Rich jewel tone colors such as purple, yellow and burnt orange are on the upswing for this year, according to the Pantone Color Institute. Chinese red and black will continue their popularity.

Shimmering metal tones such as burnished gold, copper, warm silver and pewter with a golden undertone continue to be favored by consumers for accents.

Brighter shades will continue to dominate designer palettes, however a slight shift is underway toward cooler gray, purple and lavender. This color scheme was featured in a major home show in Paris just recently. Another new trend will be the vibrant, sometimes clashing colors found in Japanese comic books that will especially appeal to younger clients.

Building permits

When is a building permit needed? The Kitsap County Building & Fire Code states you must have a separate building permit for each building before you can erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, remove, convert or demolish any building or structure. Examples of items require a building permit are all new buildings and additions, residential storage buildings over 200 square feet, fences over six-feet high, retaining walls over four-feet tall, above-ground swimming pools more than 24-inches deep, all in-ground swimming pools, shoreline bulkheads, boat houses, building demolitions, moving a building, temporary buildings, all structural remodeling and residential re-roofing over 2,100 square feet.

For more on building permits go to the Kitsap County Department of Community Development Web site at www.kitsapgov.com/dcd/.

Residential exemptions

If you decide to improve your home, you may be eligible for a three-year property tax exemption on that improvement. Washington state law provides that the assessor may grant an improvement exemption up to 30 percent of the current assessed value of your home.

Request an exemption form from the assessor. You must provide a description of the improvement, when construction began, contractor and building permit information. When construction is completed, you must notify the assessor in writing. For three years, the taxable value of your home will not reflect the new construction value. At the end of the three-year exemption period, the value of your improvement will be added to the value of your home and the exemption will end. Please keep in mind that the exemption applies only to the new improvements. The assessed value of your home may increase, just as other property in the county increases during that three-year period. As long as you are in the exemption program, the improvement value will not be taxable, even in revaluation occurs. For information, call the Kitsap County Assessor’s Office at (360) 337-7160 or go to www.kitsapgov.com/assr/.

Contact Tracy and Kim Poole at Windermere, (360) 297-2661.