This will greatly affect the volume and extent of the changes you want to make with your kitchen remodeling project. You may be content with simply refacing the cabinets to five them a more modern look. On the other hand, you may want more space, more accessibility or to restructure your kitchen cabinets to feel – and look – more organized. An organized kitchen is easier to keep clean and move around in, making meal preparation and clean-up easier and faster, and making the kitchen space more comfortable.

Think about how you use your cabinets. If you do a lot of cooking at home, where do you keep your food? Who cooks the most? Consider whether that person has any issues with height, accessibility or strength with the cabinets. Think about how many cooks you typically have in the kitchen at the same time, and whether their accessibility to cabinets is hampered by lack of space.

Another consideration is the use of spices. Perhaps the jars have taken over the cabinets. They should be easy to reach and not fall out of the cabinets when the doors are opened. Canned and dry goods are also important parts of meal preparation. They should also be easy to reach and well organized for the cook or the snacker.

If you feel as there is not enough storage for food, pots, pans and dishes, that can probably be cured by renovating the kitchen cabinets in your Northern Virginia home. Perhaps make them bigger or change the number or size of the shelves in them. Our Foster Remodeling design team can help you determine what parts of your kitchen cabinets can be more useful than they are presently. We can also make them coordinate better with your appliances, flooring and lighting.

If your kitchen looks as if it is stuck in a past decade, this is also the time to change that. Color, materials, how the cabinet door and drawers open and what purpose the spaces serve can be changed to make your kitchen cabinets work better for you.

Do you dream of cooking in a modern kitchen or watching the Redskins in your new sunroom?  Does your bathroom do little to make you feel refreshed?  If so, you may be thinking about remodeling your home, but where do you start?  Finding the right designer or contractor can be daunting, and it is a big investment to make, so how do you know if you are making the right decision?  Here are a few pointers in helping you select the right remodeler for you and your family.

The number one thing we always tell our clients is to check references.  This is the best way to find out about the company you may be working with.

There are two main questions to ask:

1)     Did your remodeling project end up costing what the contractor told you it would cost?

• Foster Remodeling Solutions gives you a fixed price contract so you know what you are paying before entering into contract.  The only changes that affect the end price during construction should be client driven.  For example, a contractor should never come to you during construction to ask for more money unless you have made a change added something after the contract has been signed or a hidden condition is found.

2)     Did the contractor finish your remodeling project when they said they would?

• No one wants to be without their kitchen or master bathroom for longer than they have to.  No one should have to wait longer than promised.  At Foster Remodeling Solutions we give you a start and end date on your contract that we always stick to.  When we assign a lead carpenter to your project they are not assigned to any other project during that time.  This way they are not trying to juggle more than one project and can stick to a schedule.  Plus, Foster Remodeling Solutions makes sure all materials have arrived to our warehouse undamaged before we start a job.  Making sure there are no surprises during construction is a sure way to stay on schedule.

These are the two biggest complaints we hear about other companies.  So do your homework and call references!

Always ask for a copy of the contractor’s license and make sure the date is current.  If someone is not pulling the permits for you, that probably means they do not have or have lost their contractor’s license.  Doing work without a current license is illegal and should make you wonder why they do not have one.  Without permits, the work being done on your home will not be inspected by a third party.  This means the work being done may not be up to code and you will be probably be very disappointed.  Stay away from contractors without an up to date license!

Liability Insurance and Workers Compensation are two things any upstanding company should have, especially when you are talking about remodeling.  A good remodeler will want to protect themselves, their employees, and their clients.  Make sure to ask and see a copy of their up-to-date insurance papers.  This could save you an arm and a leg!

Be aware of quotes that are too low.  It would be wonderful if you could get all you wanted for a price you were happy to pay, however if a company is quoting you something that is too good to be true, it probably is.  They could be leaving a lot of the work out of the quote in order to get you to sign with them, or they may be skipping out on getting the correct permits and inspections.  Whatever their reason is for quoting something half of another’s, beware!  Something is just not adding up.

How do you know you can trust someone in your home, with your family, and all of your possessions?  Well, I am not trying to scare you, but these are real concerns to have.  Foster Remodeling Solutions does a thorough background check of all their employees.  We also do random drug tests on our employees.  This protects the company and will make sure your remodeling job is being done safe and efficiently.

