Sky Meadow Real Estate

  If you’ve been looking for a stylish and durable material for floors, countertops, or other surfaces, there are few finishes more timeless than terrazzo. A material in use in some form for at least 600 years, terrazzo continues to dazzle and dominate in all kinds of locations in the modern home. Terrazzo: A Brief History The Renaissance was an incredible time for artists and architects, with plenty of ground-breaking innovations in the arts coming about. But alongside all the fancy sculptures and haunting stained glass, there was an incredible amount of waste in the form of scrap chips. It was probably an accidental discovery outside of artisan workshops that led to terrazzo, but over time, Italians noticed that walking over those marble, glass, and other durable chips pushed them into workshop floors. The result was an early form of the breathtaking material we know today. Over time, Italians learned to create terrazzo on purpose, by scattering the chips from workshops onto clay...

  Autumn is a good time to do a number of things around the house. You’ve likely already started preparing for winter, trimming back some of your plants, and doing other maintenance tasks that are perfectly suited for brisk fall days. There may be at least one big task that needs to be done that you haven’t even considered, though: cutting down that tree that you’ve been worried about for ages. It may seem strange to think of a project as major as cutting down a tree as especially well-suited for autumn, but there are actually a few reasons why this is the perfect time of year to bring that tree down. If you’re on the fence, here’s some advice on how to tell whether the tree really needs to come down and how to make sure that you bring it down safely. Why Autumn? Though bringing down a tree can be done at any time during the year, there are a few reasons why you should give it extra consideration during autumn. Cutting down a tree in the fall can help prevent regrowth, as sap will ...

When most people talk about curb appeal, at least part of what they’re talking about involves landscaping and other greenery to make your home look inviting. That’s great during the spring and summer, and even the fall to an extent. What happens when the icy winds of winter sneak in, though, and a lot of that greenery is taken out of the equation until spring rolls around again? For some reason, it seems acceptable to just abandon curb appeal and making your home look inviting once the days grow short and the temperature drops. This doesn’t have to be the case, of course. There are ways to make your home seem warm and appealing throughout the year, making it look like a place that friends and family really want to visit. If you want to increase your home’s curb appeal throughout the winter months, here are a few things to keep in mind that should help you accomplish your goal. Make Your Porch Stand Out One way to increase your curb appeal during the winter is to find ways to make your ...

  Of course your house is awesome – it’s your house! But the things that you really love about your home’s decor can sometimes slow down progress when you’re trying to sell your place. Just because you’re all in on the “Halloween all year long” aesthetic doesn’t mean that potential buyers will be able to see past that when viewing your home. What a Home Buyer Sees Although we all like to imagine that we only look at the house itself and never, ever let ourselves be influenced by anything that’s easy to change about a home (or things that don’t even go with the home), the truth is often very different. Many homebuyers, especially those who are in the market for the first time, need to be able to picture themselves living in your house. For some homes, that’s easy enough, but others that are owned by people who live an abundant or exuberant life can be a real challenge to homebuyers. They can forget they’re shopping for a home and get overwhelmed by the decor or intense level of pers...

  There are a number of unpleasant smells that can occur in your home. Sometimes they’re temporary bouts of unpleasantness, and other times they stick around. A lot of smells and odors can seem manageable, since even lingering mustiness or other odors can kind of fade over time as you get used to them. Unfortunately, just because you’ve gone somewhat “nose blind” to those smells doesn’t mean that other people have, and that can be a major problem if you’re listing your home for sale. If you’re trying to entice people to be interested in your home, you need to make sure that the first thing they smell when walking in the door isn’t some awful smell that you’ve just gotten used to. Unfortunately, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to bringing the smell of your home around to work to your advantage. With that said, here are a few things that might help. Eliminate Smell Sources If there are unpleasant smells in your home, the first thing that you should do is work on getting rid ...

