One of the more important new developments for anyone planning to remodel or renovate is the growing use of in-home “computer-assisted design” programs that help visualize what a finished project will look like.

Computer Assisted Design (CAD), as it relates to homeowners, was first put into play by manufacturers wanting to show how their building products and materials would look. Architects also used it to speed up designs and blueprints. Read more…

CIM Group has secured a 116,000-square-foot Lowe’s home improvement store for Midtown Plaza, the company’s 390,000-square-foot urban retail center in central Los Angeles. Set on 12 acres at the corner of San Vicente Blvd. and Pico Blvd., Midtown Plaza is an innovative design that combines major retailers such as Lowe’s with a diverse group of smaller retailers and restaurants along with a new bus transit terminal.

“Lowe’s Home Improvement is a top retailer known for its strong focus on customer service in addition to its extensive array of quality products,” noted Shaul Kuba, principal and co-founder of CIM Group. “We are transforming a large property that has been an eyesore in the community for decades and Lowe’s is the ideal anchor for this significant project.” Read more…

In discussing the “trendiness” of the fashion industry versus the trends in home design in last week’s column, one thing seems to be very clear. You can buy a really “in” outfit this year and feel really ridiculous next year. (Remember the Nehru jacket?) The good news is that you don’t have to wear it every day, or at all. The same isn’t true of rooms unless you are fortunate enough to have multiple homes in various styles and can travel freely to enjoy them.

Read more…

Home remodelers Terry Streich and Gary Welton have been friends for decades, since they met as art students at the University of Minnesota in the mid-1970s. They have been business partners almost as long, founding Silver Bullet Inc. Design & Build in 1976.

Their artistic sensibilities, they said, have helped them stand out in a competitive industry. When a project is done, each homeowner gets two small framed paintings, one from Streich and one from Welton, as thank-you gifts. Read more…

8 quick tips
Even if you don’t go through Maxell Gillingham-Ryan’s entire eight-week process, which includes deep-cleaning your home, adding lighting, decluttering, painting, adding décor and finally throwing a party, he offers these suggestions to make your house or apartment feel more inviting:
1. Light it up: Get more lamps; don’t rely on the overhead light in the center of the ceiling. Have three points of light at eye level when you’re sitting down in each room and tie them into points in a triangle. This will create the warmth you’re seeking.
2. Create a landing strip: So much of what clutters a house comes through the front door. Create a place near the front door to toss or sort through mail, slot things and manage correspondence such as junk mail, magazines, letters and bills. Also, leave sunglasses, wallet, keys and other items that create clutter elsewhere in this spot.
3. Don’t let your television control the room: Avoid furnishing your living room like a movie theater. Instead of placing the sofa across from the TV, create a more social space with at least three points of seating facing one another. Consider hiding the TV in an armoire. Read more…

M ost of us have had the experience of visiting a home that exudes so much warmth and coziness that we curl up on the sofa and find ourselves falling asleep.

But what is it that makes guests feel comfortable and want to linger? Is it the inviting colors, the clutter-free surfaces or the lively conversations around the kitchen table?

And how can you get that feeling in your home? You’ve painted the walls, purchased some decent furniture and hung some art on the walls and bought accents from Ikea and Pier 1 Imports, but you silently wonder, “Why doesn’t my place feel like that?”

Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, author of “Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure” (Bantam Dell, $14), says making your apartment or house feel more homey doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. The solution could be as simple as re-arranging your furniture for better air flow, deep cleaning, cooking more often and adding small touches such as displaying fresh-cut flowers and burning candles. Read more…

f home improvement is on your list of things to do this summer, you may want to check out the Zagat Shopping Survey, which offers suggestions on quality supply stores in the city, as NY1’s coverage of Queens Week continues.

Nemo Tile Company
177-02 Jamaica Avenue, Queens
(718) 291-5969
www.nemotile.com

Since 1921, Zagat says this “contractors’ source” has offered a “good selection of tiles” for “budget-conscious bathroom renovation.” Surveyors add Nemo Tiles also offers plumbing and accessories like mirrors, medicine cabinets and shower doors. Read more…

Good landscape lighting not only provides a safe path to your door, it turns your house into architecture, and your yard into art.

“Try different angles and notice how different plants look when lighted,” lighting designer Thomas Williams of Troy, N.Y., suggests. “Remember that you don’t have to light everything. Less is often more. You are not trying to erase the night; you are creating electric moonlight.”

Professionally designed landscape lighting, which encompasses much more than entryway sconces and stick-in-the ground lollipop lights, can cost from a few thousand dollars to a few hundred thousand dollars, depending on the extent of the job and the quality of the equipment used, Williams says. Read more…

Home inspector Dwight Barnett answers your home improvement questions:

Q: Recently we sold our home and the buyer requested an inspection for termites. The buyer hired and paid for the service, but we did not see the report until we were at the bank finalizing the sale. It was only then that we discovered our home had never been treated. Is it true that new homes are supposed to be treated for termites and other pests? Also, the report referred to areas of the home that could not be inspected. How can one be sure a home is protected from termites? Read more…

Most homeowners know seasonal maintenance is a must. Spring is the perfect time for routine maintenance checks on many areas of your home. But how do you decide what needs to be done, and in what priority?

The experts at ServiceMagic.com, a Web site that helps connect homeowners with prescreened contractors in their area, offer the following checklist to help you shape up your home for spring:

* Gutters and downspouts: Remove leaves and debris from gutters and downspouts. Reattach gutters that have pulled away from the house. Run a hose on the roof and check for proper drainage. If leaks exist, dry the area and use caulking or epoxy to seal the leak. Read more…