Buying Cheaper Than Renting in Most US Cities

According to a recent article on CNN Money, buying is now cheaper than renting in most U.S. cities, making now an excellent time to get out of your old rental and into a brand new home. The study, conducted by Trulia found that "buying was cheaper than renting in 74% of the country's 50 largest cities in July."

Cities where rent remains the cheaper choice included New York City, Seattle and San Francisco. For most of us however, low housing prices, low interest rates and great tax benefits add up to real value in home ownership. For instance, you can own your own beautiful new home in Eagle Mountain, Utah starting at just $170,900.

"It's a personal decision, of course. But if you have a steady job and you are planning to stay for seven years or more and have enough cash to put 20% down and enough left over for seven or eight months of expenses, you're better off buying in most places," said Daisy Kong, a spokeswoman for Trulia.  (Read the rest of the article here.)

If you're still renting and would like more information on how owning a brand new home might work for you, visit a McArthur Homes neighborhood or email kristi@mcarthurhomes.com.

Creating a Spa-Like Master Bathroom Inspired by the Parade of Homes

The best way to create a spa-like bathroom is to start with a clean, fresh color palette. Of course I love the simple white and green palette of the McArthur Homes Award-Winning Parade Home, the Cordova. The white octagon tile caused quite a debate. People either loved it or hated it. I'm on the love-it side myself. :) The cultured marble shower and garden soaker tub (a must for a spa-like bathroom) are included at McArthur Homes, making this an affordable and stylish bathroom.

This luxurious bathroom is right up my alley also! Here, the details combine to create a spa-like experience. Want to add a touch of day-spa to your own bathroom? Add rolled white towels on a shelf or tucked underneath a bench. I tried this in my master bath and LOVE it! Other details include a small makeup mirror, sconces flanking the mirrors for ideal lighting and plenty of candles.

Excuse me while I just drool over these white marble countertops. Marble is probably the thing I love most in the world of interior design. Yum!

The tub shown below is another favorite detail. I can't imagine bathing my kids in it, but I guess that is what makes it feel even more relaxing!

And here's one more simple way to transform your bathroom into a spa-like sanctuary. Just add a couple of towel hooks and two white robes. I feel more relaxed already! :)

$2 Tuesdays at Thanksgiving Point

For all of our Lehi homeowners in Thanksgiving Meadows and Thanksgiving Village, here is a great deal from Thanksgiving Point:

TWO BUCK TUESDAYS
$2 for Any Venue (including Museum of Ancient Life, Gardens and Farm Country)
Every Tuesday in August
Visit their Website for More Information

If you don't already own a McArthur Homes home in Lehi, stop by our Award-Wining Parade Home (now open to the public) while you are in the area. Thanksgiving Meadows is located just minutes from Thanksgiving Point and offers townhomes from the $140s and single family homes under $200k.

Salt Lake Valley Parade of Homes 2011

If you've heard anything about the Salt Lake Parade of Homes this year, you've probably heard about the "Up" house at Herriman Towne Center. It's a life-size replica of the home in Disney's movie "Up," complete with a Carl and Ellie mailbox!

To celebrate all of the fun that the "Up" house has brought to Herriman, McArthur Homes is offering FREE Ice Cream to those who visit McArthur Homes at Herriman Towne Center during the Parade of Homes. Come visit us 11:00am-9:00pm Monday-Saturday to see our beautiful model home and find out about all the amazing things that will be coming to Herriman Towne Center over the next few years.

And while you're here, be sure to visit the "Up" house and check out the Parade of Homes.
Salt Lake Parade of Homes
July 29th-August 14th
11:00am-9:00pm
http://www.saltlakeparade.com/

Cute & Easy Storage Ideas for your Laundry/Craft Room

I L.O.V.E. spending time in my craft/laundry room! For me it is such a casual, creative space with lots of storage. Here's a few ideas that you may want to incorporate into the laundry or craft room in your new home.

This area of the room is where I do my sewing and crafting. I put up magnetic boards from Ikea where I can showcase my daughter's artwork along with inspirational photos and fun ideas for me. It's so easy to switch out artwork or add a new idea to the board. For the photos, I attached magnetic strips to the back so that the board wouldn't be so cluttered with magnets. You can buy a roll of magnetic "tape" from any craft store.

The wrapping paper station was made from two super cheap (I think about $5) drapery rods from Ikea. I also attached a magnetic bar from Ikea to keep my scissors handy but out of reach of my kids.

