Home and Garden

I remembered the day my parents moved out of the home they owned for more than 40 years. I could not imagine living in one house for all those years, but that was not unusual for people who bought in 1949.

Today, according to the National Association of Realtors’ 2016 Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trendsreport, homebuyers between the ages of 61 and 69 expect to stay in their homes the longest when compared to all other age groups, at 20 years. Buyers ages 36-60 and those 70-90 all expect to stay in the homes they purchase for 15 years, while buyers 35 and younger expect to be in their newly bought homes for 10 years.

THERE ARE FEW THINGS MORE FUN OR RELAXING THAN AN EARLY MORNING SWIM OR A SOAK IN A NICE WARM SPA AFTER A HARD DAY AT THE OFFICE.

With many new and beautiful styles of pools available today, it’s easy to find one that will add value to your home while keeping you happy and healthy.

Indigo Run home infused attention to detail, craftsmanship and design into the year-long project

Jim and Nell Kelly love living the Lowcountry lifestyle in their new Lowcountry-style home at the exclusive Golf Club at Indigo Run community on Hilton Head.

Make sure your HVAC system is prepared for a long, hot summer

Centralized heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems are an unsafe haven for mold, bacteria, dust and other airborne materials if not maintained on a regular basis. HVAC units can send these health hazards traveling  through air ducts and, when dirty, can attract insects, dust mites, dander, droppings and rodents.

When you are buying or selling real estate, it might not even cross your mind that the safety of your home and personal information could be at risk during the transaction process. Typically, sellers know to clean closets, declutter rooms and freshen paint. But it is also important that you secure your home — after all, strangers will be walking through your home during showings. Realtors do their best to to interview prospective buyers and take all precautions when showing your home, but you can help by alleviating temptation.

Hot pink and other bright colors, kitchen desks, Whirlpool bathtubs, over-the-range microwaves, tiled counters, matching furniture and arched faucets all had their day in many Lowcountry kitchens and bathrooms.

Now it’s white/gray color schemes in the kitchen, transitional style design, wood flooring, outdoor kitchens, coffee stations and wet bars, storage pullouts, floating vanities in the master bathroom and freestanding tubs.

Tuscan style of Colleton River home takes owners back to the Mediterranean

Sitting in his spacious Tuscan-style home in Colleton River Plantation may be the closest that Angelo Guagliano and his wife Valerie get to embracing his homeland—without actually being there.

Sure, they visit Italy often, but they wanted to replicate the Mediterranean ambiance in their sprawling 6,500-square-foot home in the Lowcountry with distinctive architecture and customized interior design.

Do you know the No. 1 tip for becoming a fruitful vegetable gardener?

Gardening gurus like Laura Lee Rose, the consumer horticulture agent for Beaufort County Clemson Extension and coordinator for the Master Gardener program, will tell you to first consider what you like to eat. “Make a list of your family’s favorite vegetables,” Rose said. “This will help you plot out your garden and ensure you eat what you grow, which is really the fun part.”

In 1951, there was one hotel on Hilton Head Island: the Sea Crest on North Forest Beach Drive. It had a grand total of two rooms, but expanded to eight by 1960.

The Sea Crest was built because day-trippers to this little-known island “were constantly getting stranded, having missed the last ferry trip of the day back to Buckingham Landing,” according to a newspaper column by Jim Littlejohn from the files of the Heritage Library on Hilton Head.