Football games. Pumpkin picking. Apple cider. Halloween. Fall is so much fun! If you can squeeze a little preventive maintenance in between all the activities, you can help keep your home in top condition. Now is a good time to check the following areas of your home...and a way to make the chores a little more fun.
We've installed plenty of whirlpools. In the 90's and early 2000's, you could hardly build a home without one. But we kept hearing that they were good for soaking the mini-blinds and not much else.
And so in 2005, we decided to build a spec home that had neither a whirlpool nor a soaking tub in the master bath. Instead, it had a large walk-in shower.
“You’ll never sell it,” said a good friend who happens to be another builder. The house sold overnight without a single peep about it having no whirlpool.
Brought to us by Mother Nature, granite is a 100% natural stone that’s beautiful, durable and easy to maintain with a few simple steps.
For daily cleanup, use warm water and/or a mild dishsoap applied with a washcloth or microfiber cloth. Avoid harsh or abrasive cleaners, glass cleaners, any products with ammonia or bleach and any acidic cleaners like vinegar, lemon or lime. These chemicals will dull and weaken the sealant over time.
Back in the 90’s, granite became the status symbol in the world of countertops but in the last several years, quartz gained ground and took over in popularity. And we’re often asked, “What’s the difference?” Here's a primer.
Granite is a 100% natural stone material that forms under immense pressure deep within the earth over millions of years. It consists of different minerals that give it both color and texture, but quartz and feldspar are always components.
It would be easy to think that large walls of folding glass doors would be limited to homes in year-round warm climates like California and Florida. Not so fast!
As all of us who live in Michigan know, we really do enjoy the great outdoors for several months. And what better way to enjoy it than by uniting indoor and outdoor living spaces and by expanding our living space to a beautiful deck or patio?
Sounds are wonderful. Think Beethoven or the Beatles.
These days, without ever leaving home, we can hear them as well as we could at a live concert. We can watch movies and hear the sound effects as if we're at a cinema.
But that doesn’t mean we always want to hear them.
Sound is produced by vibrations that travel through the air, and the best way to stop it is to block its path.
Custom homes are often thought to be large and elaborate, and while that may be the case, the fact is, they're simply homes that are one-of-a-kind designed for specific clients. And they aren't dependent on square footage, as this cozy Craftsman proves.
Working with an architect, our empty nester clients designed the plan to suit their daily lifestyle and frequent visits by grandchildren.
The snow has melted. The birds are chirping. The temperatures are rising. And the daffodils are blooming! Hooray - spring has finally sprung!
And taking a few minutes for a spring checkup of your home will help keep it in top condition. Here are a few tips.
1. As the snow melted, your sump pump worked harder to keep water away from your foundation. These few steps will help it do its job:
Various cabinet doorstyles - flat panel, raised panel and slab - were explored in a previous installment, but when you're choosing cabinets, you'll also want to consider the overlay, a term which indicates how much of the cabinet frame shows.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who’s the fairest of them all?
She (or he!) who has the right light in the master bathroom - that's who!
After all, lighting is the key to looking your best when you step outside the room. But with so many beautiful fixtures available, how do you choose the right ones and know where to put them?
There’s no single or simple answer to that question but several factors should be considered, such as size of the bath, wall color, layout, ceiling height, and whether or not there is a window, to name a few.