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It isn’t often that we are asked to stretch the design envelope for a remodeling project. This project was different. In a recent article about about chic design, we included a picture of a very cool stair system which needed to be rendered.
This article shares what came of the 3D model. I am proud of how it turned out.
…continue reading Presenting: Stretching the 3D model »
We’ve been working on some home projects for a long time. Yes, it’s like the cobbler’s children that have no shoes, but our projects are finally getting resolved.
This last weekend, I completed installing the boys bedroom flooring. Then we sanded and finished with polyurethane. The last coat went on last night.
I would encourage anyone to try projects out, but if you’re not confident about it, hire a professional.
We used Lumber Liquidator’s utility flooring. To use this, you either need to increase your waste calculations, or have a woodshop nearby. We were able to re-work quite a bit of the wood, and for us it was worth the extra work.
We don’t mind the look that some of the boards give. A few places have blemishes and isn’t just perfect. Some holes I filled with a two-part wood filler.
We are completely happy with the end result.
I was recently involved in reviewing a foreclosed home for a couple who were considering purchasing the property. Apparently, the fireplace had been leaning into the living room, away from the wall.
For reasons I won’t go into here, they removed the fireplace, and exposed this.
…continue reading Small mistakes can bite you »
This post is first in a series, where the goal is to show how you can remodel or upgrade your home with ease. A remodeling project isn’t always easy but it can be done with much fewer headaches. We all know that in order to reduce headaches, one must start with the end goal in mind. The end goal in any remodeling, or upgrading project is a trouble-free, functional, and visually pleasing space.
To create this series, I will share this example of a real life, and real-time, remodeling project. In other words, I will be writing this as the project unfolds.
…continue reading How to remodel with ease, pt 1 »
I was conversing with a friend yesterday who was talking about the Government energy rebates. There are many resources available for Home Energy & efficiency products. The Department of Energy has a whole section of their website devoted to Consumer Energy Tax Incentives.
I was also doing some searching to see what products and guides are available to help reduce home energy usage. There are, in fact, instructions on how you can CREATE your own energy! Or, use this blueprint to increase home energy efficiency.
…continue reading Improve Home Energy Efficiency »
You’ve got a great idea for your kitchen, or the bathroom needs remodeling, right? Many people look to hire a remodeler. You don’t want a remodeler that creates headaches for you.
When interviewing a remodeler remember this:
…continue reading When interviewing a remodeler »
Remodeling headaches come in many forms: over-budget, taking too long, loss of control, and generally frustration and confusion. 
While a cold headwrap may help the pain, personal experience tells me that it won’t help the remodeling project. So, we look at some ways to help those headaches.
The FamilyEducation.com website, gives an excerpt on How to Spot an “Underground” Contractor, from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Common Household Disasters © 2005 by Paul Hayman and Sonia Weiss. Their article gives us the first point in how to reduce headaches.
…continue reading 5 Tips to Reduce Remodeling Headaches »
Mother Nature can wreak havoc on our homes. Using 3D design, this video gives tips on home maintenance, improvement and repair.
We know that there were two major wars in history, World War I and World War II. There was the First Battle of Bull Run, and the Second Battle of Bull Run in the American Civil War. However, when the first war ended, people didn’t call it World War I since they didn’t know that there would be a second war. Yesterday, I posted the article Remodeling:How to find a professional not realizing that there would be a “part 2″ to come.
Today, I found a list of items that someone else posted to try and help people find a professional. I’d like to address this list and hopefully give some perspective.
…continue reading Selecting a professional, part 2 »
In a recent article on Customer Service in the remodeling world, it was found that customer service seems to be a lost art. We can all bemoan those problems, or we can do something about it.
A search on Facebook or Twitter can yield conflicting reports. Many companies are creating their “Facebook fan club” or tweeting about the latest product or project. Yet recently, some friends on Facebook replied to a question about their first thoughts on “remodeling”. The responses ranged from “expensive” to “dirty” and “tiring”.
So, if you want to update your home, and you aren’t planning to do it yourself (or maybe you will hire part of it to be done), how does one select a contractor? Selecting based on price will almost always lead you in the wrong direction! But how else can we base our decision?
…continue reading Remodeling:How to find a professional »