Fastest Project Ever

If our latest project is indicative of the rest of the year, it will truly be a roaring 2020.  It was one of the most stress free and fastest projects I have ever worked on.  It was not a big space but bigger than many laundry rooms that I have remodeled.  I am amazed at how smoothly this project went given all the activities during the Holidays, the five important birthdays around that time and our travel plans taking us away for most of the season.

This is how it all went down. The week following Thanksgiving a previous client called asking for help with a redesign of her laundry room. It was a mid-size laundry room with 30 year old laminate cabinets that were still in relatively good shape but definitely needed to be outdated.  Storage was not an issue as the current cabinets had plenty of shelf space available.  The main driver for this makeover was actually the old wine cooler that stopped working.  Once she bought a new undercounter wine cooler, then the old cabinets stuck out like a sore thumb. Funny, how that works.

So, at the end of November, I went over to talk about the room. Within the first hour I knew the reason for the upgrade and the budget I needed to work within.  We talked over s few ideas, I measured the space and then went home to draw up the design.

The following day I took my design to four showrooms, picked out a door style in each that fell within the budget and received estimates from all 4 dealers. That afternoon I went back to my client's home and gave her all the cabinet bids and countertop information that she'd need to make a decision. I thought at that point that we were probably not going to proceed until after Christmas.

The next day she called back with her decisions made.  I explained that I was leaving town in two days, so we had to meet that day or the next day at the cabinet showroom.  After agreeing on the following day, I called my contact at the showroom for an appointment for a specific time.  She liked the cabinets I picked out and we ordered them along with the knobs right then.  That was on Dec 4th.

The cabinets were in on Dec 26th, but we were all too busy for the install.  We put the install off until January 2nd.  Al did the install in one day.  There were some things he had to work out since the stubs were not the usual 16" apart and the new wine cooler was a larger one. We already knew it would fit but it had to be installed so that we did not interfere with the tile floor pattern.  The countertop guys will be out next week.

Tomorrow I have a meeting for my first kitchen design of the year.  I can guarantee it will take longer than this project. For starters,  kitchen remodels have more details to consider and usually take at least 5 design meetings.

Last Design Project for 2019

On a personal level this has been a wonderful year.  Between my design projects and my writing projects, I feel truly blessed.   

As a kitchen and bath designer, I'm not usually involved in remodeling either the bath or the kitchen toward the end of the year.  Everyone, myself included, is busy using the kitchens for family events and no one wants anymore stress, confusion or mess in the home.  So, I've been helping clients with other interior elements in the house like choosing paint colors, rugs, draperies etc.  My final design project for this year is the remodeling of a laundry room off the kitchen. The design is done, cabinets are on order but the actual install will not begin until the 2nd week in January.




Here's a picture of the cabinet I recommended to my client for the updated laundry room.  I chose white because a few years ago I was called in to help with her kitchen remodel and she has white cabinets in the kitchen, so white makes sense. White kitchens are classic.  They never go out of style because people love how clean the kitchen looks.

Usually I recommend a full overlay door styles but in this instance a standard door style is a better choice.  The difference between the two can be seen in the frame. A full overlay door means you don't see the door frame around the door, whereas, you can see the 1" of frame in a standard style. A full overlay gives you better access to the inside space but will always be more expensive than the standard style. Storage was not an issue in this remodel because the current melamine cabinets had plenty of empty space, but my client clearly did not want to go the expensive route with this make-over. One of the first parameters I try to establish in any project is the budget that I need to design within. This flat panel standard door style will meet her needs, give the laundry room a fresh and upgraded look and stay within the budget.

Another element in this design that can greatly effect cost is the countertop.  While granite and quartz are the norm these days, there are some very nice Wilson Art and Formica laminate materials available. As long as you choose a bevel, waterfall, bullnose or some other curved edging for the countertop, it will look great in a laundry room.

There is a top mount sink in this laundry room so we did not have a discussion about undermount sinks and laminate countertops. Whenever there is an undermount sink you need to look at a different material for your countertop than laminate.  Yes, you can install stainless steel and acrylic undermount sinks but it comes with a risk. The main issue is the strength of the adhesive to hold a sink full of water and not pull down or weaken the laminate.  Stone and Ceramic sinks can not be installed as undermount sinks on laminate countertops. The material itself is too heavy for the laminate product.  I do not recommend any undermount sink to be installed in a laminate countertop.

Life is too busy for both my client and myself so this install will take place in January.  However, the cabinets need to be ordered in December to make that happen.

Enjoy your holidays everyone.

In The Woodworker Shop -- Closet MakeOver

Every now and then we get the chance to work on our own projects in between one's for our client's.  This week is one of those times.  And the task at hand is redesigning the closets. 

