Posts Tagged ‘tips’

I just walked around my kitchen counting the number of selections that have to be made in a kitchen remodel.  After pointing at the microwave, backsplash, cabinet pulls, and making one circuit around the kitchen I counted 40 decisions someone needs to make in a kitchen remodel.  Here are 6 shopping secrets from your favorite kitchen & bath designers on how to successfully shop for the finishes for your next remodeling project.

Consider crumb colored counter tops – I just wiped off my dark counter tops and they don’t look clean.  Granted, technique is a component of my illustration.  I know my counters are clean, but they do not look clean. One reason New Venetian Gold granite is so popular is because it is crumb colored.  There is a generational awareness for hard it is to keep dark granite counter tops spotless in my consciousness.  (Why do I also drive a black car?)

Have you seen our gallery of ideas for you? Check this out (Shopping Secrets).

Dog colored floors – If you hate fur as much as I do, pick a pet colored floor and also one that has variation of color.  Rustic and hand-scraped floors are trending now.  The alternative, daily cleaning – something we all should do, but rarely is actually done.  If you want to clean more often, buy better cleaning supplies/gear.  Buy a Dyson vacuum and a micro fiber Bona wood floor cleaning kit.

You can find more ideas here too (Shopping Secrets)

Does quality count? – Yes – If you want your finishes to last more than 5 years then quality absolutely matters to your long-term satisfaction.  No – If you’ll make a change anyway or move in less than 5 years.  Be a Deal Hound, find something cheap, enjoy the hunt, and don’t let any of us Quality Snobs tell you any different.  Is this a “Target” purchase or a “Talbots” purchase (How did you like that mixed metaphor?).

Everything up front – If you want to avoid delays, cost overruns, and Scope Creep (when a project grows into a never-ending monster) then make all of your selections before you begin the build phase of your project.  Your patience will be rewarded in every way.  I recently heard a story where it took someone 8 weeks to pick their carpet, the project started without all the selections made, they added 2 weeks of extra carpentry & painting midstream, and the project took twice as long as it could’ve if everything had been selected up front.  It did not have to be that painful of a process.

Allowances are assumptions – Most builders enter a construction agreement with allowances as placeholders.  Most builders don’t do their homework and lead their clients through best practices.  Early on in a professional relationship how would a designer, builder, or client know if they want a $175 faucet or $350 faucet?  Both could be appropriate in the 2500 sf house they want to build in a nice neighborhood.  Selections can be the difference between a $50,000 and $100,000 kitchen remodel.  Multiply the variance of builder assumptions versus actual client selections by 40 decisions and there is room for big swings in a project budget.  Allowances are the starting point for a client to get into a range they are comfortable with.  Leading clients through a thorough selections/shopping process, before entering a construction agreement, is the best way to help clients get what they want.

Get a Guide – In my experience, clients get what they want, within their budget, and their projects are completed quickly, when they allow us to guide them through the complete shopping process.

There you go, 6 Secrets of how to shop well in your next remodeling project.  Happy shopping!

On-air today is a follow-up from Pat’s conversation with Chief, Jim Duval, Ada Fire Department

1. Everyone forgets the carbon monoxide (CO) detectors.  They need to be heard from each sleeping area.
2. Smoke Detectors – Needed in each sleeping room, in the hall outside of each sleeping area, and in the stairway leading to the area.  If you do any remodeling, you may be required by the building inspector to upgrade all of your smoke detectors to an interconnected system.
3. Solid Fuel Chimneys – Have them inspected and/or cleaned once/year.  You can use a hande mirror to look up into the chimney.  When dampered down, creosote is more likely to build up in the chimney than burning at full flame with the damper completely open.  Use seasoned wood, not wood that was cut this past fall.
4. Electric heaters / Kerosene heaters – Only use ones that have a tip-over switch (turn off when tipped), Keep them away from curtains, blankets, and your Snuggie.  Don’t use small, cheap extension cords (if it cost less than $10, don’t use it).
5. Keep a fire extinguisher in the house.  A good place is mounted in the cabinet under the kitchen sink or in an accessible pantry.

Stay safe, West Michigan.  Thanks, Pat Thompson, and Chief Jim Duval for bringing us this information.

Check out the latest edition of The Thompson Times!  This month’s issue offers valuable tips on mudroom organization.  Here are just a few of the tips:

1. Extra coat hooks for guests.  Are hooks okay or do you need hangers?

2. Ice melt away from kids – we have small children so our Ice Melt is way up high out of their reach.  I keep the refill downstairs on a storage shelf so we don’t hav a 50 lb. bag on the mudroom floor.

3. Baskets – Kristin labeled each basket with a picture.  That is so cool!

Click here for more and the view the entire Thompson Times newsletter.

Anatomy of a Green Home (pdf)
Remodel Green

{cms_selflink page=’87′ text=’Remodel Green and Curb Your Energy Costs’} (Article Courtesy of NARI)

Green Remodeling Tips
(From the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance)

Recycling: Thompson Remodeling expands its recycling program to include Cardboard and domestic recycling products (glass, plastic, tin). Currently Thompson Remodeling recycles: aluminum, steel, copper, paper (magazine, newsprint, office paper), light fixtures, plumbing fixtures (toilets, faucets, sinks, etc), cabinetry, windows, doors and anything else that can be deconstructed and donated to local non-profits. We frequently salvage, store, specify, and reuse excess building materials such as trim and millwork, dimensional lumber used for framing, remnants of granite counters, sheet goods like OSB and plywood.