Author Archives: FultonHomes

Room with a Purpose

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19115175_SDream of painting? Have way too much fabric stored in boxes and closets? Love to create pottery for yourself and friends? If you have a hobby, how about creating a special space to make those dreams come true?

An extra bedroom provides a good start. Consider a sleeper sofa if you are converting a guest room to your own space, so that guests can be accommodated when they visit.

Planning your space to make it truly work for your purpose requires more than a casual approach. Addressing the following issues will help create a space that’s perfect for you to…create.

Lighting: Artists claim that good natural light from the north works best for painting and sketching. This is great if you have a north-facing room, but if not you can add full-spectrum fluorescent lights. These will enable you to see colors inside as clearly and accurately as you see them outside under the sun. This type of lighting is also valuable when coordinating fabrics.

17471515_SStorage: Both closed and open shelving can be handy for supporting your hobby. You may want to have some shelving specially built to take the best advantage of the space you have available. Fulton Homes also offers lovely built-in options that can provide a nice looking addition to your purpose-driven space.

Work space: How much room do you need to spread out and complete projects? Balance that space against what you want for storing materials and tools. Consider fold-out tables or desks, or tables with leaves that you can add for larger projects if space is limited.

Sometimes it’s hard to find the time to work on the hobbies and projects you love. If you create a space dedicated to those creative efforts, you can come and go on projects without having them interfere with the rest of the house or family. And you may find yourself accomplishing more than you dreamed.

Room with a Theme

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495150_SWhen you’re planning to decorate a room, think about starting with a theme. This bedroom has a strong and obvious sports theme, and the art as well as the furniture and accessories play off the idea. Themes are a great way to approach a child’s room, since they often have strong interests.

Adults can enjoy a room that shows off something about their lives or likes also. Do you enjoy traveling through a certain part of the world? How about creating a room around one of your favorite countries or regions?

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You could focus a room around a collection. If you like old silver or movie memorabilia, can you put things together to make a room that showcases your favorite pieces? Think about choosing the right furniture, colors and accessories to create the mood. For example, you might want to go with a black and white look for old movies, complemented with some classic movie stills on the walls. Consider looking for a few antique items to match the feeling of your old-fashioned silver pieces.

Don’t feel obliged to make an entire room reflect a theme. Instead, you may want to incorporate just a few things to suggest a mood or idea. For example, if you like the 1950s, how about picking up an old tablecloth or some retro serving dishes or a toaster to add a fifties flair to your kitchen? Bring in a few classic fifties colors such as this green or even pink to add to the feeling.

Don’t limit your decorating to traditional approaches. Take a favorite idea and make it part of your home by decorating around the theme of your choice.

Room with a View

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6501943_SWhen planning your landscaping, there are really two views to consider: how your home looks from the street, and how your yard appears when looking out your home’s windows.

Consider these issues when making your final landscape layout:

Don’t cut the view: Just as a large or tall centerpiece can spoil your ability to talk to the person across the table from you, a tree can accidentally compromise a view out of a window. Be sure to position any single-trunk large trees so that they run in between the windows.

Consider the future: Might you want to add an outdoor patio or walkway someday? Don’t waste your tree budget if you might have to unearth foliage later. Also, factor in the size the trees or bushes may become when you’re assigning spaces.

Block a view: Placing a lacy tree such as a Jacaranda about ten feet away from a street-facing window means that people passing on the street will find their eyes focused on the tree rather than the inside of your home. On the other hand you, as a closer viewer, will easily see through the thin foliage.

Create a vignette: If you want to plant flowers or set up a bird feeder, make sure you benefit from the added charm without having to leave the house. And if you’re considering flowers at this time of year, consider something that can handle the heat.

Use outdoor lighting: Want your landscape to shine even at night? Look for outdoor lighting options that will showcase your home. You can turn your yard into an evening charmer with some careful light planning.

When you’re planning your home, be sure to consider what’s in view outside your windows as well as inside.

Preparing for Summer: Staying Cool

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7226666_SNo matter how interesting you make the inside environment, you can’t spend your entire summer in air conditioning. What can you do to keep your family and yourself cool in the summer heat? As we head into the tough months in Arizona, here are a few ideas to make your summer more enjoyable.

Cool the car: We’ve all seen those dashboard screens to shield our cars from the summer sun. They may seem like a nuisance but they really make a difference. With youngsters in the back seat, consider a cooler filled with cool packs in the trunk. Drop one in each child’s lap to move around and cool off. Keep some small bottles or containers of water to keep everyone hydrated.

