June 30, 2022

West + Main Homes

Colorado, Colorado Springs, Mountains, National, Oklahoma, Oregon

When Is the Best Time to Replace Your Roof?

June 30, 2022

West + Main Homes

Colorado, Colorado Springs, Mountains, National, Oklahoma, Oregon

Maybe there's a leak in your attic. Maybe you've noticed cracked or broken shingles.

There are many reasons why you might need to replace your roof, but as with other home improvement projects, there are optimal and sub-optimal times to get it done. Here are just a few considerations when you're wondering about the best season for redoing your roof.

Temperature
Temperature is the first thing to think about when planning an outdoor project. You don't want to be working in intense heat, but you don't want your fingers going cold and numb as you handle power tools, either. The ideal temperature is a moderate one during spring or fall. Make sure that you're also paying attention to things like humidity, windchill, and air quality; these can be just as significant as the numbers on the thermometer.

Weather
You should always consider the weather when tackling outdoor renovation projects, but you'll need to watch out for more than just extreme temperatures. Spring and summer storms can be volatile, bringing wind, rain, and hail that delays your roof work. You might also have to deal with things like unexpected heat waves softening your shingles or warping their adhesives.

Environmental Conditions
Winter is a dangerous time for roof replacement since ice and snow can make things slippery on top of your home. The colder temperatures can also create icicles and ice dams, and these are more than just eyesores; they're genuine health hazards that can cause bodily injury. Summer can also be dangerous with the possibility of everything from heatstroke to sweaty hands dropping tools. Spring storms are a menace, too. Fall is the clear victor in terms of the best time for roof replacement.

Professional Availability
If you'll be calling in the experts to help you with your roof, you should think about their availability. Home renovation companies tend to be high in demand in the spring and summer months. They might also need time to order and arrange supplies, especially if you're opting for something like a solar roof, which can push your project from one season to the next. It's best to contact them directly when working out a timetable for your roof work.

These are just a few things to keep in mind when you're thinking about replacing your roof. It might not be an easy task, but it doesn't have to be overly difficult, especially if you make efficient plans at the right time of year. The specific time, of course, will be up to you.

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June 30, 2022

West + Main Homes

Colorado, Colorado Springs, Mountains, National, Oklahoma, Oregon

What Is a Craftsman Bungalow? A Cute Home Once Sold by Catalog

June 30, 2022

West + Main Homes

Colorado, Colorado Springs, Mountains, National, Oklahoma, Oregon

What is a Craftsman bungalow? These small homes, anchored by charming front porches, originated in colonial India (that’s the “bungalow” part).

But bungalows really took off in the United States after the style was adopted by the Arts and Crafts movement (that’s the “Craftsman” part), which added intricate woodwork and handcrafted details to the interior and exterior.

Think: focal-point fireplaces, charming dormers, coffered ceilings, exposed rafter tails, and open floor plans. At one point, the Craftsman became such an American classic, you could even build your own bungalow from a kit in a mail-order catalog. Just one more thing to love about these Craftsman cuties!

Origins of the bungalow home

The term “bungalow” dates to 18th century India. Bangla, or bangala, is the Hindi word meaning “of the province of Bengal,” and was also used to refer to small, one-story huts, typically with thatched roofs (but still quite comfortable for India at that time). The term came to be used to mean houses built for the British colonial authorities.

Today in the United States, the term “bungalow” has evolved to refer to a small home with a gabled roof, typically no more than one or one and a half stories, often with a veranda or roofed front porch.

Bungalows have spawned a variety of styles—Mission, Tudor, Prairie Pueblo, Chicago, Cape Cod, and even Victorian (a seemingly contradictory mashup), among others—but the Craftsman bungalow is arguably the most popular. Craftsman houses are found in neighborhoods throughout the United States today, having taken root in Southern California in the early 1900s. Bungalows are also particularly common in the Midwest.

History of the Craftsman bungalow

The term “Craftsman” comes from the name of a popular magazine published by the furniture designer Gustav Stickley from 1901 through 1916. Stickley was a leading proponent of the Arts and Crafts movement, which bucked the rise of industrial mass manufacturing by espousing the virtues of handcraft and simple, folksy design.

