Archive for the 'Remodeling and Home Construction' Category
Get Bank For Your Buck! Sensible Spending Can Reap Big Rewards!
January 8th, 2010 Categories: Remodeling and Home Construction
What room in the home provokes more analysis, expert opinion, design and re-design, lots of thought, hesitation and which people gravitate to as if by instinctive…..the kitchen.
Since its evolutionary linkage to the cooking range and the capability of getting water, the kitchen has had more technical advances than any room in one’s home.
What makes a kitchen? It comes down to taste, style, material preferences and the money one can afford.
There is an array of categories which include Contemporary, Country, Old World, Traditional and Transitional kitchen styles. Many articles have been written about each and many hours spent in trying to explain the differences between each of these types.
- When talking of a Contemporary kitchens generally one is talks of a modern, minimalist geometric type room with horizontal lines with no molding. Materials used are stainless steel, laminate, frosted glass, concrete, linoleum, chrome, and lacquer. The main stylists of these kitchens are Italy, Germany and Scandinavians countries.
- The Country kitchen is one that is very cheery with bright colors and lights; the cabinetry painted and glazed with decorative shelving and the room has quite a bit of molding. The Country most popular styles are French, English, Tuscan, Cottage, Farmhouse, and Garden.
- An Old World kitchen is one of large hearths or cooking grottos and heavily stressed. It has the look of pre-17th century Europe. Themes of this style kitchen include Tuscan, Mediterranean, Medieval, Castle, French Chateau, Italian Villa, Normandy or Cottage. Materials are usually stone floors, mosaic tiles, brick, plaster walls, pewter or copper.
- The Traditional kitchen typically reflects the elegance of the 18th, 19th and 20th century. Design styles include Victorian, Edwardian, Georgian, Federal, Regency, Italianate, Early American and Neoclassical. Generally these type kitchens have more ornate molding, cabinets and materials are often cherry, walnut, mahogany woods consisting of antique fixtures and appliances.
- The Transitional kitchen is mixture of traditional and contemporary. Eclectic in nature there is a mixture of natural and man-made materials, finishes and textures. Bamboo flooring is often the choice for transitional kitchens and appliances are showed cased rather than hidden behind panels.
So for a room equipped with a stove, sink, refrigerator, oven, dishwasher and other appliances it is a place that takes on the taste and shape that meets your needs and monies. Not an absolute but generally monies spent in the kitchen enhance the overall value of the home.
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When Luxury Items Become Necessities.
March 15th, 2008 Categories: Remodeling and Home Construction
Looking back at what has happened over the last 20-40 years in housing, what is striking are yesterdays luxury items that have become todays home necessities.
From the 1940-1960 indoor plumbing was a luxury for many homeowners. As late as the 1940’s nearly 50% of the homes in the United States did not have indoor plumbing. In some states approximately 80% of the homes were without plumbing.
In the 1960’s, 40% of the homes were without telephones.
So what items classified as luxury items in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s became necessities in today’s homes?
The items included:
- inside washer and dryers;
- indoor plumbing;
- electric heating and electricity;
- multiple bathrooms;
- phone service;
- windows that open;
- and air conditioning.
All of the above are considered home necessities today, but still there is a % of homes in some parts of the United States that do without these “necessities”. This can be due to the geographic area or it may be that the individuals do not want the item or items.
Today there are some luxury items that may become home “necessities” in the next 10-30 years.
How about………
- the internet kitchen (refrigerator/ovens/ranges/dishwasher/compact/microwave);
- Internet food and personal (automatic) shopping and delivery;
- Internet washer/dryer;
- Internet home schooling (all levels);
- security systems/Internet communications center;
- home theaters;
- wine cellars;
- indoor elevator for multi-story homes;
- sauna’s;
- on-line banking and federal/state tax reporting (government single source software);
- automatic light sensors that turn off lights when no one is in the room. Re-activate when someone enters the room;
- pizza ovens;
- moveable walls to change the home flow and floor plan for homeowners convenience;
- mood lighting throughout the home again for homeowners convenience;
- tennis court;
- step-thru bath tubs;
- indoor bowling alley;
- indoor golf gallery;
- indoor/outdoor basketball/racquet ball court;
- and lastly each home may be able to produce its own electrical needs via solar panels or other type panel material and will be able to recycle its own waste water for reuse for family needs or for watering the garden.
Of these listed luxury items, anything associated with the ”Internet” will more than likely become tomorrows necessity.
By all means do add to the list. Then we can all watch to see which item(s) becomes tomorrows home “necessities”. Only time will tell. But the next 10-30 (or more) years will be extremely interesting.
Your comments are invited.
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Marmoleum…….flooring
March 14th, 2008 Categories: Remodeling and Home Construction
Unlike linoleum, marmoleum is a product that covers a host of colors, has no adverse known health issues, durable, easy to clean, anti-static and rejects bacterial properties. Reasonably priced between $ 6- $7 per square foot, it just may be a product worth looking at when upgrading your flooring.
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Hot Tin Roof…..
February 22nd, 2008 Categories: Remodeling and Home Construction
It appears that we are reaching back to the early 1700’s with the resurrection of metal roofs for homes.
Metal roofs most certainly will outlast composite, cedar, slate or clay tile roofs. And it appears that home builders are taking advantage of this material because it cheaper than the others mentioned. What is cheap?
A metal roof costs between $1 to $ 4 a square foot (some say it can get as high as $ 6/sq. ft.). Composites range between $ 3.40 to $ 4.50 a square foot; shakes are about $ 3.75/sq. foot; slate runs about $ 5 to $ 10/sq. ft.; and clay will run $ 4-10 a square foot.
Laminated asphalt shingles are available at $ 1/sq. foot or less. This material is a fiberglass asphalt product which is thicker and are made to look like tile, slate or wood.
Metal roofs captured approximately 30% of the year 2007 market. Fiberglass asphalt captured 44% of the market, however that was down 50% from the previous year.
Metal roofs are considered more fire proof than any other roof and it last twice as long as any of the other materials used for roofing. When treated with various coatings and finishes it is said to be a good heat reflector, thus keeping the house cooler and the cost of cooling the house down.
But when it rains you will hear it. I suspect the “rain noise” can be readily solved with added insulation to dampened the sound. And you do not want to walk on it when it is wet. Slipping and sliding can do damage to one’s body.
Source for this article: Homeowners on a Hot Metal Roof, by Nancy Keates: Wall Street Journal (2/22/08).
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