Wellesley Home of the Week: 2 Sagamore Road
Classic elegance never goes out of style, and this slate roof, brick and clapboard front Colonial on a .54-acre corner lot in the heart of the Cliff Estates offers character and beauty inside and out. The 11-room home with 4,876 square feet of living space at 2 Sagamore Road has well-proportioned rooms and oversized windows that fill the house with natural light. An open floor plan with a spacious kitchen and family room and elegant living and dining rooms provide a perfect setting for formal entertaining as...
read moreAsk the Plumber: Looking for a good plumber
Q: I need to have a new toilet installed, and the plumber I have used in the past is no longer in business. I'm looking for a good plumber who will be fair with his price and will do quality work. Can you give me some tips to keep in mind when I start the search for my new plumber? A: My book, "Ed Del Grande's House Call," includes a chapter on finding "your" best contractor. To reiterate some tips: Finding a good contractor/plumber is kind of like being a private eye...
read moreToo much house is too much of a headache
I wasn't a total sucker. I didn't lock myself into a crazy mortgage or buy a bunch of spec homes I couldn't flip. But it was the boom and my wife and I got caught up in it in our own way: We bought too much house. Don't do it, I'd like to tell anyone who might be about to make the same mistake — and, amazingly, a lot of people are. They — we, really — haven't learned that size has little to do with happiness. We haven't learned this no...
read moreDear Monty: Why the ‘home lookers list’ is hard to obtain
Reader question: Can I ask my real estate agent for a list of the people who have inspected my home? Nan D. Monty’s answer: Hello, Nan, and thanks for your question. The answer is that you can ask your agent for a list of people that have looked at your home. That being said, not many agents may be willing or able to provide it. If they did, they could only provide a partial list. There are many possible reasons why this happens. Here are a few: 1. The prospect requested anonymity. It is...
read moreTradition personified
Classic, classic and classic. That is precise definition of this gracious 1920 center entrance Colonial. Window boxes and a brick paver walkway that leads to a columned stoop are expected yet wonderfully executed features. The quarter-plus lovely landscaped acre lot (lots of trees and well-maintained bushes and perennials) complements the overall look. Practically everything about this house is “tradition” personified. What isn’t — the décor — is easy to fix. And frankly, that’s...
read moreHome Profile: Enchanted home in Essex
Mesmerizing, intriguing, and ever-changing are a mere handful of ways to describe the views from this captivating 20-year-old contemporary residence sited on a rise with a 360-degreee view across the salt marsh, Walker Creek and the Essex River to the Bay of Maine. This remarkable weekend or year-round home is a dream-come-true when entertaining large, small or in-between crowds. But daily living is also a delight. The official foyer, which starts at the end of a wraparound pathway, is anything but ordinary....
read moreYardsmart: Have it made in the shade
You, too, can have it made in the shade this summer. Here are three options for having shade (or more shade) in your yard, depending on your budget and inclination. Plant a tree Planting a tree today won't give you shade this summer, unless you get a large specimen. These are older trees grown for the landscape trade. They aren't often seen at garden centers because they demand too much space on display and are very hard to move because specimens are grown in a wooden...
read moreHome Style: Five great spots for an ottoman
Here's how I wake up every morning: I pour myself a big cup of coffee, then settle into my favorite chair with my feet propped up on an ottoman. As the caffeine works its magic, I go over the day's activities until I'm fully awake and ready to get at it. I think of that ottoman as my daily launching pad, proof that these relatively small pieces of furniture can play a big role in home decor — and life. Here are five of my favorite places to use ottomans: 1. As a Coffee...
read moreInteriors: Under-counter ice makers can be so cool
I have replaced my under-counter ice maker twice, and I think it is time to find something more durable and more reliable. So in searching for the perfect under-counter ice maker, I have found some interesting things that I felt are worth sharing with you. No, I haven't found the one I want yet, but at least I do have some idea of what is good. There are choices in the type of ice that ice makers produce. That is, there are different shapes that are made by the different ice makers. Crescent-shaped ice is the most common form produced...
read moreTurning reclaimed wood into furniture
Three years ago, a visionary project called the Urban Tree Forge almost toppled with the death of founder John Metzler. It could have disappeared altogether if not for others who shared his passion for trees. Today, artist Jason Boone carries on that vision at Urban Tree, a new name and a new location in Pittsburgh. "It's been a lifelong dream to have a workshop, bring in the wood on one side and the furniture comes out the other," said Boone. Like many life passions, Boone's love of woodworking...
read morePlumber: Looking for a good plumber
Q: I need to have a new toilet installed, and the plumber I have used in the past is no longer in business. I'm looking for a good plumber who will be fair with his price and will do quality work. Can you give me some tips to keep in mind when I start the search for my new plumber? A: My book, "Ed Del Grande's House Call," includes a chapter on finding "your" best contractor. To reiterate some tips: Finding a good contractor/plumber is kind of like being a private eye looking for a missing...