This is the newest, and probably my favorite, part of the room. I have gotten back into sewing and enjoy making little skirts or dresses for my daughter along with a few home improvement projects. I used to store all my fabric in bins under the laundry sink, but I got tired of sorting through it all the time. Instead, I was inspired by this blogger to hang my fabric up. The rod is from Ikea (surprised?) and so are the hangers. The whole project cost about $12. I love the convenience and also the color it adds to this space.

These photos show a few more quick storage solutions. I love the fold out clothes rack and iron holder, both from Ikea. The rolling TV stand (Ikea) is perfect for my papers and printers and my daughter loves having her own creative space too.

Finally, anything that's not used often (or isn't very pretty) goes in the cabinets! I hope you've gotten a few ideas for your own home. I'd love to see the storage solutions that you've come up with. Feel free to leave a link in the comments below, or email me at kristi@mcarthurhomes.com.

Lighting Trends from the 2011 Utah Valley Parade of Homes

This year at the Parade of Homes there were some definite trends in lighting for new homes. The first I noticed was paper or linen shades. They were everywhere! I especially loved this dramatic fixture hanging above a contemporary great room.

Here is a more subdued version that we used in the master bedroom of the McArthur Homes model home.



Pendants hung on either side of the bed were a popular choice in place of traditional lamps.

This long kitchen nook pendant has the same shade style as others I saw throughout the Parade of Homes.

I also liked this fun fan fixture for an exercise room. It's practical and cute!

There were also many examples of fixtures that mixed crystal or glass with metal. This chandelier was actually in a girl's bedroom. Very chic!

Besides the trends I highlighted above, there were a wide range of lighting fixtures to fit EVERY style. From traditional to very modern. What style of fixtures would you like to see in your new home?

How To: Stenciling Take 2

When I stenciled our master bedroom wall I swore I would never stencil again (so tedious!) but I saw this amazing stencil online and suddenly had to have it for our powder bathroom. I found the stencil online here.

At first, I tried using the same technique I had used in the master only to discover it did NOT work with this type of stencil. My new stencil was higher quality (thicker) and very detailed so the roller brush would not get paint into the crevices. Then, if I pushed really hard to get the paint in, it bled all around the letters and looked horrible. Here's a pic of my first attempts:

So, I learned how to stencil a new way. Here's what to do if you have a detailed stencil and need perfect results. This is also a great technique when you have a high contrast stencil which shows imperfections much more than the tone on tone stencil I did in my master bedroom. The letters turned out perfectly crisp:

Step One
Use spray adhesive to attach the stencil to the wall. I used a light coat each time I applied the stencil to a new part of the wall. Make sure you put the stencil on top of a drop cloth before you spray it because that adhesive will get everywhere!

Step Two

Use a small bristled brush to apply the paint. They sell special (expensive) stenciling brushes but I got perfect results using plastic brushes from my daughter's art drawer. I think we bought a pack of 20 at Walmart for a couple bucks.
First dip the brush in a bit of paint then get most of the paint off on a paper towel. Make small circular motions with the brush as you work the paint into the stencil. You may need to do more than one coat so wait for the paint to dry (just a couple minutes) before removing the stencil. That way you can see which areas need a bit more paint layered on.



Step Three
Remove the stencil, repsray lightly with adhesive and apply to the next area.


This process really is so easy that my 3 year old was able to help me apply the paint, but it is also time consuming! My tiny 9' by 9' wall took me about 4 hours to paint. Yikes! If you are willing to spend the time, I think that stenciling is an excellent way to personalize and add interest to your new home.

For me, it is totally work it each time I walk down the hallway and peek into the powder room. Have you done any stenciling projects? I'd love to hear about them and see the results! Post a link in the comments or email kristi@mcarthurhomes.com Thanks!

Movie in the Park at Herriman Towne Center

Come see Disney's "Up" movie across from a real life replica of the "Up" house. Your kids will love it! The home and the park are located in Herriman Towne Center, the best new neighborhood in Herriman!

Saturday, July 16th
7:30pm-10:00pm
Herriman Towne Center Park
12600 South 5300 West
Herriman, Utah

Herriman Towne Center is a brand new community across from the JL Sorensen Recreation Center and new Herriman City Library. The neighborhood will include beautiful new homes, parks, churches, restaurants and small shops, schools and the new Herriman City Hall. McArthur Homes is building new homes now starting in the low $200s. See our website for more information on these new homes in Herriman.

DIY (So Affordable) Drapery Rods

Here's a great trick for getting super affordable drapery hardware for your new home. Simply go to your local Home Depot/Lowes type store and ask for electrical conduit.