Closets drive me crazy. They accumulate clutter at an amazing rate and I hate clutter.  Every year I go through our closets and try throwing out things that we haven't worn or used within the last year.  Some things are exempt from my de-cluttering agenda though -  like Al's Navy uniform and the red fun fir that I bought with a Christmas bonus from my first real job. It's funny the attachment some things have on your heart.  Never throw out anything that you have a strong attachment to.  Let time handle it.  At some point the attachment won't be so strong.

Every closet design is different.  It all depends on the size of the closet and what you intend to store in the closet.  Sometimes you need more places for shirts/blouses or maybe you need more shelves for shoes.  Figuring out what you need is half the battle and must be done before you start tearing anything apart. The redesign of the bedroom closet has been done on paper for a few months now.  Last week Al was able to start work on the first closet and has finished his part in building the units for that one.  We have 3 other closets in the design process..

So, this morning I finished several cups of coffee and took one with me to the workshop for my part of this project: finishing work.  As you can see there are lots of parts to this little closet - the boxes, the frames, baseboard trim, shelves, face frames and the raised panel doors and drawer fronts.  I think as long as I can work at least 3 hours a day it should take me about 2 days for staining and then another one or two for the glazing process.  Let the fun begin.

At Home in a Hard Hat - Continued

We are nearing completion of the Leeds Habitat home in Tempe so the hard hat I was wearing during construction is no longer needed.  As usual work started early last Saturday morning, we were all present and ready to go around 6:30.  It was  hot out and landscaping was on the agenda for the day.  Desert plants in the front and rock in the back.  Remember this is a Leeds certified house so it needs to be energy and water wise.  My post: At Home in a Hard Hat shows this project in the framing stage and as you can see we have long passed that.

My task were in the interior so I didn't have to deal with the hot sun beaming on me.   I was painting and doing other task as needed.    As usual I spent some time in the kitchen.  The oak cabinets for the home were donated by Home Depot.  The cabinets are an American standard overlay door style which means  you will see more frame around the door and door knobs/handles are not required.  There is enough room to open the door with your fingers so  hardware is not as essential as a full overlay door style.  There are some nice features with these cabinets.  Each drawer  pulls out to its full extension and the doors and drawers are all soft-close which means you won't hear any sound when they are closing.  If you have someone in your family who has a tendency to slam drawers or doors, they can't do that with a soft-closing door.  I always encourage my clients to include these features in the design.  The full extension drawer option is essential for retrieving things from the back of the drawer.

Solar panels on West side



Full Extension Drawers

 Another important item in this home because it is a Leed home is the solar panel configuration on the roof.  With this pitch roof they are on the West side to obtain the best possible sun exposure for a home in this direction. 

We have a little more to do on the inside yet, but the new homeowner should be receiving the keys sometime in June.



Soft Closing

Knobs and Handles

Knobs on Doors except on waste basket cabinets

It's no secret that kitchen remodeling can be overwhelming and very stressful to the homeowners.  The biggest reason probably is because it's s a big interruption in the daily routine of the family.  All of a sudden you are using the dining room table for breakfast and you are using the laundry room sink to wash dishes.  These are things people know about before they remodel, but I find my clients are often surprised at the details involved in a kitchen makeover.  As a designer I am there to help with all the selections - appliances, tile, lighting, as well as cabinets and part of my job is reducing the homeowners stress level.  The one detail that often takes far longer than the homeowner ever expects is the hardware selection for the cabinetry.  If you have a full overlay door style the hardware is necessary to open the doors, otherwise, finger pulls or possibly no hardware at all will work fine. Keep in mind that hardware is jewelry to a cabinet and for this reason people will often add it regardless of necessity. All the doors in these pictures are the full overlay style.

Galley Kitchen - all handles

Once you determine you need/want hardware than the fun of selection begins. Your next decision is what kind - knobs and handles, just knobs, just handles. When people decide on both they tend to put the knobs on the doors and handles (pulls) on the drawers.  The one cabinet that is different is the one with the trash bin, since it pulls out like a drawer, it usually has a handle.  In a small kitchen it is often better to have one or the other but most of my client's prefer all handles (pulls) regardless of the size of their kitchen.




Wider drawer base, larger handle.

If the drawers are over 30" you may want to choose a larger  handle.  Again it depends on you and on your budget.  If you have two handles than you need to pull both at the same time to open the drawer which is the main reason people will choose a larger handle.  However, large handles can be costly which is the main reason a homeowner will go with the two pulls.  Another reason is the look.  One handle will always look more contemporary; two handles have more of a furniture look. 

You're not done with your decisions yet.  You have finish and handle style to think about.  And the prices vary all over the place. Chrome which is coming back in style tends to be the lease espensive whereas oil-rubbed bronze will be a little pricey.  What you choose depends on your appliances, thee look you want to achieve and your budget.  Speaking of budgets, you need to have a budget in mind and tell the designer.  If the designer knows that she won't look for products outside your price range.  If it's important to you then it will be important to her or him.


