Playing with scale: from our 2010 idea house, smart ways to create big impact without adding on

With our 2010 Sunset Dream Remodel, our goal was to make the most out of a small house (1,400 square feet) on a not-much-bigger lot. Built when the Silicon Valley was known for producing crops instead of chips, this 90-year-old Spanish-style bungalow in Los Gatos, California, by now needed a makeover and a new location, as it faced a very busy boulevard. Since we couldn't move the three-bedroom house to another site, we did the next best thing: reoriented it toward a side street. Then we gutted it, adding a modest 117 square feet, and reconfigured it with an eye toward using the space smartly and stylishly. The result: a thoroughly modern small home that lives Large.

BY SARAH GAFFNEY | PHOTOGRAPHS BY THOMAS J. STORYBy varying ceiling heights and removing walls, we made the public spaces look bigger and, in the process, created a view stretching from the front door to the backyard.

BY SARAH GAFFNEY | PHOTOGRAPHS BY THOMAS J. STORY

WIN..WIN..WIN

WE'RE giving three lucky readers the chance to transform their homes thanks to The National Home Improvement Show and Homebase - with a pounds 10,000 kitchen, a pounds 5,000 bathroom and a pounds 5,000 bedroom to be won in our pounds 20,000 home makeover competition.

Call 0901 609 2297 and follow instructions OR Text SMHOME2 then a space and your answer (a, b or c), name, address & postcode to 84080. For details of goods and services which may be of interest start your text SMHOME2IN. OR enter at www.sundaymirror.co.uk/ competitionsFor lots more info on the Homebase kitchen, bathroom and Schreiber Bedroom range you can visit www.homebase.co.ukNINE out of 10 customers recommend Homebase's award-winning bathroom installation service (available to purchase).a) Double b) Queen c) KingALL Homebase kitchens come with 10-year product guarantee. Homebase also offer the UK's best installation service (available to purchase).IN our third Homes & Holidays contest with The National Home Improvement Show and Homebase we're giving you the chance to make the most of your bedroom - pounds 5,000 will go to a lucky winner to spend on a dream bedroom.Q. Who is the City Gardener?A pounds 5k dream BEDROOMIN our second contest one lucky winner will get pounds 5,000 to spend on the bathroom of their dreams. Homebase have 30 styles of suites and shower enclosures so our winner will be spoilt for choice.A pounds 5k dream BATHROOMpounds 20k Homebase makeovers up for grabsIn our first fab contest one lucky reader will get pounds 10,000 to spend on the kitchen of their dreams. Homebase have more choice than ever with 26 stunning kitchen designs, more than 50 worktops and over 700 appliances to choose from. If you're looking for ideas, hurry to the National Home Improvement Show at London's Earls Court, which ends today. TV experts Michael Holmes, Julia Kendell, Matt James and Charlie Luxton will be there.TICKETS for The National Home Improvement Show - which ends TODAY - are pounds 12 on the door. For more information and seminar schedules see www.improveyourhomeshow.co.uk or call 0844 581 0802.FOR ALL 3 COMPETITIONS 1. Lines close 6pm Friday, October 8, 2010. BT landline calls cost 60p per min, max two mins. Other landline operators/payphones/mobiles may vary. Texts/ online entries cost pounds 1 each plus std network rate. 2. One winner (UK homeowner aged 18/over) selected at random after lines close from all correct entries. 3. Each prize includes delivery but not installation (winner's responsibility) and will be awarded as a voucher valid until Sept 30, 2011. No refund in lieu of underspend. 4. Prizes published in other Trinity Mirror titles, not transferable, no whole/part cash alternatives. 5. Std Trinity Mirror plc Rules apply, see www.sundaymirror.co.uk/rules. SP: Telecom Express Ltd, Tel: 0870 487 4870Correctly answer this question for a chance to win: Q. Which tradesman would you use to install a bathroom?Correctly answer this question for a chance to win:TERMS & CONDITIONSa) Plumber b) Electrician c) RooferHOW TO ENTERCorrectly answer this question for a chance to win: Q. Which bed is biggest?a) Charlie Luxton b) Matt James c) Julia KendellCall 0901 609 2296 and follow instructions. OR Text SMHOME then a space and your answer (a, b or c), name, address & postcode to 84080. For details of goods and services which may be of interest start your text SMHOMEIN. OR enter at www.sundaymirror.co.uk/ competitions

pounds 20k Homebase makeovers up for grabs

All about action: Woman entrepreneur to offer nuts and bolts of

Tory Johnson was sitting on a million-dollar idea, but didn't realize it.

