Monthly Archives: December 2014

Just How Much Rainwater Can You Collect Off Your Roof? | #BedfordCorners #RealEstate

When we watch the evening news, the weatherperson will oftentimes say things like “X city received an inch of rain today”, which does not really sound like all that much. We imagine a single inch of rain in a small puddle somewhere it seems rather insignificant. But what if you knew that a single inch of rain could allow you to collect hundreds and hundreds of gallons of water, if not more? Now that one inch of rainfall seems like a lot more!

Let’s take a look at a hypothetical example to see just how much water we can collect from rainfall. If you have 1,000 square feet of roof on your house, and it rains just 1 inch, you can collect 600 gallons of water to be used in your garden, for washing your car, or just for drop irrigation around your property. That’s 600 less gallons you have to pay for and use from your town water supply! So how can you do the math for your own roof? Just multiple the square footage of roof space you have available X 0.6 gallons per square foot per inch of rain, and you can see how much water you can collect from each inch of rain that falls.

So if you have 2,500 square feet of roof available for water catchment, and a single inch of rain falls one day, we see that:

2,500 X 0.6 = 1,500 gallons of water can be harvested for future use…from only one inch of rainfall!

On average, Americans use about 69 gallons of water per person per day for bathing, cooking, cleaning and flushing toilets – and is just for indoor water use and does not account for any watering/car washing going on outside. That amounts to about 2,100 gallons a month for each person – or only slightly more than you might be able to collect off your roof in a single rainstorm. Sure, you might not want to use that water for your showers or drinking water, but it can be done…and many people are putting cisterns in their yard and systems in their house to be able to do so. But if you are not interested in doing that and just wanted to use it outside, using a rain barrel or two under your downspouts can make a big difference in your monthly water usage and bill. Let’s take a look at one more example to see how much of a difference collecting rainwater can make – If you live in Boston, Massachusetts, which gets an average of 42.53 inches of rain per year, and you live in a house with 1,000 square feet of roof space…

1,000 X 0.6 X 42.53 = 25,518 gallons of water collected each year in Boston, MA.

That’s a lot of water that you can save (and money!) by hooking up and using rainwater catchment systems at your house. It’s a big return for a very small investment, and I bet you will hear something different the next time the weatherperson says “X city received an inch of rain today”!

Astorino: No Tax Hikes, Layoffs In 2015 Westchester County Budget | Chappaqua Real Estate

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Westchester County has approved a 2015 budget plan, with a modest spending increase and no hike in the tax levy.

The $1.75 billion spending plan also contains no layoffs, and maintains and improves essential service delivery, according to the office of county Executive Rob Astorino.

“This is a smart and responsible budget that protects the interests of all county residents,” Astorino said in a news release. “It strikes the right balance between taxes and services.”

The budget increases spending by 0.5 percent, or $10 million – less than the rate of inflation, the release said. There will be no reductions in services, and the county’s safety net was maintained with spending for the Department of Social Services at $545 million, the release said.

The tax levy will remain at $548 million for the fifth year in a row, and sales tax was projected to rise by 4 percent to $414 million, the release said.

The budget passed by a vote of 10 to 7, winning the vote of all seven Republican and three Democrats on the Westchester County Board of Legislators, the release said.

The board did reach a compromise in borrowing to pay tax certioraris – the claims made against the county by property owners challenging their tax assessments. The county will only borrow $5 million rather than the $8 million it borrowed last year, as an alternative to service cuts or layoffs that otherwise would have been used to offset costs.

The Japanese Porch | Armonk Real Estate

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I’ve written in the past about the essential nature of transitional spaces in a home, which are used to link interior and exterior areas. These spaces have been assigned a variety of names throughout the world — loggia, veranda, lanai, portico. Japanese architecture has its own version, called an engawa.

