Tenant Proof Design Basics for Easy to Clean and Maintain Homes

From Apartment Therapy.com

A beautiful, comfortable, home that you love and is also easy to clean is possible. You can do it with just a little awareness. Suddenly magazines, shows and websites with their beautiful images of perfectly organized and color-coordinated rooms with all the latest "it" items will be seen for what they really are--- the drug dealers of the design world. Decorators don't care how much of your time it will take to clean and maintain the look.They are business people trying to fill their bank account. Spoon feeding the newest "it" thing to sell you:, sun mirrors, ceramic antlers, poufs and garden stools,anyone? Everyone?  Suddenly these things are every where. You start to look at your place, it doesn't look like that, you start feeling it looks dated, inadequate, inferior and some how lacking, you need it the latest thing. This is done so subtly and with such beautiful images that you think I want instead of critically examining the cost, stress and time that will be needed to clean and maintain .

Using Don Aslett and Laura Aslett Simons book Make Your House Do The Housework published in 1986 as a guide I offer updated and timeless design solutions that significantly reduce cleaning, maintenance and replacement costs on your home and rental properties.

The Basic Principles of Maintenance Freedom  According to Don Aslett and Laura Aslett Simons are:

1. Start by simplifying
2. Avoid high-maintenance materials
3. Multiple surfaces multiply the work
4. Camouflage wherever you can
5. Concentrate the cleaning
6. Take convenience into account.
7. Keep things compatible

Simplifying means taking out what is extra and unnecessary for you. For me, this means no more than two framed pieces of art hung on a wall in a room as opposed to twenty framed pieces of art. I am not willing to spend any more time dusting framed art work. I know the trend is a wall of framed artwork from magazines and websites but I am not willing to spend my time maintaining the look.

Avoid high-maintenance materials especially in kitchens and bathrooms where most of the cleaning is required. Things in these rooms have to durable and easy to clean and maintain. For me, this means solid surface instead of marble or granite countertops.

Multiple surfaces multiply the work in kitchens and bathroom especially with different surfaces abutting up against one another such as tile floors, wood baseboards, tile half walls and painted sheet rock. Multiple surfaces not only adds to cleaning costs and time it also adds to visual clutter making things appear dirty even when they are not.

Camouflage wherever you can to improve the appearance of things until you can get to clean them and to prevent wear and tear from being as obvious. Examples of this include choosing carpets or curtains with a colorful random pattern instead of a solid color.

Concentrate the cleaning so the mess is concentrated in one area instead of little areas all over a room or home. Coats, boots and bags are a good example of how you can concentrate cleaning. If you provide one area for folks to remove and store their coats, boots and bags it means they won't be dropped all over the house.

Take convenience into account when trying to concentrate the cleaning. People will put things down anywhere that is convenient not necessarily where you wish them to. So it you have an antique table in your entryway that you don't want people to put things down on you should find another place for it.

Keep things compatible to ease your cleaning and maintenance. Choose light fixtures that use the same type of light bulb base throughout your home so you only need to buy one type of bulb. Choose the same faucets for all your bathrooms, the same door knobs and locks for your doors.
       

Why You Should Not Install an Island With Seating

From This Old House Web Article

It seems to be the trend these days to install islands with seating, personally I don't like them. I hate eating at them because I can't see the people I am eating with and it doesn't facilitate conversation. I feel like an animal at a feeding trough.  Even if I put aside my own particular prejudices against islands and the seating around them their are still many reasons to dislike islands. For example young children find it very difficult to climb up to island height chairs regardless of whether they are counter height or bar height as do women wearing the typical skirted business suits, the elderly,as well as those in wheelchairs or using crutches.

A better and more useful solution to the island is a large table that you sit at that functions as a work space and seating for guests so that you can chat with them as you work. This is an old fashioned concept but one that works with all individuals despite their height, age and mobility. A highchair can be brought up to the table, a wheelchair rolled up to the table, an individual with a cane or balance issues can easily get in and out of chairs and be part of the conversation.

Tenant Proof Bath Tub and Shower Design

For a tenant proof  bath tub/ shower area, tile the entire wall including the ceilings. This will prevent water damage to the shower ceiling from broken shower nozzles or aggressive shower cleaning. If you can afford to do so I recommend also tiling the ceiling a foot or two past the shower ceiling or even better the whole bathroom ceiling.

Tiling the ceiling wall of the shower or even the entire bathroom ceiling was typically done in 1930's bathroom such as the one pictured above. Later on this very practical tiling practice was abandoned, most likely due to builder costs. Leaving homeowners with the odious task of repainting and replacing the shower ceiling every few years. If have your very own pink and green 1930's vintage shower as pictured above be sure to keep it. You can of course create your own 30's inspired shower using black and white subway tile with gray grout. This color scheme will appeal to the greatest number of tenants. The initial cost will be more but you won't need to ever paint or repair the walls due to a broken shower nozzle. I also recommend taking the opportunity to add a support bar attached to the stud walls at this time.

 Here is another tiled shower/tub combinations.

Timeless Kitchen Design Part 3 Hardware

Timeless Kitchen Cabinetry Hardware Part 3

Simple hardware, unadorned knobs and pulls enhancing the functionality of this kitchen. The practicality of the old fashioned drawer pulls and glass knobs is such that they have become classics used in a variety of applications far beyond kitchens and bathrooms. For a variety of classic knobs. pulls and hardware check out Rejuvenation Classic American Lighting and House Parts.

