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Spring Cleaning Starts With Clutter Control

by admin, 3:39 PM on April 4th, 2012, Comments Off

Spring sunshine often motivates homeowners to get a fresh start with a good, thorough spring cleaning.  The first swipe of the dustcloth or sweep of the broom can run into a roadblock, though.  Shoes left by the back door, electronics stacked high on a TV case and clothes piled on the closet floor can make spring cleaning feel overwhelming and impossible.  Effective storage and organization can open any room in the house and make spring cleaning an easy, rewarding experience.

Living areas

Electronics, books, video games and toys all need places of their own.  Many of them can, and should, be stored together.  For example, a custom built-in entertainment center can house electronics, video games, DVDs and CDs all in one convenient place.  Bookshelves can include baskets, closeable doors or drawers to control book collections and toys.

Bedroom

Organizing clothing can be one of the biggest challenges in any home.  Keeping clean clothes orderly and wrinkle-free is critical to looking and feeling good.  Dirty clothes can scatter throughout the bedroom if they don’t have a convenient place to go at the end of the day.  Spring is the perfect time to re-evaluate your wardrobe and your storage needs.  It’s a great time to store your heavy winter clothes and bring out the light, breezy summer wardrobe.  It’s also a good time to decide which clothes you can live without – lots of charitable organizations take clothing donations in the spring.  This process can also help you decide the best way to store and organize your clothes. Do you need more space for shoes?  Do you need a better way to hang dress clothes?  A custom closet system or walk-in closet could help make your wardrobe more accessible and functional.

Bathroom

Typically the smallest room in the house, the bathroom presents some of the biggest storage challenges for homeowners.  Linens, personal products, hairdryers and all the other daily essentials need a place to live that’s easy to reach.   Custom medicine cabinets and linen closets in or near the bathroom can ensure that towels, soap and toothpaste are all conveniently located.

Talk to our design team today to build a plan that helps get the clutter under control and opens your home to the sunshine of spring!

What Direction Should Your Addition Go?

by admin, 1:50 PM on March 29th, 2012, Comments Off

Homeowners have two choices for their home additions:  Expand horizontally or expand vertically.   The choice you make depends on the purpose of the addition, the local zoning laws, your yard size and your home’s existing structure.  Whichever direction you decide to build, we can create a beautiful, seamless addition for your home.

How will the addition be used?

If your remodeling vision includes a kitchen or family room, building out is usually most effective.  A two-level kitchen would be spectacular, but pretty impractical!  Family rooms often become extensions of a living room or dining area located on the main floor.  Master suites, attic bedrooms and bathroom expansions are often best-suited for a vertical addition.

Local zoning laws

Many communities have ordinances that limit the size of your home.  Some communities have “setback” rules that dictate the minimum distance a home can be from the curb.  A horizontal addition may be limited by these rules.  Similarly, communities have begun limiting the height of homes.  A vertical addition may be limited by these “McMansion” rules.  We will check your local ordinances before beginning the design of your new addition.

Your existing home

Building up puts new strains on your foundation and internal load-bearing walls.  It also means removing the existing roof and potentially adding staircases.  All of these can stress your home beyond its capabilities.  At the same time, building out can disrupt the original design of your home and reduce the size of your yard.  Regardless of the purpose of your home and the nature of your home’s existing structure, we will create a seamless, elegant addition that you can enjoy for years.

Call our design team today to start designing your new home addition.

Dealing With Water In Basement Remodeling

by admin, 2:47 PM on March 22nd, 2012, Comments Off

Basement remodeling adds significant space to a house.  Homeowners need to keep certain basement-specific requirements in mind, however.  Water is a big challenge in many homes.  Humidity and leaks are two common sources of water damage in basements.

Humidity

Humidity can be difficult to notice, but can cause long-term damage from mold and stagnant wetness in walls and flooring materials.  Before we begin a basement remodeling project, we check for humidity.   You can check for condensation by hanging a mirror in the basement–if the mirror fogs up after a few hours, condensation is present in the basement.  Fans and humidifiers can help to reduce the impact of humidity.

