New Home Source Blog

MyHome Scr.App.Book is an app that aims to make home inventories a fast and simple process for homeowners.

By Patricia L. Garcia

No one likes to think of the unthinkable happening, but when disaster strikes, it’s important to be prepared. Losing one’s home to any kind of disaster is devastating enough without having to worry about replacing everything.

Our App of the Month makes disaster preparedness easy, so you can focus on other things, like safety. Created by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, MyHome Scr.App.Book is a simple way to create an inventory of your personal property before a disaster hits. Think of this as a handy way to prove to your insurance company that you owned an item.

To get started, first create a list of the rooms in your home. The app comes preloaded with rooms found in most homes, like kitchen, dining room, bedroom and family room. You can add those rooms that are not included or delete any that don’t apply.

From there, you can easily add items to your inventory and include photos taken with a smartphone or tablet. When you list an item, you are given the option to categorize the item, include a purchase date, serial number and the item’s brand to make it easy to refer to should you need to file an insurance claim.

Once you’ve gone through all of the rooms in your home, you can export a report to yourself via email. And, if you have any questions about how much homeowners’ insurance coverage you should have or the types of coverages typically available to homeowners, there’s a “Helpful Tips” link.

The free app is available on the Apple iTunes store and the Google Play Store.

Patricia L. Garcia is content manager for NewHomeSource, where you can search for and get information on new homes and new construction communities. You can find her on Google+.

The Residence Two Plan by Centex Homes showcases why townhome living may be just what you've been searching for in a new home.

By Patricia L. Garcia

The Home of the Week: Residence Two Plan by Centex Homes at The Parks at Laurel Oaks in Hillsboro, Ore.

The stats:

• 3 bedrooms/2.5 baths
• 2-car garage
• 1,854 sq. ft.
• 3-story home

So, you want a home of your own, but aren’t excited about maintaining a huge yard? Then townhome living may be just what you’re after. The Residence Two Plan by Centex Homes at The Parks at Laurel Oaks in Hillsboro, Ore., is a good example of how townhomes can provide spacious home plans, without yard maintenance.

The three-bedroom home includes two-and-a-half bathrooms in an efficient design. The first floor includes access to the two-bay garage and a flex space that can be used as a home office – ideal for those with a flexible work schedules or who work from home. On the second floor of the home, you’ll find the home’s great room, where an open floor plan includes the kitchen, breakfast nook and living room. Homeowners can access a second-floor patio deck from sliding doors off the dining area. And, the third floor is home to the owner’s suite, as well as the other two bedrooms, providing plenty of space and privacy.

The spacious layout is just the beginning for homeowners – a homeowners association maintains the home’s front yard, meaning minimal upkeep and lots of quality time to enjoy family and friends in your home.

What are the most appealing features of a townhome that you like most? Leave a comment telling us your must-have features in a townhome and why a townhome best suits your lifestyle.

To tour the rest of this home, visit http://www.newhomesource.com/resourcecenter/slideshows/home-of-the-week-residence-two-plan-by-centex-homes.

Patricia Garcia is content manager for NewHomeSource, where you can search for and get information on new homes and new construction communities. You can find her on Google+.

Bosch, Ceasarstone and Thermador showcased their products and the latest kitchen trends at February's Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in this show kitchen designed by Mick De Giulio.

By Camilla McLaughlin

This year’s trend in kitchens is about making a personal statement while going for a timeless look. That was what could be found at the many displays at February’s Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Las Vegas. The best place catch up on what’s hot in kitchens was in any one of the demonstration kitchens created, often by the biggest names in the industry, just for the show.

This was the first year that KBIS and the homebuilders combined their shows into a three-day extravaganza. Bosch, Ceasarstone and Thermador wanted to do something special by creating a single venue to showcase their products and the latest trends. Legendary kitchen designer Mick De Giulio was tabbed for the job. “I wanted to create a setting that felt friendly and residential — where practical relatable design concepts would be presented in an open and comfortable environment,” he explained. The space housed several different concept kitchens as well as a larger demonstration kitchen. A soft grey wood floor flowed throughout underscoring the prevalence of grey in color schemes today even in kitchens. Grey seemed to be everywhere on the show floor, often showing up as an undertone in other colors.

Still, white continues to be a top pick for cabinets. A De Giulio kitchen for Thermador, designed for a smaller kitchen footprint, included streamlined SieMatic cabinets in a rich white finish and a gorgeous Kallista hammered steel sink. The overall look was definitely transitional, which continues to be the preferred style for homeowners today, just edging out contemporary in an industry survey of designers.

Many of the kitchens showcased at KBIS were more transitional than contemporary, but there were plenty of sleek contemporary designs, often mixing wood with sleek glossy materials such as quartz that wrapped around islands and cabinets. Popular words include cherry, maple and alder. Walnut is expected to grow in popularity.  Contemporary is coming on strong as a preferred style — 62 percent of designer say it’s on the upswing.  Tuscan and Provincial looks were noticeably absent.

Eco-design and lifestyle expert Danny Seo designed two concept kitchens for Wilsonart, a manufacturer of laminate surfaces. For Millennials, laminate is a new material and one look at Seo’s kitchens makes it clear that this is a far cry from the laminate you might remember from your grandmother’s house.  In his Modern Luxe Kitchen, Seo married two stone-inspired laminates, Calacatta Marble and Soapstone, in a bold herringbone pattern to create a dramatic backspace that complemented a gold-toned vent hood.  A Maple laminate was a warm backdrop for rustic modern country kitchen, which also included textured barn woods on the cabinetry.

Seo’s designs also show the trend toward metallics and pops of almost jewel tones. Bronze and warmer metals are finding their way into contemporary interiors overall.  At the show, copper in sinks and cabinet hardware was very much in evidence.  “Copper, along with its chromatic cousins — brass, bronze and gold — brings a sense of warmth to the home. I love copper because it’s elemental,” says New York interior designer Eric Cohler.  Copper often combines a range of metal finishes, although most homeowners opt for a coordinated look for kitchen hardware. Cohler proposed a modified mixing of hardware “as long as you’re consistent — for instance, all the wall cupboards are fitted with brass, and all the base cabinets and drawers have copper hardware — this approach will work.”

Even neutral color schemes are likely to have an interesting pop, as did the Ultimate Kitchen conceived by Wendy Johnson, who designed the association’s “best kitchen” in 2013.  A green glass addition, by Think Glass, at the end of an island accommodated bar height seating. Lit from underneath with LEDs, it injected a dash of color and eclectic feeling to the kitchen.

Another dynamic kitchen was found in the New American Home, which featured two islands, another growing trend especially in high end homes. The second island visually divided the kitchen from the great room. Unusually wide, it also provided a great deal of space for dining, homework or almost any need a family might have.

For consumers, having what’s most popular now in their kitchens is not always a positive. Designers say the one feature homeowners want is customization. On the other hand, they also do not want to be “too trendy.” Brenda Bryan, executive director of the Research Institute for Cooking and Kitchen Intelligence (RICKI) explains, “Customers want something unique, that is personal to them, but they also worry about going too far.”

Camilla McLaughlin is a freelance writer who specializes in real estate, house and home and luxury homes. She is a regular contributor to NewHomeSource, where you can search for and get information on new homes and new construction communities.