Everybody wants a white kitchen because they’re pure, clean, and great-looking in any style.  But what is it about white that’s so deeply desired? The timeless look of a simple white kitchen connotes cleanliness and brightens rooms that can be naturally dark. It can also make smaller spaces appear larger. Here are a few ways to personalize your white kitchen and create a look that will never go out of style! Making some contrasts If you enjoy updating your kitchen every now and then, you have endless possibilities to experiment when you start with an all-white foundation. Contrary to popular opinion, white isn’t necessarily monochromatic in the kitchen—showcasing an interesting depth and contrast with shadow details and incredible contrast. When paired with tile accents and light fixtures, a white kitchen brings accessories and artwork to life in ways that other neutrals simply can’t. A touch of metal Metals such as copper, bronze, brass or polished nickel can definitely warm up an all white kitchen. Look beyond your cabinet hardware for metal options and consider adding a combination of metals with your lighting, fixtures and possibly open shelving? Add real wood elements Real wood adds a warm organic feel to a white kitchen. Islands/countertops, floating shelves, and flooring are great areas with the potential to add a real wood look. A white kitchen has to be white. A great way to innovate is to incorporate variations of white. This can help to create a sense of balance that is so crucial to a beautiful and functional kitchen. Choose brilliant white quartz countertops and white laminates, or simply mix and match with other neutrals like a dash of stainless steel (like pot racks), glass-front upper cabinets or wood flooring. At the end of the day, white kitchens allow you to be creative and classy, while keeping up with the latest trends in kitchen design. Did we convince you to upgrade yours?

Odds are you’ve probably binge-watched a season or two of Fixer Upper and heard stories from your friends and family about their remodeling experience So, you’re totally prepared to live through a remodel because you’re practically an expert? Sorry to beak the news to you, but hearing about other people’s remodeling experiences is nothing like actually living though it. Remodeling your home will disrupt your daily schedule, put your relationships to the test, and be totally worth it in the end. Without further delay, here’s our best advice and tips on what to expect and how to survive living through a remodel.

It will Disrupt your Schedule

If you’re like me, you probably have a morning routine. Wake up, get ready, brew a cup of coffee, drink coffee while playing with the dogs. My routine would not work if my kitchen and dining room were under construction. The peace, tranquility, order, and cleanliness of my morning ritual would cease to exist.

That was dramatic. It wouldn’t actually cease to exist, it would just temporarily look a little different. Creatures of habit, be warned: you may have to change a couple of habits while your remodel is going on.

I know you’re already stressed out reading that because I am totally in the same boat. Take a deep breath, it will all be ok! Remember it is a temporary inconvenience with a wonderful reward at the end.

Keep in mind, even though your remodel may be happening to your kitchen, your contractor may want to set up a small “shop” or work area in your garage or back porch. If you’d like certain parts of your home to remain sacred, talk with your contractor about it before work begins. This will help them establish a plan for your project and make your remodeling experience less stressful.

Your House will get Dirty

This may be a no-brainer for some, to those of you that are shocked it’s another “take a deep breath” moment. Breath in, breath out… your house is going to get dirty. The bottom line is remodeling creates a lot of dust. And floating dust loves to travel all throughout your house.

Our company does take extra measures to keep your home as clean as possible throughout your remodel. We use a BuildClean HEPA Filtration system whenever possible and isolate work areas by using poly sheeting to create a barrier or create temporary walls when necessary. We also work hard to clean up “messes” as we go and leave your home clean at the end of each work day. Even though we feel we go above and beyond to keep your home as clean as possible, it will still get dirty. Know we are doing our best to keep it as clean as possible for you and your family.

You Might Feel like you’re Riding an Emotional Roller Coaster

We all handle stress and emotions differently, but the fact is having a bunch of people tear your house apart is stressful no matter what. I know that sounds dramatic, but when you’re actually living through a remodel you can feel dramatic at times and THAT’S OK! It can be hard to keep your head on straight when your project manager tells you the tile you ordered is on backorder and your end date is going to be delayed. So now your kitchen isn’t going to be done when your Mother-in-law is going to be in town. We get it, that’s stressful! Add work and LIFE to that, I need more coffee just thinking about that.

Accept that you will feel some stress and emotions and allow yourself enough grace to know it will all be ok and it will all be worth it!

It’s ok, you have a Pro on your Side

Thankfully, we work really hard to make sure these things don’t happen often! We’ve been around for over 25-years, we like to think we know what we are doing. We work very hard to keep you as comfortable as possible while we are tearing your house apart, and we strive to leave you happy when your job is complete in a timely manner.

Remodeling can actually be relatively pain-free, if you communicate. We’ve talked about this before, but I can’t stress how important it is! Before work starts, talk with your contractor about scheduling, dust control, and communication preferences.

Remember, there will be dust, there might be days you feel like you’re on an emotional roller coaster, but there will be days you come home to new cabinets that are stunning! Those are the days that make it all worthwhile. Those are the days you start planning your next remodel.

