MARY PFAFFKO was on her way back from the gym, walking down Connecticut Avenue, and there it was. A wood thrush, common in the East but rarely seen outside deeply wooded areas. But there it was, right on the street. The only problem was that it was dead.
In her role as president of the D.C. chapter of the National Audubon Society, Pfaffko, 30, takes field trips to more remote areas (Great Falls, Va.; Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, Va.) to get her wildlife fix. If you're a condo-dweller hoping to go beyond pointing binoculars at Rock Creek Park or on the Mall and actually attract feathered friends to your balcony, this news may come as a bit of a disappointment. But with a little work, it's very possible to bring nature to your high-rise castle.
First, don't buy into the stereotypes about bird-watchers. You can enjoy the pastime without it taking over your life. "I'm not one of those people who lives and breathes birding," insists Dave Davis, 63, a former EPA water quality management employee, who lives in a townhouse-style condo in Arlington. "I have a life." And so, too, can you, if you start small and manageable.
One feeder should be more than enough to get started, especially considering the unique challenges of a small space in an urban environment. Cramped quarters mean you don't have room for too many gewgaws, and if you've never tried balcony birding, you'll want to figure out whether your neighborhood is home to cute wrens, pretty hummingbirds or just pigeons.
Continue Reading "Feathers at Your Nest: Spotting Wild Birds" »
FURNISHINGS THAT DO DOUBLE or even triple duty can help to ensure that a sleek new pad functions as well as it looks. "Furniture for small spaces should do multiple things in the room and be versatile," says Pottery Barn spokeswoman Lauren Nelson. "It should serve as storage and also be aesthetically pleasing."
Vastu (1829 14th Street NW, 202-234-8344), a furniture store that also offers interior design services, sells plenty of practical space-savers. Elite's platform Bachelor Storage Bed (pictured above) with six storage drawers underneath ($2,635) is one of the shop's biggest sellers. "Most people give up the footprint of their bed in terms of storage," says Jason Claire, the co-owner of Vastu. "This is a new approach, and it's been very successful. [The bed] offers more storage than a typical standing dresser."
Vastu also sells a variety of furniture cubes and ottomans with built-in storage. Rectangle- and cube-shaped storage ottomans by Steven Anthony (from $246), for instance, come in hundreds of different fabrics and leathers. You can use them to seat guests as well as store blankets or photo albums.
WHEN VENESSA MENDENHALL, 28, was looking for a condo in the District, location and price were her two driving factors. The consultant for nonprofits wanted to be in Adams Morgan or Dupont Circle, but she soon found she didn't have a lot to choose from there when it came to new construction.
Then, she discovered her eventual home in the West Olmstead Condominiums at Harvard and 18th streets NW, in a turn-of-the-20th-century brownstone that had recently been converted into five condos.
By snagging one of those units last December, Mendenhall got historic charm along with the modern design elements most condo buyers are looking for these days. Her appliances? Stainless steel, of course. Counters? Zodiaq quartz. And the floors? A light pine hardwood.
A wealth of storage space was also a big selling point for Mendenhall. Because the brownstone is built into a hill, Mendenhall has stairs that lead from her entry down to her one-bedroom condo. Under those stairs, the developer smartly incorporated a long walk-in closet and other storage space. "It's a small unit, but the layout is good," says Mendenhall. "And they were really creative about using every nook and cranny."
Mendenhall isn't alone in appreciating high style and smart design. Condo developers know that, besides a good location and a good price, many buyers like her want the biggest decor bang for their buck, especially in the current marketplace.
Continue Reading "Intelligent Designers: Condo Developing" »
JOE CARMACK, owner of 14th Street's perpetually leafy plant shop, Garden District (1801 14th St. NW; 202-797-9005), always knew he had a greener thumb than most people. While his childhood buddies were at soccer practice, Carmack was working in his family's garden in San Antonio, Texas — "and I loved it," he says. As an adult, Carmack earned a graduate certificate in landscape design from George Washington University and then in 2002 started a business based on his passion for plants. In March, almost five years after the debut of the first Garden District, he opened a second shop (1520 14th St. NW; 202-797-9005) a few blocks south, this one solely dedicated to interior plants and accessories.
