As times change so do houses, and the way we use them! Nowadays many of us live in homes built during an older generation. These traditional homes have a more formal layout in which the different functions of a house are compartmentalized into different areas. So there are formal living rooms, dining rooms, etc. all separated and divided per function. As times have changed we have seen trends emerge in the field of interiors and here are just a few areas we can highlight when thinking of remodeling your current home to fit your needs and the needs of your modern family.

The Great Room

The Great Room Concept is one that has really become quite popular in current day remodeling whether the style of the home is traditional or modern. This is a concept that originated in modern architecture with the idea of having a large open multi-functional space. This one large room can often incorporate the kitchen, dining and living room areas. Many times this room can also include raised or cathedral ceilings to accentuate the grand size of the space. By organizing popular functions of the home together you save square footage but gain functionality.

This is a popular trend in design now because of it’s inclusively. No longer is the mother or father relegated off to an enclosed kitchen where the food prep is completed and then everything must be brought out to the formal dining area and after dinner everything must be taking back to the kitchen and cleaned while guests go to a formal sitting room. Most people that I know who still have formal dining areas rarely use the spaces with the exception of holiday times. Now days’, including guests and the host in a large space has just become more practical. Dad can be cooking, while Mom pays bills and the kids are doing their homework, all in the same room with the family pet, it’s a concept that many are trending too.

“Sounds great! How do I create a great room?”

Remodeling an older home can be tricky, but with Foster Remodeling Solutions we can help you every step of the way. Whether it’s as simple as taking down the wall between the kitchen and dining or a full renovation we can work with you to develop the best design possible. Here’s few quick tips: When thinking of designing a great room is always a good idea to incorporate as much light as possible, through windows and/or skylights, this will brighten the space to emphasize how open and airy it is. It is also a good idea to keep overall paint choices brighter, this will keep the room from feeling too heavy. If you do want something darker, choose an accent wall so that you can get in that rich color without overwhelming the space.

Give us a call and let us create a great room for you!

This is a great question and has many different answers.

First ask yourself the following questions.

What would I change in my home if the cost of doing it was not an issue?
What do I love about my home?
How is the neighborhood?
If you have children, are the schools what I want them to be?
Is your commute to work a consideration?
Is shopping convenient to my home?

The reason for the above questions is pretty simple, just like the news; we tend to focus on the negatives instead of the positives. Keeping the positives in mind may actually help your decision process of what path to follow. At Foster Remodeling Solutions we focus on helping you make your home everything you want so obviously we would rather everyone stays and improves their home with us instead of moving.

The reason I want you to recognize the positives in your current home is simple. Many times over the years I have visited with homeowners that moved into their home less than 2 years ago and now they are recognizing the shortcomings of their new home and here we are discussing remodeling in their new home.. Selling your home and buying a new home is a very emotional purchase. The focuses of most buyers when they search for a new home are the areas of the existing home don’t meet their goals. Maybe the kitchen wasn’t big enough or was lacking storage. Was the Master Bathroom is too small? Is there room for guests or to entertain? The bottom line is that while you focus on these or other items you may not look as closely at the areas in the new house which your current home meets or exceeds.

In addition to the questions there are costs associated with a move that are not insignificant. First, the costs required to get the home ready to sell can add up quickly. This may include some cosmetic painting, new carpets, window treatments, home staging which may include storage of existing furnishings, and some updates. The costs for this are generally not recovered in the sale even if your home goes to settlement 60 days sooner than without these costs. In addition the cost for a mover may get close to 10K depending upon the size of your house. Finally and most importantly, consider the real estate fees and any incentives that may be necessary. On a home with a value of $500,000 these costs will be at least $30,000. Add these to the cost of the move and associated costs to sell and your investment can easily exceed $40,000 total.

The bottom line is this! Improving your home adds value. While the total value of the return is not 100% immediately and there is a difference between project types and the return on investment, most projects can and do return more than 70% immediately and some over 80%. This generally means that even with modest growth in the real estate market your investment will grow while you enjoy the new or remodeled space. In 5-7 years you will have the full return of your investment without the costs of moving.

The only time that this scenario may not work out is when you are downsizing your home. I can’t think of a scenario where taking some of the existing home away makes sense.

Now the question is…. What may make more sense? Make the house and neighborhood I know the home I want to live in, or gamble and sell my home and move to a neighborhood I don’t know into a house that may address the negatives of my existing home and hopefully the parts I am not checking closely meet my goals as well.

article by George Domedion – Design Consultant, Foster Remodeling Solutions

Green 101

With all that’s been in the news lately about “green” and “environmental and energy efficient” building how can you keep it all straight? We know here at Foster Remodeling Solutions how important these issues can be for our clients so we wanted to provide you some definitions of terminology so you can know exactly what you are getting and what all this new information means.

