Pendant Lighting: Why It’s Important to Kitchen Design
Are you planning a kitchen renovation or looking to update your kitchen island lighting? Pendant lights have been on-trend and continue to be the most trending kitchen lighting for 2023. Often hung over an island or sink, kitchen pendant lights provide brilliance and...
Bringing the Hidden Costs for Remodeling Projects into the Light… Revisited
Updated from Bringing the Hidden Costs for Remodeling Projects into the Light, November 2020. Home Improvement Shows Make Radical Transformations on Small Budgets How do they do that? The short answer is there are often hidden costs or investments that homeowners must...
9 Home Design Trends for 2023
While your home should reflect your personal style, it may also reflect the current design trends. However, design trends shouldn’t be the dominating influence over your home’s aesthetic. Trends are a great way to glean inspiration and information; not to dictate your...
8 Tips for Choosing Paint Colors for Your Home
We’ve recently added two bedrooms and a bath in our attic for when all our adult kids and grandkids visit at once. I chose paint colors for the walls from my color swatches. Twice. And hated them both. Since then, I’ve done some research and learned some helpful tips...
Quartz Countertops and Sink Install Options
There are five common types of mounting installation options for a sink into your quartz countertop: drop-in, undermount (Zero Reveal, Positive Reveal and Negative Reveal) and farmhouse sink. Sink Type and Installation Top Mount/Drop-In Sink One of the easiest and...
Why is a Design Retainer Agreement Important to You?
As stated in What is a Design Retainer Agreement?, let’s discuss why it is critical for you as well as for us. Design Retainer Agreements, otherwise known as “fees paid in advance to procure future work and services”, are a standard and important part of doing...
What is a Design Retainer Agreement?
Design retainer agreements, otherwise known as “fees paid in advance to procure future work and services”, are a standard and important part of doing business with many design/build firms, including ours. We have learned over decades of experience that they are a...
Conversation Pits/Sunken Living Rooms are making a comeback!
I just finished an article called “Sunken Treasure” and in it they wrote about the resurgence of “conversation pits”. They say that what comes around goes around and in design it's no different; trends tend to reappear. Recessed living areas known as sunken living...
What to Expect During the Drywall Phase of Your Remodeling Project
The drywall phase, the middle of the project, is the transitional phase in any remodeling project. All the following phases have been completed: site prep, demo, framing and mechanicals, insulation, and inspection. It may have felt like FOREVER to get to this stage of...
Framing and Mechanical Phases of Your Remodeling Project
Now that we've shared the steps to prepare for a successful home renovation, what to expect during site prep, and what the demo phase looks like, here's what to expect during the framing and mechanical phases of your remodel. FRAMING PHASE Upon completion of the demo...
Rethinking 3 Common Questions When Interviewing a Contractor
Most homeowners do their due diligence when choosing a contractor to work on their kitchen, primary suite, room addition or entire home. They talk with a handful of contractors, and it is not uncommon during our initial meeting with a prospective client to be asked...
Three Hamburgers: A Remodeling Project Fable…Revisited
This post is an updated version of a prior blog we wrote in 2019. By definition a fable is “a short story, typically with animals as characters conveying a moral.” I am choosing to use hamburgers as our main characters in my fable. Probably because as a company we...
What to Expect on Demo Days and the Things Reality TV Shows Don’t Tell You
A good renovation plan starts with a good demo plan. Demo comes in all shapes and sizes depending on how involved your project may be. As demo day approaches it’s easy to feel anxious about what may happen, especially if this is your first time. It’s “interesting” to...
Successful “Site Prep” Requires More Than a Plastic Tarp
Virtually all remodeling projects require some degree of demo, and with demo comes dust & debris. A good “site prep” plan is vital. Before we talk about the importance of site prep, it’s key to define what it is. Site prep involves protecting your home from not...
Halloween Décor Ideas
I thought we’d revisit an old blog “Rob” (I) wrote from Oct 17, 2017, called Halloween Tricks and Treats. It included some fun pumpkin carving ideas as well as table decorations. I have added a few of my favorite new ideas I’ve recently come across; from home décor to...
10 Steps to Prepare for a Successful Home Renovation
Planning for a home renovation is an exciting and potentially stressful time. Preparing for your home renovation is imperative to ensure you have a positive experience. Things to consider and prepare for: Staying in the home or moving out A home that is being...
Tile Inspiration for Your Kitchen
Need an update in your kitchen, but don’t want to invest in a complete kitchen remodel? Sometimes just adding or updating your tile backsplash and painting the walls a new color is all you need without breaking the bank. Here are some inspiring ideas that will help...
What You Need to Know When Choosing Your Kitchen Appliances
In 2019 we had no concerns about our ability to get our high-end kitchen appliances, such as Thermador or Subzero/Wolf in a timely manner. Or ANY kitchen appliances for that matter. Our lead times were typically a few weeks and we experienced none of the challenges of...
Remodeling with Aging-in-Place in Mind
As the general population ages, more people are choosing to live at home. According to a recent United States Aging Survey, 90% of senior citizens plan on staying in their homes for at least another decade. Retirees may be physically more active and living longer, but...
How Much Will My Bathroom Remodel Cost…Now?
This post is an updated version of a prior blog we wrote in 2018, and we thought we’d revisit it in light of the “new normal” involving increased prices by subcontractors as well as their availability, increased pricing of all product from lighting and plumbing...