Pittwater Life October 2017 Issue

Home Special
continued from page 35
your home to a new front
door mat.
Specialist help
If any part of your spring
cleaning seems like ‘too
much’, refer to our specialist
providers whose ads are
sprinkled throughout the
magazine and in this feature,
as well as our Trades &
Services section (page 56) to
locate local professionals to
do the job for you.
ADDING VALUE
A professional exterior clean
and a fresh lick of paint will
always help add value to your
home. Other value-added
details include:
n Super-tidy garage spaces
with built-in storage.
n A remote control garage
door.
n An outdoor kitchen.
n New blinds and/or curtains.
n An automated louvre
roof to define an outdoor
entertaining area.
n New all-weather cushions
for outdoor seating.
n A safe and tidy garden
(check trees and fencing are
in good order).
n Beautifully presented
interiors that champion
a natural, lived-in feel
(check out our wonderful
local small businesses for
furniture, linens, fittings
and accessories that reflect
the Northern Beaches
lifestyle).
n Air conditioning.
n New carpet or polished
floorboards.
n A new bathroom (keep it
neutral but add some ontrend
accessories such as
indoor plants).
n A new kitchen with highquality
appliances such as
built-in water filters and the
latest cooking innovation
– induction cooktops with
extractors built into the
benchtop (see Bora ad
page 37 – could this be
the beginning of the end
to grease-filled overhead
extractor fans?).
SPRING INTO
DOWNSIZING
Whether you are an empty
nester or a retiree moving
to a smaller home, making
the move to downsize is far
from easy.
Here, downsizing expert
Angie Kelso from Nannies &
Helpers shares some tips to
help with the process.
Prepare. First, think about
what you have, what will fit
into the new house and get
rid of what you don’t need.
Draw a floor plan of your
new house to ensure your
furniture will fit in the new
space. Don’t clutter the new
house with old furniture that
needs repair or paint.
Enlist help. Get your
family and friends on board,
ask if they want any of your
things.
Plan. Take your time, attack
one room at a time, and clean
the inside of cupboards and
wardrobes as you go.
Love it or leave it!
Make a list for each room, put
a coloured tag on furniture
i.e. blue to keep, green to
give away to family or friends,
red to charity, yellow for
dump/council disposal day.
Get rid of what you don’t want
as quickly as possible. Out of
sight... out of mind.
Get quotes. When you’ve
made decisions about keeping
or disposing of major furniture
items get several quotes from
removalists.
Stay focused. Write a daily
or weekly schedule so you are
really organised and have a
good plan of action. It is very
satisfying to cross items off
the list!
Assess. If you have items you
think might be valuable – get
them professionally assessed
and then decide if they should
be sold at auction or if that
valuable painting should hang
on the wall in the new house!
Sell. Make money from your
move. Have a garage sale, sell
items on eBay or a local online
website.
Don’t be sentimental.
Make a decision and stick to it.
Do you really need three sets
of china, nine wooden spoons
or two irons?
Reduce your load. Give
your children their school
projects, baby book, school
reports and photographs.
Tackle paperwork.
Keeping all your old paperwork
is a waste of space. Scan
documents to your computer
and file the important papers
to keep them safe.
Stop buying food.
Use-up the pantry items by
incorporating in meals and eat
the food in the fridge.
Storage. Think about the
new house – have you enough
36 OCTOBER 2017
The Local Voice Since 1991