The title of this just about says it all, right? Who does not want to update and improve there lives, health, and home? We all have " Want's", especially us ladies. Our homes are our nests! I do not know a woman who is not considering changing and upgrading, or remodeling her home!
The BIG question is always, is it "worth" it. Of course, many factors must be considered to answer that age old question. In the Home Improvement, building and remodeling business there is an annual tool which helps determine the answer. Remodeling Magazine publishes their Cost Versus Value issue every January. It is a dependable measuring stick on return of investment both homeowners and remodeling professionals seek to research projects return on investing in your home. They research this nationally and break down which projects return the best bang for the buck regionally.
There is no way I can cover all the information in one blog post. This magazine is filled with such valuable research and marketing information. I would fail informing you if I try and cover all of it in only two to three blog posts. Our scope of projects for our clients spans so many important upgrades plus new construction, I am going to be mindful and elaborate on details regarding the design construction process and cost on our most sought after projects in our region.
Apple Wood is unique because we help our clients with more than Kitchen and Bath remodeling. I do not know if you know our history. Let me remind you. Our beautiful Windham Kitchen and Bath Showroom came about out of necessity. Our original parent company Apple Wood Construction needed a reliable, excellent Kitchen and Bath professional to refer our clients to as they designed and built their dream home.
Lenny was a successful General Contractor with decades of building experience. He was looking for a synergistic network of building professionals whose commitment to excellence equaled his own. After attempting to find the right fit with a number of local Kitchen and Bath businesses, he realized to provide the best for Apple Wood clients, he and Lisa needed to expand Apple Wood Construction. That need birthed Apple Wood Kitchen and Bath which guaranteed any new construction kitchens and baths as well as remodeling the same would meet the same rigorous standards of excellence their
reputation as a quality home builder required.
You, our current as well as future new clients benefit greatly. With nearly three and a half decades of building every type of home and home project, there literally is nothing Lenny has not built. If you need more than just a kitchen or bath, you are in excellent hands. Whether your project is an interior project , deck, roof, siding, replacement windows all the way to adding a kitchen addition, Master Suite, Basement remodel, or complete second floor to your existing house, Lenny has experience and the expertise to do it all! THAT ability and service is without equal!
You are going to be pleasantly surprised as over the next few weeks I write to inform you about the cost versus value percentages on projects you have probably been pondering for a long time. You will not need to guess any longer. Now you will have the researched information to prioritize any and every investment you have considered making in your property.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Monday, January 16, 2017
Organization
The Holidays were wonderful. Then January comes and the joy I felt hanging the lights is reduced to a nagging awareness every time I pull into the driveway. Time to take then all down. I think I am beginning to understand why people just do not bother! I will, though.
Do you ever have an overwhelming feeling of frustration trying to find a certain spice, or cooking tool? Are your drawers so packed and messy that it is impossible to find what you need. I run into this situation every Thanksgiving and Christmas. I vow to clean our the drawers year after year. You know, " a place for everything and everything in its place!" Great goal that just keeps being added to my "To Do" list year after year! How about you?
We have great solutions for organizing. Let me make some suggestion. Many can be added to your existing cabinets. Others are ideas to tuck away for the future when you remodel. There is an accessory company called Rev-A-Shelf that manufactures many handy racks you can add to your current cabinets and drawers. Their product is generally made out of metal. There are also custom wood accessories that are very durable. If you still have a Blind Corner Base Cabinet that swallows anything you place in it, swing out shelving will solve the issue.
In our Dura Supreme Line Cutlery Dividers keep your silverware neat and organized. They come in single height and Two Tier Trays.
Next to your prep and stove area adding a Drawer Knife Holder keeps all your sharp knives neatly and safely in place.
Another great accessory near this area is the Drawer Spice Rack. It resembles a shallow staircase. Laying all your spices on each section really helps you see and access exactly which spice your recipe calls for.
A very handy organizer is a Sink Base Pull Out Caddy. It is perfect to hold all the cleaning supplies that tend to get knocked over and pushed out of reach!
Obviously adding such items in an existing kitchen can be challenging at times. When you begin to collect pictures, sketches of your ideas, and notes in your Dream Folder, be sure to ask your Designer about built in accessories available in the new cabinets. All of the ones I mentioned above are available , of course. Here are a few more that can be placed in the cabinets as they are assembled by the manufacturer. There are so many handy, functional options for spices. Many add a Design element that takes your kitchen to a custom level. Apothecary Spice Drawers are available as a horizontal addition under a wall cabinet. They are also wonderful placed vertically. I found these drawer very handy and functional! I kept my medications in one of the drawers close to my sink. Spatulas,knives, hand or tea towels fit perfectly in them too.
