We are getting down to the last few days of 2023! For you long-time Rosie on the House listeners and readers, you know the drill … it’s time to look back on the most popular blogs of 2023 based on what you and your fellow Arizonans were most interested in.
Let’s see which topics made the top five this year.
1 | Interior and Exterior Paint Tips From A Pro
The Right Way to Paint, Inside and Out!
One of the most common DIY projects around our home is painting. Painting is one thing. Painting well is another! Joe Miller of the Arizona Painting Company, a Rosie on the House Certified Partner, offers us interior and exterior painting tips in addition to some preparation pointers for painting old and new surfaces.
Interior Painting Tips
New Build
After the drywall is taped and sanded on a new surface, the next step will be painting. Take a broom or duster and get the residual dust off the surface. A lightly dampened cloth will work as well. This is an essential step as the dust prevents the subsequent paint from adhering to the surface.
The next step the pros use is to prime and seal the drywall surface, as well as any adjacent moldings. One coat of a good drywall primer, like PVA (Polyvinyl Acetate), will give the paint a great surface to adhere to. Don’t expect the PVA primer to give 100% coverage or opaqueness over the drywall discoloration; that will be the job of the coats of paint yet to come. Prime any molding as well, especially if it is raw wood.
2 | Design The Best Bathroom For Your Needs!
Mobility can become more difficult as we age or become infirm. One area of the house that can present a formidable obstacle is our bathroom; from entering the door to bathing and brushing our teeth, activities we normally take for granted can become laborious chores. We asked Derek Rogers, Owner of Rosie on the House Certified Partner Aqua Therapy Tubs to lead us through the steps necessary to achieve an accessible bathroom.
Derek says the initial step is to identify activities that challenge you. Identifying these activities puts you in a good position to select a professional to guide you through the process. Mobility struggles are very personal by their nature.
Find Someone Who Will Listen To Your Needs!
A professional who will listen to you is key to achieving a bathroom that is customized to your specific needs. They should ask many questions to help determine the best solutions for you. Everyone has different circumstances to consider.
The conversation should begin with asking about you!
3 | 5 Tips From An Electrician – Safety 101
There are a number of items in our homes where we may take safety for granted. With the help of Jon Bolenbaugh, owner of The Mighty Electricians, a Rosie on the House Certified Partner, we explore five instances in your home that should be inspected and remedied if there is a problem.
Tip 1 | Fire Detectors
A persistent question we receive is about smoke detectors in existing homes. Jon tells us you can use two types of smoke detectors in a retrofit situation. The first, and by far the safest solution, is to hardwire a quality smoke detector where the code requires. The locations for the fire detectors, defined by the building codes, are consistent across the state. There should be a smoke detector (a.k.a. smoke alarm) just outside each bedroom, usually in the hallway, and one just inside each bedroom. The objective is safety, of course. Whether a fire starts inside or outside your bedroom, the smoke detectors will alarm you if installed correctly.
There are circumstances where retrofitting smoke detectors and hardwiring are not possible without tearing apart the drywall in your home. In these circumstances, the code makes allowance for utilizing smoke detectors that are solely battery-operated. We say solely because even the hardwired detectors have batteries as a backup should the power fail.
Jon reminds us that you should replace the batteries every year. He also says some upgraded smoke detectors include a battery with a life span of up to ten years, which might reduce maintenance. When you remodel your home or simply want to increase the safety margin in your older home, installing smoke detectors is a wise move.
YouTube shorts playlist from broadcast.
4 | Buying a Brand New Home vs. Remodeling In Today’s High Interest Rate Market
It seems as if most of Arizona is under construction. New homes and apartments are popping up everywhere. That’s great news for construction companies, their employees, and people wanting to move to Arizona or buy a brand-new house.
However, there is a large number of new home permits missing nationwide, upwards of 1.2 million less than what would be needed to support growth, and with the interest rates still being where they are for at least another 12-18 months, the remodeling industry could see a boon in activity.
More Challenges
Because interest rates are expected to rise over the next 12-18 months (currently 7.74% for a 30-year fixed mortgage, as of October 2023) and the low number of new home-building permits, the trend is for homeowners to stay put and invest in their existing homes as the “new” one will be much more expensive in light of the last decade of appreciation and today’s interest rates.
5 | Steps To Enhance Your Outdoor Lighting
Landscape lighting used to be installed mainly to light our way. Now, lighting goes far beyond function and can add beauty and ambiance to our landscape. Nick Cervi, owner of Rosie on the House Certified Partner Nite Worx of Arizona, tells us that if we start with a design in mind, we can take our home from plain to exceptional with the right lighting.
Start With A Design
Any good design process begins with an understanding of the project goals. That is where your ideas can interact with a talented designer to create the yard of your dreams. A lighting expert may know of possibilities you weren’t even aware of. The resulting project can become a striking complement to your home. We asked Nick to give us some insight into what we should consider when planning outdoor lighting.
Aesthetics
Architectural features
- The proper lighting can accentuate architectural features, highlighting the best features our homes have to offer. Highlighting features is superior to simply spotlighting. These features include entryways, courtyards, and window features such as a bay-type window. The architecture of your home, being highlighted at night with appropriate lighting, can add the ‘Wow’ factor to its curb appeal.
Function
Improve your outdoor spaces
YouTube shorts playlist from broadcast.
So, there you have it! The most popular blogs of 2023. Don’t stop here, there’s a bounty of blogs full of expert tips, advise, and information for you on our website.
From all of us at Rosie on the House, we wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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PODCAST
We discuss our Top 5 Blogs of 2023. These include steps to enhance outdoor lighting, buying a new home versus remodeling in a high interest rate market, tips from an electrician, designing the best bathroom for your needs and painting tips from a pro!
Podcast Archive With Expanded Content and Resources
PHOTO CREDIT
- Arizona Painting Company
- Aqua Therapy Tubs
- Nite Worx of Arizona, Inc.
- Shutterstock