The engawa is a generous hallway, a roofed transition zone, located between the interior rooms in a Japanese home and the garden, created by extending the interior floor outward. It’s a room that defies traditional description — neither completely enclosed nor completely open. In Japanese culture it has a social importance, providing an informal meeting space, a place for sitting, greeting one’s neighbors and sharing a cup of tea. While it’s similar to other architectural elements, it’s also uniquely Japanese. But it’s worth considering in your own project no matter where you live. Here’s why.

Good Architecture, PC

Why would the Japanese, whose culture prizes every last square foot of space, give over such a large part of a home’s area to a seemingly functionless space? The reason lies in its diversity of function. It serves as a wide hallway connecting rooms, a sunshade, a wind buffer, a seat for viewing the garden or resting, an informal room in which to host friends, a step to move between garden and interior, a shelter from the elements and an expansion of interior space.

Suyama Peterson Deguchi

A Strong Connection to Nature

The engawa’s versatility is evident in the simple form of this cabin, designed for a couple of dedicated bird-watchers. As we view it from the gable end, we see that the center volume is flanked by two smaller slots of space — the engawa — which functions as a circulation zone and flexible screened porches. The engawa provides the frame against which to view the natural environment around the cabin.

Suyama Peterson Deguchi

On the interior we see the screened porch and circulation zone visible to the left, along with the sliding door, which can completely close it off from the living space. One has a sense for just how connected this arrangement allows the inhabitants to feel to the surroundings. Fully open to the sounds of the birds, the rain and the wind, this flexible porch allows them to have an intimately experience from the shelter of the home.

Pritzker Architecture Prize

Japanese architecture prioritizes a deference to and a reverence for nature. Shaped by strict limits on available space, the architecture has developed to include many ways of appropriating small footprints into large gestures, ones that extend beyond their spatial constraints, making spaces feel larger. The curtain-wall house shown here is a great example of dedicating a large amount of space to an engawa in a small home. The porch establishes a connection to the city in this case.

Pritzker Architecture Prize

Being able to alter the shell of a structure based on the natural rhythms of a place — daily or seasonal weather patterns — reasserts the importance of the natural environment in our lives.

Here the engawa is enclosed by a massive drape that the owners can alter (the drapery itself and via a set of doors) depending on the local conditions.

Bower Architecture

Flexibility

Creating a place that coexists with nature always requires some adaptation of the shelter to make best use of a particular environment. The engawa is an ingenious device for allowing a home to buffer climatic changes. It’s much like dressing a building in layers. Too hot? Slide open the shutters. Too windy? Slide them closed.

Bower Architecture

Save Photo

This project uses both the engawa concept, with sliding screens (seen to the left and right) as well as the more open veranda, or nure-en, seen in the center.

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/34439424?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u860&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery4

Bathroom Design Ideas | North Salem Real Estate

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If you’ve been thinking about giving your bathroom an overhaul but aren’t sure how, one way to start is to look to the latest design trends for inspiration. We’ve made it our mission to find out what design ideas are expected to make a splash in 2015 to help make planning your bathroom makeover project a little bit easier.To compile our list, we enlisted the help of four award-winning designers, who share here their predictions for thelooks, finishes and features they think will be on everyone’s radar next year. They also reveal how they would work these ideas into their own projects. Start building your beautiful frameless glass shower now, use Glass Shower Direct’s simple glass shower builder to customize your perfect glass shower and have it shipped to your door directly from the factory.

Roselind Wilson Design

1. Feature floor tiles. Statement-making floor tiles proved popular in 2014, and this striking look doesn’t appear to be leaving in a hurry, says interior designer Jasmine McClelland. “I have done a couple of feature floor bathrooms this year. They are stunning and provide a great design opportunity when working with challenging bathrooms that have no clear walls for a feature wall,” she says.

“In smaller bathrooms a feature floor tile adds style without overwhelming the space, and when used in a larger bathroom, the effect is elegant,” McClelland says. “I love the space when the freestanding bath hits the feature tile … beautiful!”