Where do you keep bottles? Oil, Vinegars, Wine, Liquor need a home. There are visible wine rack
cabinets. There is also a Bottle Rack in Deep Roll Out Shelf that is place in a base cabinet for 18 to 48 inches wide.
How about all those pot lids? Ugh! It can be so frustrating searching for the right size. How about Adding a Lid Storage Partition in a deep drawer that organizes every lid? Combine that with your Pots and Pans Drawer and everything is easily accessed!
How about your dinner plates being reached easily next to your stove? There are Plate Rack Drawers that make that happen. Another option we can show you here in our showroom is the versatile Dish Storage Drawer that can be re figured to fit any diameter plates. Want to replace your old plates with new ones? No problem. You just adjust the pegs to fit any size dish you want!
Remember the old bread box? If that appeals to you, Bread Drawer Covers are available, as are bread cutting boards and Chop Blocks.
I saved three of my favorites for last. Tray dividers are awesome. Maybe two is a good idea. One near the oven for baking cookies. The other one is perfect near your food prep of cooking area to hold your serving platters. Oh , If we could only have EVERYTHING we want!
I absolutely love Pull Out Fillers. These are typically three to six inches wide. Some are also available in 4" or 9" widths. These are handy to fill in gaps in the run of cabinets on a wall. Even better they are a Design feature that also gives you extra storage right where you need it. My favorite Pull Out Filler is faced with a Post or Column! This practical and beautiful addition takes your kitchen or bath design to a higher level!
Come see our showroom , we can show you all these awesome accessories! Happy New Year!
Do you ever have an overwhelming feeling of frustration trying to find a certain spice, or cooking tool? Are your drawers so packed and messy that it is impossible to find what you need. I run into this situation every Thanksgiving and Christmas. I vow to clean our the drawers year after year. You know, " a place for everything and everything in its place!" Great goal that just keeps being added to my "To Do" list year after year! How about you?
We have great solutions for organizing. Let me make some suggestion. Many can be added to your existing cabinets. Others are ideas to tuck away for the future when you remodel. There is an accessory company called Rev-A-Shelf that manufactures many handy racks you can add to your current cabinets and drawers. Their product is generally made out of metal. There are also custom wood accessories that are very durable. If you still have a Blind Corner Base Cabinet that swallows anything you place in it, swing out shelving will solve the issue.
In our Dura Supreme Line Cutlery Dividers keep your silverware neat and organized. They come in single height and Two Tier Trays.
Next to your prep and stove area adding a Drawer Knife Holder keeps all your sharp knives neatly and safely in place.
Another great accessory near this area is the Drawer Spice Rack. It resembles a shallow staircase. Laying all your spices on each section really helps you see and access exactly which spice your recipe calls for.
A very handy organizer is a Sink Base Pull Out Caddy. It is perfect to hold all the cleaning supplies that tend to get knocked over and pushed out of reach!
Obviously adding such items in an existing kitchen can be challenging at times. When you begin to collect pictures, sketches of your ideas, and notes in your Dream Folder, be sure to ask your Designer about built in accessories available in the new cabinets. All of the ones I mentioned above are available , of course. Here are a few more that can be placed in the cabinets as they are assembled by the manufacturer. There are so many handy, functional options for spices. Many add a Design element that takes your kitchen to a custom level. Apothecary Spice Drawers are available as a horizontal addition under a wall cabinet. They are also wonderful placed vertically. I found these drawer very handy and functional! I kept my medications in one of the drawers close to my sink. Spatulas,knives, hand or tea towels fit perfectly in them too.
Where do you keep bottles? Oil, Vinegars, Wine, Liquor need a home. There are visible wine rack
cabinets. There is also a Bottle Rack in Deep Roll Out Shelf that is place in a base cabinet for 18 to 48 inches wide.
How about all those pot lids? Ugh! It can be so frustrating searching for the right size. How about Adding a Lid Storage Partition in a deep drawer that organizes every lid? Combine that with your Pots and Pans Drawer and everything is easily accessed!
How about your dinner plates being reached easily next to your stove? There are Plate Rack Drawers that make that happen. Another option we can show you here in our showroom is the versatile Dish Storage Drawer that can be re figured to fit any diameter plates. Want to replace your old plates with new ones? No problem. You just adjust the pegs to fit any size dish you want!
Remember the old bread box? If that appeals to you, Bread Drawer Covers are available, as are bread cutting boards and Chop Blocks.
I saved three of my favorites for last. Tray dividers are awesome. Maybe two is a good idea. One near the oven for baking cookies. The other one is perfect near your food prep of cooking area to hold your serving platters. Oh , If we could only have EVERYTHING we want!
I absolutely love Pull Out Fillers. These are typically three to six inches wide. Some are also available in 4" or 9" widths. These are handy to fill in gaps in the run of cabinets on a wall. Even better they are a Design feature that also gives you extra storage right where you need it. My favorite Pull Out Filler is faced with a Post or Column! This practical and beautiful addition takes your kitchen or bath design to a higher level!