read moreHomefix: Repairing a drafty window
Q: Every winter the windows in my home are so cold that I have to place blankets over them to keep the room warm. The windows are in a 1950s home and there are storm windows, but there is such a draft around the windows that I have to keep the rooms closed off. What I can do myself? A: A drafty window repair will require a little knowledge and labor. The older windows are set in an opening that is somewhat larger than the window itself. This is called the rough opening and is generally 1 to 2 inches wider and taller than the actual...
read moreGreen Space: Plant for heat this summer
There’s nothing we can do about the heat? Wrong. Right now, we can make the right plant choices. Like humans, some plants cannot tolerate heat, while others love it. You can rely on plant heritage to find the heat stars. Vegetables and flowers from Africa, India and Central America tolerate heat and sparse water. Lucky for us, the most popular vegetable (tomatoes) and a most popular flower (petunias) crave hot weather. Sun and heat create the sugar that makes cherry tomatoes taste like candy. Petunias grow in any...
read moreDavid Robson: Trendy tropicals need a lot of sun
The current patio trend is tropical plants in containers. Most tropicals thrive in summer’s heat and humidity while giving the yard an island feel. Another benefit with tropical bulbs is you don’t have to worry about looking for a sunny window to store a regular tropical during the winter. True, you can always let the tropical plant succumb to cold temperatures, but bulbs are the answer for those of you who can’t bring yourself to that unrepentant murderous feeling. Most of the bulbs can tolerate full...
read moreReduce garden watering and weeding
Home-Selling Tip Too much furniture is one of the biggest mistakes homeowners make. Consider arranging a few core pieces in your space and see the difference. Pull furniture away from the walls to create groups within a room and to help with the traffic flow in and through the space. – Frontdoor.com Did You Know Gardens need less water than many think, thriving on as little as 1 inch of water per week whether it's delivered by rain, drip irrigation, sprinklers or a hand-held hose. –...
read moreLooking Up: Watch the Crow flying south
Spring bird watchers don't have to wait till dawn to look for feathered friends. There's one in the night sky every spring evening. It's Corvus the Crow. Crows may not be very colorful birds, but this is the dark of night. In mid-May, in mid- evening, the Crow constellation is visible "flying" due south, low in the sky. The principal stars hardly resemble a crow, but they make a neat trapezoid. You can find Corvus to the right of the bright white star Spica. The star make a large...
read moreWellesley Home of the Week: 42 River Glen Road
Serene and inviting, yet designed with space for large gatherings, the Colonial at 42 River Glen Road in the desirable Wellesley Farms neighborhood offers the best of year-round entertaining. Its open floor plan is perfect for formal entertaining or relaxed family time in its spacious great room, kitchen and dining room or on the lawn and patios surrounding a sparkling in-ground pool. Mary Shea Wilson of Benoit Mizner Simon & Company has listed this nine-room home with 3,615 square feet of living space on a...
read moreDecorating Tip: Painting exterior surfaces
With its exposure to the elements and various surface types, exterior painting has its list of challenges. Here are a few tips to make outdoor painting a breeze: - Always use the appropriate nap, or thickness of a roller, for the surface you are painting. Some surfaces, like stucco, tend to have a rougher texture, so be sure to use a thick nap roller to help pull paint in and out of crevices. This will save time and frustration. - Remember to pick paint designed for the surface being painted. For example, choose masonry or stucco paint for...
read moreDear Monty: The best method to value small-business property
Reader question: My husband and I own a small business on a commercially zoned street in a city with about 100,000 people. We are thinking of selling the business and property. Could you recommend an appraiser here? The building is very old and is "grandfathered." We also own an adjoining parking lot. We would like to plan ahead as much as possible. Thanks. Jean F. Monty's answer: Hello, Jean, and thanks for your question. Every seller has a unique situation. The circumstances described here call for a...
read moreHow and why to keep a garden journal
Gardening seems like a pretty physical job. What does keeping a journal have to do with it? In the summers I spent working on small organic farms, the farmers kept extensive, detailed journals of what they had planted, where they had planted it, and what their daily activities were, as well as what the temperature and daily weather was. They did this because they needed to track what was working, what wasn't, and why it did or didn't work.What I learned from their garden journals was how important it is to keep a...
read moreHome profile: Endless extras
If curb appeal was the only attribute for this almost 100-year-old shingle-front house, that would be enough; after all, the house, built in 1916, is stately as well as good-looking, and the multi-level verandah — a true “sittin’ porch” — is an immediate eye-catcher. A prettily landscaped front lawn and welcoming walkway are nice perks, too. But what you see from the street is only a tease. The interior is the stuff of “oohs” and “aahs” that seemingly never...
read moreHome profile: A home any bird watcher would love
Tucked away on a cul-de-sac adjacent to the Audubon Marblehead Neck Bird Sanctuary, this well-maintained 1969 center-entrance Colonial that is also easy on the eyes (including a nicely treed and landscaped lot — more details shortly) is ready to be thoroughly enjoyed well into the 21st century. And that’s inside as well as outside. Beautiful hardwood floors and natural/stained millwork tend to be focal points in the open foyer (and throughout the house), but that’s only one plus in this 44-year-old...
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