New Year’s Kitchen Resolution!

Make it one of your news year resolutions to remodel the kitchen to include proper storage room! One can gradually get used to having full cupboards that are never opened; with items that you use daily all piled on the countertop. After a while you might not “see” the mess, but when preparing dinner, it can be very annoying to have to move things aside so there is a little bit of cramped room to work.

Don’t put up with it anymore! Custom cabinets can be designed and configured to make your space workable. Most homes are built with standard, generic cabinets that are not made to fit every home, and so may have odd corners and gaps, showing poor planning for storage of kitchen appliances and tools.

Loads of storage in this remodeled Bellingham kitchen!

Happy Holidays!

Scott, hard at work!

Working on the second floor addition!

Lots of 2nd floor additions this year; going up, not out!

Tony & Marshall caught between tasks on a Bellingham home addition.

Marshall, working hard on a foundation.

Another addition going up!

Scott, hard at work!

Here is a collection of photos of our skilled carpenters at work, at various homes around Whatcom county and Bellingham. They do a great job, so you can enjoy your home for many more years to come!

Decks and snow in Bellingham

Hey! We got snow! Awesome! Our skiers, snowboarders and snowshoers are happy.

But . . . how is your deck?  We don’t often get a lot of snow here in town, but when we do, it is wet, heavy snow. Is your deck up to handling it? It might be time for an inspection. A snow-covered or icy deck is hazardous, and you want sturdy handrails for support. Check for warped boards, rot, loose handrails and poor connections. If your deck is old, it may need work, just for maintenance. An inspection can give you peace of mind.

We have replaced many decks in Whatcom County and have repaired decks that were sinking due to ground subsidence. If you think your deck may be in need of inspection, repair or replacement, we are experienced in deck design and construction and would be happy to inspect, repair or replace your deck.

Kitchen remodeling for efficiency and style

A majority of our kitchen remodels do not move walls or add-on to a home; the majority remodel within the existing space. This is far less expensive than adding on or moving walls. Some of our customers have had interior walls removed, to open up the kitchen, to include the living room or dining room within the visual space of the kitchen. This makes the kitchen seem larger and allows the cook to converse with family and guests.

A well designed custom cabinet layout can add incredible storage capacity and style to a box-store, inexpensive brand setup. Stainless steel sinks, matching refrigerator and stove, and new faucets along with a new countertop will make you think you’ve moved into a completely new home!

Stove is in the island; cabinets do not go all the way to the soffit; cabinets are of a uniform, monotonous quality.

Stove has been moved from the island; cabinets go all the way to the soffit, utilizing all available space.

Baby boomers and remodeling

AARP surveys indicate that almost 90% of those over 50 want to stay in their homes indefinitely. In light of that trend, AARP and NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) have developed the Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) training program to educate builders and remodelers on ways to make a home safer and more workable for homeowners at any age. “Universal design” is another term used when referring to homes modified to meet the needs of older persons or the handicapped.

The most popular installations have been bathroom grab bars, higher toilets, curb less showers, widened doors, ramps and lowered thresholds.

Not everyone who incorporates universal design concepts in remodeling is doing it specifically for aging in place; some want to accommodate disabled friends and relatives or provide the option to easily install additional modifications when they get older.

The cost of aging in place renovations is variable, but many times they are similar in price to more traditional design. A complex adaptation, like a curb less shower, might be a bit more expensive. It is usually much less costly to do a remodel as a universal design or CAPS style, than to have to tear it out and make changes later.

Aging in place tends to focus on assistive adaptations for those who want to maintain their privacy and autonomy as they age. These adaptations include changing doorknobs to lever type and light switches to paddles for easier use by those with arthritis; eliminating carpeting and variations in floor height for easier walker and wheelchair use and creating greater contrast in lighting to make it easier to see the task at hand.

Two more grab bars add to the safety of this tub

There are several grab bars we installed in this tub/shower.

It’s time to do a bath makeover

“Why?”

You may ask. It’s winter, it’s cold, and what you really need is a heated bathroom floor, is why.  Just think how great it will feel to your toes to walk into the bathroom in the morning and feel warm tile. Some see heated floors as a luxury item; but what if you just had the heating coils installed in front of the vanity or shower? It’ll reduce the cost.

And while the floor is torn up for the heating circuit install, you might want to update the floor tile, the shower and maybe some of the other features of the bathroom as well. A wonderful upgrade for any bathroom is replacing an acrylic shower with tile. There is nothing like the luxury look of a tile floor and tile walls (tile doesn’t have to go all the way up, except in the shower!).

Have some storage added while you’re at it, it will make a world of difference in convenience.

Great new tile surround and glass shower doors.

Before remodel

Sprucing up for the holidays!

Are you concerned about the state of your kitchen and/or bath, with all those relatives coming for the holidays? Well, we all know (or strongly suspect) that at this late date there is not time to do any major remodeling, but is there anything that can be done to spruce things up? Perhaps some cosmetic work that will cover up the problems for the visitors?

