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Aikens Only Weekly Real Estate Product

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Sunday, March 10, 2013

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Unique Upgrades to Your Home Can Make it Stand Out

StatePoint Remodeling your home? Dont just keep up with the Joneses. Go a step further by giving your home truly unique upgrades. Experts say that one great way to be distinctive and add value to your home is by going natural. So if youre thinking of redoing your countertops, floors, walls or other key home elements like no one else on your block, think marble, granite and salvaged lumber. There is no way to duplicate nature in a laboratory or manufacturing environment, says Garen Distelhorst, Communications Director at the Marble Institute of America. Natural stone is quarried from rock beds formed over millions of years. Youre never going to find two pieces exactly alike. Here are some benefits of natural materials for you to consider: Return on Investment: In many cases, marble and granite are less expensive than other premium materials and add value to a home when its time to sell. According to the most current data available, natural stone recovered between 80 to 86 percent of its remodeling cost at the time of resale. Durability: The ancient civilizations were onto something when they built their cities. Natural stone stands up to weathering and time better than any other building material, natural or manmade. Stone floors, countertops and wall cladding will last for at least 100 years in many cases. Likewise, salvaged lumber is old growth wood, which means its stronger and has tighter wood grains than new lumber and can give your home project historical value. Sustainability: Natural stone is an environmentally friendly choice because its nearly 100 percent recyclable and is not bonded by petroleum based resins or created in a factory. And because of its durability, it wont need to be replaced for a long time. Versatility: The number of different colors, patterns and textures of natural stone is limitless. This may make finding the perfect cuts to fit your design needs a bit of a chore, but what you end up with will be unique to your home. And different finishes and edge treatments can lend the same kind of stone a different quality and look, making it ideal for various applications -- from floors to walls to fireplaces to roofing shingles. Cleaning: You can toss aside the heavy duty cleaners that irritate your eyes and nose. Warm water, mild dishwashing liquid and a soft cloth are all that is needed for regular maintenance of most natural stone surfaces. By avoiding synthetic materials, you can give your home classic upgrades that are durable, beautiful and easy to maintain.

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Home Hunter

Smart Lighting Ideas When Remodeling or Building a Home

StatePoint If youre building or remodeling your home, as more Americans are doing these days, consider a fresh approach to your lighting both inside and out. Lighting sets the mood for a space and illuminates daily activities, says Jeff Dross, trends expert at Kichler, a manufacturer of decorative lighting, landscape lighting and ceiling fans. A good lighting design will balance form and function for beauty, safety and convenience. To maximize the appearance and functionality of your rooms and outdoor spaces, there are several things you should know before getting started: Style: Consider your taste and how your lighting will interact with your dcor and architecture. Is your style contemporary, traditional or transitional? If you have heavily ornamented furniture, wallpaper or window dressings, consider lighting thats cleaner and simpler for a balanced contrast. The trend today is cleaner and simpler designs, regardless of your style preference, says Dross. Keep it simple. Finish: Todays most popular fixtures feature lighter colors like polished nickel or chrome, and textured or distressed finishes such as aged bronze. Layers: Multiple light sources can minimize glare and shadows, while adding depth and dimension, so layer spaces with ambient (overhead), task and accent lighting. Ceiling fans are a favorite source of ambient lighting for a great room or family room. Functionality: Think about how you plan to use each space youre lighting. For example, if your dining room serves more as a homework and hobby station than a formal place to gather, you`ll want to install a maximum amount of light. If you entertain there, be sure to install a dimmer. Take advantage of the experience and expertise of a designer, contractor or lighting professional to help you determine how your lighting can accommodate your daily life. Dimensions: Pick appropriately sized lighting fixtures for the size of your rooms. A good rule of thumb for chandeliers is to add the two dimensions of your room to arrive at a minimum diameter. So a 12x12 room should have a fixture with a minimum diameter of 24 inches and be no larger than the width of the dining room table. Energy-efficiency: Consider new lighting technologies such as LED lighting, which can save you money on electric bills. Wiring: Know where the outlets and electrical boxes are. This is especially important for new construction or large remodeling jobs. Sunlight: Natural light plays a large role in the type of lighting you need. Look at where the windows are and how much light they let in. Pay attention to plants or trees that may partially block the suns rays. Its important to consider both daytime and nighttime lighting when choosing lighting. Accents: Light the cove, add sconces and fill the tray ceiling with light. Accent lighting is the jewelry of the home and can make a huge difference to your homes appeal. For more lighting ideas, visit www.Kichler.com. If you havent given lighting careful consideration in the past, now is the perfect opportunity -- whether youre remodeling or building your home.

