Up in the Northeast they have the pleasure of enjoying the hottest temperatures in almost a decade. It’s a veritable scorcher and I doubt people are spending a lot of time roasting outdoors on their decks or patios – no sir, I don’t think many people will be doing much of that this weekend. Well, with the AC cranked and your home acting as your oyster you’ll probably find the kitchen being a much trafficked meeting place for family and friends.
The ever-handy barstoll look.
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
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.
Beautifully refaced cabinets.
Selecting the color for your granite countertop is a personal and ultimately long-lasting decision. Serious thought must be paid to it because, let’s face it, you don’t want to select a red countertop and then realize ‘oh no! I’m a gray person!’ Installing a countertop is a decision that provides great value, as it’s a home fixture that will last as long as you will (not to be morbid), but also doesn’t allow for much modification post installation. So, let’s make sure we get it right the first time.
Some people like to juxtapose light island counters with dark surrounding countertops
Have you ever stepped into a home and thought to yourself ‘WOW, how did they ever come up with this design?’ It happens quite a bit to me, as I just can’t seem to think as creatively as some of my artistically adept friends. No matter; I get to gander at their designs all I want, knowing that I didn’t have to shell out the cost to produce it. So in a weird, unsatisfied way I get the last laugh (sort of)! Maybe I just don’t receive the inspiration necessary to plan out such beautiful interior design arrangements. That’s why I hope these wonderfully creative bathroom designs serve as some sort of creative muse for you and yours.
Don’t want to lose even one iota of comfort when you schlep your body from the couch to the bathtub? Well in this home, the bathroom is so plush it may even exceed the comforts of the living room. Does an upholstered, overstuffed bathtub sound like you’re kind of relaxation? It certainly doesn’t seem stressful.
How cozy, no?
Have you ever lived in a house or apartment that was really in need of some counter-space? I know I have. Countertops are easily taken for granted if you have them, but when you’re searching for a place to prepare a meal or place any number of items you normally would in a kitchen replete with countertop space and you’re without it can be maddening. I lived in an apartment in Brooklyn that was a cook’s worst nightmare. We decided to live there because it was in a great location and the price was just right, but the kitchen had a problem we idiotically overlooked in the apartment search process. The kitchen had a four burner stove and a double basin sink, but no countertops! There was nothing. Initially we were preparing food in the minuscule space in between the burners – a paltry situation to be in.
Where's the countertop?
Remember when you decided to uncork that bottle of Shiraz to celebrate your birthday last year? Well, it’s part of your countertop this year. Now, I’m not sure that you celebrated your birthday in such a fashion, or if you like Shiraz, or if you even enjoy beverages originally housed in glass bottles, but one thing is certain – whatever glass bottle gets drank over the course of time will inevitably lead a long and prosperous life as a post-consumer, re-propagated product. So just think, when you’re uncorking a new bottle of wine on your new glass composite countertop – you know, the scratch resistant, un-dentable one – you can rest assured that you’re getting a big fat figurative pat on the back from Mother Nature. Let us stroll through the life-span of a bottle as it becomes your brand new recycled glass countertop.
Glass bottles, ready to get processed and re-used.
Oh the joys of remodeling! We all seem to want to spice up our home from time to time, but much of the time we fall prey to the conformed look. Let’s all get glossy countertops, new cabinets, a big, stylish mirror, and have a technically sound, yet roomy and luxurious shower/tub. Yes, this is what we want, but where is there room for imagination and creativity? Sure, you can pick color schemes and plant arrangements, but will sparks fly, or will it become stagnant? Thanks to mosaic slabs you can now treat your bathroom, or any room you choose, like your own canvas.
Custom mosaic shower surround.
If you’re a city contractor in Hartford, Connecticut you better charge full price for countertops you install or you might have to pay with your freedom. Recently, Hartford city contractor Carlos Costa was brought in to court to take the stand regarding bribery charges leveled against Mayor Eddie A. Perez. The topic at hand was Costa offering free and discounted services to several council members and the Mayor himself.
Under-the-table deals with countertops involved.
It’s been a couple of weeks since we heard a genuine anecdote about home remodeling installation failure and it just seems like the right time to serve up another.
Not long ago, a family friend of mine who lives in rural Southern New Jersey decided enough was enough. She had a teal, cracking wooden mantle surrounding her fireplace. Matters were made worse by the thick, wall-to-wall light pink carpet adorning the room in question. It was ugly – at best it was outdated. I visited her just after she had come to the decision to tear up the carpet and expose the wood below. I endorsed the decision because, and let’s be honest here, a decades old thick, stained, pink carpet that really never should have been laid down in the first place had run its course years ago. She then told me that instead of painting over the teal wooden molding she would do one better. She was going to have contractors come in and re-do the fireplace front with marble. Additionally, she requested that they widen the front and re-do the interior of the cauldron. She seemed to be happy with the choice, but knowing her finicky nature I had a pretty good idea of just what was going to happen.
Out with the old, in with the new.
