Honey, I Shrunk the Household

           

With the wild popularity of the "tiny house movement" and "living tiny," people of all ages are downsizing. Many are shunning boatloads of possessions and big houses for cozy, small square footage and a lifestyle not defined by largess. Older folks on the other side of raising family also find, at some point, that they have too much house. Longing to reduce expenses, maintenance, stuff and time spent on upkeep, they seek to downsize. Remember the definition of "stuff" ~ something that has weight and takes up space.

            The "tiny house movement" is synonymous with "small house movement" and is attracting much attention across generations. Roughly speaking, a tiny house is less than 400 square feet, and a small home has 400 to 1,700 square feet. Most people who move to smaller digs find it quite appealing to live in less space, do less maintenance, spend less money and live more efficiently. Some opt for outdoor deck and patio living instead of maintaining a formal yard of grass, shrubs, mulch, trees, etc.

            With more than 130 senior living 55+ community lifestyle options in the Tampa Bay area and some tiny and small homes on the market as well, it's not hard to find something that suits your style and budget. If you cannot quite embrace the tiny ones, low maintenance bungalows and ranch homes abound in the Tampa Bay-Clearwater-St. Petersburg region. Townhouses, lofts and condos benefit homeowners by sharing walls, exterior maintenance costs and common spaces. Homeowner dues cover parking lots, trash pickup, roofing, exterior building maintenance and landscaping. Many singles, couples and families report a renewed closeness, not just in proximity, but emotionally, when they downsize.

            As with any project, it takes planning to pull off a successful downsize, and one can begin well before signing a contract on the new place.

• List items that you think you cannot live without. Check off how many times you use each one over a month or two months. Be realistic.
• If you opt for condo living or a neighborhood where a homeowner association handles landscaping, pass along your lawn mower, weed eater, hedge trimmers and garden tools.
• Sort through clothes, shoes, linens, excess furnishings and drastically reduce the collections, keeping only what you need, use and love.
• Envision smaller rooms similar to what you have now. Your new living room might be the size of your guest bedroom. Move furniture in there the way you want your new space to function.
• Trade exercise equipment for a good pair of walking shoes. 
• Measure furniture and figure room space and square footage on graph paper or an app.
• Use this as a great opportunity to bless others with things they may want or can use in their big houses.
• Consider closet and storage systems which maximize space utility.
• Look into Murphy beds and clever conversion furniture.
• If you've lived a long time in your home and/or have accumulated things that have been water damaged or become moldy, piles of newspapers or broken items, you may as well order a Bin There Dump That dumpster. It will save you all the hassle of dump or landfill trips and fees and make the whole downsizing adventure run more smoothly.

Water Water Everywhere ~ or in a Pond

A water feature cannot only transform your landscape, but also provide hours of enjoyment and relaxation, along with increased property value. Across the country, homeowners are installing ponds and streams where none used to be, although you are near the ocean everywhere in the Tampa Bay region, those waves do not (thankfully) crash in your backyard.

Water has a soothing, tranquil effect and can provide an emotional lift and reducing stress. Installing any water feature in your yard has a good impact on the environment by attracting birds, butterflies, dragonflies, frogs and small critters. Keeping some fish brings more entertainment and contributes positively to the cleanliness and ecological balance of a pond. Snails will help decompose organic matter that can collect on the bottom of any pond. However, Koi fish eat snails, so do your homework on which fish are best for your little water world.

More and more landscaping companies are branching into water feature designs and construction. If you are highly motivated and understand pumps and filters, it can be a do-it-yourself project. Many of the large home improvement stores have everything you need and you can browse for information, supplies and equipment at websites like:

• Ron Hazelton Water Feature Projects
• DIY Network Planning a Pond Video
• Backyard Water Features
• The Pond Guy
• HGTV Pools & Water Features

If you are not into digging up your yard for another project to build and maintain, consider a container water garden or small fountain in a large tub or corner of your patio. It doesn't have to travel 40 feet in a stream and spill into some gigantic pond to be soothing and attractive. It can be small, sweet and special. Even a birdbath is a water feature.

One great advantage in Florida is that your pipes, pumps and filters are not likely to freeze in winter. When doing all of this, even if it’s not a DIY project you will need to have a place to dump all the junk. Get in touch with Bin There Dump That for a dumpster rental throughout your water project. You need a dumpster for the debris, dirt and gunk you will pull out of your yard to make space for the water feature, and these guys are experts at protecting your driveway and yard and honoring your timetable for delivery and pick-up.

April Fools

Ha! Ha! Ha! April Fools!

