Blog Posts by Networx.com

This shop in Marblehead, MA is an example of classic New England style.
By Linda Merrill, Networx

As a New England design blogger, I've done my share of posts about my local environment and all that makes this region special. As a professional interior decorator, I've also certainly done my share of projects that feel very "New England-y". The funny thing is that so many of my projects and posts have featured very different looking homes and interiors. And yet, they still maintain the language and feel of a traditional New England design style.

The region is blessed with both coastal, rural and mountain regions which heavily influence the style. Added to that is the historical significance of Colonial settlers followed by the formal elegance of Boston's first neighborhoods in the early post Revolutionary years; all of which was heavily influenced by English architecture and the fascination in England and young America with classical Greek design.

And finally, laid out on top of this is a stubborn "Yankee" ethos of Puritan thrift. This mix of old

The Rubbermaid Home Free Series Closet Kit (Photo by Rubbermaid Products/Flickr Creative Commons)
By Linda Merrill, Networx

As an interior designer, I spend a lot of time walking around clients' homes hearing what they love, or don't love, about their space. Generally, the number one item on the "don't love" list is lack of storage space.

Just the other day I was meeting with a client whose traditional four-bedroom 2,000 sq. ft. Colonial, built in 1972, was sorely lacking in closet and cabinet space throughout. The kitchen was fairly small for the size of the house and the one pantry closet was maybe twelve inches deep. These homeowners were looking at having to hire Boston-area remodeling contractors to add storage space.

Like it or not, we are a consumer society and we all simply have more things than those who came before us. Antique homes are charming, but were built in the time when the average woman had two or three dresses and maybe a couple of pairs of shoes. There were no big box stores.

Savvy home buyers are specifically looking for houses that can

This is the MacCallum House, a popular tourist destination in Mendocino, CA, where the author resides.
By s.e. smith, Networx

Visitors to towns that rely heavily on tourism often express a desire to move there, imagining a lifestyle where they get to be on vacation all the time, instead of just for a few precious days or weeks. Some of them realize that goal in retirement or through making a major life shift that allows them to relocate to the place they always dreamed of. What they find often isn't what they experienced on vacation, because living somewhere is different from visiting, and people who have relocated to a community or established second homes there are going to be viewed as outsiders by locals.

So, how do you live in a tourist community, whether full or part time, without antagonizing the locals?

Start by recognizing that your new home is not just a tourist town. It's also a place where people live and work, and have done so for years. Even if much of the economy is tourist-based, the town still needs sources for supplies ranging from toilet paper to bedding, and

Don't get taken by fraudulent landlords. Know what to ask before signing a lease.
By Leah Batkin, Networx

Everyone has heard horror stories of apartment rentals gone bad. Whether it's from a barking pit bull next door or a termite invasion that won't go away, finding the right apartment can be a gruesome, tiring search. Don't let yourself get wowed with a pleasant facade- before you sign a lease, there are some essential questions you must ask your landlord. Here is a sampling of the most important ones.

1. Do all the appliances work?

It seems obvious that the appliances should work, but don't be so sure. Often the landlord hasn't tested them out, and you certainly aren't going to run a load of laundry in your brief apartment tour. Ask the question and make your landlord responsible to fix them if they don't end up working. "The lease should indicate what appliances are included and that they are in good working order. Test the appliances immediately after moving in and put complaints and requests for repairs in writing," said Attorney Carl D. Goodman, an

This is not your mama's grilled cheese. (Photo: neverend/sxc.hu)
By Leah Batkin, Networx

The sandwich, with its immediacy, efficiency, and largesse, is the epitome of American cuisine. The traditional sandwich, with a border of bread and a filling of meat, cheese and/or vegetables, satisfies every single taste bud on the palate. A testament to the necessity of the sandwich in American cuisine is the invention of gluten-free bread, because people who can't eat bread should never, Heaven forefend, be deprived of their right to a sandwich. There are few things better in life than a delicious sandwich and a side of homemade Doritos, and few things worse than a stale or soggy one (except for a peanut butter and jelly, which I find matures with time spent in a sandwich bag shoved into a brown paper bag left in a backpack that was crammed into a cubby or into a plumber's lunch box for six hours…).

Here are five sandwiches you have to try:

1. The Asian

Saute onions, celery, garlic and greens such as cabbage or bok choy in oil. Add some soy

This drywall had to be cut to access electrical wires. By Kevin Stevens, Networx

Back in the old days walls were done in lathe and plaster. The amount of work and skill needed for those installs is mind blowing compared to the ease of drywall. Drywall however is not quite as robust as a lathe and plaster wall when bumped with a piece of furniture. Dings and gouges are just one type of damage that drywall endures; the greatest enemy is water. The following is a list of reasons that people have to pay drywall companies to replace their drywall.

Drywall + Water = BAD

I have done a great number of shower remodels where drywall was the backing substrate for a tile installation. Now days you have a wide variety of far superior options for tile installations. Greenboard had a slight advantage over plain drywall with a moisture resistant "paper" but these gypsum based products still share the weak and very moisture vulnerable core. (Today the norm is to use a cement board product in showers for long term durability.) A new type of drywall

Learn how to remove a hot tub from a professional contractor.
By Kevin Stevens, Networx

Over the years as a Denver-area remodeling contractor, I have both installed some hot tubs and removed some. The removal process is not that complicated, but still involves some planning. In most cases it is about half as much work as the installation. Many hot tubs are installed on decks and often the deck is built around the hot tub. This can complicate matters to some degree but not as much as the engineering that may have gone into the decks reinforcement or construction.

Salvage or Disposal?

One thing to consider before removing the hot tub is whether or not the tub is going to be reused or salvaged. Most tub removals have to deal with some catastrophic maintenance or repair issue, namely not winterizing the tub. We spoke with Bob Lauter, the CEO of Master Spas and the president of the International Hot Tub Association, who said, "If you're in a cool weather climate and you drain the hot tub and you don't winterize it, that's when you see water

Totally 1980's: dense floral wallpaper, brass fixtures and a Jacuzzi tub.
By Linda Merrill, Networx

There is no question that decorative fashion and trends come and go. The hottest trends today will start to fade in a year or so and by 2025 and beyond most will be looking tired and out of date. When you are selling your house, "old" and "out of date" are not good messages to be sending. While intellectually we all understand that the furnishings are not staying and most decorating such as paint or wall coverings can be changed fairly easily, our emotional brains take over when evaluating a property. When we see things we don't like because they seem old, dingy or outdated we start wondering more about the things we can't see and how old they might be as well.

Today's empty-nesters were in their "up and coming years" during the 80's and 90's, when careers were settling in, families were growing and homes were purchased and decorated. In the intervening decades, those freshly decorated spaces have aged, and quite frankly, they haven't aged very well.