Jaffa News

Why We Fall in Love
–With Houses

Falling in love can be wonderful–and finding the perfect house can make a house-hunter weak in the knees.

As Valentine's Day approaches, a survey by Realtor.com shows that falling head-over-heels for a house is fairly common–69% of respondents reported that they have had a home crush. House-hunters with a “home crush,” as defined in the survey, are drawn to the same house again and again. Realtor.com surveyed 1,082 individuals from Jan. 9 to Jan. 20 who reported having had a home crush.

Where to put the enormous TV.

It's Super Bowl season again. You've invited your friends and planned the party of the year but you've forgotten one major detail. Where are you going to place that enormous new TV? There are many solutions to this problem that we can help you with.

The most common placement for a TV is above the fireplace. It puts the TV in the center of the room for easy viewing. It acts like an ever changing piece of art that will be sure to draw your attention. It's a less formal look but works well in many family rooms.

A second option is to create a built in cabinet next to the fireplace for the TV. This puts the TV out of the way when you're not viewing it. This is usually done in rooms where TV watching isn't the primary function of the room. It creates a more formal look that many clients are looking for.

A third option is to build a dedicated TV room like a home theater. This puts the TV out of sight in other more formal rooms and allows for a more dramatic viewing experience with surround sound. Add in a snack bar area and you have a room that's perfect for your next big party like the Super Bowl.

Architectural Feature

GREEN BUILDING 101:
Environmentally Friendly Lighting

Lighting is one of the most critical–and most visceral–qualities of an indoor space. The difference between good and bad lighting can make or break comfort, mood and overall happiness in your home. Exposure to natural light affects your vitamin D and immune system, as well as your circadian rhythms, sleep cycle and hormones. Studies have linked lack of sunlight to depression (S.A.D), immune problems, diabetes and cancer. According to researcher and director of SUNAC (Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center) William B. Grant, “over 20,000 Americans die prematurely annually from insufficient UVB/vitamin D, and half of those with multiple sclerosis in the U.S. would not have MS if they had had more UVB exposure.”

Green Product / Recycle News

8 Simple Green Initiatives
You Can Do at Work

Now that you are maintaining and ever expanding your green practices at home why not reassess your at work green checklist as well. Maybe you already took charge, persuading your office to use recycled paper, change to efficient lighting (CFL or LED), start a separate recycling garbage area and/or started printing on both sides of paper when possible. These are all good of course but believe it or not much more can be done. Here are some more going green at work ideas that may not have crossed your mind yet.

Testimonial

“We had our new home completely remodeled 2 years ago by Scott and his crew. My husband and I could not have been happier with the results–we LOVE our new home. The remodel was a challenge as so much needed to be done and we had a limited budget. Scott not only listened to the vision we had, he made it exactly what we had in mind. We worked so well together it seemed very simple. Everyone hears the night mares about doing a remodel–we did not experience any of it! Scott was always organized in setting up vendor appointments, on time, courteous and attentive to my husband and my sometimes varied ideas. His crew was excellent and did the remodel right on schedule with a minimum of intrusion on the surrounding neighborhood. Our house is now our home. We have highly recommended the Jaffa Group. Our only regret is that we don't seeing Scott on a regular basis now that it's done!”

~ Bill and Jean Martin