Mark Brand Architecture

2. Natural beauty. Want a bathing area that’s welcoming and serene? Then drawing design inspiration from nature is a great way to warm a typically very hard room of the house and infuse the space with a calming vibe. It’s one of the key bathroom trends of 2015, according to designers Simona Castagna and Darren Genner of Minosa.

An easy way to incorporate this trend into a bathroom design, Castagna and Genner say, is to buy frameless shower door or introduce earthy materials like natural stone or wood-look tiles. The luxe bath seen here features marble floors and an onyx countertop, as well as a walnut-plank feature wall.

Janet Paik

3. Plant life. “I know some of us have been scared off indoor plants … but it’s time to reclaim the idea of indoor plants with cascading creepers that can dress any bathroom,” McClelland says.

If you’re eager to try this trend in your bathroom but want a more sophisticated and design-savvy alternative to potted plants (hanging or not), a vertical garden may be the way to go, McClelland says.

“I love them for the interest and feel they bring to a bathroom and can’t wait to use them more in my designs for 2015,” the designer says. Another benefit of green or living walls is that they are good for the environment (as well as your health and well-being), she says.

MINOSA

4. The master suite retreat. Is your master bathroom cramped, not particularly inviting and tucked away out of sight? Then you may be more than happy to try this design trend when renovating your home.

Castagna and Genner say people want bigger bathrooms that are connected to the bedroom or closet, or even more open to the bedroom. People want to see their beautiful basins, custom vanities and freestanding baths from the bedroom, say the designers, who were the team behind the luxe, open-plan bedroom and en suite pictured here. They’re also using bigger sliding doors so people can open up or close off a space.

Jordan Smith

5. Clever water control. Say goodbye to basic shower and basin faucets, and hello to smart, user-friendly fixtures (such as thermostatic mixers; mixers that control multiple water sources, like the one used in this shower; and touchscreen-operated showers) that give users more control over the flow, mix and temperature of water, says Adelaide, Australia, interior designer Jordan Smith of Brilliant.

“Double showers would be a good place to use this, as multiple people can use the shower at the same time, with individual settings for their own shower,” Smith suggests when explaining how she’d incorporate this trend into one of her designs. “One mixer can control both multiple showers or a combination shower-bath.”

Jasmine McClelland Design

6. Freestanding bathtubs. According to McClelland, our love affair with freestanding baths isn’t over just yet, and not just because they make striking, sculptural design features, but because they help set the mood for rest and relaxation too. “The freestanding bath is more than aesthetic — it is emotive,” the designer says. “Clients connect with the possibility of a bathroom that symbolizes their own space or downtime, and a freestanding bath inspires this feeling of self-indulgence in the midst of a busy life.”

Cultured Austin Home with Exquisite Gardens | #Waccabuc Real Estate

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Photos by Zac Seewald

Location: Austin, Texas
Price: $4,500,000
The Skinny: One of the coolest residences in Austin is on the market. Built in 1979, the original structure was designed by architect Robert James Coot, and has since been transformed by additions from Paul Lamb in 1988 (the farmhouse style kitchen, outdoor dining area, and lower level guest suite) and Mell Lawrence in 2003 (the expanded master bedroom, the covered second-floor porch, and the first-floor bedroom suite). Broker Laura Gottesman describes the result as “eclectic but elegant,” and speaking of eclectic, as of 2007, it sits across from an almost Brutalist-looking, AIA Austin-approved concrete work studio, also designed by Lawrence. This swell hodgepodge has been listed for$4,500,000 by landscape architect James David, who has lived and worked on it for three decades with his partner, Gary Peese.

