Design Principles for Every Rental Property

Designing a rental property differs from designing your home. When you are designing your home, you can decorate it to your taste. But this is not the case with your rental property. Here, you cannot read the minds of your prospective tenants to know their preferences and you can not project your taste on them.

Most tenants choose a particular rental property over the other because of the interior design. This is because your potential tenants will first imagine themselves in the rental properties and determine if it will be appealing to them, explains Real Canadian Management. Your prospective tenants will survey to know if their furniture will match with the design of your rental property.

Because of this, you should choose a neutral backdrop so that your potential tenants can envision themselves in your rental property. Below are some design principles for every rental property:

1. Use neutral colors

If you want to increase the lifespan of your chosen design schemes, then you should consider using a neutral accent and clean material. Avoid the temptation of using trending hot paint colors on your rental property. This is not an opportunity to experiment with designs.

Light neutral colors allow all your protective tenants to visualize themselves in the property. No matter the color of their furniture, the neutral colors in your home can accommodate them. Your potential tenants will notice that their furniture wouldn't look odd in your property.

Subtle accents, natural elements, and white paints are an excellent choice to use for your interior decor. You can also make use of natural lights and plants where possible.

2. Keep it simple

Always keep your design beautiful and straightforward when you are designing your rental property. This is because the decor is for your prospective tenants to picture themselves living in the house. Your choices may not be the same as that of your potential tenants, and you are not sure if they will loathe it if you personalize the rental property.

Don't be tempted to spice up the room with so many details because too much of it can clutter to their judgment. Apart from making the rooms appear smaller if the details are many, your tenants will not be able to visualize their furniture in your rental property.

Extraneous details such as books, collectibles, candles, vases, and other miscellaneous accents should be kept at a minimum to avoid clutter.

3. Avoid the temptation of using only one design

Do not use only one pattern of design in your rental property, this is because not all your prospective renters will have the same decor preferences. If you are using a single decor that doesn't match with what your potential tenant has in mind, it will be a turn-off.

However, if you have several designs, some of them may appeal to your prospective tenants. Your design should also be the type that is easy to flip if you need to make changes. This way, you can make alterations to match your tenant's preferences.

4. Maximize the storage space of your rental property

Tenants prefer to have enough storage space for their properties. There are a lot of creative ideas to increase the storage space of your rental property. Your kitchen should have sufficient storage space to accommodate appliances, glasses, dishware, and the food items of your tenants.

You can maximize the storage space with smart storage options such as pull-out baskets, built-in cutlery organizers, and slim-but-tall cabinets.

5. Maximize different light options

Your rental property needs to have adequate lighting. Ensure that there is a lot of room for natural light by opening the blinds and curtains when showing your potential tenants around the property.

If the natural light is not enough, use other creative options to brighten your rental property. Stage the property with table lamps and floor lamps. Dangling lights are an excellent option for the kitchen.

In a nutshell: Design Principles for Every Rental Property

Designing your rental property is not the same as designing your home. This is because you do not know the preference of your prospective tenants, and you can not impose your taste on them.

It is difficult to know what appeals to your potential tenants or the design patterns that they will prefer. Before tenants rent a property, they will first imagine themselves in the rental properties and check if it will appeal to them.

But there are ways that you can design your rental property so that it will look appealing to all your prospective tenants. Below are some design principles for every rental property.

·         Use neutral colors

·         Keep everything simple

·         Avoid the temptation of using only one design

·         Maximize the storage space of your rental property

·         Maximize different light options

Finally, you can employ professionals' services to assist you in designing your rental property such that it will be impressive to all your prospective tenants.

Written in collaboration with Real Canadian Management.

Ada Blvd - Net Zero Build Pt.2

After purchasing the property we took a look at the existing structure & overall floor plate of the house. We quickly determined that the base structure of the house was not ideal to work from for our infill. We had considered using the existing foundation; however, we would have needed to connect a new foundation with a settled existing foundation giving us concern for the potential long term issues that could arise.

Dismantling a House

Although we had decided to start from scratch, we wanted to make sure we salvaged and repurposed every item we could. In June of 2019, our contractor began the task of dismantling the existing house and garage!

The process began with removing all working fixtures (plumbing, lighting, appliances, cabinets, etc.). We are quite proud to say that most of these items found homes through Buy and sell sites, Upcycling, Kijiji, Friends/family and neighbours.

See below some of the gems we were able to find future homes for:

Cabinets, appliances, sunshine ceiling all reused.