Details, details - that's why remodeling the kitchen is overwhelming and that's why you should consider hiring a kitchen and bath designer to help you.  It can make a world of difference to your mental health.

At Home in a Hard Hat

As a designer I love to get involved with construction projects and Habitat for Humanities as well as Saint Andrews Catholic Church provided me with the opportunity last weekend.  There's nothing like building a house.  To be working on a team where everyone is progressing towards a common goal and to see the results of your labor in physical form is a fabulous experience.  The future homeowners are also part of the team as they work alongside the volunteers.  With each project there is a Signing ceremony where the homeowners are introduced to all the workers and they share whatever feelings or insights they wish to with the group of volunteers.  After the Signing ceremony you can write your name on one of the 2x4s, then back to work until lunch arrives.

This is a Leed platinum certified home being built in Tempe Arizona http://www.tempe.gov/index.aspx?recordid=1050&page=31.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification means that a construction project uses environmentally friendly building practices and sustainable materials during the new build  or remodeling process.  This home will have solar panels installed on the roof.

When we first arrived for work, there was just a slab of concrete.  By noon most of the frame was up. Life begins early in the construction world.  There's allot to be done.  There were about 30 of us, so instead of nailing lumber my task fell into a more supportive role: carrying lumber, laying vapor lock for the walls, painting, keeping the site clear of debris as we proceed through the process.  It's important to keep the site clear of debris because this is the type of job where safety is paramount.

After the frame is up, the interior work begins.   As a designer my specialties lie in the interior but it is so much fun working on the building process and spending the day outside - as long as the weather is on your side.

The Miele/Sub Zero Kitchen -The Beginning Stage





Preparing for installation

My goal as a kitchen designer is to meet the needs and expectations of my client while creating a very  functional, aesthetically appealing and easy to work in environment.  I work with a team of licensed professionals to insure that the design meets the various code requirements that regulate safety in the kitchen and bath areas of your home. Because of the codes and the various types of  equipment, designing the kitchen and bath is a fairly technical endeavor which is why I received certification through the National Kitchen and Bath Association after receiving my degree in interior design.

 

Every kitchen/bath remodel is different because people and their needs are different.  The process usually begins with an interview that last about 2 hours.  I want to know what you like and don't like about your current kitchen, if you are going to buy new appliances, if you want a place for homework or for the TV, and the list goes on and on.  There are so many details that it is often overwhelming for the homeowner which is one reason why it's beneficial to hire a designer in the first place. It's the designer's job to make it happen and to make it happen as stress free as possible. 

Above is a picture of the beginning stage of my latest kitchen remodel.  As you can see the cabinets have already been removed from the wall and the walls are in the process of being readied for the new appliances and new cabinetry.  My client for this specific project is a do-it yourself homeowner with many years of installation experience so I am comfortable working with him.  However, I do usually work with a team of remodeling specialist.

In a future posting I'll have pictures of this kitchen completed.  There are elements in this kitchen that deserve a more detailed posting such as the built-in SubZero Refrigerator, the restructuring of the 36" pantry to align with the Miele Double Oven cabinet and the two-tier island on the diagonal. This kitchen design also reflects the recent trend that homeowners want to replace the microwave oven with a steam oven.


The Fieldstone cabinets have been delivered and will be installed when the walls are ready.

Re-thinking your space - the multipurpose room

Over the last few years the trend for baby boomers has been to stay in their home rather than to sell, move and adjust to a new community.   In the case of the empty nester that often means making the back bedroom into a multipurpose room that they can enjoy all year round and still have available for  guest or when the kids come back to visit. While other homeowners may decide they need just a little more space so they add on an additional room to serve a specific purpose. Our latest project gave us an opportunity to work with a husband and wife who are having fun making their  new room addition work for their current lifestyle.
                     

A project like this is exciting.  It's fun to work with people and it's fun to listen to their plans for their home.  The needs of the homeowner is what drives any project.  That usually means there are several meetings before any construction can begin.  The homeowner has to decide on the wood species and  finish they prefer and exactly what they want this piece of furniture to do for them.  Do they want drawers, do they need lights?.  Because of the size of this wall unit (190"w by 109" high), the first part of the project was to build the custom furniture and install it. 

This is a queen size Murphy bed flanked by drawers and cabinets on both sides. The bed sits back so that we have some room for a shelf which is also used as a support for the bed when it is down.  There is a budget decision for the homeowner when it comes to the pull down mechanism.  You can have a manual pull down which is not very difficult or a remote control mechanism that does the job. 

As you can see there are lights in the top that will showcase pottery and books when the room is completed.  There are also lights at the top within the bed area so that people can read in bed if they want.  The base cabinets are 24"deep cabinets with full extension undermount glides for the drawers.  The wood species is alder with a fruitwood stain and a warm glaze.

With that wall in place it is now time to focus on the other side of the room.