Forget the Open Floor Plan--It's Time to Bring Back Walls

  1. Greed “Greed is alive and well in Birmingham, AL,” says  Alison Smith Jones . “As a former real estate agent, I like to keep up with the housing market in the area, so I am regularly checking out homes online, especially if they are located near our house. One in particular has been on the market for  seven years —at the listing price of $4 million!” It doesn’t take an analyst to figure out that if the home were priced right, it would have sold by now. But no, these sellers have fallen prey to this most classic home-selling sin of all. “The owners obviously believe that their home is one in a million, and they will not deviate from $4 million,” Smith Jones says. Only time will tell exactly how long these sellers hold on to that hope, and the house. 2. Sloth “I recently viewed a home with some buyer clients in which the owners thoroughly embraced the concept of not needing to lift a finger,” says Judge. “Not only were some basic home fixes in obvious need, but the sel...

  Before You Build First, put some thought into how you would use an outdoor kitchen on a regular basis. “Build for the majority of the life you live,” says Bob Hursthouse of  Hursthouse Landscape Architects and Contractors  in Chicago. He says you can always adapt for large parties by adding temporary flooring, folding tables and chairs — even extra grills. Katherine Douglass of  TCP Custom Outdoor Living  in Houston agrees. “It’s hard to distinguish between needs and wants, so you should decide what you really will be doing in the space first,” she says. Plan for your needs.  Planning for what you need will help you make the right choices to fit your budget. Initial questions to ask include: Do you plan to grill for family and maybe a few friends once or twice a week in summer, or are you a year-round griller who often hosts gatherings? Do you want easy access to drinks and a place where you can chill food, or is an indoor refrigerator just steps away? Do...

  Declutter First As with most organizing projects, I recommend starting by decluttering your unwanted items. This is typically the hardest part of the process since you have to make decisions. Making decisions takes time and can be mentally exhausting. Try asking yourself if you like the item and need the item, putting aside all emotions attached to it. Your goal for bathroom decluttering is to keep only the items you use, like and need. In order to proceed, mentally and physically, I recommend removing all purged items (trash, donations, recycling) from your home as soon as possible. Brooklinteriors Start by tossing all expired items. Many skin and body care products have an image of an open jar with the number of months you can use the product after it’s been opened. Some products, such as sunscreen and acne treatments, have expiration dates listed. If there are no indicators on the product, use your best judgment to assess and toss if it doesn’t smell fresh, the product ingredi...