We quizzed Carmack, 42, about his company's growth spurt and picked up tips on everything from how to keep flora content in cramped quarters to why you should add more leaves to your indoor decor.
» EXPRESS: What's the biggest mistake people make with houseplants?
» CARMACK: Not knowing the conditions that the plant would like, particularly for a sun garden. You really need to know how much sun a plant would like. Over-watering can be a big issue, too.
» EXPRESS: How important is it to find the right container for a plant?
» CARMACK: Very important, on two different levels. One is the care of the plant; you need to get a container that's the right size for it. And then there's the aesthetic part. There are so many different options that we have [at the Garden District], with pottery and different styles of pots. It's a great way to introduce color.
Continue Reading "Business is Blooming: D.C.'s Garden District" »
BE HONEST, NOW, CONDOMINIUM OWNERS. Your condo association meetings are:
A. Tedious. I avoid them like my office mate with chronic pinkeye.
B. A chance to flirt. That cute guy from the fourth floor might show up.
C. Worthwhile. I feel like I am affecting life in my building in a positive way.
Did you answer A or B? Remember, folks, it's your money (and your neighbors') that's being spent by your condo association, so why wouldn't you want a say? If that means signing on for monthly or quarterly meetings, it might actually be a good use of your time — and not just so you can meet potential mates.
IF IT'S A BUYER'S MARKET right now, what's with all the "For Sale" signs swinging in your neighborhood? And if you're thinking of selling, is this really the worst time since the Great Depression to be calling a real estate agent?
Even seasoned real-estate buyers and sellers are feeling edgy and unsure in the gloom of the current housing climate.
Shrieking headlines about condo prices in free fall and the subprime mortgage crisis pepper the Web and newspapers every day, only amplifying the chatter of everyone from your open-house obsessed Starbucks barrista to well-meaning relatives who keep telling you to quit renting already. So, what are you supposed to do in this crazy market? Buy? Sell? Pitch a tent somewhere near the Washington Monument and wait it out?
Agents and sellers who have managed to move a piece of property in recent months say that selling now revolves around two key factors: pricing your home accurately for the market, and making it shine in a sea of competitors.
Ahem, that means clearing out the magazine piles, putting into storage that overstuffed chair you love that — let's face it — slashes your living room's actual living area in half, and, in general, de-personalizing your home so a potential buyer can imagine his or her stuff in it.
"You have to make the place really sparkle," says Michael Tubbs, an agent with Coldwell Banker on Capitol Hill. "First impressions are so important in a competitive market. Staging" — the process of artfully arranging your own or rented furniture and decor in a home to make it look ultra-appealing — "is more important than ever." Even basic upkeep like washing windows or applying a fresh coat of paint can go a long way these days.
Continue Reading "Buyer's Guide: Is a Plunging Market Best for Buyers?" »
FROM THE TIME she opened her first antique business in college, Andrea Ridout has been hooked on home improvement, whether it's refinishing old Victorian dressers or laying new kitchen tile. The Texas-based DIY expert doles out tips on her nationally syndicated radio show, "Ask Andrea," and in articles for magazines like This Old House Journal and Country Home.
We caught up with her to ask for pad-updating ideas and to get the scoop on her just-published new home-improvement bible, "If I Had a Hammer" ($18, Collins).
» EXPRESS: What do first-timers need to know about owning a home?
» RIDOUT: I have two daughters in their 20s, and they don't realize the amount of work that goes into owning or even renting a home. Watch for anything that's going to deteriorate your space.
» EXPRESS: So, maintenance is crucial?
» RIDOUT: It's like anything else. If you don't brush your teeth every day, your teeth are going to rot. If you don't maintain your home, your house is going to rot. So, clean out the gutters. Make sure that everything is caulked. Check the drainage. Do anything that you can to keep surfaces primed and painted and not let your paint get to a point where it's peeling.
» EXPRESS: In the book, you write that some of these quick fixes can save you money. How?