Come see our showroom , we can show you all these awesome accessories! Happy New Year!
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Welcome 2017
It is 2017! Can you believe it?
How many years of family events around Christmas have gone by now since you began promising yourself a new Kitchen by next year?
There is nothing like trying to prepare food in a dysfunctional kitchen during the Holidays. Family and friends want to be in the center of the action helping and visiting. Is that delight possible in your current kitchen? How many cooks can really fit without bumping into each other? Do you have the appliances needed to prepare all that food and keep it hot at serving time?
Did you reach the limit of your patience this year? Is it finally time to get serious about updating the most important room in your home? If you have been reading this blog for awhile, you know how important it is to put together your "Wish Folder". Well, now is a great time to haul it out and add your thoughts. While the memory of what worked well and what did not last week is fresh, adding notes to guide your improvement of the situation is good right now.
Those ideas may cover what configuration and foot print will allow better flow of traffic and more "cooks in the kitchen". You may be reminded what a waste of space a certain cabinet has always been. What cabinet you could replace it with. It may be the realization of how a newer "Double Oven Range" would make cooking and serving a "hot" dinner easier. Or maybe, replacing that old style peninsula with a separate island would open up the room. Maybe that would allow four of you to have counter space to create while you enjoy talking and laughing as you do food prep. Maybe a prep sink in the island will help clean up after dinner.
We all fall into resignation and procrastination. Usually, it is because our normal kitchen routine does not really reveal what is completely unacceptable. Cooking, trying to keep food warm, and coordinating serving the food for Christmas, Easter. or Graduation celebrations for multiple people is an art form. Or maybe, the cost is what is most daunting to deal with.
Whatever, the hindrance is, reality tends to interrupt it this time of year. We all know expenses do not become less by waiting. In fact, they typically increase. The sooner you make the decision to invest in your home, peace of mind, and family life, the better where cost is concerned.
We are here to help you make the leap and decide 2017's Christmas will be enjoyed in your new kitchen. It is tempting to wait.After all that is a year away. Here is the reality. Remodeling is a multi step process. Each phase is time consuming. There are so many selections and decisions to make. They all take weeks usually. THEN, and only after those weeks pass does the actual demo and install begin. The average Kitchen remodel takes at least six months, if you know what you want, from planning to completion. If you need time to ponder options, it can take much longer. Getting started now will make next year so much more wonderful. It will also save you money over waiting another year or two. Promise!
How many years of family events around Christmas have gone by now since you began promising yourself a new Kitchen by next year?
There is nothing like trying to prepare food in a dysfunctional kitchen during the Holidays. Family and friends want to be in the center of the action helping and visiting. Is that delight possible in your current kitchen? How many cooks can really fit without bumping into each other? Do you have the appliances needed to prepare all that food and keep it hot at serving time?
Did you reach the limit of your patience this year? Is it finally time to get serious about updating the most important room in your home? If you have been reading this blog for awhile, you know how important it is to put together your "Wish Folder". Well, now is a great time to haul it out and add your thoughts. While the memory of what worked well and what did not last week is fresh, adding notes to guide your improvement of the situation is good right now.
Those ideas may cover what configuration and foot print will allow better flow of traffic and more "cooks in the kitchen". You may be reminded what a waste of space a certain cabinet has always been. What cabinet you could replace it with. It may be the realization of how a newer "Double Oven Range" would make cooking and serving a "hot" dinner easier. Or maybe, replacing that old style peninsula with a separate island would open up the room. Maybe that would allow four of you to have counter space to create while you enjoy talking and laughing as you do food prep. Maybe a prep sink in the island will help clean up after dinner.
We all fall into resignation and procrastination. Usually, it is because our normal kitchen routine does not really reveal what is completely unacceptable. Cooking, trying to keep food warm, and coordinating serving the food for Christmas, Easter. or Graduation celebrations for multiple people is an art form. Or maybe, the cost is what is most daunting to deal with.
Whatever, the hindrance is, reality tends to interrupt it this time of year. We all know expenses do not become less by waiting. In fact, they typically increase. The sooner you make the decision to invest in your home, peace of mind, and family life, the better where cost is concerned.
We are here to help you make the leap and decide 2017's Christmas will be enjoyed in your new kitchen. It is tempting to wait.After all that is a year away. Here is the reality. Remodeling is a multi step process. Each phase is time consuming. There are so many selections and decisions to make. They all take weeks usually. THEN, and only after those weeks pass does the actual demo and install begin. The average Kitchen remodel takes at least six months, if you know what you want, from planning to completion. If you need time to ponder options, it can take much longer. Getting started now will make next year so much more wonderful. It will also save you money over waiting another year or two. Promise!
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