The latest trend in home design and construction…..dog specific rooms!

Home builder Standard Pacific now offers a dog friendly option in their communities across the United States. From Florida to California, in their 27 new home developments buyers have a pet paradise option. (Photo: Anthony Gomez/Standard Pacific Homes/A.G. Photography)

The suite is a 170-square-foot pet paradise with a step-in wash station, handheld sprayer and leash lead; tile walls and floors; a designated drying area with a commercial sized pet dryer; a water station; automated feeders; a large bunk-style bed; cabinets for toys, treats and food; a stackable washer and dryer; a French door that opens to a puppy run; and a flat-screen television set. The pet option adds $35,000 to the list price. Approximately 70% of all buyers who look at Standard Pacific’s developments are pet owners.

Standard Pacific, based in Irvine, decided to offer pet suites after conducting livability studies with homeowners. Pets were a constant theme, said Jeffrey Lake, vice president and national director of architecture for Standard Pacific.

“Devotion to pets is second-to-none,” he added. “They are family.”

The American Pet Products Association reports that 68 percent of Americans own pets and contribute to an industry worth more than $55 billion annually.

Real estate officials say building homes designed to cater to pets is a new concept, but that remodels for pet owners have been available for some time. Those looking to sell their homes may find their pet additions might add to the attractiveness of their home. Providing useability much like a laundry room or mud room offers. Pet washrooms can offer multi-purpose facilities which buyers may find desirable. Who doesn’t want to have a place for dirt whether it comes in on a dog or a child!

Guess where the TV is in this small apartment? No it’s not behind the tiny picture above the mantel. The living area was originally one long room until the home owner designed the  cabinet to create two spaces out of one. Acting as a decorative focal point, the cabinet also provides a place to store essentials and best of all, at the touch of a button, voila, a flat-screen television rises from the base. How clever is that? For those of us who prefer that the TV not overtake the design of a room, hiding it until needed gives you the best of both worlds. Sophistication in design when closeted and entertainment, easily accessible on demand.

Design by Jane Taylor. Photos courtesy of Sarah Hogan.

Before any Home purchase buyers review and digest the copious amount of paperwork generated by the seller to try to fully explain what is currently known about the home they are selling. When going over Home Inspections there are invariably issues that are highlighted in the reports. Regularly I am asked what the costs for repair and replacement of some of these items are. As anyone who has purchased a home knows, the costs for fixing “what’s wrong with the house” does not come in the disclosure packet, only what needs fixing! Here I have consulted an article written by Chris Deziel explaining the approximate costs for repairing double paned windows.  Either due to age or seal failure glass can become cloudy or show condensation.

“After years of exposure to rain, sun and condensation, and if you want more sunlight in the house, it may be worth the expense of replacing it. You’ll probably want to know what that expense is before you go ahead with the project, however, and that depends on several factors. They include the size of the pane, the kind of glass you want to use and the style of your window.

The base price for float glass, which is clear window glass, is about $12 per square foot in 2013, and the price increases with every feature you add. Tinting adds from $5 to $7 per square foot, tempering adds about $2. Double pane glass is priced separately. If you add the cost of the glazing compound and caulk, the cost to replace a 2-by-2-foot pane of glass would range from about $60 for a clear pane to about $100 for a tinted pane of tempered glass. Don’t forget to allow money for paint if you have to make repairs to the frame. Labor costs vary, so get several quotes before you hire a contractor. In all, you should probably expect to pay between $300 to $700 if you choose not to do the job yourself.”

Now if you would like to replace the windows yourself. He provides a step by step process in his article published in SF Gate.

Photo by Susan Gilmore.

Faced with low housing inventory,  homeowners are choosing to remodel their existing homes in numbers that  reached over $130 billion in 2013. As reported by Kris Hudson in the Wall St Journal, this is a 3% increase over last year with a prediction to become a 5% increase in 2014 as reflected by the pending home construction permits issued. One of the facilitators for the increase in remodeling is the once again available Home Equity Loan which almost disappeared after 2007. Property values have increased in some areas of the Bay Area by over 25% in the last year which increases the equity required by lending institutions to issue this loans.  Economically speaking the increase in remodeling is welcomed by the contractors, architects, designers and suppliers by keeping their industry strong in these uncertain times. Tempered with the memory of the last housing market downturn, all parties appear to be cautiously optimistic that the return on the “re-investment” in their home is a better financial choice than facing the low inventory housing market which includes overbidding, multiple offers and asks the proverbial question, “Do we sell before we buy?”

If you are thinking of remodeling but don’t know where to begin, call me for a list of professionals that I have worked with, lenders and contractors.

There is no limit to creative thought….look what two inventive Swedes designed….Jana Cagin and Mikael Söderblom created Prettypegs.    Their pretty little, colorfully crafted foot pegs are designed to fit IKEA’s furniture.  Creatively crafted to provide color, character, pop and flair these cleverly designed furniture feet lift your pieces to a heightened level of personal style.  Whether it´s your sofa, chair, bed, wardrobe or sideboard you can personalize your interior with panash…think of them as Jimmy Choo’s for your furniture!