In the two acres of surrounding gardens, “terraces linked by limestone steps, landings and garden paths” sit alongside what’s essentially the showroom of David / Peese Design, the landscape architect firm the couple runs together. Their work here has been featured in House & Garden, Metropolitan Home,Garden Design, House Beautiful, and most importantly, for our purposes, Martha Stewart’s “field trip” series. Inside, the home has limestone and plaster finishings, and a diverse assemblage of furniture that a tasteful buyer should really try convincing them to part with, collected over the years by the couple behind Austin’s now-shuttered but fondly remembered home decor and gardening store, Gardens.

http://curbed.com/archives/2014/12/09/-james-david-home-for-sale-austin.php

Insurance Tips for First-Time Home Buyers | South Salem Real Estate

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Nothing can seem as exciting — and overwhelming — as buying your first home. Which do you do you first: look for the perfect property or chase the right mortgage? Where does a real-estate agent fit into the picture?

There’s so much to consider that many first-time buyers don’t think about home insurance — a factor that will be important when it comes to closing on their house.

You should factor the ongoing cost of home insurance into your home-buying budget, because it will probably show up in your monthly mortgage payment along with payments on your loan principal and interest and your property taxes. That means you should go into your search knowing the basics about insuring your house and what can drive up the cost of coverage.

Once you choose the house and negotiate an offer, it will be time to find an insurer. There are a few issues to take into consideration before settling on a provider — all policies are not created equal. Using these tips can help you save money and ensure that you have quality coverage to protect your largest investment.

Give yourself credit

You know credit matters when it comes to getting a favorable interest rate on your mortgage. But did you know it also matters for home insurance? That’s because home insurance providers use your credit report as part of the formula for assessing the risk you pose as a policyholder. Their models show that consumers with good credit are much less likely to file claims.

So before you get too far into the buying process, assess your credit and take steps to improve your score. At the very least, make sure to correct any errors. Improving your credit score can result in big savings on your mortgage and your home insurance premiums.

Shop around

The price of home insurance varies widely from carrier to carrier. That’s because each provider has a different algorithm for determining customer premiums. This is one reason why it’s a good idea to comparison shop. You could end up saving yourself hundreds of dollars simply by getting a few different quotes.

Don’t skimp on coverage

While you want to save money on home insurance, it’s important not to skimp on coverage. Standard home insurance policies typically offer protection from a variety of potential risks, ranging from liability to damage from weather-related perils. However, you may want to adjust or add coverage depending on your needs.

Renting Now Half as Affordable as Buying | Cross River Homes

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As rent soars across the US, Zillow found that renting a home is half as affordable as buying one. In the third quarter of 2014, U.S. renters could expect to spend about 30 percent of their incomes on rent, while those buying homes could expect to spend just 15 percent of their monthly incomes on their mortgage payment.

The report reveals a big shift from the years before the real estate bubble, between 1985 and 2000, when rent was typically more affordable in major metros than buying. Now, in most metros, those who can come up with a down payment are better off buying, in terms of affordability.

Even in the least affordable metros — like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Boston — renting was a more affordable option before the real estate market crash. But since then, rent has increased while the cost of buying a home has fallen in many places, so that renting is now the less affordable option — sometimes by a large margin.

Younger buyers making smaller down payments spend slightly more than other buyers on mortgage payments — a median of 17 percent of their incomes — but buying is still more affordable for them on a monthly basis.

“Despite rising home values, homeownership remains very accessible for buyers that can scrape together a down payment — even a relatively modest one — find a home to buy and secure financing,” said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries.

Humphries has said he expects 2015 to be a breakthrough year for younger buyers to enter the market, and many of those buyers will decide to buy because rent is so unaffordable. At the same time, some renters are spending so much on rent they will struggle to save for a down payment, even if they want to buy.

http://www.zillow.com/blog/rent-half-as-affordable-as-buy-165842/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ZillowBlog+%28Zillow+Blog%29

November Chicago Real Estate Market Update | Katonah Real Estate

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Once again, in about 2 weeks, the Illinois Association of Realtors is going to report that Chicago home sales declined in November – by about 12.3% – and once again I’m going to tell you that it’s not really that bad – depending upon your perspective. The Chicago real estate market is really doing OK when you look at non-distressed sales.