Many businesswomen just starting out want to focus on developing their product or service - anything but selling their product," Johnson said. "Yet, where there are no sales, there is no business.""It is the feat factor: They spend a lot of time crossing their 't's' and dotting their 'i's' and it is planning, planning, planning. I'll ask someone how long they have been planning and they say, 'Oh, a year.' That is not planning, that is stalling."Like the name of the conference, "Spark & Hustle," Johnson is all about action.A business starts with an idea, a dream, a goal - that spark, Johnson said."But it takes sales too," she said. "And most women do not like to sell, especially when it is something for themselves. We are so much better at selling someone else or something else.""It is about learning the tips, tricks and tactics to start a business," Johnson said."Or they want to turn a $200,000 business into a $400,000 business - the common theme from New York to L.A., or in Tulsa - no one wants to be getting a pink slip while supporting the family," Johnson said.The conference is practical, Johnson said.In her conferences, she covers the basics, including mistakes that women make when launching a small business, ways to watch profits grow, ways to start a business without any money and how to use social media to start or grow a small business.While Johnson has been all over the U.S., she arrived in Oklahoma for the first time this month.Next year, Johnson plans to hold conferences in Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Chicago, Boston, Orlando and Atlanta.Sadly, she said, people are tempted to over-think the process.Morrison, determined to bring Johnson to Tulsa for a conference, enlisted friends to send encouraging notes to Johnson on Facebook and Twitter.Whether women want to turn a $40,000 business into an $80,000 business, the fact is people want to be in control of their finances, Johnson said."This is nuts and bolts on making money and what to do when you sit at the kitchen table and decide to start," she said. "There are not a whole lot of theories. This is about making it simple and making it happen.""They just need to pull the trigger and do it," Johnson said."I talk to women all over the country and there are so many common threads that bring us together," Johnson said. "Wherever they are from, women have the great desire to make money for their family: Maybe it is to make up for a too small paycheck, or maybe their spouse lost their job, or there was a divorce, or the kids are in college and need money."Johnson is coming to Tulsa on Feb. 10 to 12 for a conference at the Hilton Tulsa Southern Hills. Johnson will be in Tulsa because Cindy Morrison, a former television news anchor, benefited from an Atlanta event.Yet an obstacle Johnson sees in women - and men - with kick- starting their business is procrastination.Today, Johnson is CEO of Women For Hire and a Good Morning America workplace contributor. She tours the country with her conference tour called "Spark & Hustle.""There is something to be said for planning, but there is only so much planning you can do. People are creating a five-year plan and they've not made a dime yet," Johnson said. "It is so hard to know what will happen in five years, or what will happen a year from now."Johnson was suddenly fired from a job she loved. With twin babies, she needed to make a decent living to support her family. In 1999, she started a women's career recruitment services business in the corner of her bedroom. Her goals were simple: to make a living and help other women find jobs.What Johnson has seen repeatedly is that people might have a terrific idea, but take too long to launch it.

"This is nuts and bolts on making money and what to do when you sit at the kitchen table and decide to start," she said. "There are not a whole lot of theories. This is about making it simple and making it happen."

Top 10 ..Family ski hols from just pounds 289pp

TO book today or for more Travel Top 10 ideas simply go to www.sundaymirror.co.uk/travel/top10

