lupadog's Profile

Display Name:	lupadog
Member Since:	2/25/09

Latest Comments...

Where o where did you get that fabulous 3-tiered fruit tray in the kitchen? I am in mad love.... Please help!!! Shannon's Soothing Mix of Styles House Tour Flag this comment	2/24/12 8:46 AM
I recommend that you ask the homeowner for copies of their monthly utilities. Moving from a small two bedroom apartment we were not prepared for the huge shift in electricity and gas bills. We went from paying about $150 a month for both g&e to $670 our first December! We also found out that our old house was not insulated and extremely cold. I would spend $200 and get an energy audit done before purchase. It is an annoying and costly expense to have insulation done but nothing is worse than freezing in your new old house with a newborn. Ask the neighbors about flooding and water issues. Even if your house does not have any issues, if your area/direct neighborhood has issues they will eventually become your issues as well as water and equipment becomes eroded over time. Start taking care of your lawn the minute you get there. Just simple things like weed control would have helped us tremendously. We were very ignorant and so overwhelmed with the house issues that we let the lawncare get away from us. It is not simply cutting the grass and pulling a weed here and there. Now, three years later we have weeds that are a bit out of control and perhaps another expense! But, we do love our house and bought something that we found unique - we always come back to that when we are complaining about all of our $ going out the (drafty) door! What Advice Would You Give to First-Time Homebuyers? Flag this comment	10/4/11 7:37 AM
Hey: I'm the homeowner and really appreciate all of the ideas! I think that there will definitely be a few that we can use immediately and some others down the road when we are not so cash poor after buying our house. I agree that painting the walls a color would make a huge difference, but we don't want to do that right now. We spent days stripping the house of dark, floral wallpaper and we just wanted the whole house to feel bright. Also, the pass thru from the kitchen to the dining room supplies most of the light to the kitchen (which is dark cherry wood) so that also affected our decision. We definitely needed to brighten the kitchen up a bit. Love the rug, pendant lamp, and plant ideas. Table runner too once the little one is bigger. & we will probably go with insulated blinds since our gas bill is so horrific. The best takeaway is I'm definitely going to get rid of the bench under the large painting (too much) and probably replace one of the benches with some white chairs. Love the tables recommended from Forestdweller and Twenty Twenty One (also, thanks for the link to the Pendant lamp). LA - we got the table from Tommy at www.manymoonsdesign.com. He lives in Kentucky and build beautiful things out of reclaimed wood. Tommy is very nice, talented, and was a pleasure to deal with on all levels. Forestdweller - thanks for sticking up for me. That painting is not everyone's cup of tea (still no need to call it an eyesore!) but it means something very special to me and my husband. Bromelia - thanks for the great advice. I'll just get rid of something we love and scrimped and saved for and replace it with a tapestry or piece of fabric that means absolutely nothing. & sell my house! We LOVE our house and some of the things in our house and are just trying to make them work together as best we can. No need to be so angry - it's just a little question about decorating - jeez! BTW - the previous owner was all about Arts and Crafts and while it fit the house - it was also very dark, depressing and overwhelming. Again - thanks to everyone for all their advice! Apartment Therapy New York \| Good Questions: Jazz Up This Dining Room?#comments Flag this comment	2/25/09 8:29 PM