            Widely accepted as the annual date to play jokes and pranks on people, April 1 used to be akin to New Year's Eve, according to one theory on the origin of April Fool's Day. Many people in Europe exchanged gifts and celebrated the New Year on April 2.  In the year 1582, the Gregorian calendar was introduced and New Year's Day moved to January 1. Without rapid communications like today, many people were slow to discover the change or adopt it, and people in the know would make fun of and play jokes on those who forgot or simply did not accept it. Others speculate is has something to do with the change of seasons.
            Though not a public holiday anywhere in the world, the day has taken on a life of its own and grown in popularity. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer references the first known recorded association between foolishness and April 1. Radio, television, newspapers and even websites are in on the action. Some of the memorable hoaxes on the public include:

Ø  1957, BBC broadcast a film of Swiss farmers picking fresh spaghetti in a Swiss Spaghetti Harvest. They were inundated with calls from people wanting to know where and how to buy a spaghetti plant. BBC Spaghetti prank

Ø  1962, Sweden's one black-and-white television station's alleged technical expert, Kjell Stensson, showed viewers how to change their picture from black and white to color by covering the screen with a nylon stocking. Transcript of broadcast

Ø  1989, Londoners reported an alien spaceship landing on the outskirts of the city. Sir Richard Branson had the hot air balloon crafted to look like a spaceship he planned to set down on April 1 in London's Hyde Park. The wind current took him off course and forced him to land one day early. One policeman ran away when the door opened and the silver-suited Branson emerged. UFO over London

Ø  2004, DJs on a Portland, Ore., radio station convinced some gullible listeners they could be fined up to $150 for not having dogs, cats or ferrets buckled in seat belts. Radio pet prank

Ø  2009, Swiss Tourism Board released a video about the Association of Swiss Mountain Cleaners that kept the Alps looking pristine day after day. Some 30,000 people went online to take the qualifying test to become a mountain cleaner. Association of Swiss Mountain Cleaners

Ø  2012, On the Medieval Manuscripts Blog, the British Library published that it found a long-lost medieval cookbook with a recipe for how to cook a unicorn. "Taketh one unicorne," began the instructions, and then marinade it in cloves and garlic before finally roasting it on a griddle. Unicorn cookbook

            And there is the ... no joke ... health benefit and stress reducer of laughter. Belly laughs and general playfulness are good for people, yet others find the day creepy, hoping they don't fall for something and be laughed at or made into a joke. In a 1950s study, folklore researchers Iona and Peter Opie found the British version of pulling pranks on others to end at mid-day or noon, and the person playing a joke in the afternoon or evening became the fool.
            There's no shortage of fools on April Fool's or All Fool's Day and some go on "fool errands" having received an invitation to a non-existent party or event. The fine folks at Bin There Dump That won't make fools of you, however. They are honest, professional, helpful and downright fun to work with when you have a serious clean-out or clean-up project. Keep that in mind as spring cleaning rounds the bend.

Window Replacement

I Can See Clearly Now ..... it's a song, it's a window, it's glass cleaner!*

*[all of the above]

The window industry is one place where advances and innovation in materials and style have come a long way and all for the better.  From the rattling, wood or aluminum frame, squiggly glass windows of yesteryear to today's upscale, vinyl wrapped, well-sealed, plain or uniquely-styled, clear glass replacements, windows provide protection and natural daylight to improve and enhance your safety and well-being.  When you factor in energy efficiency, insurance cost reduction, expert installation and property value increase, well, you have a win-win kind of deal.

If you have ever scraped, sanded, primed and painted wood window frames every few years, you will appreciate forever the simple ease of washing window frames with a sponge or hose.  The white vinyl wrap is as attractive from the curb as from the inside of your home, and the screen/storm combinations are a dream -- especially for oldsters who recall changing out screens and storms twice a year up in New York or New England or Michigan.

Replacement windows come in all sizes and styles and have many advantages for the investment:

• Easy to clean
• Double-hung open in for easy cleaning from the inside
• Filter harmful UV rays
• Crisp white trim goes with any house style and some offer colors
• Slim frames maximize window space
• Superior glass
• High insulating qualities
• Reduce heating and A/C expense
• Smooth and simple to open and close

Among the reasons to replace your windows is age of the home, condition of current windows, if they leak (letting in water or air), as well as to upgrade with new siding, reduce energy expenses, expand current window sizes, add a window and match windows with new doors.  Many replacement window companies also craft exterior doors in different styles.  Professionals in window replacement can advise you on the type of glass you need, as tempered glass is required for some windows and doors in Florida due to hurricanes and high winds with storms.  

Replacement windows can be a do-it-yourself project for the highly skilled, highly motivated homeowner on a budget.  You can do one side of your house per year, for example. Practice on the back first, and be sure to line up a Tampa area rental dumpster from Bin There Dump That for all the materials you will remove from the window space.  The last thing you need is more time to go to the dump and incur landfill fees along the way.  The Energy Star designation on windows may qualify for a tax deduction.  The University of Florida, IFAS Extension, has published an informative, 2-page report on Window Systems .

                       

Homemade glass cleaner ~

• 1 gallon water
• 1 tsp Dawn or 4 Tbl. lemon juice
• 1 pint rubbing alcohol
• 1/2 cup sudsy ammonia

 Or:

• 1 cup rubbing alcohol
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vinegar