Month: February 2020

It does not matter if this is the first custom home you are building, or you have experience in seeing a custom homemade before. If not done correctly, building a custom home can become a major frustration. It is a time-consuming process with constant decisions needing making. While some may say it is one of the most stressful things you can do in your marriage, we believe that it doesn’t have to be. With the proper forethought and a little work ahead of time, you can avoid a lot of that stress. Following these tips can help you not be so frustrated while building a successful home. 

Building Your Dream Home

Having the right home builder is the most critical decision you will need for the process. There are a lot of tips on the web on choosing the right contractor, but for your custom home, find one who has experience with design. That will allow you and your contractor to make the needed adjustments as you work your way towards completion. Otherwise, you will continuously have to go back to the architect, costing you both time and money. A custom home builder also needs to have experience in the area of your interest. That means that he knows the process for pulling permits, as well as what is required to ensure your home can handle the surrounding environment. 

Keep the Function of Your Custom Home as Most Important

Most people dream about what their custom home will look like and as important as that might be, it is even more critical to make sure it meets your functional needs. The look and feel of the home can be adjusted to fit your desires, but how the home functions for you and your family is harder to change. What type of storage do you need, room layouts, traffic flow, and workspaces are all essential factors needed to design and build your home. 

Plan For the Future

As you build your custom home, it is easy to think about what you want and the needs you have now or even in the next two years, but will that dream home you are building still be your dream in 10-15 years? Think about the hear and now but also think of what you will want later. How many children do you want? What size yard do you want? Is a ground floor master bedroom important for your future? The goal is to make sure as your family changes; this dream home will stay a dream.

Find the Right Land

As you are planning your dream home and the cost it will take to build, typically, the plot of land is not in the price that your home builder quotes. Once you find that perfect lot to build on, discuss what you want with your custom home builder to make sure the land and the home designs are compatible. 

In planning your dream home, it is essential to find a compatible piece of property to build on. While it is rare to find the perfect piece of land for your custom home, do not jump on the first plot that you see. Discuss your ideas with your custom home builder and get their input on whether or not the land and the home designs are compatible.

Trust Your Custom Home Builder

If you did your homework in step one and found a trustworthy custom home builder that you can work with, it is time for you to trust who you have chosen. They have the knowledge and expertise to make sure your custom home dreams will be fulfilled in the most efficient ways, trying their best to come in on budget and on time. 

Updating that drab and dirty kitchen is one of the most common remodels that people want to do when they first purchase a home or are ready to update the house they have lived in for years. The foundation for any kitchen remodel is the kitchen cabinets. Though renovating your cabinets is one of the most expensive parts of a kitchen, remodel is also where you see the most improvement for your effort and expenses. 

Top Design Trends of Kitchen Remodels

While many trends seem fleeting when it comes to kitchen cabinets and a kitchen remodel, these trends seem to stay around and remain popular for years to come.

• Open shelving though the trend of having open cabinets in the kitchen has been around for a while. This trend is useful to show off antique cookware or bespoke kitchenware. We do not see it ending anytime soon.
• A pop of color is another top kitchen remodel trend in the current market. If you love color, it is easy to add a little extra pop of color in some updated appliances or with a new hood as you are upgrading those kitchen cabinets.
• Sleek new kitchen cabinets is another trend. In the past, kitchen cabinets had a crown molding on the top and milled doors with designs. The top trend now has a cleaner look by removing the modeling and extra design elements. The practical side of this trend is that it gives you a little extra space for storage.
• One last trend we are seeing is matching the countertop with the backsplash. This trend helps limit the number of materials in your kitchen, giving you a cleaner look to your remodel.

What Materials are Best for Your New Cabinets?

When planning a kitchen remodel, one of the most important things to consider is the construction of your new kitchen cabinets. Though most people aim for solid wood, it has its drawbacks, so here are some of your options for materials and why they might work for your remodel. 

• Medium Density Fiberboard- MDF is a composite material made from recycled wood fibers and resin. You find this dense and cumbersome product in a lot of the mass-produced cabinets in big box stores. Ikea uses this material in much of their kitchen cabinetry. The benefits of MDF is it is resistant to cracking and peeling and is easy to paint. It is also a smoother option than plywood.
• Plywood – This is material is not only cost-effective but also more stable and water-resistant than MDF. It will have an exposed plastic laminate or wood veneer to finish off the cabinet.
• Particle Board – This type of material is possibly the least used material for quality kitchen cabinet remodels because it is the least firm of all the elements. It is made by grinding up wood chips and gluing them together.
• Metal – Typically made of stainless steel, which gives a kitchen that contemporary feel, generally found used in commercial kitchens. It is harder to keep clean from fingerprints and scratches, but because moisture doesn’t affect it like it does wood, it is an excellent option for moisture-rich places.

As important as the cabinet box material is, most clients and designers think of the doors when they think of a cabinet remodel since this is what you see. If you are wanting to add that pop of color through painting your cabinet doors, then MDF doors are the way to go, though you will not be able to stain these because there is no grain. If you want that classic wood look in your kitchen, plan on using solid wood fronts to paint or stain. Just be prepared to filter through a range of materials and stain options to get the look you want.

There is a lot of knowledge that is needed to design and craft the right custom kitchen for your remodel, and the kitchen cabinet is the foundation because it is what makes up the majority of the kitchen. The style and design of them will play a big part in your kitchen remodel becoming your dream kitchen.