Curb Appeal Is King

Remodeling Magazine, by Jim Cory

Why are seven of the top 10 value-yielding projects of the 33 projects ranked by Realtors in this year’s Cost vs. Value Report exterior projects?

Lots of reasons, the first of them being cost. In an economy where frugal is the word, each of the exterior projects comes in at less than $15,000. The project with the greatest return — a mid-price–point entry door — costs less than $1,200.

Another reason is appearance. Exterior improvements contribute to the overall look and feel of a building. “Curb appeal is king,” notes Strongsville, Ohio, Realtor Mike Pallendino — especially in a market with more sellers than buyers. Pallendino says that sometimes when he pulls up to a house that has a less-than-stellar exterior, clients ask him to just keep driving. “With the exterior updated,” he points out, “owners can concentrate on other parts of making the house their home.”

The ‘F’ Word

With home prices lower than they were a few years ago, and home equity tapped out for many consumers, function trumps glitz. “Three or four years ago, a $50,000 or $100,000 kitchen was a sensible investment,” says Kermit Baker, director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, “because housing prices were increasing 6%, 8%, or 10% a year. So you were adding to the value and letting the equity build up.”

This year the Joint Center sees the total number of improvements (i.e., jobs) down 9% and overall remodeling expenditure down 3.5% to 4.5%.

Fewer projects means that those projects that just can’t wait get done. The projects that can wait — that are discretionary — often are postponed. That’s why total spending on “Improvements” (additions and alterations) was down while “Maintenance and Repairs” spending was up in 2007, the last year that the U.S. Census Bureau broke remodeling sales out in those categories.

Energized

Another big reason for the popularity of exterior replacements is energy efficiency. Not so important before. Definitely important now. Chalk some of that up to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act tax credits available for energy-efficiency upgrades, including qualified roof and window components. That has helped boost homeowners’ — both buyers’ and sellers’ — awareness of such improvements. Some potential home buyers not only want a good-looking house, they want an energy efficient one, notes La Crosse, Wis., Realtor Kathy Fox. Clients, says St. Louis broker Dawn Griffin, are “willing to pay a little bit more if the house has new and energy-efficient windows.”

That’s because homeowners are now more aware of the fact that those windows or that siding can save them money in the long run by offsetting energy costs. The U.S. Department of Energy says that qualified (dual- or triple-paned) windows can save as much as 15% to 20% on energy bills. Foam-backed siding provides a modest boost in R-value as well as reduced sound transmission. Homeowners are drawn to improvements that help reduce the cost of maintaining the home over time. They are, Pallendino says, “more aware, these days, of the saving aspects” available through upgraded windows or a new HVAC system. But those functional improvements are “still not high on the list of must-haves.”

Turnkey Is Key

What is high up on that list is move-in condition. In a booming real estate market, marginal locations move because buyers are willing to invest the time and money into customizing. They think of the investment as part of the long-term cost of the transaction. In lean times, the opposite psychology holds sway. Marginally maintained houses get house hunters’ short shrift.

Bill Gassett ought to know. The Hopkinton, Mass., market where he has sold homes for 25 years hit its pricing peak in 2005 and is down about 25% since that time.

“The houses that get most significantly hurt by the market,” Gassett says, “are the ones that haven’t been cared for.”

Turnkey is what a house has to be these days to sell. In St. Louis, Griffin recently went into a home that had just come on the market. Price: $80,000. The house was old and the kitchen hadn’t been updated since the ’70s, she says. But though it wasn’t stylish, what it did have going for it was that the owner had maintained it well. “It was super well-kept,” Griffin says. “Roof in great shape. Gutters in great shape. And,” she adds, “that house was under contract in three days.”

Craftsman Design Wins National Design Honors

Congratulations to Craftsman Design and Renovation winner of the Historic Renovation category of the Master Design Awards, a national competition for design excellence in residential remodeling.

Craftsman Design and Renovation’s restoration of an airplane bungalow stood out among contestants for the prestigious Master Design Awards, sponsored by Qualified Remodeler magazine.

“We’re honored to be recognized for our area of expertise and to help spotlight Portland as being in the vanguard of historic architectural preservation,” said company owner and senior designer Wade Freitag.  “This city is fortunate to have not only old housing stock, but homeowners and citizens who appreciate how these buildings enhance our daily lives.”

