the Pacific Northwest. ing more green development, and fall also fosters a thick “English and Japanese gar- through measures such as rain laws, that soaks up the mois- dens have really taken off in gardens. ture to avoid puddles. this area,” Fosmark said. “The “Rain gardens are great for “All my clients fertilize and popularity of the Japanese style helping to treat pollution right seed enough that they don’t owes a lot to the high Asian on the site of the property,” Fosneed to thatch their yards,” population of the region, but mark said. “You should care said Martinez, who explained just about anyone can find about what you’re doing to the that “thatching” involves es- those color schemes appealing. environment with your landsentially tearing up the yard. And English gardens do well scaping.”

“If you get moss, anything under that will be dead, so you have to aerate it to reseed it.

Worst case scenario after moss growth, you’ll have to lay down new sod.”

Martinez noted that keeping the edges of your lawn trimmed, where it meets the pavement, also aids its drainage, in addition to neatening up its appearance. He likewise recommended raking your yard once a week, to help with weeds.

While many homeowners see more intensive landscaping measures as a means of enhancing their property’s value, Venturo warned that a poorly planned landscaping project that goes over budget will often lose them money on the resale market.

“People need to be prepared to invest as much in their landscaping as they would in upgrading their Bryan Fosmark, of Washington Lawns of Marysville, trims the kitchens,” Fosmark said. “And edges of a client’s lawn, which aids with drainage.

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Using a small tray for kitchen supplies keeps all related items in one-easy-to find place.

where a mess is. “If you walk into a garage and you can’t move around, the pain would be on the floor,” Kristofferson said. “So before worrying about the shelves in your garage, you want to start on the floor.”

In addition to finding that starting point, it is also best to divide a room into workable zones. The zones can then be worked chronologically.

“Start with the visible clutter that is causing problems — that would be usually desktops, tables or floors — before going into cupboards or drawers,” Kristofferson said. “The Using folders with labels can help maintain organization after spring cleaning. benefit of that is it will get you motivated when you begin see some clear space opening up, the item in question is indeed along with keeping you focused energy.”

Also, hold off on buying new and it will give you more room worth keeping or if it should be and making faster progress. furniture until you have com“You can have one for the reused. to work.”

“If someone thinks some- support and accountability,” pletely finished the cleaning When you are in the process of cleaning a room, you may thing is valuable, I encourage Kristofferson said. “And work- process. “The reason for that is run into some things that you them to verify it,” She said. “If ing with someone helps people you won’t know exactly what you need to buy to store what they’re struggling to make a make faster decisions.” may or may not need.

There are also things to be you’re keeping, until you know Kristofferson advises quick decision, I would say keep it for advised against when taking on what you have left,” Kristofdecision-making to determine now.”

Items can be appraised — spring cleaning. One thing is try- ferson said. “And also measure wether something is worth your space for the size of the holding onto or letting go. she also advises to look at prices ing to do too much at once.

“When you’re de-cluttering, organizing products you need.”

When looking at something, on eBay. For more tips on organizaAnother bit of advice is to you have to make a lot of deci“go with you gut,” she said. sions,” Kristofferson said. “So tion you can contact KristofThough it’s important to not work alone.

Working with a friend will that can mean physical energy, ferson on her website at www. make quick decisions, you should always ask yourself if make the task more enjoyable, emotional energy or spiritual efficientorganizationnw.com.

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cleaning.

It’s amazing what can be done in an hour. “I always tell clients to take a little at a time,” she said. “You can get a lot done in an hour or two without feeling wiped out in the end.”

Kristofferson said the most important part is to pick a starting point, an area that is the most obstructing to get any cleaning done. “People don’t know, usually, where to start,” she said. “So, I tell them to start where the most pain is.”

For example, when you have a room selected for cleaning, say a garage, start on the floor first,

BA Y

Spring cleaning, as the name suggests, is probably a task we all put off until we can motivate ourselves to deep clean and organize a room that has not been touched since, well, last spring.