There are some websites, like Angie’s List, that will also help you in your search.  Make sure to do your due diligence and you will be sure to have a nice remodeling experience.

author: Carin Demmon, Design Consultant

4" backsplash

Very broadly you can decide to have a 4” backsplash of whatever countertop or other material you are using, or you can install a full height backsplash, from the counter to the underside of the upper cabinets, of your countertop material or other, or lastly you can install a tile backsplash.  Each of these has costs and benefits so let’s look at them individually with a little bit more detail.

The most cost efficient of all three choices would be installing a 4” backsplash of your counter material.  This is fairly standard with plastic laminate countertops, but can also be seen in solid surface installations and also with granite or any other stone surface.  This is easy and quick to install and if you want the same material as your countertop easy to order with your countertop order.  The most simple of the choices most clients choose this option if budget is of a concern (tile backsplash can later be installed if the client so wishes) or if they prefer a more simplified look.  Size of the kitchen can affect this choice as well as many small kitchens may look “overdone” or “unbalanced” with a heavily detailed tile splash in such a small space.

The next backsplash option would be a full height backsplash, this can either be of the same material as the countertop, or a different material entirely.  Clients that like full height backsplashes tend to want easy clean ability with maximum wall protection and a more monolithic look.  By covering the entire

Full height granite

wall surface you can assure that spills and stains will not be an issue.  If you were using a granite or quartz surface this would be very easy to wipe clean and since it’s a solid piece there would be no need to worry about grout lines to keep clean.  Another option would be going with a completely different material; I’ve had clients that have chosen to use stainless steel panels or glass which can be gorgeous options but will need a little more care when cleaning.  This look tends to be a little more contemporary depending on the material given the clean seamless look that if provides.

Tile backsplash

The final backsplash choice would be a tile backsplash.  Tiles can obviously come in many shapes and sizes, ceramic to natural stones, glass to metals and a variety of patterns and combinations of the different materials.  Tile splashes provide endless stylistic options and a lot of design potential while protecting the wall at the same time.  Keep in mind though, the smaller the tile the more grout lines you will have and certain spills like red wine or marinara sauce will not be a white grout’s friend,  So cleaning spills right away with the appropriate grout cleaner will be important.  Pricing on these splashes will vary widely depending on material choices, but the labor on tile splashes will be much higher and can be very time consuming depending on how detailed the pattern is.  Given that many of these pieces can get quick expensive (think hand painted tile from Italy or recycled beach glass) most clients we work with will balance their budget by using a ceramic as the base and popping in more expensive glass, stone, or metal pieces as accents.  Stylistically they can go from contemporary to very traditional depending on tile material, size and pattern, but this choice is definitely the most dynamic of all the backsplash options.

Keep in mind, any of these options can be combined to make the perfect backsplash for your household.  I’ve had clients install a simple 4” splash around the kitchen and a full height piece behind the stove or cooktop or combine tile and monolithic pieces; it all depends on what works for your household.  When deciding which option is the best for your family there are a few things to ask yourself, do we want the backsplash to be simple or to make a statement?  How durable/stain resistant do we want the backsplash?  And what is our price range that we want to stay in for the backsplash itself?  I hope this will help guide you to making your backsplash the best fit for your kitchen remodel.

1.)   Electrical outlets and switches in poor locations: The code requires a minimum spacing of outlets in rooms but, many times, the minimum is not enough. This is especially true in rooms that need power to lamps, appliances or other items in specific locations. Instead of forcing a client to drag a cord across a floor to reach an end table lamp, a floor plug could be installed at the location where the lamp will be. Another pet peeve of mine is banks of switches that are not ordered properly based on the use of the room. For example, when you walk into your Kitchen the first switch in a bank of switches should provide general lighting to get into the room. The next switch down should operate secondary lighting like under-cabinet or spot lighting. You do not want the first switch you reach for in a bedroom to turn on the ceiling fan. Likewise, the first switch in the bank of switches in a bathroom should not operate the exhaust fan. These types of flaws can be eliminated by the designer simply “walking through” the plan on paper and understanding the day-to-day use of a room along with the desires communicated by the client about how they plan to furnish or use a specific room.

