THE NETWORX TEAM ANSWERS: What makes a house a home?

Welcome to Networx Team Answers, your opportunity to get to know the Networx team. I am a huge fan of these writers. They are funny and dedicated and they are some of the most down-to-Earth, understanding people you will meet. I hope you will get to know them and come back to read their stories. --Chaya (Networx.com's editor)

Ann: Arranging the space for a feeling of safety and flow, plus a comfortable place to sit and read, are my most important requirements for making a space feel like home.  A chair near a window with good light nearby puts me right into my own little world – my home – no matter where the "place" actually is.  Familiar belongings always help, but I've found that objects are less necessary than comfort and a sense of balance. Check out: Feng Shui for Bathrooms by Ann.

Cris: What makes my house a home is often the people whom I live with.  Home to me is about safety and emotional ease (even if it can't always be that way).  Home also means a place that is clean, orderly, and the keeper of memories I've collected along the way represented by the objects I choose to have around me. Check out: Organizing the House for ADHD Relief by Cris.

David: One of my favorite places I ever lived was the second floor of an old building originally constructed in the 1880s in center city Atlanta. There was a funny wig shop downstairs called "The Soul Train" and the space I was in had been a nightspot called the Espanola Club sometime in the 1930s. I was always happy there – probably because of friends and good times mixed with funky, unusual décor I picked out myself from various junk and antique shops and yard sales. The people that visited often, the building's rich sense of history and the furniture and art I chose was me to the core. That made it feel like home. Check out: Pesky Pests Your Pet Can Bring Inside by David.

Kevin: I would have to put my down pillow on this list. In the rare number of times traveling and using a hotel...the supplied pillow have never felt right, as they are always some over-stuffed foam bag.  Sometimes I can rough it camping and may use a rolled up fleece jacket, but our recent trips to the cabin have me bringing my favorite back and forth. Check out: Tips for Firearm Storage at Home by Kevin.

Phil: It's a combination of the things you change and the things you keep. The big brick fireplace dominating the living room of our 1951 Ranch was a big selling point for us, but we had mixed feelings about the wood-stove insert that jutted into the room, installed by a previous owner. After spending the first winter with the iron behemoth, we decided to ditch it (which is easier said than done, since it weighed about 600 pounds). Turned out to be one of the best improvements we've made. Now the fireplace is restored to its original streamlined 50s look, and we feel a real connection to the house whenever we use it (also easier said than done, since Denver is lousy with wood-burning restrictions). Check out: We Tested It: Homemade Driveway Deicers by Phil.

Sayward: I've lived in lots of places, from palaces to attics to a rambling minivan. In my opinion, the only thing that matters is the people who fill the space. The space itself is pretty insignificant, really. Check out: Top 20 Things to Do With Old Plastic Drink Bottles by Sayward.

Erica: A comfortable chair, a favorite pottery mug and a few fresh flowers from my garden make me feel at home. Sharing a meal with family and friends at our table makes a place feel like home too. Check out: The Magic of Banyan Trees by Erica.

Adam: In Chicago, during grad school, I knew I wouldn't live in that house for more than a year. I didn't invest in furniture or even a television; I didn't decorate much or get involved in the neighborhood. That apartment for me was very temporary; it served a purpose, but it never felt like home. It was just a place that I was living at for a while. Check out: 12 Ways to Up-cycle Plastic Bags by Adam.

So for me, home is a place where you transform the space - you bend it to make it yours. It's a building that you invest time and money into. There's a level of commitment required and the reward is that it's a cozy space on a rainy afternoon, a source of relief after a long stressful day, and a point of pride when hosting friends at a dinner party.

Chaya: Right now my husband and I live in a tiny apartment with bizarre heating and no closets. We are making do and getting by with a really small, not so wonderful place. The funny thing is, I like our apartment because it's ours (for now). When we sit down to eat dinner together, it doesn't matter to me that we have to catch rain water in a bucket. The apartment is home because we live there together, and that's what matters. Check out: The Art of Conquering Piles of Dirty Dishes by me.

Now it's YOUR turn! Tell US what makes a house a home for YOU. We love hearing your stories!