But spring cleaning does not have to be a dreaded task. If approached the right way, cleaning a room can be enjoyable and rewarding.

Professional organizer and productivity consultant Monika Kristofferson, of Efficient Organization in Lake Stevens, has some pointers on approaching a room in need of annual

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Interior shopping for the budget-minded consumer When you scope out a place to move into, or are looking to redesign the interior of your home, furniture can be downright pricey.

Fortunately, Marysville and Arlington homeowners have an array of thrift shops and consignment stores to look for items to furnish a home, all while saving money and gaining some.

Saving money and keeping reused furniture out of landfills

are among the many advantages of shopping at these kinds of stores.

The Goodwill in Marysville, located at 9315 State Ave., is just one example.

“You can find something unique or a little different, and at a lower cost,” Goodwill’s communication manager Katherine Boury said. “You can find almost anything.”

Customers will not only find

deals in thrift stores, but also contribute positively to the environment. “People feel good about shopping,” Boury said.

As opposed to buying new furniture, consumers can save literally hundreds of dollars by shopping for reusable furniture.

Many thrift and consignment store shoppers and owners believe that the furniture businesses don’t make the products like they used to.

A small table with a lamp, and decorative piece can be purchased within $50 at Lil’ Thrifts in Arlington.

It is one of the reasons why people nowadays are searching for vintage items. Items that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also items that will not break down.

At Lil’ Thrift in Arlington, found on 233 North Olympic Ave., owners Jeff and Becky Phebus said it’s one of the main reasons people shop for retro furniture.

“That is the hottest trend right now,” Jeff said.

Jeff said “re-purposing” retro items is becoming common in the thrift business.

“I’m a re-purposer,” Jeff said. “I’m going take this midcentury stereo cabinet, and I’m going to turn it into a wine cabinet. It’s what society’s doing nowadays” Multi-purpose items are essential for the budget-minded consumer. Old barber chairs can be used to furnish a room, and old speakers can be used as door stops.

The re-purposed items are versatile and can serve many purposes, along with being affordable.

“It’s $15 to buy this cabinet. They can spend some time doing what they want with it,

“I’m a re-purposer. I’m going to take this midcentury stereo cabinet, and I’m going to turn it into a wine cabinet. It’s what society’s doing nowadays.”

Jeff Phebus, Lil’Thrifts or they can resell it,” Jeff said.

“They can use it as a dresser or a TV stand.”

A similar cabinet at a mainstream store could cost up to $500. The difference in price is significant.

Indeed, the thrift business inspires creativity for renovation of its users and is affordable, but also retro items have another advantage, and that is quality.

It is rare to find a dresser in today’s market that is 100 percent wood and reasonably priced. Most manufactured items are now particle board.

Along with furniture, oddities can also be found at thrift stores. Other retro items could be old toys that no longer exist.

Perhaps you not only want to save money but also earn a buck in the process? Consignment stores maybe an option.

Consignment Furniture of

Marysville, located at 1206 State Ave., allows shoppers to make money off of a piece of furniture they no longer need. “They make money on what they bring in,” Consignment Furniture of Marysville owner Chris Philippsen said. “We’re there socalled agent.”

“The main point I stress to people is the idea that I don’t like to see people throw money away on bad products,” Phillippsen said.

“I like the term, ‘finding money,’” he said.

And not incidentally, Philippsen also said that the quality of furniture now is not only overpriced but also not as well built. “It’s all cookie-cutter stuff. It’s huge, it’s massive and a lot of people are downsizing these days,” he said. “They’re moving into townhomes and want smaller items.”

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Lawns require the proper care in all seasons When it begins to warm up and rain less in Washington state, it usually means bringing out the garden hose and setting the watering apparatus that’s been sitting in the garage for about 10 months.

But let’s face it, it rains enough in the Pacific Northwest that most Washingtonians don’t bother to install a sprinkler system.