Focus on water: Make sure everyone in your family drinks enough water. Water bottles or glasses that are color coordinated for each family member can help remind everyone to drink water during the day. Include water when running errands and encourage breaks for water and cool foods when they are playing.

Cold food: Keep chunks of watermelon, other melons, and strawberries in the fridge ready to grab for a snack. If your family likes frozen treats, look for fruit-based low or no sugar pops, or make your own with fruit juice. Freeze fruit juice into cubes to add to water or lemonade for an extra treat. Frozen grapes are also tasty and fun.

Make a splash: If you have a pool, a dip several times a day will keep everyone cooler. Even without a pool, turn on the hose and spray your family to take advantage of the natural cooling power of evaporating water.

Plan a few things like this and you can make the summer a better experience for everyone in your family. And you can always hang a few photos of people shoveling snow to remind you why you

Preparing for Summer: Indoor Plans

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13138856_SAs summer approaches, finding ways to keep your children – and yourself – active and happy while stuck indoors becomes more challenging. Here are a few ideas for making the time spent indoors more enjoyable.

Dance: Children naturally love to move to music, so how about a regularly-scheduled dance time? The music can be pop, rock, bluegrass or even hip-hop, and dancing can be structured or spontaneous. Experiment with different approaches, and encourage your children to invite their friends to join them.

Active props: Simple items such as soft balls, hula hoops or large exercise balls can add to an inside free-for-all. Research simple exercises and look for videos designed for children. And if you participate with them, your figure may benefit also.

Active games: We may remember Twister from years ago, and there are other games that keep the body moving. Do you have room for a table-tennis game – maybe in half the garage? How about an indoor bowling game or Nerf-ball basketball?

Active video games: Certain electronic games have programs that encourage movement. You can rent several games and try them with your family before determining which ones will be the most popular.

Water games: This is not indoors, but it can keep active ones still comfortable in the heat. Encourage pool games or activities that take advantage of water’s cooling properties. Just be sure to keep the sunscreen coming and if possible keep out of the sun during peak sun hours: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

With a little imagination and a few small purchases, you can keep your children and yourself active and happy all through the summer months.

Preparing for Summer: Outdoor Prep

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6089971_SNow that summer’s heat is upon us, it’s time to come up with ways to enjoy being outdoors in spite of the temperatures. Here are a few suggestions to make the most of the season.

Al fresco breakfast: The temperatures stay cool in the morning here in Arizona well into the summer. How about planning breakfasts outside instead of dinners? Place dishes, bowls and silverware on a tray, and add cereal, eggs or whatever is planned for breakfast that day. It only takes a few minutes to move outside, and you and your family will have a cheerful start to the day before temperatures rise.

Shade: The best shade comes from trees, but a covered patio or umbrellas such as the ones in the photo provide a close second. Just remember to close the umbrellas when you’re not using them, because our Arizona sun can fade and wear them out quickly.

Misting: You can hire a company to install misters or pick up a do-it-yourself kit at your local hardware store. The cool damp air works well in our dry weather as an informal evaporative cooler. When sitting under the mist, the temperature can feel much more enjoyable.

Outdoor ceiling fans: NOT to be combined with misting systems! These fans don’t actually lower the temperature, but they can make you feel cooler when sitting under them. Even though your fan may be under a covered patio, be sure to buy one designed for outdoor use. It is then protected from dust and other weather elements.

Choose your best options from among these or others, to allow you to extend your outdoor enjoyment for a few more months every year.

Electronics at Home: The Fulton Homes Drop Zone

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Drop-ZoneWhen you move into a new Fulton Home, one of the first steps is deciding where to charge your electronic gear – phones, tablets and laptops. The Fulton Drop Zone provides the perfect solution.

This example of a Drop Zone, from Peninsula at Freeman Farms, has charging space, with a counter large enough to hold everything. Cabinets, shelves and drawers allow you to keep purses, backpacks, briefcases, keys and all those things you seem to lose in the morning on the way to work or school.

The Drop Zone fits just inside house from the garage. It provides an immediate reminder to drop your outdoor gear and recharge anything that is running low on energy. You may want to assign space to every family member so that homework and other essentials are available when needed.

The cabinetry and counters will coordinate with your kitchen or other built-ins, and it can be designed to your specifications. This also may be a good storage place for big-box-store items or family essentials.