Freitag founded Craftsman Design in 1995 and has served on the board of the Architectural Heritage Center in Portland.  His work has appeared in Along Bungalow Lines and Beyond the Bungalow.

See more pictures from this remodel by clicking here.  See Oregonian article about another remodel by Craftsman Design and Renovation by clicking here.

For information: www.craftsmandesign.com or Phone: 503-239-6200.

An efficient floor plan puts an old kitchen in working order

By Bridget Otto, The Oregonian

Photo by Thomas Boyd, The Oregonian

Ellen and Craig Nichols lived in their Southwest Portland home for just about one year before throwing in the towel.

The kitchen towel.

The awkwardly designed kitchen in their 1928 house was just not going to work for the two avid cooks with busy lives and five adult children who crowd that kitchen during holiday and family dinners.

Ellen craved improved functionality, increased storage and perhaps a way that she and Craig could both be cooking without hip-checking each other out of the way at the sink.

She wanted to do away with clutter and with counters clotted with appliances and utensils.

The Nicholses enlisted the expertise of kitchen designer Robin Fisher, who saw some immediate issues.

The somewhat over-engineered kitchen’s cabinetry and countertops were angled in a failed attempt at using space efficiently. Although Robin loved the mahogany-clad custom cabinets, this layout, she says, really sucked up space.

Pretty or not, Ellen says, there was exactly one cabinet that could hold a dinner plate, some of the hinges were broken and the overhead cabinets proved unreachable without a step stool.

Add to that the narrow floor plan, four doorways into the room, a chimney running up one wall, no desire to move walls and the age of the Council Crest house, and Robin’s challenges were clear.

Photo by Thomas Boyd, The Oregonian

After playing around with various options, Robin zeroed in on the wall that held the refrigerator, chimney and an awkward wrapped counter attached to another angled counter — all with upper cabinets attached.

While there was actually quite a bit of space there, it was just not used correctly.

“One thing that really made it all start happening was when Robin came up with the idea of pulling the whole wall forward, instead of wrapping around the chimney,” Ellen says of the newly configured beverage/baking area that contains a second sink, a convection oven, appliance garage and storage galore.

Instead of being stymied by the odd corner ruled by an old 2-by-2-foot chimney (it now holds ductwork) and a refrigerator pushed back into the far corner, Robin repositioned the back wall in front of the chimney, hiding it and creating a long, straight run for counters and cabinets.

That left enough space for traffic in front of the cabinets, plus empty space behind the new wall along either side of the chimney, which became a bookcase on one side and an unseen laundry chute from upstairs to the basement on the other.

“There’s so much stuff going on behind here,” Robin says, her hand on the drywall that hides the chimney. “It really is a trompe l’oeil.”

The change, however, meant finding a new home for the refrigerator, which had been too far from the sink and stove to begin with. Slapping it on the wall across from the sink, which was being moved over to create more counter space, left it hanging out by itself. Robin decided a cabinet could cozy up to the refrigerator and anchor the corner. She designed the cabinet with glass doors and turned it to face the dining room doorway to show off Ellen’s colorful dinnerware.

Robin and Ellen pretty much credit each other for the project’s success. But Robin says Ellen’s openness to changes and willingness to listen turned problems into solutions and made the project one of her favorite in the 24 years she’s been a designer.

For instance, the first exhaust hood over the Wolf range did not work out well — and that’s putting it mildly.

When the carpenters put in the square hood clad to match the cabinetry, Ellen thought it was ugly. The carpenters readily agreed and suggested calling Robin.

When Robin walked in and saw what she called a “perfect toy box turned upside down,” she described its look using more pungent adjectives.

“It was horrible,” she says, laughing.

But that mistake led to a gorgeous change: a sleek, copper hood, which led to bringing other copper elements into play.

“Not all clients can handle these evolutions,” Robin says. “But that made it fun. We were able to say, ‘Well, that just didn’t work. Let’s change it.’ This project ended up becoming better for the mistakes.”

“It did,” Ellen agrees.

The warm, sienna-colored walls, mahogany trim matched to the home’s original woodwork, and the brown-and-beige checkerboard Marmoleum flooring keep the updated kitchen in check with the age of the house while adding a layer of beauty that Ellen didn’t expect. She says she wasn’t remodeling just to make the room look pretty; she was doing it for functionality.

