The Trailer Diva

With gas prices what they are, why not invest your vacation dollars into your own backyard? Prices have dropped on many items that can make your own home into a resort, and it’s a vacation your family can then enjoy all year long.

This home features a spectacular indoor / outdoor fireplace that is beautiful as well as functional. By screening in the porch area and using pavers for the flooring this will end up being one of the most used rooms in the house. The furniture was a vintage set that was taken to an auto body company and painted using auto paint. The result is one that will last for years and is very cost-effective. To tie into current color trends we went to Pier1 Imports and found some great colorful cushions and an outdoor area rug to complete the look.

Manufactured Housing is also tapping into the outdoor living trend, and Patriot Homes now offers some new models that come complete with outdoor areas that are ready to go as soon as the homes are delivered. Patriot Homes of Alabama showcased two homes at the Tunica show this year - one with a screened porch area that was large enough to house a bar and seating area, and another with a built-in sink and prep area, covered porch and optional grill. This area could have an additional deck area added on-site, but as offered there is lots of room for even the largest parties.

When considering an outdoor oasis of your own, keep in mind the following considerations:
*Utilities: Be sure that you have adequate water, electrical and gas if you’ll need it for your new area. If this is something you’ll have to add it can really drive up the costs.
*Screening: If you are in an area that tends to have lots of bugs you may want to think about screening in your new area to make it more comfortable all year long.
*Size Matters: Be sure when you are planing your space that there is room for whatever seating you plan on using as well as room to walk around. One of the mistakes I see the most is porches that aren’t wide enough when you add traditional seating.

Sadly traveling especially flying is no longer the enjoyable experience it used to be, so relieve the stress and enjoy your own back yard.

Summer is here, and with it come all of the housekeeping that has been neglected that can’t be ignored anymore. My garden is in, the windows have been washed, and finally the pool is painted (again). I can’t wait to take advantage of all of the outdoor areas here at The Home Idea Factory and continue my quest to have my home live up to it’s potential. One of the things that attracted me to my home is that it needed so much work I knew I’d never run out of projects!

After living in Tucson for 10 years I was anxious to give my green thumb a try and see if I could replicate some of the gardens that my grandmother was known for. She was a huge influence on me, and some of my fondest memories are of Silva working on our vegetable gardens at the lake that we planted Memorial Day weekend or her cutting gardens that were as unconventional as she was. On some of my visits back to the family farm in Erie, Pennsylvania I dug up some roots of her plants and brought them back to Texas to see if they would grow, and some of them have done well. Unfortunately the raspberry bushes that we used to spend hours in the middle of eating to our hearts content didn’t like the clay soil in this area and didn’t make it. But the hostas are thriving and the seeds that I gathered from her hollyhocks have helped me establish the garden that I’ve always hoped for.

The front garden that used to be a weed patch now boasts a riot of colors and includes hollyhocks and sunflowers that reach to the sky. Our latest patch of feral kittens uses it as a safe haven and I love watching them play hide and seek in the hostas.

I hope that you all are enjoying a beautiful Memorial Day!

Not only is the physical Home Idea Factory getting spruced up these days, our websites are in the process of having some exciting changes done as well.

Lifestylist.com will feature even more tips and ideas for the homebuilding and remodeling industry, and thehomeideafactory.com will have fresh new Life & Style sections to help you become your own Lifestylist.

We want to know what you are looking for when you visit our sites. Email us at: z@lifestylist.com and let us know your thoughts.

The only good thing about the heat that we get here in Texas is that it’s still May and my tomatoes and radishes are ready to enjoy! The basil plants are about 3 ft. high and it looks like it’s going to be a great year. This is the first year I’ve experimented with peppers and I have a few that are almost ready to pick.

My home is a live-work space that was built in the 40’s to house a printing company. When I drove past it the first time it was love at first sight - a large building (I originally thought it might have been an old YMCA) with a Southwest feel. It had only been owned by 2 owners and needed quite a bit of work but I had to have it. It has lots of light, cement walls, high ceilings and land that I can grow things on but it is also very close to Dallas.

I’ve now owned “The Home Idea Factory” for four years and have accomplished some of the major remodeling projects that I wanted to do - a new kitchen and bath. Before I could start on those projects I had to rewire and plumb the home which lead to the bathroom being in the only area that had plumbing to it when I bought it - the kitchen. Finally, I have a real kitchen and a real bathroom! Thanks to the miracles of IKEA, there is hope that for the first time in years I can be organized.

I’m also realizing that I am a creature of habit. When you move to a new home you don’t have the history of where you “expect” something to be - when you remodel, you are used to going to the same spot for something for a number of years. I’m still going to the old spot where the refridgerator was even though it’s now across the room, but it’s a small price to pay for having my new, organized kitchen and bath.