October Checklist for a Smooth-Running Home

Article By: Laura Gaskill

From the first crisp mornings spent raking leaves, to the last exciting days preparing for trick-or-treaters, October is usually a busy month around the house. Mix in necessary home maintenance (clean rain gutters, roll hoses) with items you've been wanting to get to (finish a decorating project, pick up gourds for the front porch) and you'll find your to-do list vanishing before your eyes. Work your way through the 11 tasks on our checklist, and by the end of the month you'll have your home winter-ready — and a bit more beautiful, to boot. 

Craftsman Exterior by Minneapolis General Contractors Stonewood, LLC 

1. Clean rain gutters after leaves fall. Leaves and other debris that clog your rain gutters can cause leaks, so it is best to get to this chore as soon as possible after most of the autumn leaves have fallen. If your house is smaller, and you feel comfortable on a ladder, clearing rain gutters is a fairly straightforward job to do yourself. If your home is more than one story, hire a pro.

2. Repair roof and siding. If you see any damaged areas to your roof, siding or shingles, it is important to take care of the problem before winter storms come through. 

Rustic Exterior by Crosslake General Contractors Lands End Development - Designers & Builders 

3. Scrub and store outdoor furniture and tools. By the end of October, with light fading earlier and weather becoming less friendly, your outdoor seating area is likely to go unused. Rather than leave furniture out in bad weather, put it away in a shed or the basement. This month, also aim to clean your gardening tools and put them away neatly. Those in cold climates should move winter tools (snow shovel, ice scrapers) to a convenient spot now so that you don't have to scramble when the first frost hits. 

4. Put up storm windows and doors. If you use storm windows or doors, now is the time to get them installed. These features can help conserve energy during cold months and protect your home from drafts. 

Traditional Exterior by Alexandria Architects & Designers Moore Architects, PC 

5. Give porch a fall makeover. Sweep away the summer sand, refresh pots with fall flowers, clean front windows and use a broom or soft brush to clean up siding. An armful of decorative gourds and pumpkins makes an easy display that will last all month.

6. Shut off outdoor faucets and roll hoses.Freezing temperatures can damage hoses and water pipes, so be sure to shut off faucets and empty hoses of water before the first big freeze.

Transitional Entry by Minneapolis Interior Designers & Decorators Martha O'Hara Interiors 

7. Organize mud room. In the rush of getting back to school — and work — this hardworking entryway can take a major beating. Schedule a weekend afternoon to sort through the mud room, putting away unneeded items and paper clutter and cleaning the floors. Invest in a few new baskets, bins and hooks to corral items. 

Farmhouse Hall by Millbrook Architects & Designers Crisp Architects

8. Check safety devices. Every home should have a carbon monoxide detector, as well as smoke detectors positioned throughout the house. Take a moment to test that yours are in working order, and change batteries if needed. 

Mediterranean Kitchen by Santa Cruz Media and Bloggers Shannon Malone 

9. Sharpen knives. If you notice your kitchen knives getting a bit harder to use, that's a sign they are due for a professional sharpening. Regular sharpening at home can help extend the life of a sharp edge on knives, but once that edge is lost, only a pro can bring it back. Make a date to drop off your knives. 

Traditional Closet by Los Angeles Architects & Designers Tim Barber LTD Architecture & Interior Design 

10. Sort and store clothing. Don't let summer swimsuits and shorts take up valuable closet space year-round if you only use them for a few months! 

Shift warm-weather clothes and accessories to an out-of-the-way closet in bins with tight-fitting lids. And be sure to store only freshly laundered items — bugs are attracted to dirty clothes but usually leave clean garments alone.

Contemporary Living Room by Toronto Photographers Lisa Petrole Photography 

11. Tackle a decorating project from start to finish. Stop dreaming and start doing! Pick one realistic project (e.g., a single room or nook) that you would like to transform this month, and make it happen. 

It may help if you break your project down into bite-size pieces and schedule tasks throughout the month.

Master Bathroom Choices: One Sink or Two?

