Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Open Concept

I love to watch HGTV!! You too? What a great station to watch for ideas for your home, right?

 I am confident most of you gals do! What are your favorite shows? Is Fixer Upper one of them?
Chip and Joanna Gaines know how to take old outdated rooms, homes and properties and turn them into their clients dream house! The thing is; they are far away in Waco, Texas!

Do not be dismayed, here  in New Hampshire and Northern Massachusetts Lenny and Lisa Santosousso of Apple Wood Construction and Apple Wood Kitchen and Bath make New Englander
home owner's dreams come true! You can still have your Fixer Upper or a new home built! Lenny and Lisa can create your dream for you right here!

Being a custom home builder for years, Lenny tackles literally anything and everything our clients can dream up. So, how do you take a New Englander, a Colonial, or a Cape with all their compartmentalized rooms into a spacious open concept home? The answer is beams, big sturdy support beams. Support beams strategically positioned do hold up the second floor if you want to eliminate walls to create the Open Concept so popular in Waco. Another option are columns and posts designed to blend into your overall decor.

New England does have some newer spacious open concept Ranch Style and two story homes if you are looking for new construction. We can also build that new home for you if that is the direction you want to travel!

All new perfectly clean houses are wonderful. However, they can feel like "vinyl world." As remodeling contractors, Apple Wood takes pride in preserving the charm of original types of New England architecture. True craftsmanship makes a difference. Hiring a custom builder like Lenny who takes pride in his work makes all the difference. helps.

You see, tracts of homes built as "Spec"houses typically use the least expensive grade of products in the homes they build to ensure higher profit for the builder. Apple Wood Construction likes to build or remodel one home at a time using excellent products. It may cost a little more because true quality and workmanship is worth it.

When a developer buys land that is subdivided into lots, building the tract for the least cost is their goal. Vinyl siding, windows, doors, shutters, railing, fencing, you name it, are all available. Houses can be built now that never need to be re painted. That is a nice idea, especially as we watch the snow melt and spring comes raging in. I am already seeing my own home's trim needing to be sanded , primed, and painted again this year. This IS the time of year living in "Vinyl World" tempts me.
However, I love the 1908 wood trim around my windows, my vintage wooden interior doors, classic wood railings, posts, and gingerbread specialty trim on my wrap around porch. If you are a true " New Englander" looking for the charm of eras past, real wood trim inside and out can't be beat!

Classic New Englanders, Colonials, and Victorians were generally constructed with few hallways. Instead one room connects to the next and access is made from room to room. Other homes access individual rooms through hallways or around stairwells in our houses. Remodeling these houses for an Open Concept is an involved process requiring great expertise which Apple Wood provides.  Support walls can be removed when support beams are utilized to hold the weight above.

We take walls down to open up rooms. We have also relocated staircases to do the same. Other remodeling option for home owners with big lots are new Kitchen Additions, Master Suites that add a luxurious Master Bath and walk in closets. All of these make living in your home enjoyable and add significantly to the resale value of your home.

We have lots of ideas and the experience to make your dream become a reality! Call us for an appointment!  

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

What's New in Apple Wood's upcoming BUSY season

March 20th IS the first day of Spring! Yay!  We are in the last throes of winter and all ready for singing bird's, no snow, planning our gardens and getting our seedlings going or purchased to get a jump on planting! Spring cleaning time is the only time all year I actually look  forward to cleaning. I cannot wait for warmer days to open windows, let the breeze blow away the cobwebs of winter!

There is another really important opportunity coming now! While you do your Spring sprucing up many of you will begin thinking about the remodeling project you think about every year. We love that ! We want to help you so let me educate you about the process please. Thinking about finally getting that project underway seems to come in Spring and then again in late summer. The hope is the new kitchen will be remodeled and ready for Thanksgiving. That is a great idea! However, NOW  is the time to come see us if you want your new kitchen or bath ready for 2017's Holiday season!

Are you asking , "Why now?"  Well, excellent contractors with high levels of expertise and integrity get lots of referrals and/or new contracts with past clients. Apple Wood typically begins helping a client with one project, say a bathroom remodel, and they want to do more.  In the process the client is so happy and impressed because they trust us and can not imagine awarding their next project to another professional. It is very common for them to begin talking about the other kitchen, bath, deck, addition, or any number of other projects they have dreamt about forever.

We know our customers have many choices. We are honored that after working with us, most decide they are thrilled with the results. Then they cannot imagine working with anyone else. Once homeowners experience Lenny and his team's respect for their home, family, and remodeling vision , no other remodeling professional is considered.  Experiencing the excellence in craftsmanship, products, and level of expertise Apple Wood provides gains us repeat customers.

Let me remind you about the process which typically takes at least six and sometimes nine to twelve months. Remodeling is a creative endeavor. It is also very technical, emotional, and time intensive. This is especially true when the home owner's are a couple. Everything in remodeling is about selections, choosing the right design and then the components to place into the space to make your dream a reality.

Get ready I am going to say something "radical"! Yes, RADICAL!!! I mean it and I can get away with it because I am a woman! We all know women reserve the right to change their minds. We understand that and you will find we have patience to allow some changes, even midstream. However, please realize that very tendency is what delays projects and impacts completion. If a woman is a decision maker for your remodeling project, please come see us early, this Spring. It gives you some wiggle room to consider choices and changes before signing the final contract. If you wait too long, you may be at the end of a line of  other clients who are ready to go now. Of course , we wish to help every homeowner we can! We hope you are on our client list for 2017 and invite your family to celebrate Thanksgiving with the completed project you will be proud to host in.

I will be writing about vision, ideas, how to organize it all the next few weeks. Have a great week and come see us SOON!