This kitchen has 1 1/4 inch black hexagonal glass knobs in black and hexagonal glass pull.

1-1/4in. Hexagonal Glass Knob

Tenant Proof Kitchen Sinks and Surrounds

The best kitchen sinks for your home and rental that are useful and easy to maintain are seamless double drainboard sinks with an integral countertop and backsplash. These sinks were either wall mounted or came with legs. They came with a low apron and because of the lack of an extra hole next to the faucet to provide an air gap dishwashers cannot be installed underneath them. However, portable dishwashers than you roll up and hook up to the sink can be used. Portable dishwashers come with a finished top, side and back as well as being on wheels to make their wheeling up to the sink much easier.They are more expensive then built in dishwasher but also easier to replace if something breaks and can't be fixed. They tend to last a long time we are still using ours built in the 1980's.

Another option is the porcelain sink with integral backsplash and double drainboards with the metal base cabinet that were available in the 1930's to 1950's. Many of these are still available.

These double drainboard integral sinks in either a single or double sink model have a deck mounted faucet and a lower backsplash. The deck mounted faucet will make your plumber smile but you will grimace at cleaning the water gunk that collects around them. The low backsplash will not protect your walls as much as a taller backsplash, however you will have lots of storage for things under the sink and if you like you will be able to install a built in dishwasher.

Another option for a seamless double drainboard sink is the Elkay Gourmet Lustertone stainlesss steel double drainboard sinks. They come in single or double sink version in a variety of sizes.They are very difficult to find on Elkay's website unless you have the code to plug in.

Elkay Gourmet Lustertone single sink with double drainboards are as follows

S5419
S5019
S7219

Elkay Gourmet Lustertone double sinks with double drainboards are as follows:

D6029
D6629
D7234
D8434



There is a rumor that Elkay has an option to customize this sink by adjusting the backsplash height and the side splash heights but I have not been able to find this and in general it is extremely difficult to find any of these sinks by Elkay on their website without the codes. I love the option of stainless steel but I really miss the rounded, bulbous shape of the porcelain over cast iron sinks with their 8 to 12 inch backsplash and their backsplash mounted faucets that prevent crude from collecting behind the deck mounted faucet and backsplash.

Kitchen Cabinetry: The Importance of the Toe Kick

Kitchen Cabinetry: The Importance of the Toe Kick

Notice this cabinetry does not have a toe kick area 

The Toe Kick Area

Many vintage kitchen base cabinets did not have a toe kick. The toe kick is a welcome feature of modern day kitchens. It enables you to get up close to the countertop to work without causing back aches. In vintage kitchens work was often done at a free standing table in the middle of the kitchen not on the countertops of the base cabinets. However later kitchens were built with the toe kick area as we see below.

Toe Kick Space: Things Not To Do

Many kitchen designers who don't cook or clean suggest giving your cabinetry feet in the toe kick area in to give your cabinetry the look of furniture added over time. These toe kick ornaments fool no one. They only thing they add is more cleaning. You will no longer be able to easily Swiffer or mop your kitchen. These toe kicks will require you to clean out the area behind them on your hands and knees with a damp cloth. However, do put a piece of wood down so the front of your toe kicks on something. You definitely don't want an open toe kick area under your base cabinets as this requires cleaning under the entire length and depth of your base cabinets. Here are the pictures of what not to do.

 For ease of cleaning you want an unobstructed toe kick area that  you can easily swiffer and mop.

Timeless Kitchen Cabinetry That Last

Timeless Kitchen Cabinetry Design Part 1

This period kitchen is from the 1920's. It is still around today in 2012 over 90 years after it was built. Why when kitchens are the most remodeled rooms in homes? The reason is because this kitchen was built specifically for this space.The kitchen cabinetry was designed to meet the needs of the cook to provide storage, preparation  and cooking space while taking advantage of every inch of space. Although many things have changed the basic components of a kitchen have not. Notice the upper cabinetry is built all the way up to the ceiling. The cabinetry fits this kitchen like a well tailored suit. 

The particular building method of this cabinetry, the inset frame style, denotes quality because of the skill and precision required to build them. Both the door and drawers of this cabinetry sit flush with the frame of the cabinetry. The door and drawer style also play into this timeless look. The door style is a square inset flat panel door, otherwise known as a Shaker door style. The flat or slab drawer fronts play a crucial role in the classical aspect of the design through their lack of ornamentation. See the example image below from Crown Point cabinetry notice the flat front drawer fits inside the frame as does the square inset flat panel door. These are very plain in style and will not go out of fashion.

The choice of an off white oil based enamel paint for the cabinetry appeals to a wide variety of tastes and is not likely to trigger a negative reaction.  Color like pattern is very subjective and waxes and wanes with the dictates of fashion. Soft and muted neutral colors such as creamy, off white, antique white, bisque, beige and soft grey work well across many time periods offending no one. These colors provide a neutral palate that one does not grow tired of. They enable the accessorizing with objects that provide color and patterns and can easily be changed as tastes change.

Particular wood species trends vary across decades and may not appeal to as many individuals as a neutral painted wood finish. If you want a wood tone chose a mid tone color so it it not too light or too dark. Remember the 90's oak kitchen cabinet trend or the knotty pine trend of the 1960's? How about  the picked oak finish of the late 1990's or the dark cherry finish of the 1980's? This is why it is better to stick with a neutral painted finish or a mid tone stain in wood.