Sufficient rainfall in the Evergreen State comes in handy, but there is still that brief period, in the summer, of consistent sunshine that can wreak havoc on Washington lawn owners.

Yes, grass can go brown and come back to green with no consequence, but some may want a more consistent green color throughout the year.

“Lawn care is very much a personal preference,” Arlington’s water resource planner Mike Wolanek said. “Some want a greener lawn, and some don’t care as much.”

When caring for lawns, Wolanek said to be conscious of weather patterns. “Watch the newspaper for rainfall,” he said.

If it rains, then obviously you do not need to water that day.

The weather can impact the watering of your lawn and water expenditure. Watering on a windy day should be avoided. The wind can displace the water on a freshly watered lawn.

From an environmental standpoint, chemicals such as pesticides and synthetic fertilizers should be used to a minimum along with watering. “Do not use any more than you have to,” Arlington’s storm water manager Bill Blake said.

When water is added to a lawn laced with excess chemicals, it can cause a harmful runoff that can damage the water supply.

E E &

And when you do use chemicals, Blake suggests to read the manufacturers’ instructions closely.

During the warmer months, Wolanek said the magic number for watering a lawn is two days a week with an inch of water. You should be able to water enough to allow moisture to go deep into the soil and reach the roots.

Measuring how much an inch of water is varies from lawn size to the type of dispenser, but there are some conventional methods to find out how much is enough.

The old tuna can method is used when you run your watering apparatus for however long until the tuna can, or any even-sided cylinder, is full.

If you were to water your lawn two times a week, fill until the can is half full. That is how much water to apply for one day.

Blake and Wolanek advised lawn owners to refer to a water calendar to know which days to water and watering methods.

Arlington and Marysville lawn owners can refer to the water calendar provided by the city of Everett at www.ci.everett.wa.us/Get_PDF.aspx?pdfID=4564.

There are easy signs to tell if you have a sufficiently watered lawn or if your lawn is thirsty.

One way is to dig down into the soil and see if the roots are moist.

A less extreme measure would be to simply walk on your lawn.

“If you can see foot prints in the grass, your lawn is thirsty,” Wolanek said.

When mowing the lawn, it’s best to not cut the grass too short and spare two to three inches. Grass that is shaved too close allows precious moisture to escape the grass. “If you cut your grass too short, it will be too hard on the grass.” Wolanek said. In-

stead, just shave the top off.

Leaving your grass longer will also prevents weeds.

Looking at the blades of grass to observe a lawn’s health is easy to observe, the condition of the lawn’s soil should also be considered.

Soil health is important for a healthy lawn. Steve Smith, owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville, said organic fertilizers are the best way to create a healthy soil.

The advantages of organic fertilizers and synthetic fertilizers are many.

“Organic fertilizer improves the health of a soil in generating a deeper root system,” he said. Healthy soil equals a healthy root system.

According to Smith, many homes in the area, for example, are built upon glacial till. Glacial till is soil that is rocky and has clay. “It’s really difficult for roots to penetrate that soil,” Smith said.

“The ingredients are the same, but come from different sources,” Smith said.

Organic fertilizers coming from natural sources are insoluble and tend to breakdown slower in the soil, then its synthetic counter-part.

“It stays in the root system longer rather than being washed away into the Puget Sound,” Smith said.

Synthetic fertilizers, being 100 percent soluble, can potential wash right through the soil, creating runoff. Also adding too much synthetic fertilizer can be damaging to plant health.

Along with using organic fertilizer, Smith said the best way to create a healthy soil is to ask “how does mother nature make soil?”

The leaves and other natural matter eventually breakdown to build up soil but that takes a while.

Lumber & Home Center

Sunnyside Nursery owner Steve Smith uses spreader to distribute fertilizer across his lawn.

Smith said one way to make a less then ideal soil healthy, is to lay a layer of compost over the solid along with the organic fertilizer.

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Home & Garden 2014

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