Today we’re in the Bloomingdale Neighborhood of Manheim Township, an established suburban community in Lancaster County, PA with established landscaping everywhere you look. I “get down and dirty” with Andrew Landis of Showcase Landscape Services to discuss planting now, in late fall, for spring color.

Andrew brought along a bag of Tulip bulbs and the preferred hand tools for planting them. He talked about how to organize your plantings by color, type and locations within your yard. Since we’re having an unseasonably warm late fall, it’s still possible to get out there and do some digging while the temps are over 50 degrees. Andrew mentioned that you can get many bulbs planted in a half hour, so it’s not a big time commitment.

If you want to see a colorful landscape once spring springs in Lancaster County, take the time to “sow the seeds” of color before Christmas!

Read more at http://www.showcasegroup.biz or reach out to Andrew Landis at info@ showcasegroup.biz.

Today we’re with Josephine Stoltzfus of Sprama Design to talk about getting into décor in your home or apartment. Josephine is an experienced Lancaster PA home designer and talks about layering techniques and using color & patterns to pull things together.

While some aspects of design and decoration are best left to a professional in the field, Josephine was enthusiastic about the possibilities that can be explored even on a tight budget using relatively inexpensive pieces. Creative groupings, offsetting pattern sizes and color schemes that can be replaced as your taste changes are some of the ways she lays out in this video episode.

If you are interested in professional home design services (from décor choices to actual CAD layouts and working with your contractor) reach out to Josephine or her partner Harmony Boore at http://www.Sprama.com or 717-238-1001 anytime.

For tips on desgning for small spaces, check out this episode filmed in Lancaster City:http://www.youtube.com/user/yourlancasterhome#p/f/65/wFbE4TYK7jw
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(c) 2011 Jeff Geoghan

Today we’re going to talk about the Arts & Crafts movement (also known as Craftsman Style homes) in Lancaster County and Central PA. Homes for sale that were built in the 1920’s and 1930’s can either be all Craftsman or use bits and pieces of the architectural style that was extremely popular at the time.

I shot this episode at my listing at 67 Valley Road in Neffsville, next door to Manheim Township Middle and High Schools. You can see the bright, big photos of this home at http://www.67valley.com

Craftsman homes in Lancaster PA or throughout Central PA were largely constructed out of masonry – that was the common base material at the time and while there are examples of stick-built Arts & Crafts homes in Lancaster County I would say they are few and far between. A major component of the style is the large covered front porch, allowing people to spend time outside in the environment. You can spot a craftsman home by the porch and also by the integrated square columns… no round columns. The column in this home I’m at are perfect craftsman columns.

Also, simplicity and staying true to the original materials (wood, block etc) was key to the craftsman home style. You’ll notice that this porch is very clean, with no extra details in the flooring or millwork. Arts & Crafts homes arose as a response to the overbearing european styling that was heavy on “fluff” in the design – therefore it follows that craftsman period home designers would keep it simple.

You can read more about the period online – it’s a favorite home style of mine and, interestingly, since these homes are a)older and b)smaller than most homes for sale in Lancaster, the price to buy a decent craftsman home can be very affordable! This home in Neffsvile is only $149,000. Keep an eye out for those big porches and square columns…

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Choose Jeff Geoghan for you next home sale or purchase in Lancaster! Thanks.

(c) 2011 Jeff Geoghan

In this episode I get “down and dirty” (or dusty at least) to talk about how I sand down hardwood floors.

I prefer renting an orbital floor sander from the local rental shop – the one in this video costs $46 per day ($136 per week… go figure). The sandpaper pads can be rented by the pack, and this rental store in Lancaster PA allows you to return the unused pads for credit after the job is done.

First, you need to pull off the trim and pull all the nails that will catch up your sander. Then you can use wood filler to fill in nail holes or cracks between boards (up to a point, of course).

Second, use the rented sander to hit the large areas. The get along the edges I use a belt sander and orbital sander with heavy grits. After you’ve removed the old finish and high spots, it’s time to use the successively finer grits on the sanders. I finish the whole thing using my orbital and 150 grit. If you’re working on softwood you may need to do some additional sanding and filling to get the floor the way you want. Have fun!

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Choose Jeff Geoghan for you next home sale or purchase in Lancaster! Thanks.

(c) 2011 Jeff Geoghan

Today I visited with Frank Barrett, manager at Indoor City Granite & Marble in Lancaster, PA to take a tour of his fabrication shop. It’s a huge building where slabs of granite, most weighing in the thousands of pounds, are moved around and cut/polished to customer specs.

I was struck by the need to use cranes for almost everything – there’s no picking up these chunks of stone and carrying them around. Frank pointed out the need for safety throughout the process, not just for the craftsmen working but also for the stone pieces themselves, which are often imported one-of-a-kind cuts of granite that can ill afford to be broken. There’s little margin for error.