Article By: Tiffany Carboni

One sink or two? This is the classic debate for couples renovating a sizable master bathroom. There are pros and cons to both. So what's right for your bathroom? I spoke with architect Thayer Hopkins, who offered up what you need to consider about installing either a single or double sink during your master suite remodel. 

Contemporary Bathroom by Van Nuys Architects & Designers Brooktree Equities, Inc 

“Couples these days usually prefer the idea of two sinks for one simple reason,” says Hopkins. “They lead busy lives and need access to the bathroom at the same time."

On paper the double sink looks ideal. But let's walk through this two-sided argument. 

Traditional Bathroom by Burlingame Photographers Dennis Mayer, Photographer 

Some Benefits of 2 Sinks 

Personal space. With two sinks, theoretically no one will ever again spit toothpaste on your hand as you're trying to wash up. Also, your very own sink means you can keep your makeup, moisturizers or shaving kit out as necessary without having your partner knock anything over.

And by having your own designated sink, you don’t have to stare at your partner's toothpaste residue while you're brushing your own teeth. Even in the best of partnerships, there are some things that neither of you want to see of the other.

Two sinks can help make you and your partner feel like you're in a loving, adult relationship rather than siblings fighting over a single faucet. 

Traditional Bathroom by Tottenham Real Estate Agents Sarah Lunn, Your Real Estate Resource 

Some Disadvantages of 2 Sinks

“The convenience of two sinks has its tradeoffs to consider,” Hopkins notes.

Cost. It costs more to plumb two sinks than one. Add to that the additional cost of finishes and a larger vanity.

Space. A typical sink basin is about 17 to 19 inches wide. “If there isn’t a solid 6 feet or more available for two sinks, I will counsel clients to stick with just one sink basin,” says Hopkins.“These 6 feet or more will give the minimum 11- to 12-inch buffer needed between basins to keep a couple from banging elbows and crowding each other out.” 

Traditional Bathroom by Corona Del Mar Home Builders Aha Development Group, Inc. 

Even if you do have a good amount of space, two sinks will eat into counter space that could be used for tasks, displays etc. Two sinks will also double the amount of undercabinet space taken up by the double drain pipes. 

Contemporary Bathroom by Los Angeles General Contractors SoCal Contractor 

If you've got ample storage or counter space elsewhere in the bathroom, this space tradeoff may not pose any problems.

Contemporary Bathroom by San Francisco Architects & Designers Mark English Architects, AIA 

Two-sink styles you can both agree on. The prefabricated two-sink vanity is one of the easiest styles to choose and install in a bathroom because of its fixed dimensions. In other words, there's no guessing if elbow clearance might be an issue for you and your partner. You can see for yourself in the showroom or tape out the dimensions prior to ordering a vanity online to test the sink measurements.

Custom vanities offer even more benefits, as they can be tailored to your exact wishes. But you and your partner have to be willing to work with a designer or cabinetmaker to cull through the endless possibilities.

Rustic Bathroom by Columbus Photographers Julie Ranee Photography 

You can also use two freestanding pedestal sinks, either for aesthetics or to overcome any space limitations, as they can be put side by side or on separate walls. “Pedestal sinks have made a resurgence in the last 10 to 15 years," Hopkins says. "As a result, there’s more product available to suit different needs.” 

If you don’t need the counter space or storage space in a vanity, two pedestals will create an airy feel that may sway your choice. 

Modern Bathroom by Tucson Architects & Designers Patricia B. Warren, AIA Warren Architecture, LLC 

You can also use a single basin with two separate faucets. 

This sort of double sink performs duties for two people while acting like one sink underneath with its single drain, which leads us to …

Transitional Bathroom by Phoenix General Contractors Meritage Homes 

The Benefits of the Single Sink

Leaves room for other amenities. “I might push for a couple to install only one sink if there’s a possibility of using that extra space for a separate shower and tub instead,” says Hopkins.

Cost and cleaning. One sink, with one hardware set, is cheaper than two, and one sink is easier to clean than two.

More storage. You can have more storage underneath if there's only one drainpipe. If you’re the kind of person who loves to pull out every bit of makeup, you’re going to get frustrated if you don't have enough room for it because of that extra sink. 