Go to www.sundaymirror.co.uk/travel/top10A TRADITIONAL, picture-postcard Swiss hideaway with snowsure slopes and car-free streets plus a dramatic glacier for an impossibly scenic backdrop. Apres-ski starts with shots at Nesti's Ski Bar and there is plenty of choice that goes on late into the night.KNOWN for its riotous aprs ski, with a range of bars and clubs second to none, Mayrhofen is a top place to learn to ski or board. Passes cover five extensive intermediate resorts in the Zillertal valley.The traditional village has a nice cow byre feel, with stone and wooden inns and pensions, while the row of modern hotels at the base of the wide mellow slopes offer frills like pools and spas at rock bottom prices. After dinner, parents can have a little flutter in the casino, while experienced nannies watch the kids.The skiing, on both sides of a wide valley, has runs for everyone, ranging from wide motorways to steep and narrow "couloirs".THE DEAL: Direct Ski has seven nights at the two-star centrally located Hotel Arinsal from pounds 319pp halfboard (two sharing) with London-Toulouse flights and transfers. Beginners' ski packages, six- day equipment hire, tuition and lift pass cost pounds 216, intermediates pounds 224.4. SAAS FEE, SWITZERLANDSLOVENIA leading resort in the Julian Alps near the border with Austria is a paradise for beginners and families.SET in the heavily forested Rhodope Mountains, Pamporovo is Bulgaria's friendliest resort. The mountain is ideal for beginners and intermediates, with a ring of welcoming mountain huts on the top. The nightlife, led by Brit Steve Clark in his White Hart pub, is a riot. BJs in the Hotel Perelik comes a close second.THE DEAL: Crystal Ski has the four-star ski-in, ski-out Hotel du Col from pounds 587pp (two sharing), seven nights' half-board, unlimited wine with dinner, flights from Stansted and transfers. Go to www.sundaymirror.co.uk/travel/top10THE DEAL: Family Ski Company offers seven nights at Chalet Hotel La Collina in a family room/double and twin for two adults/two children, from pounds 509pp, pounds 438 child, half-board, including flights to Geneva and transfers. Go to www.sundaymirror.co.uk/ travel/top10THE DEAL: Ski Independence has 2-star Residence Antares from pounds 764, the 3-star Residence Les Balcons du Soleil from pounds 900, seven nights' selfcatering in a two-room apartment for four and FlexiPlus Eurotunnel tickets. Discovery package: ski hire for two adults, pounds 84 each, equipment for two kids free.DUTY free Andorra's ski blueprint has always been cheap and cheerful, and nowhere more so than in Arinsal. Expect hardcore bar action with funky DJs, theme nights and Sky Sports. El Derby is Irish, Cisco's Mexican, El Moli for cocktails, Black Bull for Full English.THE DEAL: First Choice Ski has the four-star Hotel Alpina from pounds 1,312 for seven nights' half board for two adults and two kids, including Gatwick-Salzburg flights and transfers.THE DEAL: Thomson Ski has seven nights at the Mayerhofen Ski Area Guesthouses - B&B from pounds 360, half-board from pounds 466 with Gatwick-Salzburg flights, transfers and two-for-one lift passes in January. Go to www.sundaymirror.co.uk/travel/top10Seven nights' self-catering from pounds 449pp, including flights from Gatwick or Manchester to Innsbruck, transfers, lift pass and equipment hire.A BIG high resort in the north-east near the Swiss border, Livigno's duty-free status makes for great savings, especially when it comes to shopping for cameras and clothes.5. AVORIAZ, FRANCE1. LIVIGNO, ITALYTHE DEAL: Zenith Holidays has seven nights' half-board for two adults and two kids at four-star Hotel Tri Studnicky, from pounds 2,656, or two-star Hotel Ski, from pounds 2,335, including transfers from Krakow airport, six-day lift passes, equipment hire and half- day lessons. Gatwick easyJet flights (www.easyjet.com). Go to www.sundaymirror.co.uk/travel/top1010. COURCHEVEL, FRANCETHE DEAL: Neilson has threestar Galli Apartments, one or two bedrooms, 50 metres from the lifts.7. KRANJSKA GORA, SLOVENIA'SCOSMOPOLITAN Sestriere, venue for the main Alpine ski events in the Turin Olympics in 2006, is a key link in the Milky Way circuit straddling the Franco-Italian border. Ski forever on a single lift pass, exploring everything this fine area has to offer: including rural San Sicario and fun-loving Sauze d'Oulx, or try the Olympic bob run or an afternoon with a team of huskies.Marco's and Daphne's are lively pubs, and the Pick Up club goes on until late, late, late...A SKI-IN, ski-out village in the Three Valleys with a gondola link into the main slopes above Courchevel 1850. The runs back to 1650 are on the easy side of blue - very encouraging for beginners with ambitions to go to faraway places. There's lots going on in the evenings at substantially lower prices than in glitzy 1850.6. SESTRIERE, ITALYWIN A skiing hol next week2. PAMPOROVO, BULGARIAHAILED as the benchmark for purpose-built good value apartments for 40 years, Avoriaz - the best gateway to the huge Franco-Swiss Portes du Soleil ski circuit - is embracing a four-star future for 2011-12.8. MAYRHOFEN, AUSTRIA3. JASNA, SLOVAKIATHOUGH less well known than its eastern European rivals, Slovakia is very much a rising star. Jasna, in the Low Tatras, near the Polish border, is the best resort, a modern Alpine-style complex with varied slopes.9. ARINSAL, ANDORRATHE DEAL: Inghams has seven nights' half-board in the three-star Hotel Perelik, from pounds 289pp (two sharing) with flights Gatwick- Sofia and transfers.