Yes, we can do that! Small jobs can be fitted into our schedule to help you put on a great display for the holidays. Later, if you desire, more in-depth work can be done to make that kitchen more efficient and pleasant to work in.

In the short term, grab bars can be added to steady infirm relatives and in-laws in the guest bath; faucets can be replaced and new mirrors and bath accessories can be installed to spruce up that room. Fresh paint in a guest bedroom can do wonders, as can replacing damage and worn-out trim.

A new light fixture for the front porch can greatly improve appearances, as well as adding to safety if the old lighting fixture is not working as it should.

Let us know if we can help!

Remodeling Solutions for Aging and Accessiblity

If you or a loved one is having a difficult time staying in their own home, but wishes to remain independent, what can you do? CAPS (Certified Aging in Place Specialist), and Universal Design were developed to provide solutions to this dilemma.

When a contractor who is a Certified-Aging-in-Place Specialist is called in to assist in determining what changes need to be made to the home, he or she will perform an audit. This audit includes a floor plan, dimensions of areas being used, and capacities, conditions, and limitations affecting potential construction or modification. This information plus information from the client’s health care professional is used to make an evaluation and define a scope of work.

While still governed by applicable building codes, the CAPS trained contractor is free to offer a range of solutions aesthetically pleasing to residential clients over the more sterile, hospital like approach of the pure accessibility design seen in commercial construction. Knowing what equipment and materials are available for those with accessibility issues is part of the training and body of knowledge the CAPS professional has at his fingertips. A bathroom, for instance, can be re-designed to accommodate a person with accessibility or stability issues, and still be stylish.

We have experience and training in helping clients upgrade bathrooms to make them more accessible. Give us a call if you would like to see what we can do to upgrade your bathroom.

If you don’t require a fully CAPS designed bathroom, consider incorporating universal design. It is intended to ensure that a project is useful for people of all ages, abilities and sizes. Among the upgrades: Replace lower toilets or sinks with taller options that require less stooping or bending; replace bathtubs with low-threshold showers that have seats and grab bars. Faucets with blade-style handles work better for those with problems with manual dexterity.

Stylish tile trim, built in seat, grab bar and hand held shower wand.

10 reasons you hate to cook and what to do about it

1. No one likes your cooking; hence, a lack of positive re-enforcement, which god knows we all need more of.
2. It takes too long. Consider this might be due to a lack of practice.
3. Dull knives. Did you know that a good kitchen knife costs $50? Be careful though, if you are used to the dull type, you don’t want to cut yourself.
4. Choose simple recipes with fewer ingredients – try to get ingredients you can spell, I find that helps.
5. Stuff tastes better if it was grown locally, picked closer the day you bought it. Try farmers markets, it’s better for the environment, too.
6. Fill up your pantry with all the basic ingredients; for the kitchen challenged, I’ll list them for you:

• Salt
• Pepper
• Eggs
• Flour
• Sugar
• Olive oil
• Butter
• Garlic (fresh, minced or paste)
• Milk or cream

All of the above have substitutes for those with allergies; make sure you have either the real thing or the substitute of your choice! Continuing:

7. Don’t over cook

8. Practice with small groups, or even for just yourself!

9. Ask for advice from those you know who are good cooks.

10. Maybe your kitchen needs a make-over, so you can find the measuring cups and spoons, the right size pot or bowl. A new sink will be a pleasure to use – no gross black stuff you have to scrape around the edges or dings in the enamel that you wonder if it is harboring some dangerous microscopic life form. Not to mention a new gas range . . .

Bellingham kitchen remodeled

What to install on your kitchen floor

Is your style traditional, classic or contemporary? You can create a floor to match your kitchen’s style, that’s also easy to clean and maintain, so it will look great for years to come. What is most important to you? Low maintenance? Easy to clean? Some materials are non porous and therefore stain resistant and easy to clean; others – not so much.

Let’s face it, kitchens are tough on floors. A variety of staining sauces, juices and condiments can spill onto the floor. Pots and knives can be dropped (these always fall point down, of course – watch your feet), causing punctures or cracks on the flooring material.

Here is a summary of the most popular flooring materials:

Vinyl is easy to clean and tough and it doesn’t easily rip, tear or scratch.

Natural stone materials are not all the same. Marble is very soft, easily scratched and can stain. Slate and granite are hard and nearly impervious to water, with proper sealing. They are resistant to scratches and divots, although chips and cracks can appear if a very heavy object is dropped. On the plus side, slate and granite are easily cleaned. They do need to be re-sealed periodically to keep them impervious to water and stains.

Linoleum is low maintenance and easy to care for. It is resistant to stains, and ripping or tearing.

You can get the look and feel of natural stone with a ceramic flooring, for initial less cost and less maintenance over time.

Here is a material you might not have considered; concrete. Concrete flooring is sanded, polished and sealed and makes a lasting, durable floor. The cost is low, and it can be stained to match your style and color scheme.

Wood flooring is popular in our area – the Pacific Northwest. There is some maintenance required, to keep it sealed, and it has a warm feel to it. It comes in many shades of brown-to-blond, so you have quite a choice.