Homes and Hues

Some Home Improvements are Tax DeductibleAny time you make a major repair or improvement to your home, you want to keep all your receipts forever, for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons is the possibility of a tax deduction. Sure, tax season is over, but the possibility of deducting work on your house may make you think twice about the decisions you make going into the project. Most regular maintenance on a home is not tax deductible. But there are three areas that you need to pay close attention to in what you spend and what you purchase. Big improvements in your property might not be deductible for the year you install them, but will be important when you sell the house. These capital improvements can be added to the original purchase price of the home, and then be deducted from the selling price, therefore reducing your capital gains tax when you sell. That's why receipts should be kept forever. Improvements on a business property fall under different rules. Certain improvements can be deducted or be subject to depreciation, depending on whether the building is a business, or rental property, or if you make a living in a home office. The rules for these situations are kind of complicated. But the best way to get a deduction for your home improvement is with energy efficiency. New insulation, heating and cooling systems, certain doors and windows, and solar panels are all tax deductible in the year you install them. And for the next few years, that includes the cost of installation, too. However, the particular purchase matters, and the percentage that can be deducted varies. Check what you are buying, because spending just a few more dollars now for a qualifying energy-efficient improvement may save you lots more when tax time comes. These methods of making a home improvement into a tax benefit are all explained in detail at Architectural Digest.(Image credit: Jaggery) 

The Difference Between a Castle and a PalaceRecently we directed you to an explanation of the Stately Home vs. a Manor House, because you want to be accurate in describing the mansion you are going to buy. Number One London is continuing the series with the information you need to distinguish a castle from a palace, although the terms are not altogether mutually exclusive. And the terms apply mostly in Britain, where such edifices flourished in the medieval period. In America, a man's home is his castle, and a woman is queen of her palace. A castle in the classic sense was built as both a home and a military installation to defend the home. A palace is where the king and/or queen lives, although the term has also come to be used for the biggest and fanciest homes for upper nobility and clergy, and in modern times, the president of some countries. Palace is not an English term, and has been used around the world. There are a lot more details within these definitions, and you'll find the particulars of each of these terms, and the many exceptions throughout history, at Number One London. -via Strange Company(Image credit: Antony McCallum/WyrdLight.com) 

Stay in the Up! House for Your VacationIf you loved the Pixar movie Up!, you'll be thrilled at the opportunity to stay in real floating house with balloons just like Carl and Ellie's house in the movie! Airbnb made it happen for the 15th anniversary of the film. The house in Abiquiu, New Mexico, has the iconic look inside and out, plus 8,000 balloons, and it floats 50 feet in the air!

Diversify Your Garden with Endangered Heirloom Grains and VegetablesYou might grow the same vegetables in your garden year after year because you like them, but maybe you should expand your taste with foods you've never tried before. Growing different crops is good for your soil, too. This year, you can try out a collection from the Ark of Taste. They collect heritage varieties of plants from all over the world with the aim of preserving those endangered varieties and introducing you to the kaleidoscope of the world's bounty. Every year, the Ark of Taste offers a different Plant a Seed collection. For 2024, the collection includes three root crops: Pardailhan Black Turnip, Mangelwurzel Beet, and the the Wisconsin Purple Carrot. It also has four grain crops: Cocke’s Prolific Corn (once thought to be extinct), Coral Sudanese Sorghum, Purple Karma Barley, and Red Fife Wheat. You may think you don't have rooms to grow grains, but you can get 20 pounds of barley from a 10'x10' plot!Atlas Obscura talked to Mara Welton of Slow Food USA about each of these crops, why should grow them and what to expect from them. Each has a story and offers incredible taste compared to the common hybrid seeds gardeners are used to growing. Read that interview, and you'll want to do something completely different with your garden this year. -via Nag on the Lake(Image credit: Anathea Utley)

The Secret Passage Behind the Coke MachineZillow features a lakeside mansion for sale in Plymouth, Minnesota. It's an extraordinary home that shows how much thought and detail the owners put into decorating a house that is truly unforgettable. Not only is the house a work of art; it is also filled with unusual works of art.I mean, how would you even find wallpaper showing sensual nudes? But find such wallpaper they did.But my favorite part of the house is this door that looks just like an antique Coke machine. It might have been a Coke machine at some point.

Two Historic Araby Rock Homes Are Up For GrabsHave you ever considered living in a stone house like The Flintstones? The most ancient building material is also the sturdiest, best insulating, and can be exceedingly beautiful. But there are drawbacks to living in a rock home, including the difficulty of dealing with modern plumbing and electrical systems, and how hard it is to change or expand the house itself. Add in a historic designation, and you can see how it will take just the right buyer to purchase either of the two iconic Araby rock homes now on the market for the first time in 45 years.