Much of the time people look at home remodeling as if it’s all one big bag of the same thing. Remodelers know how to remodel, replace cabinets, install electrical fixtures, countertops, appliances, etc…right? Sure, anyone who says they can remodel can probably get the job done to its most limited and barely satisfactory levels, but sometimes people demand artists. People who actually pride themselves on creating home additions, and even entire homes themselves, beyond just fix it work are the people you want to seek out for your next (or first) home addition or renovation.
We recently got wind of a story about an in-wall television installation in a kitchen and liked what we heard. The person in question had a relatively old flat screen television, meaning that the back portion of the set protruded out some three inches or so. These three inches were ruled wholly unacceptable when it came to mounting it, so a solution needed to be found. Enter the intrepid contractor. (more…)
If you live in a small apartment or smaller designed house you might have a somewhat cramped kitchen. Many of us are all too used to such constricted conditions as an open oven door blocking the path through the kitchen, or a refrigerator door not being able to open all the way. These design flaws are commonplace and there are ways to make it work. Here are some tips on optimizing your smaller-than-ideal kitchen.
When cooking, review what appliances can get the job done. If using the oven clogs your kitchen’s walking area or overheats the room too easily try to avoid baking smaller items. Perhaps, a toaster oven could do the trick for smaller items. Most toaster ovens have bake and broil functions which work surprisingly well, if the food you intend to cook is on a smaller scale. Sautéing foods might leave you with more room to spin around to your countertop and do your cutting, preparing, etc. (more…)
Unlike other countertops, granite doesn’t absorb odors or constantly remind you of your pre-bamboo cutting board period and your serious underestimation of what an 8-inch chef’s knife can do.
Gist: Granite Transformations countertops are an affordable update; moreover, they’re extremely easy to clean and to keep looking clean. Sound good?
In all of the crazy stories we hear from people who have hired remodelers who either botch the work or overcharge we forget to realize that some home remodelers simply have no business tinkering with your home sweet home. If you’ve ever seen an episode of America’s Funniest Home Videos chances are you’ve seen some hilarious construction mishaps. It’s truly stunning that something claimed to be your vocation, in this case construction, could be so fantastically botched. Well, we can take solace in knowing that we aren’t the purveyors of botched work and/or hilarious remodeling failures. We thought that in spite of that we’d bring you some joy at the expense of the lower echelon of construction professionals. Enjoy!
Astonishing. We’re surprised we didn’t see some wayward granite countertop salesman trying to lower a solid slab onto some shoddily slapped together cabinets. Alas, it was not included. Though that last video was certainly satisfying when it comes to falls, crashed, and collapses. Below, you’ll really need to evaluate your handyman skills before fixing up the house.
Roofing is a domestic task that takes a hearty dose of prerequisite elbow grease and a liberal amount of construction knowledge. Oh, and it also take coordination – something the man in this past video was devoid of.
Larger jobs need larger tools. An industrial loader is only brought in when lots of material needs moving and a large scale project is at hand. Yet, when you can’t even move dirt from one place to another, the chances you’ll be able to finish the job in any timely fashion.
In each of these videos we saw bumbling construction workers and remodelers botching jobs left and right. If you want to see what seamless work looks like just give us a call.
Kitchen counter installation is an involved process, to say the least. When choosing countertop material you’re also choosing how to spend the days of installation – in your home or outside of it. If you choose a thick slab like traditional granite, marble, or soapstone you’ll probably want to escape the confines of your home as the contractors will be ripping out chunks of your island, countertop base, and making a general mess of things for about a week or more. If you’ve got new cabinets to compliment the new countertops then, well, fuggedaboutit!
Looks like a whole lot of disruption.
You have to prepare yourself for the noise and debris and you’ve got to account for your stress levels rising. What if there was a different way? (more…)
We love a well-kept home, both indoor and out. Making sure your kitchen, bathroom, and living room stay fresh into the winter months is tough, as each room will receive much more use and much more wear, but it’s the outside you really need to focus on.
According to a report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, annual spending on remodeling is expected to accelerate this year, with nearly 5 percent growth over 2009. In our case, cabinet refacing sales are already double the amount than its previous year as we find that an overwhelming amount of people who look into our services are swayed by the ease and convenience the method presents. This rapid growth is proof of the quality of the product.
Here at Granite Transformations, we often get questions about maintaining newly installed granite or trend stone countertops. We hear from a lot of people who want to know how best to care for their countertops. One of our clients recently posed a question which I would like to answer here so others who had the same question can benefit. The client asked how he should go about caring for and cleaning his granite countertop.
To maintain the beauty of your countertop, is fortunately quite simple. If you notice a stain or any spills on the countertop such as oil, sauce, or cooking fluid, make sure to clean the surface as soon as possible. All you need to do is dip a soft cloth or sponge in warm water and gently rub the surface of the countertop. Avoid using soaps, alcohols or detergents as these will only damage your countertop and destroy its beautiful luster.
Cleaning your countertop doesn’t have to be difficult! We hope the simple tips provided above will help you maintain your countertop for the years to come. If anyone has further questions, please pass them on and we will gladly answer them here.
Yesterday we outlined what’s typically involved in replacing your existing countertops with whole-slab granite. In addition to those hassles, there is another concern: the law.
When it comes to a home remodeling, some local laws require homeowners to secure a permit from a local office. While these laws are established to ensure that the homeowners are complying with building, electrical and other important safety codes, they provide a real hassle on the homeowners’ side: weeks of delay in a job, document-filings that are migraine-inducing, and possibly additional leakage from your wallet to get the job done properly – from both legal and technical perspectives. If you have experienced the nightmare of trying to secure any sort of legal permit, you certainly know what we are talking about.