» RIDOUT: When it comes to installation, gaps are the enemy. Just imagine Fort Knox. You could have Fort Knox, but if you have a little doorway open, people are going to run in and out. Look at your attic and your perimeter walls for those gaps where your money can leak out.
WHEN M. MARIE MAXWELL, 37, decided in 2000 that she wanted to buy a house in the District, the archives specialist at the National Archives did the most thorough type of research possible: She moved into her future neighborhood to check it out in person.
"I wanted to try to find something affordable," Maxwell says, "and I figured I could probably find something if I was very familiar with what block it was on."
After a year of renting in Shaw, Maxwell purchased a 1,000-square-foot house there and has been pleased with her decision ever since. But if the Internet had held eight years ago what it does now — you know, everything from "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" clips to the lowdown on condos under construction — Maxwell might have had an easier time peering into her real estate future.
Now, her blog, In Shaw (An Historically Gentrified Blog), helps other could-be neighbors get to know her area. Like most other Web scribes, Maxwell writes about what matters to her. Sometimes that includes the history of her house or the peas she's growing in her garden. But more often than not, she offers musings on community news and local lore, which amounts to holding a virtual looking glass up to the Shaw scene.
It's a beautiful day in the bloggerhood when potential D.C. homeowners or renters can scour the Internet to find answers to almost any question they might have about
their future digs. Neighborhood blogs may be geared toward folks who already live in a given 'hood, but that doesn't mean you can't use them to find out about where to move in and around the Beltway.
Continue Reading "Blogs in The 'Hood: Exploring Real Estate Hot Zones Online" »
IN WHAT MAYOR ADRIAN FENTY is calling an "unprecedented" crackdown on problem landlords, the District has filed suit against 23 people or groups that own 70 buildings that the mayor says have a history of code violations, The Post reports.
Here's more from reporters Sylvia Moreno and Debbi Wilgoren:
Fenty and other top city officials described the lawsuit in D.C. Superior Court as an "unprecedented" crackdown against problem landlords who they said have failed to bring properties up to code despite years of requests, fines and demands by the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.Is your landlord on the list? Take a look at the text of the lawsuit (in PDF format) to find out."We've all seen the pictures and heard the horror stories from tenants of these buildings," Fenty (D) said of the 25 apartment buildings and 45 houses listed in the lawsuit. "It's immoral to have human beings living in these conditions, and it's against the law. With today's action, it will stop."
» "District to Sue 23 Landlords Accused of Negligence" [WaPo]
THERE'S AN OLD ADAGE that claims a man's (or woman's) home is his (or her) castle. But when your home is a condo, your castle is directly attached to the palaces of many other royal families, er, people. So, it's not as easy to rule your roost the way you could on, say, a 10-acre spread. In close quarters, you may find that your neighbors don't like listening to your Metallica CDs any more than you enjoy hearing them in the midst of their romantic conquests.
In her book "The Condo Owner's Answer Book" ($17, Sphinx Publishing), real estate pro Beth A. Grimm tries to help such buyers sleep easier. She delves into issues ranging from noise control to neighborhoods. We chatted with her recently.
» EXPRESS: What should people consider before buying a condo in this dropping market?
» GRIMM: One of the biggest things people need to be wary of is if they're squeezing in on a mortgage, there are likely to be increases in assessments coming in many associations because of the mortgage crisis. It's forcing more people out of their homes, and other owners in associations with lots of foreclosures are going to have to pick up the difference in money lost in assessments. So, the biggest concern [for buyers] is making sure they have a little financial cushion.
» EXPRESS: What are the advantages to owning a condo?
» GRIMM: The advantages of a condo are great. It's lock-and-go living. You don't have to do outdoor maintenance. There are more people around, so, if you leave, normally it's a safer situation because there are people milling around and it doesn't look like there's a vacant home. There are more amenities than you can usually afford in a home.
» EXPRESS: So, what's the downside?
» GRIMM: You don't have complete control over your finances. It's possible that your money could be mismanaged by volunteers. You have the mortgage plus assessments to pay, and you're subject to more market variations on building costs because you're involved in more construction — it's not just on your home but on the homes of others sharing the costs.
Continue Reading "Condo Living: What To Know Before You Bid" »
Addison Road