Category: Anchored

a&a Renovations, Anchored, Home Design

a&a Renovation: Teen Lairs Grow Up Into Guest Rooms

Converting kids’ rooms into guest rooms honestly isn’t easy. There are a lot of memories, and if you have other guest rooms on hand, it might not be necessary to disturb mountains of trophies, stuffed animals, and kids’ books that were so precious and essential at one time.

Virus or not, family and close friends are likely still coming to stay. And, space is always at a premium: this featured renovation, or reno, had zero guest rooms (and needed an office), but three former boy rooms, still cluttered in middle school sports and reeking of an afterthought when someone had to sleep there.  Continue reading “a&a Renovation: Teen Lairs Grow Up Into Guest Rooms” →

Anchored, Home Design, shopping finds

The anchored Quarantine Home Improvement Shopping List

In the last few weeks, nothing has been more important than a feeling of safety and ease in your surroundings. With each visit to an essential store, I’ve seen more and more shoppers in masks and gloves (and I’ve progressively upgraded from sanitizer to gloves to mask and gloves) which is great- but also quite eerie.

While the economic impact of staying at home absolutely calls for fiscal responsibility, I believe that ensuring that act of staying at home is pleasant is also a responsibility. It’s always been my position that it’s worth a little extra rent or a little extra investment to make your address a home. Now that it’s our place of rest, sleep, work, fitness, hobbies, dates, “travel” from room to room, cooking, and more, it’s never been more important. Continue reading “The anchored Quarantine Home Improvement Shopping List” →

Anchored, Home Design

Tenant Turnover: 8 Mini-Renos to Relist Your Unit for Success

One of the most challenging situations for a renovation is tenant turnover, whether long-term or AirBnb-type rentals. You want to get the unit back on the market quickly as to maintain income to pay mortgages, property taxes, condo fees, and yourself. At the same time, you need to address normal wear and tear, tenant damages, and possibly upgrades to keep or improve your unit’s place in the market. Continue reading “Tenant Turnover: 8 Mini-Renos to Relist Your Unit for Success” →

Anchored, Home Design

Tools of the Trade: The 8 Items You Need Before Moving Into Your First “Real” Place

The core of your home consists of the walls, windows, roof, floors, and the tools you use to decorate this space. I’ve watched many of my friends move into their first young professional apartments with their sole tool being an Allen wrench that came with their first IKEA purchase (I remember mine fondly).

But enough is enough! How can your apartment, condo, or house become a home without the essential tools? Will photos and tapestries forever be held up with thumb tacks or tape as in your college days? How can you be a “real person” without being able to measure dimensions for furniture, or as you align gallery walls by “eyeballing it”?

It’s time to take a stand with these 8 tools of the trade. Continue reading “Tools of the Trade: The 8 Items You Need Before Moving Into Your First “Real” Place” →

Anchored, Home Design

How to Have an Environmentally-Sound First Apartment

For most recent college grads, sustainability is not the top priority for your first place. You’re mainly concerned wth location, price, and quality of life in said apartment (cleanliness, age of kitchen, and whether a washer and dryer are in the unit, for example). Unfortunately, the dream world of planned environmental design is not your reality, and that is perfectly fine. But, you can consider small details that make a big difference in the overall footprint of your first place both while you’re searching and when you have found “the one”. Continue reading “How to Have an Environmentally-Sound First Apartment” →