While Craftsman-style homes are often described as simple in design (compared to, say, Victorian-style homes), the details are not especially austere.

Bungalows, which could be built without an excess of materials or effort, suited the Arts and Crafts movement and were designed with the working class in mind. Craftsman homes are relatively small, easy to care for, have no wasted space, and are easily tailored to the owner’s preferences.

Stickley started selling Craftsman bungalow kits through his magazine for the low price of about $1,000 (which was cheap even for the early 1900s). From there, the popularity of Craftsman bungalows took off. Copycat Craftsman designs began to crop up from architects throughout the United States, with kits available in the Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalog, among other sources.

Key features of a Craftsman bungalow

No doubt about it—Craftsman style is iconic and often integrated into a variety of design schemes. Not sure if the small home you have an eye on is really a Craftsman home? Many homes include bungalow-style design elements but don’t quite fit the full Craftsman criteria. Here are some key features that will help you identify the real deal Craftsman-style bungalow.

Low-pitched, gabled roof (occasionally hipped), with wide, unenclosed eave overhang
Exposed roof rafters
Simplified decorative beams or braces under gables
One and a half stories
Horizontal shape
Porch with thick square or round columns
Porch supports usually squared and sometimes tapered
Porch support bases extending to ground level
Wood, stone, or stucco siding
Exterior stone chimney
Most of the living spaces on the ground floor
Living room at the center
Dominant fireplace
Connecting rooms without hallways
Built-in furniture and lighting
Numerous windows
Some windows with stained or leaded glass
Beamed ceilings
Dark wood wainscoting and moldings

All in all, Craftsman bungalows are intimate homes that, due to their small size, are still fairly affordable today. Here are more architectural styles of houses to consider.

Almost 80% believe it’s a bad time to buy property

June 30, 2022

West + Main Homes

Colorado, Colorado Springs, Mountains, National, Oklahoma, Oregon

Higher mortgage rates, home prices, and inflation to squeeze out prospective homebuyers: Fannie Mae

Consumers’ concerns about housing affordability are squeezing would-be homebuyers out of the market, according to Fannie Mae‘s Home Purchasing Sentiment Index, which tracks the housing market and consumer confidence to sell or buy a home. The index score dropped by 0.3 points to 68.2 in May, inching toward its 10-year and pandemic-low of 63, recorded in April 2020.

All six of the index’s components — which ask consumers to weigh in on whether it’s a good time to buy, sell, and in what direction mortgage rates will move — dropped 11.8 points from the same time last year. A survey-high of 79% of consumers believe it’s a bad time to buy a home. About 70% of survey respondents expect mortgage rates will continue climbing during the next 12 months.

“Respondents’ pessimism regarding home buying conditions carried forward into May, with the percentage of respondents reporting ‘it’s a bad time to buy a home,’ hitting a new survey high,” said Doug Duncan, senior vice president and chief economist at Fannie Mae. “The share reporting that it’s ‘easy to get a mortgage’ also decreased across almost all segments.”

Purchase mortgage rates, after hitting a 13-year high of 5.27% in May, fell for three consecutive weeks. Rates last week averaged 5.09%, essentially flat from the prior week, but significantly higher than the 2.99% rate during the same period last year, according to Freddie Mac PMMS.

The Federal Reserve raised the interest rate by a half percentage point on May 4 and repeatedly has signaled it will continue to raise rates this year and into 2023. The Fed’s interest rate does not directly affect mortgage rates, but higher interest rates steer market activity to create higher mortgage rates and reduce demand.

While fewer respondents than in previous surveys were worried about losing their jobs, more households expected their income to drop. About 81% of those surveyed in May said they weren’t concerned about job loss, fewer than the 84% the previous month. About 16% of respondents said their income was significantly lower in May than a year before, which was an increase from 14% of respondents in April.

“These results suggest to us that increased mortgage rates, high home prices and inflation will likely continue to squeeze would-be homebuyers — as well as those potential sellers with lower, locked-in mortgage rates — out of the market, supporting our forecast that home sales will slow meaningfully through the rest of this year and into next.”

Fannie Mae’s Economic and Strategic Research (ESR) Group had forecast a slowdown in home sales for the second and third quarters of 2022, followed by a softening in construction activity and a noticeable deceleration in home price growth.

