April 2018 – Our Home & Garden Issue

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We closed on our first home at the end of October.

Ah, the joys of homeownership. (If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that …)

It’s no surprise that we had a few tasks to tackle. Hardware stores became our second homes as we searched for tools we never needed before, floodlights, doorstops. But then, AT&T hit our sewer line when they were laying down fiber, which led to multiple issues that took weeks and weeks to fix; we think everything’s OK now. We went to mulch the incredible amount of leaves that had blanketed our half-acre in the fall, and our lawn mower wouldn’t start. The 10 inches of snow that fell in January brought down a portion of a cedar tree and caused the exhaust fan in our master bath to start making a grating noise. (That led us to discover that these fans had no ductwork attached to them – great, right?)

I could go on, but I know these woes would just lead to that same aforementioned quip. So, there was some sense of personal investment in thinking up several of the stories for our “Shelter” home and garden section. I hope you will also be able to take away quick ideas for re-organizing your closets, home offices and pantries (page 38), spruce up your home with our local decor finds (page 42) or get some good advice on how to get your house and garden spring-ready (page 45).

We haven’t had a housewarming party yet. We haven’t even unpacked all our boxes, we’re waiting to find the right furniture for our den, and we need to finish deciding the layout of the living room.

But one thing’s for sure: This is our home, and we have the freedom to make it whatever we want. That is the true joy of homeownership. – Amanda MacLaren, executive editor

Click below to flip through our April 2018 issue and let us know what you think by dropping a line to editorial@legacy.durhammag.com.

To get to a specific section, click on the articles below.

FEATURES

38 ORGANIZE THIS!
Ideas for home offices, closets and pantries

42 SHOP LOCAL
Lovely spring finds to spruce up your pad

45 GET YOUR HOME READY FOR SPRING
Advice from the experts and tips for environmentally conscious yards and gardens

50 HOME IMPROVEMENT
Kind hearts and a little elbow grease helped this family stay in their house

54 WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT LIVING IN WATTS-HILLANDALE
This National Historic District is more than 100 years old, but its social and active residents maintain its vibrancy

60 DEAL ESTATE
How far does your home-buying dollar go?

62 LIVING IN A GLASS HOUSE
How a couple turned their traditional brick ranch into a striking modern home

DEPARTMENTS AND COLUMNS

8 The Scene
PictureDURM helps us showcase images curated by locals

10 Go.See.Do.
The hottest spring events

22 In Their Words
Duke’s Dr. David S. Pisetsky concludes his thoughts on town-gown relations from our February/March issue; author Carl W. Kenney II shares retired police chief Steve Chalmers passion project, Men of Vision; and Bites of Bull City blogger Amber Watson talks about how the city’s growth affects our restaurant scene

28 Noted
What we’ve heard around town …

36 Adopt A Pet
We’ve got a couple cute pups and a snuggly guinea pig from The Animal Protection Society of Durham who are looking for homes!

78 Taste
Discover our city’s best restaurants

81 Sip
Bring a few friends to split Saint James Seafood’s Polynesian Paralysis

83 Savor
A special Chinese dish at Geer Street Garden

87 Engagement & Wedding
Tying the knot, Bull City-style

CITY PICS

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