June is here!  Summer is here!  I am so happy about this!  I love Summer.  My kids are out of school and want to go everywhere.  That can present an occasional conflict.  Most friends live fairly close though.  Did I say that I love the location of my house, close to downtown Franklin, TN?  Well, I do.  Convenience has become a huge factor for us.  My husband, Mark, would really like to have a house with a couple of acres and a woodworking shop, but even for him, location has been key.  What are you loving about your house?  Location, floor plan?  Beautiful gardens?  Is something bugging you about your house?  What easy fixes can you do to make it better?  I have some suggestions for relatively inexpensive changes that can make a big difference in your house.

1.       Putting in a Storm Door.  We have been so excited every time we have done this because of the sunlight that comes rolling in that huge window.  Cost is about $100 for the door, but pay the next $100 to get it installed.

2.       Paint the ceilings white.  This is our next project.  Our house is a little dark because we live close to our neighbors and don't have many side windows.  We like some color on the walls, so we need to maximize light with ceiling white.

3.       Does your kitchen need a bit of plumping up?  Replacing countertops and knobs can make a big difference.  There are some really nice laminate countertop patterns that have come out in recent years.  If you want to upgrade to Granite- shop around.  There are some really good deals.  There are many tile and granite companies in the Franklin, Brentwood, Nashville area.  Oh yeah, a new backslash.  That was a lot of work.  Mark did it.  Boy does it look good though.   

4.       Paint 2 walls in a room instead of 4.  We have loved having a bit of contrast by having 1 or 2 walls a different color, but similar to the main color of the room. 

5.       How about a new rug?  Or a runner?  Did you know you can go to Floorz in Cool Springs and buy a piece of carpet and they will bind it to any size rug you want?  A runner?  A square throw rug?  They have lots of stock carpets they offer for a great price so you can get a new rug for a great price.  We just got 2 new runners and a throw rug that they made from a remnant.   Very cool. 

If you have some good ideas, add a comment, or email me.  I'll keep them and maybe I'll send a few more along next time.