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2 | 2015 Spring Home Improvement, Southwest Edition

BY HANNAH JONES

[email protected]

The fall of 2012 brought two big developments to the Lyseng fam-ily in Eagan. First,

Jordan Lyseng, a recent col-lege graduate, left for Japan to visit his fiancée. Then, Brenda Lyseng, his mother, got pneumonia.

While she was resting up and recovering, she found herself watching a lot of HGTV. The more she watched, the more she thought about her son’s vacated bedroom.

The Lysengs had always been an artsy family, but their crafting supplies – paints, fabric and more – were relegated to a closet in the basement. With Jordan out of the house and his room conveniently unoccupied, Brenda saw a chance to use the space a new way.

“I thought, ‘We need a sew-ing and art studio,’” she said. She text messaged Jordan and got his permission to totally repurpose his room.

Brenda did what a lot of homeowners do after years in the same space. As their lifestyles change and their homes stay the same, it becomes increasingly ap-pealing to repurpose and revitalize rooms. There are essentially two ways to do this: on your own, or with a professional.

Brenda chose to do it alone.She spent a week just lay-

ing out everything on graph paper, rearranging and reor-ganizing, and keeping a Pin-terest board for inspiration. After that, the carpet was torn up and new hardwood floors were installed. Then she painted the walls a but-ter yellow and added various vintage bookcases and furni-ture — a shelf from Brenda’s graduate student days and a table from an old library — to the room. One of the few brand new items, a high craft table with a spacious top, was installed in the center of the room.

So, how did that go?“It went according to

plan,” Brenda said.The whole project cost

about $1,500, and today, Jor-dan’s old room is a bright, su n ny cra f t space wit h shelves loaded with art sup-plies. Brenda even found a way to use the room to get a return on her investment. She started her own business, “Sew Together,” which offers the room and supplies, as well as her expertise, for groups taking on sewing projects.

All of that happened after a nasty bout of pneumonia, a couple weeks of preparation and a month of execution.

But of course, her success was couched in her extensive

planning, which took a few weeks for a reason.

“Just figuring out the lay-out was the most difficult part,” she said. “But that was always fun.”

With the proper amount of planning and some gump-tion, Brenda’s D.I.Y. method can certainly work. However, for those who aren’t as crafty, hiring an interior designer is also an option.

Roberta Kortes of Prior Lake is the principal designer of her own interior design firm, Crabapple Cottage De-signs. It’s her job to act as a voice of authority on interior design projects and find taste-ful arrangements everyone can agree on.

“This is what I do, and it’s my passion,” she said.

One thing that sometimes drives potential customers away from hiring an expert like Kortes is the perceived cost. As a more experienced interior designer, Kortes’ services run at about $150 per hour for consultations.

“The biggest myth is that we’re too expensive,” she said. “In fact, we’re usually saving people money.”

By hiring an interior de-signer, Kortes’ clients are en-suring that projects will be right the first time around, and that the materials will all be appropriate for the job. Interior designers also usually have relationships with vendors and can get dis-counts on materials, which they can then pass on as savings to the homeowners.

Kor tes a lso has tech-niques to make more so-

phisticated designs fit into a more modest budget. She often does what she calls an “Ikea hack,” taking an inexpensively made piece of furniture and adding a fin-ish or embellishments that make it look more high-end. She’s even used wallpaper to customize a table and add value.

Even if hiring a designer seems like a totally differ-ent approach from Brenda’s craft room remodel, Kortes actually has some similar advice for potential room renovators.

“I encourage people to re-ally think about it a while, about what makes sense at that point in their lives,” she said. Planning, whether you’re doing it yourself or hiring help, makes for a suc-cessful room repurpose.

Other general tips: make sure a redesigned room has a clear purpose, which adds value to the home. Be hon-est with yourself about your budget and your expecta-tions. When possible, reuse,

recycle or modify older or cheaper furnishings. And, in that all-important planning phase, start with a blank slate, not with the current identity of the room.

A note to all empty nest-ers looking to reclaim their childrens’ old rooms, too: It turns out, Jordan did come back to the Lyseng’s home later on.

But, Brenda said, he was more than happy to stay in the basement.

PHOTO BY HANNAH JONES

Brenda Lyseng of Eagan turned her son’s old bedroom into a craft studio, which she uses as a space for her new business venture, a company called Sew Together.

PHOTO BY HANNAH JONES

Roberta Kortes is the owner and principal designer of Crabapple Cottage Designs based out of Prior Lake.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

This crowded storage room was one of designer Roberta Kortes’ most recent repurposing projects.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

A crowded storage room gets a new life as a yoga studio after being repurposed.