2.)   Locations and sizes of windows: While it may let in a lot of light and create a feeling of drama in a bathroom, designing an 8’ wide by 5’ tall window in front of a garden tub may create a little too “intimate” relationship with the neighbors. Most clients will tell you they love “lots of windows” but there can be a bit too much “view” in some cases. Also, designing windows that are difficult to operate is a common flaw that is seen in many homes. A bay window at a Kitchen sink can create a nice, panoramic view of the back yard but, if the window crank is several feet away from the front of the sink, it can be very cumbersome to open the window when the client wants a little fresh air or to ventilate the Kitchen. The bottom line is that a balance has to be struck in the design between natural light/ventilation and the need for drama.

3.)   Powder Rooms (i.e. half baths): Many clients complain about the ridiculously small size of their Powder Room but one more common complaint is the fact that, often times, the toilet is visible from an entertaining or food preparation space. Another problem with centrally located Powder Rooms is privacy and noise once inside the bath. When guests come to visit, it can be a poor first impression when they ask to use the restroom and are directed to a tight, poorly functioning half bath with little or no privacy from the adjacent rooms. In modern designs, the rule of thumb should be that a toilet is never visible from a hallway or common space in the home. Sometimes, simply considering the swing of the door into the Powder Room is enough to hide the toilet and help with maneuverability once inside. In many cases, the door swing alone is not enough. Another solution is to incorporate a half wall to tuck the toilet behind. The issue of privacy is another matter. In many older homes, doors have been cut down or flooring has been changed so many times that there is a large gap at the bottom of the bathroom door. In addition to the installation of a properly sized door, the use of sound-deadening insulation can help create a much more private half bath.

4.)   Centering design elements on walls: It’s seems very easy to consider that everyone has a symmetrical brain and wants to see things centered in rooms. It also can be a bit self-serving for a designer to think that the only element a client will ever want as a focal point in a room is an element the designer placed there (i.e. a fireplace, a window, a niche). The client has to be able to understand how they will use a room and be able to convey that to the designer so that, for example, the beautiful fireplace they wanted isn’t right where the TV will eventually need to be. I’ve walked into hundreds of bedrooms where the designer placed the window on the outside wall right where the bed should go. Simple communication is the key- if the client is one of the very few people who will use the fireplace more than their TV, it might be worth considering centering it rather an alternative like a corner fireplace design.

While it’s easy to pick designs apart after the fact it is difficult to know all the parameters and decisions that went into a particular design element that we may look at with our head slightly askew today. In many older homes, things like laundry facilities in the Kitchen; “popcorn” ceilings; narrow doorways and 7’ high ceilings were accepted norms that were phased out as modern homebuyers demanded more. But, design flaws are typically the result of poor communication between the designer and the client. At Foster Remodeling Solutions, we strive to understand how a client desires to use a space and the things the client will be putting in those spaces. Through our multi-step design phase, options are discussed and presented to help eliminate a client ever asking “what were they thinking?”.

Split-level homes first appeared in the 1930s but became popular after World War II, in the 1950s and 60s. Today, many split-level homes feel dated and in need of remodeling. The classic split-level home generally includes a one-story side and a two-story side. In the single story, you may have the entry, living room, kitchen and dining room. On the two-story side, you usually have bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs, and a family room, laundry room and garage downstairs. As a result, you have three (sometimes more) levels in the home, with half-flights of stairs connecting each level. Another common split-level design is the split-entry. This is basically a two-story house with an entry in between. When you enter a split-entry house, you walk onto a landing between two half-flights of stairs. You have to go up or down to get to any part of the house.

Here are a few ways you could change your split level home:
◦    Expand the front entry and create a more distinct porch. Whether you have a classic split-level or a split-entry, one of the most common complaints among split-level owners is the awkward front entry. If you don’t want to expand the entry itself, add a more accentuated approach. This will make the home more inviting. Balconies and covered porches will also break up the boxy design often found in split-level homes.

◦    Add windows. Split-level homes typically don’t have windows on the sides of the house, and if they do, they are small. Adding windows will bring much-needed natural light to an otherwise dark and confined floor plan. Remember that windows change the inside and the outside of a house. Consult with a window designer or an architect to make sure your window choice and placement will add curb appeal.