Bathroom vanity was reused.

Toilet, bathtub & all fixtures were reused.

Some really interesting light figures throughout the house all found new homes:

Hot water tank & furnace too!

Once these items were carefully removed, all of the base materials were pulled and separated – even down to the nails! Metal was recycled. Wood was partially recycled, partially re-homed and partially set aside to reuse on the project for some feature areas if all goes well. Older homes really were made with some beautiful wood. Doors, windows, hardwood, roof trusses… you name it, we tried to give it all a second life.

See below some photos of the dismantling process:

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Some questions we were asked about the dismantling process:

Q: What was not able to be reused or recycled?

A: The items we didn’t recycle or reuse were drywall (Yes, there is a location in Calgary that can recycle it, however, when weighing the benefits of recycling against the fuel and transportation, we chose not to), fibreglass insulation, shingles, and the chimney. We were very impressed at how much was taken by people completing DIY projects around the city, including the most surprising to us – wood chip attic insulation!

Q: Did this add a lot of time to the project?

A: Honestly, yes. We knew at the onset of the project that environmental impact would be a priority. With the expectation in mind that we wouldn’t cut corners to simplify or speed up construction, we were able to view this process as the only way to achieve our goals. By adjusting our expectations we were not deterred by the time. That being said, our total time to dismantle was approximately 16 weeks for the interior, 3 weeks for the exterior/structure, and 3 days for the foundation.

Christine's Kitchen Renovation Pt. 2

Continuing from part one of our kitchen renovation plan, our plan includes the addition of a sliding door to a new deck with a pergola in the backyard. We recently received our permits allowing us to add an exterior door and build the new deck, so we are very excited to move forward with this new space plan for the kitchen:

Items that are on our wish list to incorporate:

• pantry and fridge close to food prep areas

• sliding door to the backyard

• coffee bar

• counter height peninsula eating bar

• the new sink centered on a existing window

• exposing the brick chimney between the kitchen and living room

• compost and recycling station

• lots of storage for small appliances

• pet food storage

Below are the labelled millwork elevations. This was a very important step to make sure we design the right amount of storage.

It goes without saying that putting together these drawings has allowed us to feel confident in the space we are investing in, not to mention that having these specifications will help us plan a budget that won’t leave us with unwanted or costly surprises once construction begins.

In addition to these drawings, I put together a basic render to get a more realistic impression of what our new kitchen layout will look like.

And these are a couple renders that were discarded through the design process. We were wanting to avoid cluttering the peninsula with a sink that could look messy when dishes pile up, and a cooktop that could obstruct the eating area of the bar.

Stay tuned for part three, where I will share the finishes we chose and inspirations for the general look of the materials that we want to use!

Ada Blvd - Net Zero Build Pt. 1

The Idea

We would finally like to introduce the world to a project that has been in the works within the Red Frog office since the winter of 2016. As a member of the interior design community for over 10 years now, I have seen how much damage we can create to the environment as humans. The desire for beautiful, awe-inspiring spaces is a consistent request, but with a priority placed on being economical, not sustainable. This being said, I have also seen an alternative path presented. It was with the idea in mind to help make a positive impact; a group of people came together and began with one house!

We started here!

This 1952-built corner lot home in the Highlands neighbourhood was in desperate need of attention. Unfortunately, the existing exterior walls were not salvageable due to some long term insect inhabitants. Located on the boulevard, the view of the Edmonton river valley was too good to pass up!

The Inspiration

While travelling in New Zealand a few months after we acquired the property, we were inspired by this home and the way it pulled together many elements we love. The glass and visibility to the river valley were a priority (and would also become one of the harder compromises - more on that later). The I-beams paired with the warm wood gave me many ideas on pairing natural elements with a modern flair that I hadn’t seen much in Alberta at that point.

The Concept

After many layouts and revamps, our team came to a consensus. Our priorities were to help increase density in a desirable area, to provide the best possible views of the green space across the boulevard, and to build as environmentally conscious as we could while showing that the aesthetic and open concept didn’t need to be sacrificed. The build will include a main house with an attached garage and a separate garden suite as shown in the rendering (Thanks Jade Technologies for turning our design and sketches into this initial rendering).

I am looking forward to taking you all on our journey as we build this beautiful home. From design decisions, to what is net zero, and explaining the construction process along the way – Hopefully we have plenty of good, bad and unexpected to share that can be of value to you. We would love to hear your thoughts and questions along the way, so please reach out!