First of all the real decline in November home sales was more like 10.2% when calculated on a consistent basis. But more than 100% of the decline was attributable to a decline in distressed sales. In other words, when you just focus on non-distressed properties the Chicago real estate market actually saw a 6.7% increase in home sales.

But the headline number did drop and the graph below puts November into perspective vs. previous years with all the Novembers flagged with red squares. It looks like it was pretty much in the middle of the pack for the previous 7 years. And on the other side of the bubble you would have to go back to 1998 to find sales at this level.

Chicago Home Contract Activity

Home sale contract activity remains on the light side, which is what is driving the low sales numbers ultimately. I’m currently estimating November contract activity at 9.1% below last year’s level. You can see the long term trend in this number in the graph below, which shows the numbers trending downward for several months now.

Pending Home Sales

The graph below tracks pending home sales, which is essentially the cumulative difference between contracts written and sales closed, in terms of months of supply. It’s an indicator of how many months of closings can be fed from properties that are already under contract. Although the numbers have been running lower than last year November popped back up to right around where it was last year at 2.2 months supply.

Distressed Home Sales

As I mentioned above the big story is the decline in distressed home sales, which is the main driver of lower home sales these days. Notice how this segment of the market is now down to only 20.2%, the lowest level by far since I’ve been tracking it. That’s down from 32.8% last year and a high for November of 43.8% in 2011.

http://www.chicagonow.com/getting-real/2014/12/november-chicago-real-estate-market-update-home-sales-drop-err-not-really/

Households Show Willingness to Take on Most Forms of Debt | Bedford Hills Real Estate

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Data released by the Federal Reserve Board indicates that consumer credit outstanding increased over the month of October 2014. The data released by the Federal Reserve Board covers most short- and intermediate-term credit extended to individuals, excluding loans secured by real estate. According to the release, total consumer credit outstanding expanded by a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5%. Both revolving credit, which is largely composed of credit cards, and non-revolving credit, mostly auto and student loans, grew over the month. Revolving credit increased by a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1% ($11 billion) while non-revolving credit grew by 6%, $148 billion.

Over the past year, revolving credit rose by 3% while non-revolving credit has grown by 8%. Data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York confirms the growth in consumer credit outstanding. It also shows that the portion of consumer debt that is secured by housing also rose. However, the increase in housing secured consumer debt outstanding reflects an increase in mortgage debt outstanding, while the total amount of outstanding home equity lines of credit fell over the year.

According to the figure below, auto loans recorded the largest percentage increase over the year, rising by 11% between the third quarter of 2013 and the third quarter of 2014. However, the size of the increase ranked third behind student loans and mortgages. Meanwhile, student loans recorded both the second largest year-over-year growth rate, 10%, and the second highest growth level, $99 billion. Credit cards, a component of revolving credit outstanding, recorded the smallest rate of positive growth, 1% and $8 billion. By virtue of its size, mortgage debt outstanding recorded the largest increase, growing by $234 billion over the year. However, this translates into annual growth rate of 3%. Although home equity lines of credit recorded a larger percentage drop, 4%, relative to mortgages its total decline, $23 billion, was much smaller than the increase in mortgage debt.

http://eyeonhousing.org/2014/12/households-show-willingness-to-take-on-most-forms-of-debt/

Town of Bedford Recreation News | Bedford Real Estate

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Town of Bedford Recreation News

Upcoming December Events & Programs

BREAKFAST WITH FROSTY

Saturday December 13

8:30 – Breakfast and visit with Frosty

9:00 – Entertainment – Mario the Magician

For Ages 1 – 8 with Adult

$6.00 per person preregistered

$10.00 at the door if space is available

Click here for the registration form

THUNDER RIDGE SKI/SNOWBOARD PROGRAM

Got snow? Have you always wanted to learn how to ski or snowboard? Here’s your chance to get off the bunny slopes and traverse down those hills! Bedford Recreation in cooperation with Thunder Ridge Ski area is offering ski lessons (gr. 1 and up) and snowboard lessons (gr. 3 and up)

Click here for more information and registration form.