While it expects the economy to have a modest recession in the second half of 2023, the agency said the constrained consumer spending power amid elevated inflation and a rapidly rising rate environment carries the risk of a contraction happening sooner.

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June 30, 2022

West + Main Homes

Oregon

New Places On Redmond's 7th Street Corridor

June 30, 2022

West + Main Homes

Oregon

From a roastery to a tap house, there's new food and drink to try just off downtown.

How incredible is it that we live in an area that is quickly becoming populated with fun food, beverage, and venue options in a variety of neighborhoods throughout Central Oregon? Take for example, the 7th street corridor in Redmond. That area, a block off the main street through downtown, just keeps expanding its culinary repertoire. This article highlights a few of the newest additions to the neighborhood.

We begin at the Junction, dubbed a roastery and social club, which is located in the renovated historic Patrick building (home to Redmond's original hospital) at 708 SW Deschutes Avenue at 7th and Deschutes. Owner/Operators Mitch Thisius and Bo Olson were inspired by the pandemic to provide a place where folks could come back together and socialize over a sip and a bite. The renovated space is open, spacious, and well-appointed, big enough to host a special event or party and cozy enough for a coffee date.

Coffees and espressos are on the menu, as are homemade bakery goods, daily soups, sandwiches and salads. The focus is on quality with local ingredient sourcing a priority. This writer enjoyed an afternoon treat of affogato with a scoop of Eberhard's (local Redmond dairy) vanilla ice cream, and it was perfection in a cup. The Junction is open every day from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

If you keep heading north on 7th Street, you'll end up at the recently opened Otto's Landing at 652 NW 7th. Fully packed on a recent Saturday afternoon, Otto's is a 2-level taphouse and sports bar with televisions everywhere and a play room for the wee ones right off the main lower level dining room. People of all ages were enjoying beverages as well as food from the three carts/trucks out back.

The hapa cart at Otto's serves up Hawaiian plates of pulled pork and teriyaki chicken with sides such as macaroni salad and soft dinner rolls. There is also currently a Mexican truck with tacos and a Greek truck with gyros at Otto's Landing. Neither of those food trucks had a sign or a name painted on their vehicles, but customers were ordering up giant platefuls of tacos and gyros before heading inside for their beers, ciders, and cocktails.

Otto's already has the vibe of a well-established locals' hangout. With plenty of space, lots of seating options, every sport imaginable on dozens of televisions, and the play area for the little kids, this is a spot that will thrive despite being at the far north end of the 7th Street neighborhood.

Backtracking a bit now, to the south end of 7th street, there's the new food pod adjacent to the High Desert Music Hall. The 1/8th Street Patio Taphouse & Food Pod's official address is 818 SW Forest Avenue & Glacier, but seeing how you can see the spot from 7th Street, it's definitely in the 7th street corridor/neighborhood. This spot is just getting going, and it's sure to be the perfect complement to the Music Hall and its Backline Lounge.

The food pod trucks are opening early in the day and the current offerings include Best Moments Bakery, featuring lattes and pastries "just like mom used to bake." El Poblanito is open every day of the week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, and ceviche. You can call ahead for orders at 541-279-3145. The family-owned Greek truck, The Mighty Greek, is also in the food pod. They're open Wednesday through Sunday starting at 11 a.m., and the authentic menu includes traditional gyros, Greek salad, pita with homemade tzatziki sauce, and loukoumades, the Greek version of fried dough glazed in honey and sprinkled with cinnamon.

With the first week of summer officially underway and long, sunny days and pleasant evenings on the horizon, there should be ample time to explore Central Oregon trails, breweries, eateries, and neighborhoods. Plenty of time awaits to enjoy bites and sips, conversation, and all sorts of entertainment wherever you happen to land on any given day. The blocks off Redmond's main drag are definitely worth your time.

Junction Roastery Social Club
708 SW Deschutes Ave., Redmond
https://junctionroastery.com/

Otto's Landing
652 NW 7th Street, Redmond
https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/102548935809742/Otto's%20Landing/

1/8th Street Patio Tap House & Food Pod
818 SW Forest Avenue & Glacier, Redmond
https://highdesertmusichall.com/patio/

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