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Aiken County Farmers Market

www.AikeniS.com Williamsburg Street between Park and Richland Avenues was the site of the Aiken Cotton Platform and Scale. It was a raised wooden structure open to the elements. Bales of cotton were stored for two blocks along the street up to the cotton gin, across from the Coward-Corley Seed Co. Farmers parked their wagons and cars under the trees. At the busy market, open Monday Friday, they sold cotton, produce and homemade goods. On Saturdays, beginning in the late 1920s, farmers, also, sold produce from a shed behind the Public Works building on Newberry Street. Farmers wives, who were part of the Aiken County Council of Farm Women, organized the Club Market, Sept. 4, 1930. The ladies sold flowers and bulbs to finance beautification projects in Aiken. Often they had homemade baked goods that were sold for pin money. The goods for sale were propped on bales of cotton at the Williamsburg location or on wooden tables at the Newberry location. In 1935, both locations were very active. By 1951 both venues were struggling to stay open. The family farmer was unable to compete with large commercial cotton growers. During that year, the City decided to condemn the property and raze the cotton platform. The City planned to relocate the Club Market to make room for a parking lot. The Farmers Grange with county chain gang labor erected the current structure located in the parkway. Work began in 1952 and was completed in 1954. The farmers and their families built the 45 tables, which are still used today. By 1962, cotton was no longer sold at the Market and it had become an openair curb market where farmers sold homegrown produce, flowers and homemade goods. In 1980, plans were made to sell the property for commercial development. Thanks to the efforts of Rosamond McDuffie & the Aiken Historic Preservation Commission, the Market was rescued. In 2003 the Aiken County Farmers Market was designated a Landmark in Aiken. It is the oldest (in continuous operation at the same location) county farmers market in the State of South Carolina. Water from countless flower buckets has been poured on the trees in the last fifty plus years. The oaks have grown and now shade the building. Today, descendants of the early farmers bring produce and flowers to the Market. They set their goods on tables that were used by their parents and grandparents, continuing the traditions of small family farmers. The Market, now as then, is a place where items are offered for sale and conversation and recipes are shared with friends, old and new.

AgSouth Encourages South Carolina and Georgia Residents to Think Outside the Store Through Grant Program to Area Farmers Markets
STATESBORO, Ga. (March 4, 2013) AgSouth Farm Credit CFO Alisa D. Gunter recently announced that the customer-owned cooperative has pledged $25,000 in grants to area community-based farmers markets that meet the requirements outlined in a special grant to promote local community-based farmers markets in the associations territory. According to Gunter, South Carolina and Georgia have some of the freshest, best-tasting farm products in the country, ranging from fresh blueberries, to silver queen corn to farm fresh eggs and homemade sausage. We wanted to find a way to help our farmers promote these community-based markets. Our Think Outside the Store campaign gives the markets $500 each to advertise and promote their markets. In addition, each market receiving the grant will be given 250 reusable bags for their customers convenience while shopping at the markets. Community based farmers market coordinators interested in the grant program should look for a grant application in the mail or contact Tammie Huggins at thuggins@agsouthfc.com or 864-585-6234 ext. 6739 for more information. About AgSouth With nearly 8,000 members in Georgia and South Carolina and more than $1.5 billion in assets, AgSouth Farm Credit is one of the largest agricultural financial cooperatives in the Southeast, The association provides loans for land, equipment and production agriculture; crop insurance; leasing; and home mortgages. The association is headquartered in Statesboro, Ga., with administrative offices in Spartanburg, S.C., and Orangeburg, S.C. The cooperatives 26 branches serve 59 Georgia and 34 South Carolina counties. AgSouth is an equal housing lender. For more information, visit www. agsouthfc.com.

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MASTER GARDENERS:
Bill Hayes The calendar indicates that we should be about to experience a little Spring Fever but for some reason, it feels more like blah! The chilly, rainy days have slowed my outdoor enthusiasm but there are some items that need doing. I have made a short list for your consideration just in case we get a few nice days and you have some leftover energy drinks. Its rose pruning time! Repeat blooming roses such as floribunda and hybrid tea roses need a heavy annual pruning that is done in the spring, just as the buds break dormancy. The best way to judge when to prune is to look at the buds; when they begin to swell, go ahead and prune. Climbers that bloom only once a year should be pruned immediately after flowering. Do not prune these types of roses heavily in the early spring since they bloom on wood from the previous years growth. Canes that are dead or diseased should be removed as soon as possible. For step by step instructions, go to www.rose.org/pruning-roses. It will guide you through the process and save you time and possible boo-boos. If your pansies are looking a little sad right now, part of the problem is the cold weather. Even though they are considered winter flowers, they do better when the temperatures rise. If you havent fed them for a while, they just might be hungry. Although they are not considered heavy feeders, they do require a light fertilizer about every four to five weeks. Use pansy fertilizers with 15-2-20, 15-3-30 or 132-13 ratios, which provide adequate levels of calcium, magnesium and micros, but have low amounts of phosphorus and ammonia nitrogen. Then use a fertilizer like 21-5-20, which is acidic and has a low amount of phosphorus. Monitor the pH to make sure it stays within the acceptable range of 5.4 to 5.8. This type of fertilization program will keep your pansies on track. Take a look at your azaleas and check for insects. Some of my early bloomers have already started to open and I noticed a few lace bugs on the plants that get a lot of sun. Dormant horticultural oil is good for stopping eggs from hatching but I dont use it when flower buds are opening. I prefer to use acephate which can be applied as a drench or a spray. Acephate can be found at all garden stores. Now is a good time to clean up the lawn. Remove any debris that has collected over

