Vpen Door
I Going Green
Tips to run a planet-friendly home.
G
oing green at home doesn't have to
turn your life upside down. There
are simple measures you can take in
your kitchen and garden to run a planet-
friendly home.
United States alone, according to a new re-
port from the Cooper Ornithological Society.
Ensure the safety of your airborne visi-
tors by applying static-cling decals to your
windows, which helps birds detect glass,
thereby avoiding injury or death. Decals from
WindowAlert, for example, rely on special
ultraviolet-reflecting coating that looks like
etched glass to humans, but is quite visible
to birds, and add a decorative appearance to
your home.
Reduce Waste
Ensure your kitchen is properly outfitted with
labeled paper and plastic recycling bins. Keep
these receptacles handy to encourage your
family and guests to make use of them.
Take your waste reduction a step further
by setting up a bin for food scraps, which you
can add to your yard trimmings. Compost-
ing creates a natural fertilizer that makes a
planet-friendly alternative to the chemical
variety.
By recycling and composting, you can join
the ranks of Americans reducing the waste
they send to the landfill. In fact, recycling
and composting prevented 86.9 million tons
of materials from being disposed in 2011 in
the United States, up from 15 million tons in
1980, according to government estimates.
Eat Local
Protect Wildlife
You may think of your yard as "yours," but
you are actually sharing the space with
furry creatures, insects and birds. Habitat
destruction and loss, as well other manmade
and natural threats, put beautiful species like
humming birds at risk. Make your garden a
safe haven with bird feeders and by planting
native, sustentative shrubs, trees and flowers.
Unfortunately, bird-to-building collisions,
particularly with windows, are estimated to kill
between 100 million and 1 billion birds in the
Source your food locally to reduce your
carbon footprint. If possible, buy local, in-
season fruits and vegetables that didn't
have to travel the world to reach your plate.
When dinner comes from your own back-
yard, it means fresher produce that's good
for your family — and good for the planet.
Don't just enjoy nature this season; take
care of it. With a few small tweaks, it isn't
hard to run your home more sustainably.
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COURTESY OF STATE POINT
Sprucing Ur
Easy tips to refresh the look of your home's exterior trim.
rimming out a house "from the top
down" with colorful but low-main-
tenance finishes and accessories is a
growing trend for busy homeowners looking
for easy-care home exteriors.
Experts advise starting at the top of your
home with gable vents and louvers, and
then making your way down with decorative
millwork, window and door trim, followed
by a balustrade system and porch columns.
"Today's homeowners are selecting ma-
terials for the outside of the home that are
long-lasting and require minimal upkeep," says
T
Heather Kovacs, product manager for Fypon.
Depending on the look you're going for,
keep in mind the finish. If you plan to paint
the accessories, a smooth finish works best.
For staining, opt for timber. A stone cast
replicates concrete. With these options,
you can personalize your home exterior and
complement your home's design.
Roofline
At the roofline of the home, consider gable
vents and louvers that come in shapes like
octagons, cathedral, triangles and ovals.
Functional venting louvers should feature
corrosion-resistant screens to help keep
insects out of the home and angled slates to
protect interiors from rain.
Windows and Doors
Pilasters, pediments, crossheads and shutters
can enhance key elements of a home's
exterior.
Eaves
To add the ultimate finishing touch to eaves
and window areas on the exterior, Kovacs
recommends incorporating brackets, dentil
blocks and corbels.
Color
ST
Alvin Loving, "Hex 15", Acrylic on Canvas, 1969
[K'S
Auctioneers & Appraisers
of Antiques and Fine Art
Sold for: $20,700
Whether it's simply a single piece or an entire
collection, call Stefek's for a free consultation.
AUCTIONS, APPRAISALS, ESTATE AND MOVING SALES
14 OPEN DOOR Magazine • May 2014
18450 Mack Avenue
Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236
313 - 881 - 1800
stefeks@comcast.net ■ stefeksltd.com
With the right color combinations, the trim
you add to your home can be striking, drawing
together the entire exterior. For this reason,
it's best to consider materials that come with
a pre-primed surface ready to stain or paint.
Fypon offers paintable detailed mouldings,
brackets, trellis systems, louvers and other
millwork pieces.
For an easy way to add instant curb
appeal and character to your home, consider
trimming your home top to bottom.
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COURTESY OF STATE POINT