Transitional Bathroom by San Francisco Architects & Designers Thayer Hopkins Architects 

More counter space. You can get a lot more usable counter space if there’s only one basin. More countertop space equals more display opportunities and more room for your everyday toiletries.

Tricky Basement Bathroom? Cool Design Opportunity!

Article By: Mark Clement

Small spaces, outbuildings and basement bathrooms can be some of the toughest projects on the bathroom remodeling spectrum. With so much happening in so little space, you've got to plan a lot in advance. Not only do you have to route plumbing and ventilation, but you have to think about the space you're building in. Is it a hundred-year-old home with a stone foundation that might be a design wow? Or is it a modern building with a poured-concrete structure? You also have to think about what's happening on both sides of the door, which affects, well, everything. 

Modern Basement by Lincolnwood Architects & Designers Gina Bon, Airoom Architects & Builders LLC 

Be bold. The typical strategy for a bathroom in a basement is to hide it, but sometimes there's just no way to pull that design move off that isn't boring. The reason: Basement bathrooms need to compete for space with the furnace, water softener, hot-water heater, stairs etc. And sometimes after I lay out the bar, bedroom and whatever else makes the space awesome, there's no place awesome left for the bathroom. 

In that case it's often best to run hard in the other design direction and celebrate it in plain sight, make the bathroom part of the plan and a piece of the experience. Celebrating "unwanted" things is one of my favorite design tricks. 

Traditional Basement by Chesterfield Home Builders Fischer & Frichtel 

Always vent. One of the most important parts of a bathroom in a basement is a sufficiently powerful ceiling fan to evacuate the moisture — not letting it go into the ceiling or utility room, but outside. Like, where the sky is. Steam is just a little cloud while you're showering. But after you've left, the water falls back to the baseboards and turns back into water. Then it becomes that gross stuff you don't want to clean.

A vent fan is the way to get the moisture out of the house. I repeat, out of the house. Don't get me started on how many times I've seen bathrooms vented into the attic or another hidden space. Your attic may be hot or cold, but it's still technically inside. Get that moisture outside with the rest of the clouds!

Modern Media Room by Other Metro Architects & Designers Paul Welschmeyer ARCHITECTS & energy consultants

Traditional Bathroom by New York Architects & Designers DiGuiseppe Architect 

Expose the structure. A basement bathroom offers abundant opportunities to use the existing raw structure of the home. Rubble foundations, for example, are essentially structures. Why cover their powerful looks with drywall?

And consider the plumbing, too. While drain lines and electrical services aren't all that cool to look at, copper supply lines (water lines) can be gorgeous. If you've got an open structure, it's sometimes easiest — and awesome-est — to make the most of what you've got. 

Exposing pipes can be a cool way to make a basement space feel industrial or like a man cave. It's also way easier than building soffits and bulkheads to hide everything. If you're a building geek like me, it's best to design a space where you can see the working parts.

Traditional Basement by Denver General Contractors Krause Construction Denver Colorado 

Boost privacy. Many builder-grade houses contain hollow-core doors. These doors have a real-looking wood grain but are made up only of ¼-inch-thick parts, and are essentially cardboard and air inside. 

While hollow-core doors can be fine for certain rooms, I try to use solid-core doors for the bathroom to keep the bathroom experience as much of a one-person affair as possible. Solid-core doors deaden the sounds created in the bathroom. So if you're having a book club meeting or poker night down there, a solid door and insulated wall framing that both deaden sound are nice for everybody.

Modern Bathroom by Fort Washington General Contractors HomeTech Renovations, Inc. 

Build up. Small-space remodels can often be harder than big-space overhauls. So much has to happen in such a tiny space, it's like dancing on the head of a pin. 

So when I go into a small space, I'm always thinking about how I can use it smartly, use it vertically and make everything look like it's supposed to be there.

Modern Exterior by Seattle Architects & Designers Jim Burton Architects 

Be one with nature. Basements aren't always underground. When designing or building a bath, think about the approach from the outside, as well as the windows, egress and view, from inside and outside the john.