Up above the Mason-Dixon each day seems to be slightly brisker, just a little bit breezier than the last one. Air conditioners up in the Northern United States have all but been removed from windows or turned off, should it be a central unit. It’s the time of year to start fortifying the home with warmth in mind. Here are some warm winter ideas that should help you get through the relentless cold that approaches.
Toasty.
There’s always a couple houses in each neighborhood that spare no expense when it comes to decorating their homes for Halloween. We’re talking smoke machines, strobe lights, animatronic witches and mummies (I’ve seen it all), and on down. But does it really take dropping a couple thou at Party City to show the neighbors you mean (spooky) business. Step it up with some good old fashioned creativity.
Ghosts everywhere!
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.
Some of you may think we’re merely domestic specialists. Not true. We often venture outside the comfortable confines of the home to ring our gorgeous granite, glass, and mosaic to more heavily trafficked and public spaces.
Bathrooms inside Best Buy Theater (formerly Nokia Theater) In Times Square
Now that summer is drawing to a rapid, sweltering, and hurricane-filled close, we thought we’d be the first to shift our design focus towards the ethereal images of autumn. Summer calls for lighter colors, more open designs, and a lighter touch – not one aimed towards coziness, but more towards free-flowing, airy fixtures and open-windowed freshness. Though as hurricane season bears down on us coastal dwellers, turning the breezy summer air into close-those-shudders wind that will knock a shingle or two off, we have to begin to plan for a gentle ascension into fall. Here are eight great tips for transforming your home into an autumn wonderland.
Autumn is upon us.
Sometimes we have to sit back and remember that when people remodel they want the finished product to reflect their own interests, their own personality. The design, or re-design, of a home is something that takes creativity and imagination. Building a kitchen or bathroom should be something that is enjoyable, something that brings the owner great joy beyond the functional benefit. This is why when we see something of creative integrity, rife with originality, we want to commend it. In this case the design is less than functional, so to speak, but eye catching regardless.
Surreal.
During the month of September, most Americans know that football season begins, and unless you are able to travel to every game, that also means the start of football party season. It’s much easier to go to a party than throw one, but eventually your friends will notice that you haven’t hosted one since Brett Favre retired the first time, and it will be your turn.
Get the snacks ready. Football season is upon us.
Anything can happen when you’ve got children in your home, and I mean ANYTHING. They run around, throw things in the house, spill anything housed in a glass or cup, and generally run amuck unless they’re told not to. Why do I mention this, you might be asking? Well, this is a classic tale of the threat a baseball has on your kitchen cabinets (among other things.)
Uh oh.
Not long ago, Fourth of July to be exact, I was at a barbecue hosted by a neighbor of my parents down in Central New Jersey. The ages of the attendees ranged from toddlers to geriatric, and the mood was jovial, accommodating, and lively. Children were running around the yard, adults were sipping drinks and talking about their lives, homes, work, and kids. It was good times, to be certain, but then disaster struck: the kids were getting tired and wanted to hang out inside.
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For many of us this pull-out-your-hair frustrating recession has caused many of us to scrap our grandiose plans for home remodeling. Luxuries regularly seen in homes in booming 1990’s probably wouldn’t get the same positive bat-of-the-eyelash in today’s economic climate. Melinda Fulmer, a columnist for MSN Real Estate, talked about eight home projects that are overrated and that, she predicts, will soon be on their way out entirely. Some of these fading renovation choices might be sitting in your home as we speak. If that’s the case, don’t sweat it – they’re already there and you probably love them, but for those of you thinking of installing one of these soon-to-be home remodeling pariahs you might want to think twice.
Some people just keep adding, and adding, and adding...
Some call it the greatest sporting event in the world. Some plan their lives around the soaring highs and devastating lows that each national team can deliver to their frothing fan base. I’m talking about the World Cup, and right now, just a short skip across the pond, the finest soccer players in the world are lacing up their cleats in South Africa to claim glory for their nation and bring home the coveted cup. What does this have to do with granite countertops and home remodeling, you might ask? Well, truth be told, not much! What it does allow us to do, however, is take the time to examine some of the exquisite homes that the world’s soccer stars live in when they’re not sprinting from one end of the field to another for 90 minutes. People love this stuff!
World Cup fans going crazy in South Africa