Below are some of the terms frequently used and what they mean to you:

• Green: This term is thrown around a lot these days, and many people have different definitions of what this means, all in all at Foster Remodeling Solutions our opinion is a green product should be one that should be more environmentally or energy conscious. Many products use this word as a marketing tool without actively fulfilling that consciousness so make sure to ask what makes the product green and how is it more efficient or environmentally safe.

• VOCs: This is an abbreviation for Volatile Organic Compounds. Basically VOCs are vaporous chemicals that can offgas (see definition below) and provide harmful fumes. These are typically found in paints, stains, glues, or sealants. Many manufacturers now offer paint lines with low-VOC content though check and see because sometimes colors may be limited.

• Off-Gassing: The slow release of gas from a product or material, affects the quality of air in the space where product is located, which can be particularly harmful in kitchens.

• FSC: Forest Stewardship Council, a non-profit, non-government rating agency. You will often see “FSC Rated” on wood products, this means that there has been a “Chain of Custody” from when the wood what planted, farmed, cut, and transported to your site. They actively promote responsible forest management; rapidly renewable (see definitely below) woods and try to avoid rare or endangered species, as well as replanting techniques for farms. At Foster Remodeling Solutions we have access to both cabinetry and molding companies that can provide FSC certification for products in your remodeling project.

• Rapidly Renewable Materials: Materials harvested from fast growing sources, those that go from seed to full grown in less than 10 years, bamboo is a great example which can be used as flooring or for cabinets.

• Greywater: is non-industrial wastewater generated from domestic processes such as dish washing, laundry and bathing, this water can be reused for grass watering and other non-consumable uses in your remodel.

• EnergyStar Ratings: A government backed program that rates household products under strict guidelines set by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to protect the environment and promote energy efficient products and practices while saving consumers on lower energy bills.

• Compact Fluorescent: An energy efficient light bulb which uses 20-40% less energy than a standard incandescent light bulb, with many green products these were very costly a few years ago, but with more and more demand and manufacturers prices have come down significantly.

• Low Flow: Plumbing fixtures including faucets, toilets and shower heads that use less water than standard plumbing fixtures, generally without compromising on performance, obviously some manufacturers have been more successful than others on the performance, but these are generally a great way to become more efficient and save money. Also, considering water heaters typically use about 25% of a home’s energy, this is a great way to easily save money in the long term by investing in higher quality products during your kitchen or bathroom remodel. Certain areas of the country have low-flow requirements already in place.

• LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, this is a third party certification designed by the USGBC (see below) which has rating systems for Homes, Commercial Interiors, Core & Shell, New Construction, Schools, Healthcare, Retail and a pilot program for Neighborhood Development. Projects can become LEED Certified (at different levels) by gaining a certain amount of points (dependent on which system used) filing with the USGBC and having a LEED Accredited Professional work on their project.

• USGBC: United States Green Building Council, a non-profit organization committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for the nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. www.usgbc.com

When it comes to home improvement, some people swear by the do it yourself approach. In the end, however, the best way to increase the value of a home is to make sure any changes done are well suited for the period and scale of the home as well as adding functionality. This is where a design build contractor comes into play. Using years of experience in home improvements for many types of houses, a design build contractor can not only perform a custom remodeling to build equity, but they also keep the house current and consistent in style.

Let’s take a look at a few examples of where custom remodeling can be done in a home to provide the best return on investment.

The Kitchen

The kitchen is the first place that renovations can occur to maximize a home’s value. Kitchens tend to receive the largest share of wear and tear in any home and they also follow current trends in color and style, both of which requires renovation and repair. Modern kitchens are a sound investment and most realtors agree it is the first room that most prospective buyers look at with a critical eye.

A few specific upgrades that your design build contractor will consider are improvements that add functionality to the room. Dual sinks and cooking stations are common renovations. Adding space is always a good choice and can be accomplished with a walk-in pantry or breakfast nook. Some cosmetic changes that are worth the investment include under-cabinet lighting, marble or granite countertops, and ceramic tile backsplashes.

Bathrooms – Upgrades and Additions

After the kitchen, the best way to define a modern home is with multiple baths. A home with more than one bathroom will sell faster and at a better price, so it is a great return on the custom remodeling investment. For homes with more than one bath already, renovations such as skylights, walk-in-showers, glass block windows, and raised ceilings command a great deal of attention.

Added Spaces

In general, you can’t go wrong with adding space to a home. A design build contractor can work with the homeowner to both increase usable space while creating additions that blend into the original home flawlessly. Popular choices here include decks, sunrooms, and finished basements.