◦    Open the floor plan. Adjoin the kitchen, formal living room and dining room to create a more open design than the traditional split-entry home. People live a much more casual lifestyle then they did back when traditional split-level homes were popular. For example, today people gather in the kitchen –it is a place to entertain guests. Fifty years ago, the kitchen was rarely, if ever, seen by a guest.

◦    Create a master suite. Remove the wall between two bedrooms to create a master suite. Split-level homes often have small adjacent bedrooms and a small bathroom close by. This could be a perfect setup to easily create a master suite.

article courtesy of www.ehow.com
posted by: Administrator

Spring is here!  That means baseball games, flowers blooming and… spring cleaning?  Yes, with longer daylight hours and open windows, we all start seeing (and feeling) the dust that has accumulated over the past winter months.  Spring is the time for replenishing, repairing, and revamping, so why not some remodeling?  Whether it’s just painting a room or finishing an entire basement, Foster Remodeling Solutions wants to refresh your home.

The Little Things

Having a hard time getting the grout clean in your bathroom or kitchen?  Let our handyman come and re-grout and re-caulk your space for a fresh new look.  Replacing the light fixtures and light bulbs (fluorescent of course) can restore the ambiance to any room in your home.  With just a little paint, all your walls, trim, and moldings will look like new.  Adding crown molding or a chair rail will rekindle the love you once had for your home.

Get Outside

Bring the outdoors in by cleaning or replacing your windows, doors and screens.  This will also help keep the cool air inside during the hot summer months while replenishing your bank account.  Decks and patios are great for outdoor entertaining.  This spring, make sure yours is up to code and repair any damages.  No deck?  Foster Remodeling Solutions can build one for you to relax and recharge at after a long day at work.

Organize

Spring cleaning is not only about dusting and disinfecting, it’s also about getting organized.    Make your life simpler with custom cabinets.  Everything in your kitchen, bath, or closet will have a place making things easier to find and keeping clutter off the floor.

Go Green

Clean your newly remodeled home with natural and non-toxic products keeping your family and home healthy.

Enjoy

Want other ideas to help you rejuvenate your home and lifestyle?  Contact us for a free initial consultation.  Let Foster Remodeling Solutions do the repairing and the renovating while you enjoy your life!

written by: Carin Demmon, Design Consultant

Ask our design team at Foster Remodeling about energy efficient appliances. We can help you discover what they are and choose a model and style that’s right for you. For example, if you’re doing a Northern Virginia bathroom remodeling project, you can use a low-flush toilet and a shower head that uses less water. A new tankless hot water heater will save money on the utility bill every month. It not only uses less water, but it takes less energy to heat up the water that is used.

In the kitchen, the modern electric ranges preheat much faster rates than in the past, using less energy. They cool down much faster, too, preventing a warm kitchen in the summer from becoming oppressive. Something as simple as adding a programmable thermostat to the central heating or a/c unit will save a lot of money on power bills.

Green materials are another way to be environmentally responsible and upgrade your home at the same time. Many products are made from recycled or biodegradable materials. We can help you choose those that are more environmentally-friendly if you prefer. If you are using new vinyl replacement windows, you will find cheaper energy bills to go along with the beautiful new look. Skylights are another way to bring natural light into the home while conserving on energy. If you are looking for outdoor walkway lighting, consider solar lights instead of electric ones.

If you are interested in making some eco-friendly changes when you do your Northern Virginia home remodeling project, be sure to let us know. We can give you some ideas of what’s available or help you find the best or most affordable eco-friendly products when you already know what you want.

For some Northern Virginia homeowners, it becomes challenging to know where to draw the line. At Foster Remodeling, we can help you decide what to include in your remodeling project. First, you will need to make a few basic decisions.

What Are You Planning to Spend?
Determine your budget. Do what you can afford, then make a plan and stick to it. One of the main reasons people struggle with remodeling projects is because they change their minds constantly once they begin. As a design-build contractor, we sit down with you at the very beginning and look at some ideas in a virtual planner. This way, there will be no surprises.