The machines that cut and shape the granite are pretty impressive, most being computer-controlled. Frank explained how the slabs are cut from templates made onsite and how another machine uses stored dimensions of sinks to cut the openings out automatically. As the process winds up, it’s more people-intensive with edging and polishing to a fine lustre.

All in all, granite fabrication is an involved process but highly automated with a gorgeous finished product. Thanks to Frank for giving me the tour – if you have any questions about granite products for your home or business feel free to contact him at 717-393-3931.

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Thanks for watching! Please take a moment to subscribe here athttp://tv.yourlancasterhome.com and pop over to our facebook page to “like” it at http://www.facebook.com/lancasterhomes

Choose Jeff Geoghan for your next home sale or purchase in Lancaster PA! Thanks.

(c) 2011 Jeff Geoghan

The pre-cut slab yard consists of a large number of granite and marble stone pieces in a veritable rainbow of shades, in size ranging from a sink-size to even nearly full slab sections (approximately 5 by 8 foot). I have fallen in love with this because:

a) You’re re-using stone that would otherwise be cast off.
b) The shipping costs have already been incurred, so you aren’t using the embodied energy to ship it from overseas.
c) It’s cheap.

Frank explained how the pieces get there and how customers can set up time to tour the yard with him. If you’re interested give Frank at call at (717) 393-3931. As always, you can find me at jeff@yourlancasterhome.com

Like this episode? Please subscribe at http://tv.yourlancasterhome.com
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(c) 2011 Jeff Geoghan

Keystone HELP Energy Efficiency Loans are fast, simple financing for your customers who are installing energy efficient HVAC, Insulation, Windows and other measures, with even lower rates for whole house improvements. Interest rates as low as 2.99% (0.99% in southeastern PA through EnergyWorks)

Keystone HELP Geothermal Loans offer even lower rates and special incentives for the installation of qualifying geothermal heat pump systems.

Please visit keystonehelp.com for full details

The ReStore is about 11 years old and has a wide variety of items for sale, from tile to paint to entire kitchens and outdoor landscaping materials. The store depends on a steady stream of donations so don’t be shy if you’re doing work and have items to give, or if you’re a business with extra product, either “firsts” or “seconds”. For a list of suggested items to donate to the ReStore check this web page: http://www.lancasterhabitatrestore.org/index.php?pID=3

The best part is that your donations and purchase monies all go to help provide homes and a stable family life for our fellow Lancastrians. Kate’s passion for the outreach was awesome and she would like to show us some of the work Lancaster Habitat For Humanity is doing right now in 2011 – so stay tuned for a follow-up episode!

If you would like more information please visit http://www.lancasterhabitatrestore.com or find them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lancrestore . As always you can email me with any real estate or home questions at jeff@yourlancasterhomecom.

(c) 2011 Jeff Geoghan

• Learn from experts with the Penn State School of Urban Forestry and the Lancaster County Conservation District
• Learn about the positive impacts of trees in capturing storm water and conserving energy
• Find out how to plant and care for native trees and identify varieties that are right for your property
• Tour the Alley garden where workshop participants can see a functioning urban garden and learn about the vision and impact it can have in the community
• Help plant several shrubs at the Alley garden to gain first-hand experience
• Finally, select a native tree or shrub of your choice to take home and plant on your property

Saturday April 2, 9:00am – 11:00am
Eastern Market and The Alley Garden
308 E. King St.

To register for this workshop contact Fritz Schroeder at fritz@livelancaster.org, 669-5990

Still available at subsidized prices, while supplies last !!

LIVE Green in conjunction with The Lancaster County Conservation District’s Watershed specialist Mathew W. Kofroth invite City residents to a workshop on the nature and impact of urban storm water pollution. Learn how to install and use your rain barrel along with other actions you can undertake around your home.

Environmental Benefits
Rain barrels offer multiple impacts and benefits to both the homeowner & municipalities’ infrastructure. Using rain barrels will help:
• Divert water from the municipal storm drain system
• Provide oxygenated, un-chlorinated water which is ideal for plants
• Direct overflow water where it will have the most beneficial impact.

Thursday April 7
Patio at Penn Stone
190 Ross St
6-8pm

Rain barrel’s are available to City residents for a subsidized price of between $30-50. please email Fritz Schroeder, fritz@livelancaster.org or visit our website www.livegreenlancaster.org for more details or to register for the workshop.

http://www.lancasterpagreenhomes.com/2011/02/03/off-grid-solar-systems-an-intro-and-update-with-bme-solar-of-lancaster-county/

Hope you like it!