As you live in your home, you will find more and more uses for this option. So often a long day makes you ready to relax and get comfy once you’re home. Put your slippers on a bottom shelf so that you can switch immediately when you walk in, and maybe that drawer on the left should hold your stash of emergency chocolate for quick recovery after a particularly rough day at work.

Electronics at Home: Internet Safety

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8068780_SWhen your children use the Internet, a world of information and entertainment opens for them. But with the advantages come risks, and you want to make sure your children stay safe. There are a wealth of books and Internet resources designed to help you understand the risks and help your children use the Internet safely and well. Here are just a few beginning steps:

Set ground rules: Include issues such as how much time your children can spend online; what kinds of uses they can make of the Internet, and what kinds of websites they can access. There are also search engines that are designed to be safe for children.

Keep computers in your home’s public spaces: You want to be able to look over your child’s shoulder as they work, to make sure they are not getting into trouble. This may mean assigning a space for your home computer or computers such as a corner of the dining room or the desk in the kitchen.

Discuss the risks: Explain that the person they’re chatting with could be lying and someone posing as a young girl or boy may be an adult predator. Connect the “stranger danger” lessons to the Internet also.

Set privacy limits: No photos, names and addresses, passwords, ages or phone numbers should be provided when on the Internet.

Control purchases: Make it clear that any Internet purchases should be done by you. Make sure that your children don’t have access to credit or debit cards.

Set behavior standards: The Golden Rule also fits on the Internet. No bullying, name calling, or mean gossip should be permitted. Remind them that anything that goes on the Internet, including emails, is public information and should be treated that way.

 

Electronics at Home: The Right Place(s)

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5737692_SHave a project left from work that you need to finish at home tonight? Is it hard to keep your kids focused on their homework when the weather is still so nice outside? It’s time to set your home up for anyplace laptop use.

Make your home as functional as your local coffee-shop with in-house Wi-Fi. A wireless network provides so many advantages for everyone in the family. Here are just a few:

Anywhere homework: Want your children under your eyes while they’re surfing the net? They can set themselves down at the kitchen snack bar and get their work done while you finish up dinner.

Anywhere access: You can catch up on a favorite television series online while baking cookies, or check out the day’s news while brushing your teeth in the bathroom. Can’t remember the ingredients for that soufflé? Look up Paula Deen’s version on your tablet without leaving the kitchen.

Al Fresco surfing: Get comfy on your back patio and finish up that project without having to lose the last of the luscious weather. Somehow even the tedious stuff is more enjoyable when you’re feeling the breeze and enjoying the sun as you get your work done.

A few tips: Be sure to invest in security to go along with your Wi-Fi access, so that the uninvited can’t access your Internet or your personal information. Unless you’re well-schooled in setting up a wireless network, you may want to hire a professional to make sure the new access is all fun and no trouble.

Also, remember that a wireless network allows you to pool peripherals such as printers. Having everyone in your family use the same printer means that you can afford a more expensive choice, such as a color laser printer.

Moving into a new neighborhood – Settling In

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7664690_SWithin a month or so after moving into your new Fulton Home, if you make a little effort, you’ll have gotten to know some of your neighbors. As a “veteran” homeowner, you can participate in a few ideas to strengthen your neighborhood’s connections. You may want to try one or more of these ideas.

Plan a block party. Choose a central location and a Saturday afternoon/evening. You can do a “bring your own entrée,” with grills hot and ready for cooking. Include a pot-luck for side dishes and desserts. Consider featuring a children’s table or two with party favors and a teen table with music to help normally shy youngsters to get to know each other.

Create a babysitting resource: People with young children and the teenagers looking for babysitting work will appreciate a way to connect with each other. This can either be printed or online. It would be nice to include a few parent recommendations and an idea of costs per hour and any restrictions.

Put together a roster of neighbors: Names, addresses, phone numbers and emails allow neighbors to stay in touch. This is also a good source for who to contact if you notice someone has left car lights on or something suspicious is occurring on a neighbor’s property.

Assemble a dog-tracking list: Photos of neighbor dogs, along with their names, basic behavior and names and addresses/phone numbers of owners can help lost pets find their way home quickly. Someone who is not comfortable approaching a strange dog can still contact an owner based on a photo. Dog owners will appreciate neighbors letting them know if Toby or Gracie has slipped out of the yard and is wandering loose.

Take an active role and you can help make your new Fulton neighborhood a special community for you, your family and everyone who lives there.