WIN A skiing hol next week

Be like Dwight: Dwight Freeney's old-school work ethic and determination are the modern athlete's template for excellence

BRADY SMITH WATCHED DWIGHT FREENEY from a safe distance. Close enough not to miss anything but far enough away to keep from looking like one of them--the hordes of onlookers who represent an unnecessary distraction to the notoriously private superstar defensive end from the Indianapolis Colts.

"Listen, man," he says, liberally sprinkling sea salt onto a hunk of bison steak, which accounts for the lion's share of a diet specifically tailored to his blood type. "I played four years in college, and spending [nine] years in the NFL means I've played two more full college careers after that. When your body takes that kind of abuse, you've got to take care of it. This is a marathon now."There's no rags-to-riches redemption tale here, though. Freeney's transition to football was never the story of some diamond-in-the-rough kid who was set on a righteous path through the lessons he learned on the gridiron. The work ethic and ferocity that render him virtually unstoppable to offensive tackles a head taller and 50 pounds heavier were in place even as a high school freshman.For NFL teams, drafting players has become a high-stakes proposition over the past few decades. When you combine exorbitant player salaries and bonuses with the impact a high draft pick can have on a team's future success, franchises stand to gain--or, perhaps more important, lose--hundreds of millions of dollars based on individual personnel decisions. Football executives take their jobs seriously, and they perform their due diligence regarding the background and character of players they're considering.Freeney's marathon consists of caring for his body, studying his opponents' every nuance and making sure all the pieces of the puzzle are in place to keep his magnificent run--with his enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame already assured--going as long as possible. "I like getting away from things and going to places like California to train because everyone's in a workout frame of mind, and that's all I need to think about without all the distractions," he says. "New York isn't workout-friendly. When you see someone running there, chances are he's running from the cops."Perhaps it was because Smith had kept his distance long enough to gain some degree of trust. Or maybe it was because Freeney wants to see football played the right way. His way. There could've been any number of reasons why he stayed on that field with Smith, running full speed through another hour of the same brutally taxing football drills, showing the young player the right way to get things done. Paying it forward.Over the past nine years, Freeney has left a trail of broken tackles and tight ends in his wake, crushed and befuddled by his patented repertoire of spin moves and bull-rushes, but it's the quarterback they're charged with protecting who has borne the brunt of Freeney's fury. With 89 career sacks at press time, he has joined the NFL's all-time leaders in the category and in the process essentially redefined the position of defensive end, long the province of men much taller and heavier than the 6'1", 268-pound Freeney.Anyone who has followed Freeney's career since his Syracuse days is familiar with his weight-room reputation. His bench, squat and clean numbers are still legendary in college football circles. After battling in the NFL trenches for nine years, however, that type of training doesn't exactly align with Freeney's stated goal of career longevity. "Am I strong enough?" he asks. "Absolutely, Fm strong enough. Nobody cares how much you squat or clean or how fast you run the 40 in the NFL. I know what I used to bench, but now? I'm going to lift that heavy and risk blowing out a pec muscle and being out for the season? That's not smart.""Bloomfield gets a bad rap in Connecticut because of our diversity," Waszkelewicz says. "But the way Dwight makes up for his lack of height and size with sheer determination is a perfect fit for this town and always has been. He was the perfect student from day one. You never had to worry about Dwight. He's just a natural."From Bloomfield High School in Connecticut to Syracuse University (New York) to nine years with the Indianapolis Colts, Freeney has been rock-solid since the day he first stepped on an athletic field. In fact, it was his prowess as a ninth-grade soccer goalie that first garnered the attention of the football coaches at Bloomfield.Under Capretta's supervision, Freeney and several other NFL players regularly run through a series of outdoor conditioning drills in the hills behind Agoura High School (Agoura Hills, California). He'll flip tires, run hill sprints and work on his get-off"--the speed and explosiveness with which he can come out of a three-point stance--in a sand pit restrained by bungee cords.Waszkelewicz tells the story of a playoff game in Freeney's junior year. He doesn't remember who Bloomfield played; it could've been either Branford or North Branford, but that's not important. What's important is it was a Friday-night game with rented lights, a packed house and the crisp air of autumn electricity unique to small-town New England football in late November."If I play against a veteran guy I know I have to bring it," he says. "I can't wait to play against a young boy from a learning-curve standpoint He's got to catch up, and believe me, I'm gonna catch him up as fast as I can.""Dwight was playing fullback," Waszkelewicz says. "He took the ball outside the tackle and one of their cornerbacks stepped up to make a play. He came up and hit Dwight solidly in the thigh and it was like everything just stopped. You could hear the sound of that hit throughout the stadium; everyone just gasped. Dwight crushed the kid. We knew then he was something special.""Dwight's an old-school guy," Capretta says. "He wants to go all-out all the time, but when you've been in the NFL as long as he has, you have to find a way to keep that fire under your ass without burning yourself out It's really about staying powerful as he gets fatigued without heaping unnecessary abuse on him at this stage of his career."The public wouldn't understand what Freeney was doing in a small bedroom community 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles and 3,000 miles away from his home in Connecticut. Smith knew, but the idea of seeing arguably the NFL's most intimidating player--one who has mastered the same position Smith plays on the junior-college level at nearby Moorpark College--toiling away in obscurity on his high school field was enough to make him skittish about approaching.A Super Bowl ring and five Pro Bowl appearances later, Freeney has the life of a professional athlete down to a science. From his finances to his training to the blinders he uses to keep the outside world at bay, the guy could write the book on how things should be done. You never hear of Freeney's exploits off the field because with the exception of his charity work, his mind and spirit essentially never leave the field."Dwight was dog-tired that day," remembers Ryan Capretta, one of Freeney's two off-season strength and conditioning coaches. "I mean, his bag drills are just ridiculous. And you have to remember, Dwight is a really 'to himself type of guy, so it probably wasn't the best time for Brady to come up and ask him a question."Freeney's weight-room foundation, through years of work with legendary Syracuse University strength and conditioning coach Bill Hicks, was already well-established by the time he started spending parts of his off-season in California with Capretta."We had about 23 kids on the team at the time," says Paul Waszkelewicz, Freeney's high school defensive-line coach. "It was true, old-school iron-man football, so we were always on the lookout for new guys. The first thing that stood out about Dwight as a soccer goalie was he was big, quick and had great hands. We knew we had to have him playing football."