What Do You Dream About?
Decide the purpose of your custom remodeling project. The focus may be to make your home more comfortable. Maybe you promised yourself when you bought it that, when you had the chance, you would add a garage or remodel that hideous basement. Perhaps that time has come. On the other hand, maybe your bathroom floor is creaking and cracking and you want to replace it before the damage becomes too great.

What Makes Sense?
Families grow. After you have been in your home for a few years, you may decide it needs some improvements to better fit your needs. You may need another bathroom or bedroom. Maybe the kitchen can be renovated to give you more space and a more modern look.

Once you have an idea of what you want, what you need and what you can afford, contact our office. We can show you some options and help you put together a discount remodeling project that will meet your budget and help you narrow down exactly what you want.

Home renovation looks so easy on TV.   A complete kitchen or bath remodel move quickly and smoothly from start to finish, and the results are always beautiful. But somewhere between “before” and “after” there are always at least a few speed humps and lots of “I wish I had known that’s.  Budgets skyrocket, tempers flare, deadlines are pushed back, everything in a sense ‘comes crashing down’.  This is what happens when you do not have a sound and proven process in place.

Who doesn’t love to watch home repair shows and do-it-yourself projects?  They give you endless ideas on how to ‘jazz’ up any room or take a sub-par room and make it grand.  And to make it even better, they do it in 2 days!  Can you imagine who wouldn’t want to redesign a room or their whole home if it only took a weekend or a week?  Sound familiar?  Let’s debug some of these reality shows and understand exactly what is going on….

Cost:

Take a simple room re-design show, we have 2 days and a $2500 budget.  BY the end of the weekend we don’t recognize the room, it is painted beautifully, furniture built or purchased (usually from a 2^nd hand store and then refinished), artwork and window treatments purchased and hung.  Now I hate to be a picker but let’s pick this apart.  Unless you have 10 men ready to invest their time in your project for free this just isn’t a reality.  Hiring a painter costs money and time.  One coat is doable in a day, but what about 3?  How many days and men will it take to paint your room to perfection?  You need shoppers, refinishers, painters, builders and someone to put it all together.  Does anyone sleep on this show?  Is everything donated to get their brand name out there?

What about the shows that not only build a new home but also have time to tear it down in a week?  Endless dumpsters, machines and trucks are needed for this.  What about building permits or Electrical or Plumbing Permits?  Those are never mentioned.  How about home inspections and approvals along the way?  Has anyone ever gone to the town zoning board and spoken to a planner?  What about asbestos and lead paint?  But who wants those on a show, booooring.  Have you ever notice most of the homes ‘constructed in a week’ are modular and we never get zoom ins or details views of the final project (roofing, cabinet, painting or tile)?

I am not saying that a handy person could not lay their own tile or wood floor, design their own backsplash and set it, or pick their own paint colors and paint.  In fact, to save on money those are great ideas.  Time wise, you will take longer than the pros – I mean they do this for a living you know.

The reality of reality TV shows it that they are great for DIY simple projects.  They help awaken the creative juices.  Heck, if you want to do a remodeling job, they provide great starting ideas for materials, color schemes, themes and fixture types.  But what they don’t show you is what is underneath the walls you want to change.

Under every painting/poster/wall covering is paint, under every painted wall is drywall, under every drywall is framing and what is inside the framing is your best guess and mine… until that is we take a peek inside.  Water damage, termite damage, missing insulation, missing water/vapor barriers, missing structure and lead paint are just a few of the things on and in your walls that could cause potential renovation problems and cost you more money – but that is the reality and the reality is not pretty for TV.

If you are desperately seeking a design show you can tune in to and see the reality of the remodel, renovation and addition industry tune in to Holmes on Homes.  No he is not paying us to write this.  Plain and simple the disasters and realities he faces on each show are very realistic.  I had to take this excerpt from his show description because I just loved it:

“It’s “buyer beware” when a homeowner contracts a home repair or renovation. The world is full of shady contractors who take shortcuts, use shoddy building practices or employ a band-aid approach to repair work, often leaving homeowners in dangerous situations or out a ton of money. Renovation expert Mike Holmes believes in doing a job right the first time and is making it his mission to expose poor, substandard workmanship in the building industry with his internationally successful show Holmes on Homes. In each episode, Mike rescues homeowners from repair and renovation disasters. Uncovering problems from plumbing and electrical to carpentry and roofing, he shows how the botched job should have been completed, fixing each project properly and helping homeowners make more informed decisions in the future.”