Leak Prevention

Controlling surface water and waterproofing basements are important parts of any basement remodel. The yard around the foundation should slope downhill away from the house.  This will prevent many of the conditions that lead to leaky basements and water damage to the foundation.  It’s also possible to coat the interior of the foundation walls with a mix of concrete paint that blends with the masonry of the foundation walls.

Floors

Remodeled basements often see heavy foot traffic.  If your basement is prone to water leaks, we can use materials that can withstand heavy use as well as excessive water.  Tile can be one durable, water-resistant flooring material option.

Talk to our design team today.  We can help you determine what water challenges your basement might face and the kinds of things we can do to prevent and minimize the impact of water on your new basement.

Adding A Home Office

by admin, 3:57 PM on March 14th, 2012, Comments Off

More than 33 million workers in the U.S. — including employees, contractors, and small business owners – work at home at least a portion of the time.  That number has risen more than 17 percent since 2006.

Designing a home office is a big undertaking.  Prior to designing a home office, we will assess how you will use it and what requirements it must fulfill. Will this be your primary workspace, or a secondary space?   You may spend eight or more hours a day in the space we create, and the decisions we make today can enhance the success of your work.  Here are some key considerations for a home office design.

Location

This is one of the most important considerations of home office planning. Your basement may offer a quiet, isolated space, but natural light may be limited.  Do you have young children?  An office off the foyer may not work. Do you meet with clients or receive frequent deliveries? An upstairs bedroom might not be best.

Organization

A functional home office needs to include space for computer(s), file storage, printer, phone and possibly a project area for non-computer activities.  Having computers and peripherals within easy reach makes for a more functional workspace.  One element that often gets overlooked is wiring – power and computer connections.  A good home office includes plenty of electrical outlets and allows for convenient, yet tucked-away access to cords and cables.

Light

Window placement in home offices can dramatically affect your work.  South-facing windows give direct light all year long, but can create glare in fall and spring.  North-facing windows reduce overall natural light and demand more artificial light in the room.  East and west-facing windows can brighten a room early and late in the day.  We’ll consider your light sources when we design your home office to maximize natural light and minimize glare.  Task lighting is also important.  Consistent natural light may not always be available, so bright under-cabinet or recessed ceiling lights can improve home office lighting.

Health

If you are working from home for someone else, they are required to ensure that you’re working in a safe and comfortable environment, meeting all the federal and state requirements.  If you are working on your own, it’s up to you make your workspace as comfortable as possible.  We’ll make sure your new space is as ergonomically designed as it can be.

A home office can add to your productivity.  Contact our design team today to start designing your new workspace.

Spring Parade of Homes Remodelers Showcase

by admin, 2:16 PM on March 7th, 2012, Comments Off

We are featuring two beautiful homes in the Parade of Homes Remodelers Showcase this month!  Be sure to stop by these two locations and experience the results our creative design team delivered for the happy homeowners.

5132 W. 29th Street
St. Louis Park

Type of Project:
Multi-room, Room Addition, Deck/Patio/Porch, Lower Level, Bathroom, Kitchen, Exterior, Garage, Mud Room/Laundry

Scope:
Some well-needed space here! We took a mid 1950’s home and practically doubled the square footage while maintaining its architectural charm along with some much needed exterior tweaks. Come visit and see a beautifully open floor plan complete with large expansive kitchen and dining room design, along with a welcoming front room. This remodel also includes a mud room, powder bath, and two-car garage addition with finished square footage below. Some great solutions for any home of this era.

Get directions to this showcase home.

 

220 Oak Grove Place
St. Paul

Type of Project:
Multi-room, Room Addition, Main Level, Kitchen

Scope:
We designed and built an addition with a mud room/kitchen/hearth room. We used the existing space to create a large mud room with custom lockers. We then designed, built, finished and installed a custom kitchen to flow from the remaining space and into the new space. We completed the design with a humble sitting room with fireplace along with access to the deck. All millworks and moldings are from our own shops and are from the period the original home is from. Adding the flair of modern amenities, we challenge you to find the seams in this build!

Get directions to this showcase home.

 

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