But she remembers feeling surprised when all was said and done. “Wow,” she thought, “it’s stunning, too.”

Bite-Size Remodeling

In this economy many homeowners today are scaling back on home improvements. Homeowners who might have gutted a kitchen or bath a few years ago are scaling back – keeping the big-ticket items that are in good condition and making small changes.

A couple of common changes include:

• Upgrading recessed lights to pendants or small chandeliers
• Updating plumbing fixtures to stainless steel, brushed nickel or rubbed bronze finishes
• Installing a new backsplash or cabinet hardware
• Removing soffits in the kitchen
• Replacing bathroom mirrors

Make a Small Kitchen Look Larger

Tips from Better Homes and Garden/bhg.com…

Paint It White  White is your best friend in a small kitchen. It reflects the light, which enhances the sense of space and makes the walls seem to recede.

Use a Low-Contrast Color Scheme  When there’s little difference between the colors of the wall, the countertop, the cabinetry, and the woodwork, your eye glides over the surfaces looking for a place to rest, and that movement tricks your mind into thinking the space is larger than it really is.

Welcome the Light  Lots of natural light enlarges any space. You may have no choice about the number and placement of windows in your kitchen, but maximize the light you do have by keeping window treatments minimal.

Eliminate Clutter  Countertops crowded with cookware and cabinets crowned by collectibles swamp a small kitchen and cramp your work space. To enlarge the room visually, clear off the counters, the windowsill, and the cabinet tops, and stash as much as you can behind closed doors.

Before and After: Added Space and Style

After

Before

 

Metke Remodeling and Woodworking

Phone: 503-534-0983

www.metkeremodeling.com

 

This exciting remodel and addition began with the homeowners request to better use the space in their existing home to suit the needs of their growing children; add space for a true master suite and home office; and improve the exterior appeal of their single story ranch.  A second story was added, dramatically improving the exterior of the home, and accommodating the desire to separate the master suite from the public areas of the home.  Much of the existing main floor structure was kept intact while surfaces were updated to create a beautiful family home.

The homeowners wanted to add character while also preserving many of the original details.  The original kitchen perimeter cabinets were kept in place, modified,  and re-painted. A new island was built, all topped with new slab counters, artistic backsplash. Painted tongue and groove paneling was installed on the kitchen and family room ceiling above hand-distressed beams.  The existing brick fireplace was preserved and the modern convenience of a recessed flat panel television was added adjacent to the fireplace.  Wide plank hickory floors were installed throughout the main floor and up the stairs.  A custom plaster and wood mantle enhance the elegance of the living room fireplace.  The existing baths were updated with new cabinetry, fixtures slab counters,and tile that better suit the needs of the family.  One bedroom doubles as a play area for the two boys still at home, but also includes a Murphy bed for the occasions their daughter returns home to visit.  A master suite with hand crafted beams and a home office were added on the second floor, separate from the children’s bedrooms on the main floor.

Metke worked closely with building designer Keith Abel and interior designer Sandy Hayes to create a “new” family home they will be comfortable living in for many years.

Before and After: Revitalized Mid-Century Home

After

Before

 

Oregon Home Renovations
Phone: 503-772-4663
www.oregonhomerenovations.com

 

A Mid-Century Modern home in Lake Oswego that was once applauded for cutting-edge extras like “city water” and “built-in appliances” in the 1959 Parade of Homes has come a long way. Fifty years ago, the Mid-Century Modern style aimed to focus on hope for the future rather than to dwell on the past. For the family, the concept couldn’t ring more true. With two kids in college and one college-bound, the family tapped Mark Hylland of Oregon Home Renovations to redesign and remodel the home to meet its soon-to-change lifestyle – empty nesters ready to party.

Opening up the compartmentalized design of the classic daylight ranch made way for combining the kitchen, living room and dining room into one dramatic space. And, expanding the dining area by 80 square feet created all-new possibilities to amplify the original promise of “built-in appliances.” Three countertop materials, quartz, granite and marble, blend to make cooking a culinary dream. True to the Modernist style, the open floor plan provides an impressive view of a sweeping back deck and lush landscaping surrounding an in-ground pool – accessible through dramatic Anderson converging sliding doors. With a new master suite that opens onto the deck overlooking the pool, the parents also enjoy the view from their private bedroom.