When building equity in a home, renovations and upgrades performed by design build contractors provide the most cost effective increase in home value.

Professional remodeling companies work closely with homeowners to ensure their home improvement projects fulfill the owner’s vision while meeting their budget. While many people bravely choose to perform the job themselves, others are willing to let professionals streamline the process. Below, you’ll discover four benefits experienced remodeling companies can offer homeowners who want to enjoy the house of their dreams.

#1 – Experience And Expertise

A lack of experience and expertise will always translate into a higher cost for your home improvement plan. Sometimes, this is due to expensive mistakes that are made which must be corrected. Other times, initial job estimates are far too low.

Professional remodelers who bring years – even decades – of experience to a project will avoid making amateur mistakes. They’ll have the experience and expertise to quote a reliable estimate upfront. Whether the estimate is for a garage conversion, room addition, or kitchen remodel cost, you’ll be able to rely upon their numbers without concern about going over budget.

#2 – Enormous Time Savings

Do-it-yourself home improvement jobs require a significant investment of time – often more than homeowners plan. This is due not only to the work involved, but also to the errors committed along the way. It is a rare homeowner who has the knowledge and experience to complete even minor projects without making mistakes. Even hiring a contractor can lead to errors. Unfortunately, mishaps and blunders often cause home improvement plans to dramatically exceed their scheduled timelines.

Experienced remodeling companies will supervise the entire project and keep it on schedule. That allows you to plan around the job while knowing the original timeframe will be met.

#3 – Helps Avoid Costly Mistakes

We touched on this above, but it’s worth emphasizing in a slightly different context. One of the most common regrets of homeowners who have chosen a do-it-yourself approach or hired a low-cost contractor is that mistakes caused projects to outstrip their budgets. For example, the wrong countertops can cause a kitchen remodel cost estimate to become all but irrelevant. The wrong measurements taken at the beginning of a project can carry enormous costs as the work progresses.

When homeowners partner with professional remodeling companies, they minimize their exposure to these types of mistakes. To that end, experienced remodelers who offer complete design build projects can commit to a budget and timeframe precisely because they are far less likely to make such blunders.

#4 – Minimizes Frustration

Millions of people have started home improvement projects only to abandon them later. Whether they were performing the job themselves or hiring a variety of contractors to complete specific tasks, their frustration mounted to the point of exhaustion. Remodeling companies who have spent years meeting the unique design needs of their clients can eliminate this aggravation. By hiring them, you rely upon their experience to bring a job to completion on budget and on schedule.

Some homeowners will always prefer to do the work themselves. While potentially costly and aggravating, do-it-yourself projects can deliver a unique satisfaction to the person performing the job. That said, remodeling companies that bring years of hard-earned experience and proficiency to home improvement jobs can save an enormous amount of time, money, and frustration.

No matter the reason you have, projects always have to be done on a strict budget. Discount remodeling is a key factor in home improvement when you want to feel good about the money spent on improving a home as well as realizing a positive net investment in your home. In order to get the most benefit at the right cost, the best option is to consult a design build contractor.

The Typical Contractor

You probably have had experiences with a contractor before. A contractor usually offers a quote on an arrangement known as “wage plus materials.” If this is ringing a bell, you know that the quote offered is just for the cost of labor; the cost of materials is not included and the price will be added on at the end of the project.

You’ve had the experience before of receiving an attractive quote, only to be thrown off budget before your so-called discount remodeling project was over. Keeping yourself on budget during home improvement projects is now easier and more reliable when working with a design build contractor.

The Solution

A design build contractor is an improvement over your typical contractor and is the best option for discount home improvement. A design build contractor does it the right way and gives you a quote for an entire project up front. This type of contractor works with you to design your discount remodeling plan.

This makes budgeting a home improvement project much easier because the design build contractor will work with you to draw up the plan for the entire project, both wage and materials, in order to ensure that the particulars are covered within your specified price range. These unique benefits will even lower costs since your design build contractor will not be hiring a consultant to create a detailed plan to work from, instead you do it together.

Today’s Trend

With the glut of Do-It-Yourself TV shows being broadcast, many people think that the best solution for discount remodeling is the DIY method. While it might seem that DIY remodeling would be the most cost effective plan, there are still many perils that usually render this untrue. DIY mistakes tend to be costly and can easily throw you off budget. For those of us who are truly not mechanically inclined, long hours will have to be put in to master the learning curve. Sometimes a project is too complicated, or special equipment is required, so outside help might still be needed.

You have options for your discount home improvement projects. The crafty spendthrifts love to take a chance on DIY, but a design build contractor gets the work done at the right price quickly.