Christine's Kitchen Renovation Pt. 1

Almost exactly 2 years ago, my partner and I moved into a 1958 bungalow in North Glenora. We love this location and the house has proven to be as strong and stable as we thought when we first bought it.

Part of our bit-by-bit home renovation (with charm preservation in mind) is to upgrade our kitchen. As part of an extension that we think was built in the 80’s, the kitchen is quite large with a dining area and lots of windows. However, it is also equipped with a tiled countertop (i.e. 40 year old grout), very old fashioned cabinets (though they are solid wood!), a corner wall oven that takes up way too much space, and a layout that has us feeling like we are in a cooking show where the pantry is across the room and it requires a basket to bring supplies to the food prep area. See our existing plan below:

And this is what it all currently looks like:

My eclectic design mind appreciates that it feels a bit like grandma’s house with some modern pieces thrown in, but we are excited to make our mark on this kitchen while still appreciating and remembering where it came from. The care that the previous owners took in creating their home really shows… like, look at those well crafted solid wood cabinets! You sure don’t see that everyday.

Stay tuned for the next chapter of our kitchen renovation, where we talk about the fun stuff… new plans and inspirations!

Interior Design & Wellness

We spend 87% of our lives inside buildings. How they are designed really affects how we feel, how we behave.”

- Ilse Crawford, an esteemed designer in Europe and creator of the Man and Well-being program at the Design Academy in Eindhoven.

Our time spent inside is probably closer to 100% considering our current global pandemic, and our surroundings are affecting us even more than usual. As interior designers, our aim is to provide healthy spaces for people to live and thrive, and these are 3 points we think are most important to consider:

1. Air: It might come as a surprise to some that indoor air may be just as problematic as pollution outdoors. There is potential for many of the furnishings and finishes in our homes to be off-gassing toxic chemicals into the air we breathe. Proper ventilation, operable windows or using air purifiers are all great ways to start breathing fresher air. To read more about this, check out this article.

2. Nature: Incorporating nature into your home is an easy way to create a space that brings happiness and can help us feel refreshed and more productive. A term for this is biophilia, which is the idea that humans have an inherent need to feel connected with nature and other forms of life. Adding a few plants, having natural light, natural textures and nature views are just some ways to create a positive impact. And don’t forget about time spent with our pets! Interacting with animals is another way to relieve stress and connect to nature.

3. Lighting: Our lives literally revolve around light levels. In the morning, we wake up with the sun and when it becomes dark outside, it indicates that it’s time for us to rest. Having exposure to natural light as much as possible with as little exposure to blue lighting when the sun has gone down, helps maintain our natural circadian rhythm. To find out more about what circadian rhythms are, check out this article. Additionally, natural light keeps our vitamin D levels balanced.

   
   These are just a few pointers to help you get started on improving your space, your health and well-being!

Home Office 101

As some of us are currently working from home, we thought it would be a good idea to pull together some helpful tips and tricks to set yourself up for success in your home.

1. Designate a proper work area. Not everyone has access to a spare room to dedicate to a home office, but wether it is rearranging some furniture in your living room or purchasing a functional desk, it can be quite easy to create a dedicated space for getting your work done. You can find some budget-friendly desks that create separation between your work area and other distractions here or here. While planning your space, take note of what items, office supplies and documents you will need to keep organized and on hand while you work. In addition, incorporating plants, inspirational books, or trinkets that bring you joy is always encouraged.

2. Make sure your desk setup is comfortable for you. Proper office ergonomics is so important to your wellbeing when sitting at a desk for hours at a time. Your computer screen should be at arm’s length away from your face, your wrists straight with hands at or below elbow level, and your chair height so knees are about level with your hips are a few things to take note of when setting up your desk. You can find more information on optimizing your office ergonomics here.

3. Set a schedule. The routine you have now will look very different than the routine you had before working from home, but keeping some of those tasks can help stay you on track. Things like getting ready for work by showering, getting dressed and eating breakfast as if you were heading into the office will help you feel refreshed and ready to take on the day. Your commute to work now means walking down the hall to your dedicated work space to focus, and scheduling breaks and virtual check-ins with your colleagues will help you maintain social connection. You can find more mental health tips for working from home here.

4. Practice self-care. Remember to stay hydrated, to stretch out your legs once in awhile and to eat a healthy lunch. Respect your limits and avoid working more than your usual work hours to avoid burnout. Get sufficient sleep and exercise regularly and you’ll be set!