Walk-in showers with more space and bars for support help those with physical limitations.

Housing trends of the past have been dominated by the needs of the Baby Boomers. Boomers will continue to influence housing trends by moving into smaller homes. Equally important, they are looking for homes they have been designed to allow for aging-in-place. Aging-in-place spaces are ADA complaint, meaning they are designed to accommodate the physical demands of seniors as well as disabled people of all ages. Boomers also want these spaces to be beautiful, efficient and relaxing. Read the full story

A finch paused on a branch at the Abersham site one recent afternoon. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

A complicated $3.7 million deal for the 243-acre former Abersham development was completed two weeks ago, allowing Mecklenburg County to take over the site for open space and a future public park.

The Davidson Lands Conservancy and other nature lovers and supporters of open space preservation are wasting no time to begin celebrating the deal. They’ll offer a “sneak peek” of the future park on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2-4 p.m., when the conservancy hosts its annual meeting and a nature festival at the site, off Grey and Shearer roads in northeast Davidson. Read the full story

The picture illustrates several styles of well built furniture

The term upholstered furniture refers to sofas, loveseats and chairs that are covered with fabric and have little or no exposed wood. With so many  manufacturers and styles, it can be confusing knowing what to look for and what to ask about to ensure that you select good quality pieces that will hold up to wear and that can be reupholstered down the road.  First, not all upholstered furniture you see is built the same way because so much is hidden from view. Read the full story

A comfortable dining room begins with a scaled floor plan.

To successfully decorate a room for regular use, while addressing its overall appearance, requires several different steps.

To begin, you will need to establish the furniture layout and allow for a good traffic pattern. You could just randomly place the furniture in the room and adjust it if it does not look right where you placed it. While this may work, it may not give you the best layout for the room. A more effective method is to develop a scaled floor plan that you follow. This will ensure that you allow for comfortable traffic paths that are between 2 ft.-6 in. and 3 ft. wide. However if the space needs to be set up for accessibility, you may need to allow for wider paths to accommodate the turning requirements of a wheelchair. Read the full story

Home sales across the Charlotte region in September rebounded strongly from a year ago, but fell from August, while prices declined from both August and a year ago, the Charlotte Regional Realtor Association said Monday. Read the full story

Saussy Burbank's projects include Davidson Pointe, on Lake Davidson. (Saussy Burbank photo)

CHARLOTTE – Longtime Carolinas’ homebuilders Saussy Burbank and McNeill Burbank, which have been building homes as one company since 2001, said Monday they are combining their two brands as well – under the Saussy Burbank name. Read the full story