Want that new kitchen before the holidays? Better get to work!

It is so easy for us to get caught up in our daily tasks that we neglect to think ahead and plan for the future. I run into homeowners all the time in late July/August who approach me wanting their kitchens remodeled in time for the holidays. On each and every occasion I have bad news for them: can’t be done in time.

Planning a kitchen remodel takes a lot more time and effort than many think. First, you need to find a kitchen designer. This can be fairly difficult in Washington, D.C. given the long work hours, making an appointment, traffic, and overall layout of the entire region. Secondly, once you lock-in with a kitchen designer, you need to come up with a kitchen design for your space. This entails selecting a cabinet line, cabinet style, cabinet hardware, etc., which takes a normal client at least one month to do - I would allow two months. Thirdly, once you have finalized your new kitchen design, it’s time to place the order on the cabinets. Standard custom kitchen cabinets take 8 weeks to be manufactured and delivered to the jobsite. That process alone is 2 months! Lastly – depending on the complexity of the kitchen, a contractor will need about 5-7 weeks to complete the kitchen renovation from the day the cabinets arrive to the day he is complete. At best, you’ll have your kitchen renovation complete 6 months after you first started planning for it.

I advise all who are seriously considering having a kitchen renovation done in time for the 2012 holidays to start planning now! With more time allocated towards planning the renovation, you will have a greater chance of achieving a better finished product, than had you been rushed to make the decisions.

Going green or greenbacks? What is more important to you?

   

                                                                 
It seems as though everywhere you look, more and more people are "going green," or at least talking about it...


The "green" phenomenon has been very interesting to watch.  While alot of people consider going green quite often, very few realize the cost of going green is not cheap, especially in this economy.  Adapting to a greener lifestyle is something I believe all individuals should embark on but going all-out with a green mindset is simply not affordable.  Take a few green building methods for instance:

- sprayfoam insulation
- geothermal heating and cooling
- low VOC paints
- Ecostar synthetic slate roofing
- LED lighting
- solar shades
- tankless water heaters

All of these green options are great ideas and certainly better for the enviroment than standard building methods but are they all really worth the extra cost?  Sprayfoam insulation, geothermal and tankless water heaters are all easily triple the cost of their convential methods and the others are much more expensive than their counterparts as well.  In theory, going green is fantastic but in reality it is a major financial committment.  My best advice to anyone who is considering going green with their next building project is to balance the green methods out with the conventional methods.  Perhaps you'll use sprayfoam insulation, tankless water heaters and low VOC paints in your project along with a convential HVAC system, conventional roofing materials and standard paints.  This way you'll have the satisfaction and self-gratification of knowing you are helping the enviromnent but you'll also have the comfort of knowing you didn't completely break the bank to "go green".  With the current cost of "going green" there is very little chance you will ever recoup the money you spent on your project.  While I encourage everyone to live a greener life, I also remind people to be smart about it too.

Get exposed in 2012!

Everything exposed:  It's a trending interior design feature that is becoming widely popular for 2012.  The following list is where the exposed look is being seen the most:


- Exposed spiral duct work in a commerical space or loft condominium
- Exposing an existing brick wall; many times leading up a staircase
- Adding exposed antique beams to a great room or den 


Exposing these archtiectural elements is a creative way of making a space feel more unique, warm and tasteful.  Not only is it a great look, it is also very cost efficient.  When exposing an existing brick wall or deciding to not cover some existing beams/ductwork, you are saving money on the cost of drywall, interior trim and painting!  Next time you're out and about -- whether it be a friend's house or at your favorite local restaurant -- take a look to see if they've incorporated any of these exposed features into their space.  If they did, you know they're up to speed!