Foster Remodeling can show you before and after pictures and give you endless ideas and options, but if you walk in with the mindset that reality is what you see on TV, your project will never be completed.  With our process we can ensure you the ease you see on TV can be your reality, it just won’t take 2 days and $2500 to get there.  There is a showroom at our office as well, which means you can come ‘shop’ for your favorite materials, cabinets and stone – all just by signing a design agreement.  There is a licensed interior design at your fingertips too.  You can get the remodel of your dreams just by ‘signing on the dotted line’.

We have 27 years of proven experience and over 100 references for you to call.  Those 100 are individual customers and 28 of those customers have come back for more than one project.  Is there anywhere else that gives you that many people to call?  Looks like everyone can do their homework before we begin a project – we do preliminary budgets and designs while you make calls to ensure your comfort and that we are exactly who we claim to be.  All employees are background checked and drug tested, which means the lead assigned to your job that will be in your home managing the project from 2weeks-4 months is a trustworthy individual and you can be comfortable.  We give you a set start date and end date- yes there is a light at the end of the ‘construction’ tunnel.  And to top it off, we give you a 5 year written warranty on all of our workmanship!

Most people say “It was easier than I thought it would be” – now isn’t that music to your ears?  Have you ever heard that phrase on reality TV?

article by Jessica Henderson – Design Consultant

In today’s current economic environment we’ve seen a shift in remodeling trends from the “Like to Have Done” projects to the “Need to Have Done” projects.  The new construction boom of the last decade and subsequent new housing bust along with the overall aging inventory of housing has left many homeowners with properties in need of maintenance and updates.  The desire to spend lavishly on luxury projects has waned in favor of the smart remodel.  Instead of the large addition or gourmet kitchen, we are seeing smaller updates in multiple areas of the house.

The bathroom renovation has overtaken the kitchen in the last 18 months as the project of choice for many homeowners. When a bathroom reaches the end of its useful life, years of minor neglect can present hidden damage that necessitates a “need to have done” update.  There is typically more than one bathroom in a house so the impact of the remodeling process is lessened. Changes in building codes over the years also provide the homeowner with an opportunity to improve the safety and functionality of the space.  Pressure balance shower valves that prevent scalding, lower flow toilets that actually flush, concrete backer board in wet areas and exhaust fans that help prevent mold growth are all changes that improve the functionality of the bathroom. In addition, updated bathrooms typically provide one the highest average returns on investment of any remodeling project.

Other areas of the house are also targeted in the “Smart Remodeling” trend.  Replacing rotten exterior trim with maintenance free PVC trim andchanging pressure treated railing and decking to maintenance free composite materials are also on the increase.  Covering painted siding with vinyl, wrapping wood trim with aluminum and installing gutter guards help provide an update in curb appeal along with eliminating the seasonal exterior maintenance that most homeowner’s dread.

Other interior spaces also show their age and are frequent targets for the “Smart Remodel”.  Updating appliances, flooring and countertops in the kitchen as well as adding recessed and under cabinet lighting help improve the function and aesthetic of the space without breaking your budget.  Patching walls, adding decorative molding and a fresh coat of paint can provide an inexpensive and dramatic update.

Federal energy tax credits have helped homeowners with “Smart Remodeling” projects as well.  Window replacement, heating and air conditioning upgrades and insulation improvements all qualify for the tax credits and help to offset the initial cost and target projects that will help save the homeowner future energy costs down the road.

With over 27 years of experience, Foster Remodeling Solutions, Inc. excels at managing all of the components of the typical “Smart Remodel”.  Using in-house carpenters along with an in-house electrician, Foster Remodeling can effectively schedule and complete jobs in multiple areas of the home on time and on budget.  Our well appointed design and selection center along with on staff architect and interior designer help to streamline the material selection process and limit the need to travel all over town to plan a project.  Manufacturer’s direct buying power and strategic partnerships help to ensure a high level of value to any client endeavoring to complete a “Smart Remodeling” project.