Preparing the lawn and garden for spring

the winter including leaves, pine cones and straw, acorns, animal droppings and thatch if you have the energy. It is just about time to put down a pre-emergence herbicide for early summer weeds like crabgrass. At this writing, the soil temperatures are still in the mid-forties but will be climbing quickly as our temperatures rise. The herbicide should be in the ground before the soil temperatures reach and hold above 55 degrees Fareneheit. Use a granular product and water it in thoroughly. It will usually take about half an inch of water to form the barrier. A pre-emergent product will not get all of the weeds, but it will help a lot. Bermuda and zoysia lawns can use products containing prodiamine, dithiopyr and pendimethalin. They are effective and long lasting. Weaker warm season grasses such as centipede and St. Augustine can use products with atrazine, simazine or siduron. Dont use a weed and feed product now. Its way too early for any nitrogen. This is a good time to inspect birdhouses and feeders to make sure theyre firmly mounted. Clean the feeders, and fill them with fresh seed once they dry. Give birdbaths a good scrubbing and refill with water. Last but not

least, create a pile of ready-for-the-taking nesting materials to make life a little easier for our feathered friends. OK, now take a minute to rest because you still have to clean gutters to prevent water from overflowing and drowning plants below. Cut back ornamental grasses to about six inches tall. Remove dead wood and suckers from trees and shrubs, both evergreen and deciduous. Plant dormant trees and shrubs. Move dormant plants before it gets too warm. Scrub clay pots and clean tools. Remove leaves from the bottom of ponds or other water features. Now rest again! The next Lunchbox Seminar will be held on March 18 at Trinity United Methodist Church, 2724 Whiskey Road. The topic is Fifty More of Andys Favorite Plants and will be presented by Andy Cabe, garden director of the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia. All Lunchbox seminars begin at 12:30 p.m. Bill Hayes has been in Aiken since 1982 after moving from Chicago, Ill. He was in the chemical process industry for more than 40 years before retiring in 1999.

Grow What You Eat; Cook What You Grow

statePoint Cooking from the garden is not like cooking from the store. Theres nothing more tasty, nutritious and satisfying than fresh, homemade meals made from the fruits, vegetables and herbs you grew yourself. Experts say that even with modest amounts of time and space, you can grow an organic garden plot that feeds your family all year long. The simplest methods of gardening work best, says Barbara Damrosch, organic gardening expert and coauthor of the new book, The Four Season Farm Gardeners Cookbook, which serves as both a garden guide and a healthful cookbook. There is very little you cant accomplish in the garden if you trust the systems that are already in place. Damrosch and co-author Eliot Coleman contend that organic vegetable gardening is not only healthful for you and your family, but is also good for the planet and can make a serious dent in your food expenses. They are offering these great tips to anyone looking to grow and cook their own food: When choosing which plants to grow, consider how much space you have. Salad crops, for example, give you the most variety in a garden of limited size. Consider prioritizing crops whose flavor is most notably lacking in supermarket varieties, such as tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers and melons. It helps to get to know different plants on a family basis. Family groupings are very important in planning how to rotate the crops in your garden from year to year, and much of the techniques that work for one vegetable, apply equally well to its cousins. Dont let weeds get ahead of you. Once theyve gained the upper hand, getting rid of them can seem almost impossible. The ideal time to control weeds is when they are tiny, right after they first appear. Take the extra time to plant in straight lines, which can help with weed control. Veteran gardeners tend to be supportive resources to newcomers. Let friends with green thumbs share their enthusiasm and expertise with you. Or get involved in an organic community garden, where there is no shortage of experienced gardeners to consult. Pass up the modern habit of eating any crop, any time of year by letting your garden feed you. Fruits and vegetables that come from halfway around the world were often harvested far too early and can have a disappointing, bland taste. By planning meals from your garden, youll become a more creative, Eating is one of the most imimprovisational cook. portant things we do, so dont just More gardening tips can be found settle for what the supermarket has at www.fourseasonfarm.com. to offer. Gardening can revolution-

ize the way you eat, and help you take greater control of your familys nutrition.

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