  When you’re shopping for a mortgage, it can be tempting to just talk to the first person you meet, sign the loan documents, and be on your way. But before you do that, it’s actually pretty important that you ask what type of financial institution you’re dealing with, because they’re not all the same. Here’s a quick rundown of the main differences. Traditional Banks Traditional banks are exactly what you imagine when you think of banks. They’re big institutions that collect deposits, notarize things, and sell bonds to the public. With the funds from these activities, they also may lend their own money for the long term, or they may sell their loans to a secondary loan buyer like Fannie Mae to free up more cash. With a traditional bank, you’ll often get a pretty good deal when it comes to fees, since there are no middlemen to pay, and a competitive lending rate. However, if you’re looking for special homebuyer programs, you’ll find that banks can’t always offer the same ones, and y...

  Even before the pandemic, basement conversions that included bars and other entertainment spaces were becoming more popular. Now, with many people still entertaining in small groups at home instead of going out, having a home bar downstairs can really liven up those times when you get together with friends. While there are a number of ways you can set up a bar area in your home, having a wet bar on hand makes everything more convenient. If you aren’t sure exactly what a wet bar is, it’s pretty simple. As opposed to a “dry bar” that only has cabinets or other storage options, wet bars feature plumbing lines that are used to hook up a sink and occasionally even water-using appliances such as an automatic ice maker or dishwasher. If this sounds like a great idea for your entertainment space, here are some thoughts on having a wet bar in your basement and really making it your own. Planning Your Wet Bar The first thing you need to do when planning a wet bar is decide just how much sp...

  When it comes to remodeling, some changes that you make to your home are going to net you a big return on your investment. Sometimes this return comes in the form of an increase to the overall value of your property, while sometimes the return is more in the form of your enjoyment and the overall usefulness that your home has for you. Either way, there’s a definite positive side to your remodeling project that you’ll reap the rewards from for years to come. With some other projects, though… well, let’s just say that they seemed like a good idea at the time. If you’re considering remodeling your home, it’s important that you think about what you want to do before you start. This will help you avoid projects that just waste money or leave things worse off than they started. So how do you know if a project is going to be worthwhile? Here are a few suggestions that might help. Improving the Look One of the best remodeling projects that you can undertake with respect to average cost v...

  Leaks in your home can be a major problem. This is especially the case if leaks occur while you’re away from home or happen in places that you can’t easily access. While some leaks can be prevented before they happen with proper maintenance, there’s always the possibility that you’ll have a leak even if you keep your sinks and pipes in good shape. So what can you do? One option is to have a water leak detector that can pick up on the leak when it occurs. If you’ve never heard of these or aren’t sure how they work, here are the basics. You might find that a water leak detector is just what you need to give yourself a bit more peace of mind when it comes to your home’s plumbing. What Is a Water Leak Detector? As the name suggests, a water leak detector is a device that can detect water leaks in your home. There are a few different types of detectors out there, but they all provide the same basic function of keeping your home safe in case leaks occur. They do this by not only detect...

  In general, people tend to think about air conditioners as a way to keep a home cool and heating units as a way to keep it warm. There’s nothing wrong with this line of thinking, of course. If you’re only relying on heaters and air conditioners to maintain the temperature, though, then you may be spending way more than you need to keep your home comfortable. One key part of controlling your home’s heating and cooling costs that you might be ignoring is the humble ceiling fan. By using ceiling fans effectively, you can keep your home at more consistent temperatures throughout the year while spending a lot less on heating and cooling. If you like the thought of staying comfortable while spending less, here’s what you need to know about using your ceiling fans effectively. Ceiling Fans Save Money Modern ceiling fans are incredibly energy efficient, giving you a way to keep air circulating in your home without breaking the bank. In fact, the average cost of running a ceiling fan come...

  After a long summer, it’s time to clean up around your home and get everything in good shape before the winter comes. Not only does this sort of fall cleaning help your home look nice after the rain and heat of summer, but it can also aid you in finding issues or damage that you might want to take care of as you winterize your home. Some areas that often needs particular attention during these cleanup periods are patios and decks. Part of the reason for this is that many people use their patios and decks more during the summer than any other time of the year. Various spills, dripping grease and oils from grilling, and assorted other messes can end up on the wood, while changes in weather over the course of the summer can encourage the growth of things like algae and mildew. Knowing how to effectively clean up all of these stains and other issues will not only make your deck or patio look better, but can also result in them lasting significantly longer without needing repairs. Dec...