To complete the home’s amenities, Hylland created a handcrafted, built-in entertainment center in the basement to accommodate a wide-screen TV and converted an unfinished space into a laundry room. Honoring the home’s original Modernist style, Oregon Home Renovations accomplished a seamless blend of past, present and future. Fifty years since being showcased in the Parade of Homes, the home is now ready to take on the next century.

Before and After: Reconfigured 1950’s Home

After

Before

Leitner Construction
www.leitnerconstruction.com
503-491-9552 

After 3.5 years of living in their 1950’s mid-century home with an enclosed dysfunctional galley kitchen, lack of true entertaining space and underutilized alcove in the living room, the homeowners knew it was time to make some dramatic changes. They also recognized the value of bringing the right design and construction team together to reach their goals. 

They chose Leitner Construction, Inc. and Paolo Design Group to take on the task. The designer first needed to tackle “his and her” opposing visions for the remodel. He wanted a traditional aesthetic and she longed for a modern no-clutter look. After exploring the existing kitchen footprint for potential, it was clear that the wall separating the kitchen from the rest of the house could be removed to make way for a new design with a Great Room appeal.

A new garden window increased the visual connection to the beautiful back yard. The new kitchen island was strategically oriented toward the living and dining areas for fluid entertaining. New cabinetry was added to the unused alcove space. Additional counter space was achieved by capturing the existing “wooden dining booth.” Sapelle Mahogany cabinetry, engineered quartz countertops, and porcelain ceramic tile floors and backsplash dressed up the space creating clean lines and bringing “his and her” visions together. 

A “chef zone” and “public zone” for guests to relax free-and-clear from cooking activities were created by the new kitchen island. The desire for cooking and entertaining was reinvigorated by putting everything within arms reach.    Now the entire family, including Bailey their Labrador, is amazed by the transformation from Mid-Century to New-Century. The remodel changed their day-to-day life by creating one contiguous space for spending quality time together.

King of the Grill: Evo flattop appliance

I recently stopped by the Ferguson’s showroom on NW 18th in Portland (which is awsome you should totally check it out) and saw a cooking demonstration of the Evo cooktop.  With summer upon us this would be a great alternative to the traditional outdoor grill for your outdoor living space.  Plus, they have indoor and tabletop versions so the good times can last all year long.  Read the excerpt below then jump over to their website or walk into Ferguson, BASCO or the NW Natural Appliance Center to learn more.

From Evo Website:

Certain cooking styles (more than others) reveal the wonderful flavor potential of foods- particularly steak, seafood, and vegetables. With Evo’s circular flattop cooking surface you have the ability to sear, sauté, braise, boil, roast, steam, stir-fry, bake, poach, toast, fry and grill. Similar to traditional cast-iron pan cooking techniques, Evo’s large and versatile cooking surface lets you cook foods while highlighting the natural wonderful caramelized flavors of food.

Evo’s cook surface gives you ample room to cook whole pieces of meat or fish. Professional chefs know that sear cooking with high heat caramelizes the natural carbohydrates of food, turning them into flavorful, natural sugars. The contrast in taste between the seared outside crust and the interior makes food more interesting and fun to eat.

Evo’s cook surface also protects food from the negative effects of charring, which is a familiar problem with open-flame barbeque grills.  Burning and charring of food is not the same as searing and caramelization. With an open-flame grill, the leaping flames and pulsating heat cause proteins to repetitively contract and relax, expelling natural, flavorful juices. Cooking foods on Evo’s solid plate cooking surface eliminates any chance of food coming into contact with a direct open flame, so you can cook moist, tender meats and poultry without the burn and char.

Additionally, the design of Evo’s cooking surface has a slightly crowned shape that allows cooking juices and liquids to flow from the center to the outside edge and into the drip tray below. This allows you to keep foods separated across the cook surface, and if you’re cooking several things at one time, it also allows you maintain the distinct flavor of each item being cooked. Unlike open-flame grated grills that allow cooking juices to smolder and smoke everything with a universal charred taste, Evo lets food cook in its own juices and provides wonderful natural aroma that enhances the taste experience.

More from the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show

See these links below for more information about the latest trend, hot products and next generation appliances from KBIS….

Highlights from the 2009 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show

Kitchens from KBIS09

KBIS09 Product Sightings

KBIS09: Eye on Aging

KBIS09: Lighting Tips for the Pro