11.30.2009 | 10:39 pm | Cabinets
With the housing market continuing its decline, more and more families are making the decision to remodel their homes rather than sell and upgrade. Nothing is a more powerful addition to a home than custom cabinets in the kitchen!
The kitchen truly is the heart of a home. It is where families gather during holidays, where guests mingle and where kids grab a quick snack after school. It is no wonder, then, that families often strive to make their kitchens a true reflection of their own personal style. Custom cabinets give families the flexibility to be original with their kitchen space and stretch the limits of style and function.
Why Choose Custom Cabinets?
As compared to an entire home remodel, replacing existing kitchen cabinets with custom cabinets is an extremely affordable option often yielding huge results. Choosing custom means that the cabinet’s layout; design features and overall look are chosen based on each individual family’s lifestyle and needs.
Another reason to choose custom cabinetry is when a family is dealing with a handicap. There are industry standards for cabinet height or depth, but choosing custom cabinets means that these standard measurements can be adjusted to make the kitchen more accessible and enjoyable for all members of the family.
What Features Are Available with Custom Cabinetry?
Custom cabinetry can allow literally dozens of features to be added to a kitchen. These include multiple sinks, revolving pantry systems, islands, televisions, recycling centers, drawer organizers and many, many more. There are catalogs full of features to make every kitchen a more functional and fun room. Choosing custom cabinets allows families to pick and choose exactly what features are priorities for their home, rather than simply relying on what a stock line of cabinets deems important.
This really comes into play when designing custom cabinetry for families with special needs. A large family or a family who often cooks for large groups might need extra sinks, an island cooking surface or two ovens. A wine connoisseur might enjoy a custom wine cooler while a gourmet chef may require additional storage and counter space.
Are Custom Cabinets Really Better Than Stock Cabinets?
Mass-produced cabinets are typically made of particleboard with wood veneers. Custom cabinets are almost always three-quarter-inch thick real wood. This means that custom cabinets are stronger, more aesthetically pleasing and will not warp when wet. Custom cabinets also often feature stronger fasteners and re-enforced joints where production cabinets are engineered to the lowest required strength standards.
Is The Investment Worth It?
Experts agree that custom cabinetry and kitchen remodeling in general typically have a great return on the money invested. A recent survey by the National Association of Realtors showed that remodeling a kitchen or bath was one of the best ways to add value to a house.
That being said, if an owner plans on selling the home in the near future, it is important that they choose custom cabinets with features that will appeal to a wide audience. If features are chosen solely based on personal taste or eccentricities, then the custom additions could serve as a hindrance to the sale.
Regardless of the features chosen, custom cabinetry allows families the thrill of making big changes to their house with out footing the bill for an entire remodel. Choosing to add custom cabinets to a kitchen allows for flexibility, additional features and proven quality.
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11.30.2009 | 9:47 pm | Gardening
Garden planters, outdoor flower pots and window boxes come in a large variety of materials, styles and sizes—wood, ceramic, terracotta, fiberglass or resin, clay, concrete and metal—there are so many choices! But did you know that the characteristics of each type will make some better-suited than others.
Making the right choices in both planters and plants for the growing conditions, location and size of your container garden will make a big difference in your results.
New production methods and materials result in outdoor planters that are more resilient to extreme weather, lighter in weight and bulk, and offer a greater variety of decorative styles, textures and colors. Look for innovations such as self-watering features, illuminated or extra large and lightweight outdoor planters.
There is nothing quite as effective as adding the perfect garden planters to your decorating scheme, both indoors and out. You not only transform drab areas of your home or garden into elegant and charming aesthetically pleasing focal points, but container gardens can be functional as well as beautiful.
Planters make it possible for anyone – even apartment dwellers – to experience the joy of gardening and provide the opportunity to cultivate and produce a favorite herb, a fresh tomato, runner beans, and a host of other delightful and colorful plants, flowers, shrubs, and even trees. Our web site makes it easy to choose the right garden pots and planters to create the effect you want and will provide the ideal home for your precious plants.Oxford Planters are designers and manufacturers of wooden planters. The wooden planters are all individually handmade to order in the Company’s Oxfordshire workshop and are available in a variety of sizes and materials, including oak and Accoya, the exciting new ‘hardwood’.
All the woods used are from ecologically sound resources and fall under FSC, PEFC or Verified Progress certification and all our waste is composted.
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11.30.2009 | 1:00 am | Bathroom
Why remodel a bathroom?
Remodeling a bathroom is very much like renovating a kitchen, as the bathroom is a key part of the home. Old homes have bathrooms rarely larger than 5 feet by 8 feet. Investing in older homes can be tricky if it is grade 2 listed or it has tricky or awkward spaces. Lower ceilings and beams may result in bespoke showering areas at reduced widths and a more compact bathroom suite. The reason people choose to remodel a bathroom is largely due to the fact it will increase the resale value of the property. If the location of the bathroom is the same this will help the process as pipework etc will already be in situ to work with. Any radical changes to the layout will have to be considered carefully if it involves any large structural changes.
The cost of a bathroom remodel
Remodeling a bathroom can be costly and one of the more expensive projects you will ever do. This largely depends on the amount of work you wish to carry out and the budget in which you work too. A complete bathroom remodel project will cost around the same as a small car, if not more depending on personal preferences. If money is an issue you can always update the bathroom with new faucets and accessories to update a traditional design. Hiring a contractor for larger design projects can increase the overall cost, so take this into consideration. The best steps when finding a reliable plumber/contractor is too listen to friends and family’s recommendations. Always ask for samples of there work so you can see their workmanship.
First Step – Clean and Unclutter
Before anything the best option is to have a good sort through the bathroom. Clean the bathroom and rid yourself of any clutter and tired elements of the bathroom design. This will give you a clear definition in your mind of what you want to achieve. Consider the best storage solutions in the bathroom especially if you have plenty of toiletries and a small space.
Energy Efficiency
Traditional homes which have not been modernised in any way are not as energy efficient as newer builds. A bathroom remodeling project enables you to add all those energy efficient measures like lighting, windows and ventilation fans. Larger bathroom projects may result in opening walls which will give the opportunity to add insulation and air sealing materials which will benefit the whole house. Bathroom suites that offer pop up wastes and water saving features will create a more eco-friendly bathroom design.
Research the options
If it is a large remodeling project consulting with professionals may help you to realise the bathrooms full potential and how you can maximize the available space. The internet is a valuable tool so use it to gain design ideas and prices.
WDBathrooms
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