More informationBrenda Lyseng’s new business, Sew Together, provides space, materials and guidance for sewing and craft projects. Learn more at her website:

http://sewtogethergathering.com/

Roberta Kortes is the owner and principal designer of Crabapple Cottage Designs in Prior Lake. See more of her work and contact her at her website:

http://www.crabapplecottage.com/index.htm

Rooms reborn:TWO WAYS TO REPURPOSE

2015 Spring Home Improvement, Southwest Edition | 3

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BY CRISTETA BOARINI

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As w e M i n n e s o -tans have slogged through another depressing winter,

it is our right, nay our duty, to get outside and enjoy the few warm months granted to us.

Whether you’re a king of the grill, an aspiring Top Chef or a domestic goddess, one way to bring your out-doors game this spring is with a new entertaining space in the backyard.

When it comes to outdoor entertaining, you can do so much more than a grill and some chairs out on the patio. And the time to upgrade is now. Matt Blanchard, who runs the masonry and con-tracting company The Brick and Stone Artist out of Min-neapolis, said his company has seen about a 15 percent annual increase in business each year for the past few years.

So what kind of features

should go in your new back-yard digs?

FIREPLACE

With snowstorms that come as late as May and as early as October, keeping warm is a priority. So when your afternoon barbecue turns into an evening over drinks, keep everyone toasty with a nice fire.

Wood-burning or gas, a fireplace becomes a great cus-tomizable centerpiece to your outdoor entertaining space. A fire pit allows for everyone to get around the fire, while a grand fireplace not only of-fers warmth but a beautiful conversation piece. You could also go for a wood-fired pizza oven, to make crisp personal pizzas with a touch of char taste. All are great for toast-ing marshmallows with the kids or a special someone.

Blanchard said granite, stone and polished concrete are extremely popular with his clients for fireplaces. He said he builds them from

scratch on a foundation, with an efficient design

“The great thing about these kinds of fireplaces is you can use them year-round,” Blanchard said.

SPACE TO PREP

Whether it’s a graduation party or a family reunion, one of the frustrating things about entertaining in the backyard is constantly going in and out of the house. Getting drinks, prepping food — the back door is constantly opening and closing to let in bugs or let out all the air conditioning.

But with space and ap-pliances to do all that work outside, a host can get all the work done while still entertaining with guests. Having a polished concrete countertop in the backyard with some built-in appliances like a stainless steel fridge or warming drawer means more time outside for everyone. And these features are built to last even through the toughest Minnesota weather.

IT’S ELECTRIC!

Blanchard said the most c onven ient fe at u r e you could include in a new out-door entertaining space is wiring in some electrical sockets and lighting. If you want to have some blended drinks, keep a crock pot out for the party, or even plug in a bug zapper, it’s much more convenient to have a plug easily accessible right on the patio rather than run-ning an extension cord from inside the house or across the yard.

Another great feature? Ambient lighting. With the installation of a grand fire-place or a brick oven, ambi-ent feature lighting not only higlights the beauty of the piece, but also allows you and your guests the ability to maneuver once the party continues after dark — no stubbed toes on chair legs!

Whatever you choose to do in your backyard, remem-ber the options are endless. Happy entertaining!

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BRICK AND STONE ARTIST

This customized fi replace was built by Matt Blanchard.

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BY ALEX HALL

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Does your garage look like a small tornado whipped through the inside of a stor-age unit?

You’re not alone. In fact, Ted Wood has probably seen worse.

“So many garages we walk into, everything’s piled on the floor.”

Ted and his son Steve Wood are authorized dealers of Mon-key Bars, a unique garage stor-age system that incorporates shelving, cabinets and over-head racks. They are based in Jordan and serve the counties of Hennepin, Scott, Carver and Wright.

Ted Wood said that too often, the garage is the most neglected space in a house.

“It’s kind of the forgotten room, or the last area of the house people really pay atten-tion to,” said Steve.

The only way to get the most out of a garage is to make use of all its possible space. Getting items off the floor is important because it makes it easier to clean the garage floor, and it also keeps stored items safe from the elements, especially during the winter.

“With everything on the floor, things are getting lost or getting damaged, people are going out and buying things they already have,” he said.

STORAGE WAR Simple reorganization methods can bring a garage back to life

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With the Monkey Bars sys-tem, a shelf is installed to hold long-term storage items like camping equipment, spare tires or bins. Each shelf is made of melamine and de-signed to hold up to 1,000 pounds for each 4-foot area.

Underneath the shelf or shelves is a system of poly-coated steel bars and hooks that allows items to be stored several layers deep on a wall.

Steve said that anything with a hole or a loop or a “T” would hang on the racks.

“Basically things that don’t

fit in a cabinet or a box, and that’s a lot of garage stuff,” said Ted.

While the shelving and bars and hooks system is at the heart of what Monkey Bars offers, the company also offers cabinetry and over-head racks. The racks are key to making sure you’re getting the most out of your garage space, said Steve. The design and steel structure of Monkey Bars’ overhead racks make them capable of supporting up to 750 pounds of storage.

The Woods say it’s impor-

tant to take into consider-ation many different factors before deciding where to put shelves and cabinets, such as where a person typically parks and the length of ve-hicles.