For the master bedroom in our new home, I needed a FIFTEEN FOOT drapery rod. Those can be SO expensive! I read online about someone who used 1/2" electrical conduit instead so I decided to try it out. The total cost for the rod was less than $5! The electrical conduit was sold in 10' segments so I bought two and had them cut down into 7' 6" pieces for me at the store. I also purchased a "Set Screw Coupling" which I used to secure the two pieces together.

If you need a rod that is 10' or less in length then you won't need the coupling piece. Just have your conduit cut to the exact size you need and you are done.

To hang my drapery rods I used some left over brackets from an Ikea set. However, you could even make your own brackets using a few other items from the hardware store. Check that out here.

Here are a few ways you could dress up these drapery rods:

• Attach cabinet hardware or door knobs to each end as finials
• Paint the conduit with Rustoleum Spray Paint to match your decor (white, black, navy etc.)
• Use copper plumbing pipe instead (more expensive but beautiful)
• Choose a wider size such as 2" conduit for a heavier look

I will use this technique again in my dining room, but I think I'll try adding finials and spray painting the whole thing a dark navy. (I am kind of obsessed with navy right now. Anyone else loving it too?)

DIY Upholstered Headboard Inspired by the Parade of Homes

I am so excited about how this project turned out! I have been wanting a headboard for my master bedroom ever since we moved into our new home in Lehi but I didn't want to spend $500-2,000 for a new headboard. There are tons of great tutorials online on how to make your own, so finally I decided to take a chance and try it. I am happy to say that I love my new headboard AND it only cost about $75.

Here's the inspiration headboard. 

(You may recognize it from the McArthur Homes house that I showcased from the 2011 Utah Valley Parade of Homes. I love the nailhead trim and the clean, simple lines.)


Here is my version.

And here's how I did it.

I mostly followed this fabulous tutorial from Isabella and Max Rooms but with a few changes. The biggest change was that I downsized the headboard quite a bit because I still wanted to show off all that stenciling work I did in the master! I also changed the way I mounted the headboard to the wall. (See Step Six.)

Materials:
1/4" sheet of plywood
3- 2x4s
LOTS (about 400 pieces) of nailhead trim that I bought online here.
3 yards batting
3 yards home decor or other wide width fabric
2 large pieces of 3" high density foam from JoAnns or Hobby Lobby (use coupons!)
scrap piece of mdf or other sturdy wood

Step One
Create the frame for your headborad by cutting down the length of the plywood sheet to fit the length of your bed. I made mine for my (future) king size bed so I needed 80" width. Then cut down the 2x4s and screw onto the plywood to create a border.

Step Two
Cut down your foam to fill the space between the 2x4s. I like to use an electric carving knife to cut foam. You can use spray adhesive to attach the foam if you'd like. Mine is held in place by the batting and fabric.

Step Three
Lay batting and fabric over the top of the frame. Have a friend/hubby help you make sure the fabric is straight. The fabric can be the biggest expense of this project, but I actually found mine for only $6/yard in the remnants section of JoAnns home decor fabric. It was the perfect gray color with a slight hounds tooth texture. LOVE it!

Step Four
Starting at the top center of the headboard, attach the nailhead trim by hammering it in along the edge of the 2x4. I would suggest using a nailhead trim spacer, which you can find online. I was impatient  and did mine freehand so there are some imperfections. This is the hardest and most tedious part of the process. Luckily, my husband helped some so things went a little faster. Make sure your fabric is pulled tight as you go and that it is straight.

Once the top of the headboard was done, I pulled my fabric tight and stapled it to the bottom. This helped keep things nice and tight as I continued down the sides.

Another thing I learned about nailhead trim is that it can be difficult to hammer into the wood where there are knots or other imperfections. I bent MANY nailheads trying to force them in. After awhile I figured out that I could get a nice hole started by hammering in a small nail first, then removing the nail and hammering in the nailhead trim piece. I only did this in difficult areas, but it really helped!




Step Five
After all the trim was installed I simply stapled the fabric and batting to the back of the headboard, pulling tightly. At the corners, I made a small fold, which is hardly noticeable at all.

Step Six
To install the headboard you could add legs and attach it to your bedframe, but I wanted mine mounted on the wall. The tutorial I followed suggested gluing the headboard to the wall, but I wanted mine to be removal so that if (when) I want to change up the decor I won't have to rip a hole in the drywall to remove the headboard. An EASY way to do this is by cutting a 45 degree angle into two pieces of wood. Screw one to the headboard and one to the studs in the wall, as shown. Then just lift your headboard up onto the wall so that the wood pieces fit into each other. It only took a few minutes and it is sturdy as can be! (Thanks to my friend, Roger for cutting the angles for me. I still don't have a table saw...)

That's it! If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them in the notes and I'll respond as best I can. Good luck!