Ultimate Open House

According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association, between 2000 and 2006 there was a 30% increase in the number of people exercising at home, especially among baby boomers concerned with maintaining their health. About one-third of new and potential home buyers list a home gym as essential or desirable, according to NAHB. The space falls just behind home offices and theater rooms as the most popular specialty area.

Home gyms also are sprouting in spare bedrooms, multi-use family rooms and garages. A few years ago, home gyms were more focused on several single-specialty machines like the Ab Roller or the ThighMaster, says Steve Jordan, president and owner of Steven Jordan Acceleration, a fitness boutique in Los Angeles. Today’s home gym is minimalist. Cables are neatly tucked away, and machines are adjustable to fit any body type and fitness level. “The consumer realizes that exercise and movement can be done in small spaces or on equipment that has multiple uses,” says Jordan, who has designed home gyms in spaces as small as 4 by 4 feet.

In today’s home-gym market, the look of the equipment is just as important as the function. Manufacturers are using “home-friendly” materials and colors, including wood grains and brushed stainless steel.

Thanks to our friends at K103 for a full listing of 4th of July Celebrations in Portland and at the coast. Click here…. 

Did you know: Robert G. Heft is a designer of the 50-star flag for the United States of America. He spent his childhood in Lancaster, Ohio, where he created the flag as a school project.

He designed the current U.S. flag in 1958 while living with his grandparents. He was 17 years old at the time and did the flag design as a class project. He unstitched the blue field from a family 48-star flag, sewed in a new field, and used iron-on white fabric to add 100 hand-cut stars, 50 on each side of the blue canton.

He originally received a “B-” for the project. After discussing the grade with his high school teacher, Stanley Pratt, it was agreed that if the flag was accepted by Congress, the grade would be reconsidered. Heft’s flag design was chosen and adopted by presidential proclamation after Alaska and before Hawaii was admitted into the union in 1959. According to Heft, his teacher did keep to their agreement and changed his grade to an “A” for the project.

The Portland Rose Festival was named the Best Festival in the World last year by the International Festival & Events Association.  Don’t miss this years celebration starting May 29th.  Check out thier website for more information www.rosefestival.org.

                      
 Kelly Ritz, head of Stone Bridge Homes NW, is no newcomer to the building industry, having spent 8 years as vice-president of Don Morissette Homes, and 12 years in land development as president of Venture Properties Inc.  Stone Bridge Homes NW is currently building in Tigard,

Hillsboro and Forest Grove.  As one of the few women builders in town, Kelly brings a unique perspective to her job.  We asked her a few questions to get some insight. . . .

 How does being a woman affect your perspective on home-building?  This may be more personal than having to do with my being a woman, but I’m drawn to the workability of a plan—how to make a house the best that it can be, but at a better price point.  I know when people are shopping for a home, they can’t always afford everything they want right away.  I like to think that our homes have “good bones” and that they not only have potential for the development of equity, but the ability to easily upgrade and change as your life and family evolve. How has your experience in land development helped?  It gives me the ability to create the community from the ground up.  In our neighborhoods, we build homes with an eye toward amenities that I think our homebuyers will value, such as neighborhood parks, walking trails and proximity to natural areas 

What part of the job have you found most challenging?  Because of the escalation of land prices and material costs, the challenge has been to deliver the quality that our customers expect, at prices they can afford. Most frustrating?  Men in the industry. . . just kidding. . . .Actually, my male peers have been helpful and encouraging.  Most frustrating have been rising costs. . .land, permits, materials. . . and the tough market we find ourselves in. 

Speaking of the market, any good reasons why someone should buy a home now?  Interest rates are low, builders are reducing their prices, and over the long run homes will continue to appreciate.  And let’s not lose sight of the fact that a home is more than an investment. . . For most people, it’s where they’ll raise a family, socialize, play, and even work from. And we’re optimistic that the market will pick up. . . Stone Bridge Homes NW anticipates building 150 homes in 2009.  What do you think motivates most home buyers?  Value, location and price.  And what we add to the mix that makes us unique is flexibility. . .our willingness to take a plan you like and change it to work for you.   How can buyers find your communities?   www.SBHNW.com   

Housingmaps.com   Users can browes houses for sale in various price ranges and see where the property is located at the same time. Click on the yellow and orange dots next to the listing to view the property’s location. Using the slide scale on the left of the map, you can zoom in and out on your selected location. For really phenomenal views, zoom in on the property and click the “satellite” button on the map.

Zillow.com- With a database of over 70 million homes, based on property values, sales and other public records, Zillow is the place for buyers, sellers and home owners to track the value of their largest asset. 

Behold the first dog house you’d ever want to live in yourself. Back in the day, dog houses were little more than a couple slabs of leftover plywood quickly hammered together one Sunday afternoon. Dogs made due with the dirt floor and leaky roof without complaint. Those poor dogs were born in the wrong era. The dog houses of today have French casement windows, columns, and stairs. No word on air conditioning. I guess it is true when they say Americans love their pets. If you’ve got a pet you want to pamper, you can’t go wrong with this Colonial mansion dog house from The Well Appointed House. Check it out at http://store.wellappointedhouse.com/geesdogho.html.

The Ultimate Open House offers the opportunity not only to see individual homes, but to become acquainted with the people who built them.  If a builder has a particular style you like, or if you connect on a personal level, get a business card or write down the builder’s contact information.  This will come in handy if you are planning to build a home in the future.  Also, vendors of products ranging from furniture to ventilation systems will place marketing materials throughout each of the homes.  Take as much as you want for your idea file.

Why check a contractor’s license? The Construction Contractors Board (CCB) believes the best way to a successful home improvement, repair or new home project is to know your contractor. Checking a contractor’s license can tell you:

• If the contractor is actively licensed, which means they have a surety bond and liability insurance; 
• If the contractor carries Workers’ Comp Insurance to protect its workers on the project;
• Breach of contract complaints filed with the CCB in the past seven years.
• CCB disciplinary actions against business in the pasts seven years.

Don’t get nailed by an unlicensed contractor.  Check out www.hirealicensedcontractor.com.

In Japan, it has become an obligation for many women to give chocolates to all male co-workers. This is known as giri-choko (義理チョコ), from the words giri (”obligation”) and choko, (”chocolate”). This contrasts with honmei-choko (本命チョコ); chocolate given to a loved one. Friends, especially girls, may exchange chocolate referred to as tomo-choko (友チョコ); from tomo meaning “friend”.

By a further marketing effort, a reciprocal day called White Day has emerged. On March 14, men are expected to return the favour to those who gave them chocolates on Valentine’s Day. Originally, the return gift was supposed to be white chocolate or marshmallows; hence “White Day”. However, lingerie and jewelry have become common gifts.