For NFL teams, drafting players has become a high-stakes proposition over the past few decades. When you combine exorbitant player salaries and bonuses with the impact a high draft pick can have on a team's future success, franchises stand to gain--or, perhaps more important, lose--hundreds of millions of dollars based on individual personnel decisions. Football executives take their jobs seriously, and they perform their due diligence regarding the background and character of players they're considering.

My boyfriend's photo wall's a mess.. can you put him in the picture?

MY boyfriend has a wall of fitted wardrobes in his bedroom. He has stuck photos to the painted wooden doors to help liven up the space.

Then you can use magnetic photo frames, usually sold as fridge magnets to stick the photos to the doors. Dwell (www.dwell. co.uk, 0845 675 9090) sell them for pounds 3.95 for six.ZENA SAYS: I think this idea would look fab. First paint the doors with magnetic paint - pounds 17.99 for 0.473 litre from www.kidicraft.co.uk (0113 8150086).It's a completely safe, nontoxic, water-based emulsion paint which contains very fine iron powder and will make any surface magnetic.As it's a dull grey colour you'll need to paint over the doors with a normal emulsion in your colour of choice.But they're simply stuck on to the doors with Blu-Tac and look a bit amateurish. The walls need some decoration, but can you suggest a better way of showing off his photos please? - Roberta Crook, Dudley, West Midlands

Look around because you can buy all sorts of unusual and decorative magnetic photo frames.

Holidays

4&5 Our Top10 ways to spend the long Easter break.. from UK to long-haul

12&13 Blossoming ideas for Mother's Day gifts next Sunday16&17 Stylists spill the secrets of how to get that boutique look for your bedroom19 Our Top10 hot buys to treat mum to breakfast in bed, plus our lookalikesHomes11 Join Wills and Kate on the island of Anglesey for a perfect family escape8&9 All the buzz on cheap and trendy Belgrade, plus our expert travel advice14&15 Low tax, great beaches..would you make the move to Alderney?

19 Our Top10 hot buys to treat mum to breakfast in bed, plus our lookalikes