For many homeowners they work with, a simple re-organization allows them to park in their own garage for the first time.

“The difference is dra-matic,” said Steve.

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BY AMANDA MCKNIGHT

[email protected]

With the weather f i n a l ly wa r m-ing up and buds forming on the

trees, many people are think-ing about whether or not to plant a garden this year.

While determining what to plant, parents might also con-sider involving their children in the gardening process.

Laura Wood, owner of Gar-den by the Woods in Chanhas-sen, said many kids enjoy watching something they’ve cared for grow and bloom into a fruit, vegetable or flower. (And a few lucky gardeners might end up with children who are actually interested in eating their vegetables for the first time ever.)

“The best things to plant

are things that kids can pull off as snacks, like the little dwarf carrots,” Wood said. “And popcorn is something I would definitely grow.”

That’s right — it’s possible to grow the corn used for popcorn in your very own garden. What kid (or adult, for that matter) wouldn’t love that?

Wood also suggests that pickle lovers grow cucumbers to turn into their very own style of pickle.

“Cucumbers to pickles can be a fun process to watch come alive for kids,” said Wood. “It’s a pretty simple process called ‘refrigerator pickles.’”

Steve Kokesh, owner of Kokesh Landscaping in Way-zata, also recommends plant-ing vegetables and fruits that kids can easily interact with

and eat.“It’s good to stay basic with

your vegetables because if kids can watch something grow, run outside, pick it, and you cook it that night – it makes more sense to them,” said Kokesh.

Anything from dwarf car-rots, like Wood mentioned, to beans or strawberries or tomatoes would make for a great gardening project for younger green thumbs.

“Even beans can be deco-rative in the yard,” added Kokesh. “The greens will grow up on a trellis. What’s really fun for kids is if you can put your garden on the side of the house or some-where you could let a few pumpkins grow or some sun-flowers. Sunflowers get big, PHOTOS BY AMANDA MCKNIGHT

Laura Wood, owner of Garden by the Woods in Chanhassen, explains that Mason bees pack mud into the holes — rather than honey — of their houses.

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and you can watch them grow. The kids will be in amazement, and you can get the seeds out at the end and bake them in the oven.”

Even something as simple as watching a watermelon grow from nearly nothing to its final shape can be fun for kids. Not only does it teach them the growing pro-cess, said Kokesh, but it also teaches them responsibility in caring for a living thing.

Kokesh said he always cautions those who are new to gardening: start small. It’s easy to become overwhelmed and lose interest in the proj-ect altogether if it starts too large.

“You can keep it very small so it’s not an elaborate and time consuming thing,” he said. “Think 8 feet by 12 feet. Families are so busy these days, so keep it manageable for the time you have.”

Some new gardeners might want to consider a straw bale garden. Vegetables and fruit can be planted in soil-filled holes in the bale, using the bale itself to take root and get its nourishment. This way, the bale can be thrown out after the harvesting season, and all remnants of a garden will be gone.

“You just tip a straw bale on its side and take whatever plant you have, make a small hole in the bail with just a little soil on it, and then the straw bale holds the moisture

the plants need and nourish-es it. Then in the fall you just throw the straw bale on the curb and it’s hauled away,” said Kokesh. “It’s a way to introduce you and your fam-ily to it in a low cost and low maintenance way.”

CREATING AN ECOSYSTEM

Besides involving kids in the planting, growing and harvesting process, though, there are a number of other ways to get even toddlers playing in the garden.

A favorite landscaping trick of Wood’s is to use an old toy as a planter. This might make gardening seem like more fun to your child. If your kids are younger and not ready to actually plant yet, an old toy dumptruck will do the trick for them to dig in and get dirty with some soil.

The fun doesn’t have to revolve around the act of gar-dening itself, though. Kids can help contribute to the yard’s ecosystem by hanging Mason bee houses or mak-ing a holder for bird nesting material.

“Mason bees don’t pro-duce honey,” Wood ex-plained. “They pack mud into the little holes in its nest. If you have orchards or need a pollinator, these will passively live in your yard and help your vegetables be healthier.”

To make a holder for bird nesting material, anything organic or natural is con-sidered safe to use. If it’s aesthetically pleasing, that’s

just a bonus for the yard!“The best materials are

natural cotton or strips of fabric, six- to eight-inch strips of natural fibers and paper products,” explained Wood. “I would avoid plastics. You can use straw, or feathers are great, too.”

Stuff the materials into a straw orb or hanging gourd, and birds will flock to it for comfortable bedding.

When it comes down to it, Kokesh and Wood agree that it’s important to do what’s best for your own family. Busy families who don’t want to commit to an annual gar-den may opt for a straw bale garden, while others might want to work the garden into the yard’s landscape theme as a whole.

“This can give the kids a bit of responsibility and also bring the family together,” said Kokesh. “It’s s o m e -thing they all can re-late to.”

Old toys can make for fun planters

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