5 Ways to Give Your Home Character

Far too many of today's homes and communities lack character, says urban designer and author Marianne Cusato, a featured speaker at this week's Sustainable Development & Restoration Summit in Newport, R.I. Urban sprawl is largely responsible for poorly constructed communities popping up across the country, Cusato says. It's resulting in homes that lack energy efficiency, cities with poor layouts, and long, congested commutes.

So how do you avoid the cookie-cutter look and create a sense of identity for your house? Start by using older homes as a model, Cusato suggested.

• Use four-sided architecture. Many home designs focus exclusively on the front, but the side of the home can be just as important and prominent. For example, windows on the side of a home are not only aesthetically pleasing but they also are functional – they offer cross-ventilation for cooling the home during the summer months to curb air conditioning costs and they allow more light to enter the home.
• Use color. Think beyond beige. Color can add more identity to a house. For example, if all the homes on the block have the same architecture, the color of the exterior can be one way to differentiate and add more character to the home.
• Less is more. Don’t overdo it on design elements to the exterior of a home; Too many details can make a home lose character. Focus on creating a hierarchy of most important elements. For example, the entryway and the side windows are prominent areas. Be functional, not just stylish. Shutters along a window of a home that aren’t functional and don’t close, don’t make much sense. The towering, grandiose entryways on many McMansions won’t provide much covering when it’s raining outside.
• One aspect of good design is that it’s functional, Cusato said. Connect with the outdoors. The home doesn’t have to be as big inside if it offers livable outdoor space. For example, a side private garden, front porch, and a public area near the house can connect home owners more to the outdoors.

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey for REALTOR® magazine online

Winter Parking Ban and Fall Brush Collection

If you are a resident of the City of Marquette, I thought you might find this info about the Winter Parking Ban and Fall Brush Collection to be useful.

Winter Parking Ban
If you live in the City of Marquette, please note that the winter parking ban for all city streets goes into effect on Nov. 1. The winter parking ban requires owners of vehicles to find off-street parking between the hours of 1-6 a.m. each morning. The fine for violating the ban is $50. The winter parking ban is in effect until April 1. You are encouraged to find off-street parking for your vehicles well in advance of the ban going into effect.

Fall Brush/Leaf Collection
If you use the "green bag" garbage system, the following information may be of interest to you.

The City of Marquette will begin its brush and leaf collection shortly. Check out www.mqtcty.org to find out when your street will be collected and what is allowed for pick up. The brush and leaf collection is available only to those city residents who use the “green bag” garbage system. This service is supported by fees, not taxes.

All residents are asked to observe the following rules:

• These collections are for brush, leaves, grass clipping and garden debris only. NO rubbish is allowed. Bags containing garbage or other rubbish mixed with yard waste will not be collected
• Brush and leave piles should not be combined. Brush and leaves are collected on separate weeks. Leaves will not be picked up on the brush week, nor brush on leaf pickup weeks.
• The volume to be collected from each property is limited to one pickup load (a pile approximately 12 feet long by 6 feet wide and 5 feet high).
• Brush and/or leave piles should be neat and kep on your own property. For brush, the cut ends should be facing the back of the curb.
• Pile your yard waste on the lawn next to the street edge, NOT in the gutter or on the street pavement.

Crews will collect loose or bagged leaves Oct. 27-31. Crews will return to the same routes Nov. 3-7 but will collect only bagged leaves. Do not use the green city garbage bags for yard waste.

If you miss the designated dates for your area, you are asked to deliver any yard materials that need disposing of to the composting site on Lakeshore Boulevard (one block from Hawley Street). The site is open on Mondays and Wednesday from 3-7 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. The site closes Nov. 22 for the season.

Week One (Oct. 20-24) is for brush pick up. Week Two (Oct. 27-31) is for loose or bagged leaves. Week Three (Nov. 3-7) is for bagged leaves only. Go to www.mqtcty.org to find out which exact day of the week is designated for your street.

To learn more about the parking ordinance or brush/leaf collection, go to the city’s Web site or call the Public Works office at 228-0444.