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It’s easy to panic when you’re in the midst of a home emergency like gushing pipes, kitchen fires, or a leaking roof. We believe homeowners can save themselves a lot of anxiety – and even money – by taking a few simple steps to minimize the damage while they wait for an expert to help. Here’s how we suggest responding to five common home emergencies:

1. Burst Pipes and/or Flooding

Frozen pipes and flooding can be easily prevented by disconnecting all outside hoses and covering the bib with a hard faucet cover before temperatures drop below freezing. If you have a bathroom on an overhang, turn the hot and cold water on at a pencil drip during cold snaps. When warm weather arrives in the spring, turn on your garden hose and run it for 15 minutes to makes sure there is no leaking through walls or ceilings – which is an indication that a pipe has cracked. Yikes!

When a pipe bursts you should immediately turn your home’s water supply off at the main valve. Even if you have an emergency plumber on the way, allowing water to run for 30-45 minutes while you wait can cause serious damage to your home! Valves are usually located at the lowest level near the front of your home. If you’re unsure where your shut-off valve is located – now is the time to find it!

2. Leaky Roof

Typically, leaky roofs happen when shingles blow off, nails rust out, or flashing is worn. If you have water leaking through your ceiling, stop the water with a bucket and call a reliable roofing professional. It can be tempting to head to the attic or roof to evaluate the issue, but this is a huge safety issue!

One final word of wisdom about leaking roofs, while it can be tempting to hire someone who can come out immediately and “give you a good deal” on fixing your roof. We would caution you against this! Bad and cheap repairs can lead to wood rot and much larger fixes down the road! Call a reliable professional, they can provide a temporary fix to ensure things don’t get worse and get you on their project schedule.

3. Leaky Toilet

Leaky toilets create a sense of emergency since water can penetrate through the floor, but they are usually a very simple fix! Most of the time, all a leaky toilet needs is a new flapper in the inside of the tank. Simply turn the water supply at the base of your toilet off, replace the flapper, and turn the water supply back on. Replacing the flapper (and other inside components) in your toilet tank should actually be done every five years to prevent leaking toilets and keep them working their best. Who knew?!

Obviously, if your toilet is still leaking after you replace the flapper, we recommend calling a professional.

4. Unresponsive Furnace

What does tech support always say when you call them? “Have you tried turning it off and then of again?” As silly as that sounds, always start by cycling off the power of your furnace for at least five minutes and then turn it back on again. You can use the breaker or on/off switch on the furnace for this, either will work. Once you’ve done that, turn the thermostat on and see if the heat comes on. If that doesn’t work, try replacing your filter. If your furnace still won’t work, it’s time to call a qualified HVAC professional.

To keep your furnace operating smoothly, check your filters monthly and replace dirty filters as needed. We also recommend having a qualified HVAC professional out once a year to inspect and service your furnace to prevent problems and keep it in good working order.

5. Kitchen Fire

According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), kitchen fires are the leading cause of home fires and home injuries. The leading cause of kitchen fires is unattended cooking. The best thing you can do to avoid kitchen fires is keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen and know how to use it. Other simple steps you can take is to always keep a metal lid nearby to smother small grease fires (glass lids may shatter). Never try to extinguish a grease fire with water. If you experience an oven fire the best thing you can do is turn the oven off and keep the oven door closed.

Always stay alert when frying, grilling, boiling, or broiling foods. Also check on simmering, baking, and roasting dishes regularly. Keep anything flammable away from your stove top – oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels, curtains, etc. And heat oil slowly to reduce splatter.

Hopefully these tips leave you feeling more prepared and confident in case you ever find yourself dealing with one of these five common home emergencies!

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Since our initial meetings are now virtual, we will need you, our wonderful clients, to provide us with a simple floor plan of your space. This will allow us to deliver you with an accurate budget estimate and scope of work – which will save YOU money in the end. We hope this post helps you understand what a floor plan is, why it is important, and gives you confidence to draw one out on your own!

What is a Floor Plan?

A floor plan is a scaled drawing of a room or building viewed from above. Floor plans often include room dimensions, appliance locations, cabinet locations, and whatever else is necessary to communicate what is currently (or what will be) in your space.

How to Draw a Floor Plan?

1. Take Measurements. The first step to creating a floor plan is to measure your space. You may want another person for this step to hold the tape measure in large areas to ensure an accurate measurement. I suggest roughly sketching out your space, including doors and windows, and then add your measurements as you go.
2. Transfer your Measurements. Once you have everything measured, it’s time to create a to-scale floor plan. If you have an engineering scale handy and you know how to use it, that can be very helpful but it isn’t necessary! You can use a regular ruler or ¼” graph paper. Most floor plans are drawn at a quarter-inch scale, which means one-quarter inch on paper is equal to one foot in real life, or ¼” = 1’-0”. If you have ¼” graph paper, you can use the boxes as your guide! Just remember one box is 1’-0”, so half of a box is 6”, etc.Use the sketch you used to take measurements to count out the boxes on the grid paper and layout your space.
3. Add Architectural Features. Now that you have your walls drawn to scale, it’s time to add doors, windows, and any other architectural features. This is also when you should add in appliances and built-in features, such as your dishwasher, dryer, showers, toilets, sinks, cabinets, etc.

You did it!! Congratulations! Of course, if you have any questions while you are creating your floor plan, we are happy to assist you over the phone or via a Zoom call. Once you are finished, please email us your floor plan as well as a few photos of your space and any areas you believe would be helpful for us to see. We hope this helps and we cannot wait to assist you with your upcoming renovation!

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