BUILD A GINGERBREAD HOUSE

Construct your own Gingerbread House and decorate it too!

This is a fun creative program for grades 2 – 6

Sat. December 13

12:30 – 2:30

Bedford Hills Community House

$25.00 (includes lunch)

Click here for registration form

WINTER PROGRAMS

DON’T MISS OUT

NOW ENROLLING

PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS – Creative Movement, Learn Build Play with Duplo Bricks, Mommy and Me Music, Cooking with Little Hands, Tiny Dragons, Crazy About Crafts, Preschool Yoga, Kiddy Korner Jamboree

SCHOOL AGED CLASSES – Ukulele Lessons, LEGO Building, Hook Rug, Cooking Creations, Creative Crafting, Babysitting Training Course, Girls Volleyball, Marital Arts, Ski & Snowboard Lessons

SPECIAL EVENTS FOR SCHOOL AGED KIDS – Yoga and Sing Along, American Girl Doll Fun, Challenge Game Night, Kids Night Out, and Kids BINGO

ADULT PROGRAMMING – Mah Jongg, Happy New You, Skinny Buddha Organic Cooking

ADULT FITNESS PROGRAMS – Aerobics, Insanity, Zumba, Yoga, Lunchtime Workout, Indoor Cycle, Pilates, Melt Strength

PLATFROM TENNIS LESSONS – offered in Katonah and Bedford Village Parks

Make sure you find the perfect program for you. For more information please visit our Recreation Brochure here.

IT”S HERE

The 2015 Winter Brochure is now available on-line!

Click here to view the Winter Brochure

ICE SKATING

@ HARVEY SCHOOL

Bring your skates and take a few laps around the rink!

Friday December 26

12:45 – 2:45 PM

$5.00 per person

OUTDOOR ICE SKATING

Ice skating will be available at the Bedford Hills Memorial Park, Lake Marie and Cherry Ridge Lake on Lakeside Drive in Katonah. Weather and conditions permitting. Appropriate signage will be posted at each site indicating whether the lakes are safe for skating.

SANTA’A MAILBOX

“SANTA’S REINDEER EXPRESS”

will be arriving at the Recreation Department after Thanksgiving to accept letters to Santa.

Please make sure all letters include child’s name, age and return address.

For grades K- 3

Letters must be in to the office by Dec. 12.

Contact Us

Town of Bedford

Recreation and Parks Department

914-666-7004 (office)

914-864-3777 (hotline)

We respect your right to privacy. The Town of Bedford will not contact any person who submits an email address for any purpose other than the original intended communication. E-mail addresses will not be disclosed to a third party, unless required by law.

Buying Bedford Real Estate

Robert Paul Realtor buying Bedford real estate

Monthly Archives: December 2014

Just How Much Rainwater Can You Collect Off Your Roof? | #BedfordCorners #RealEstate

Astorino: No Tax Hikes, Layoffs In 2015 Westchester County Budget | Chappaqua Real Estate

The Japanese Porch | Armonk Real Estate

Bathroom Design Ideas | North Salem Real Estate

Cultured Austin Home with Exquisite Gardens | #Waccabuc Real Estate

Insurance Tips for First-Time Home Buyers | South Salem Real Estate

Give yourself credit

Shop around

Don’t skimp on coverage

Renting Now Half as Affordable as Buying | Cross River Homes

November Chicago Real Estate Market Update | Katonah Real Estate

Chicago Home Contract Activity

Pending Home Sales

Distressed Home Sales

Households Show Willingness to Take on Most Forms of Debt | Bedford Hills Real Estate

Town of Bedford Recreation News | Bedford Real Estate