Renovation is hot in Atlanta once again and people are looking to increase the size and living space of their homes. We are often asked whether additional space is best acquired by building on with an addition or building up with a second story.
The answer, like just about all things relating to renovation, has some complicated variables. The answer may depend on the goals of the addition, style of the house, access to the new space and the land around the existing home. Often in Atlanta’s intown neighborhoods where the lot size can be smaller and city demanded yard setbacks strict, building up is the way to go. Building up onto or creating a second floor maintains the yard around a home, often a premium. Also, when designed with care, a second floor addition can create an added charm to curb appeal and often provide a better resale value.
The next question to consider is cost effectiveness. The trickiest part and often the deciding factor in the up or out debate can fall to the stairs. If the stairway to the new space can be worked out without having to reverse the basement stairs and moving too many walls then building up often saves the cost of foundations and landscape disturbance. One must keep in mind that most second story additions require the reframing of the old ceiling joists to allow for floor loads. This is something typically done with a separate diaphragm system for ceiling and floor joists and has the added benefit of sound proofing, reduction of overall second floor addition height and minimizes the potential of plaster cracks.
In the end, our design staff is experienced with both vehicles to increase the size of your home in a way that is both practical financially and pleasing aesthetically.
Baths
Additions
Tile for a renovation
If you are thinking about a bathroom or kitchen renovation, tile can be one of the larger components on the job. With all of the styles available, picking the right product for your project can sometimes seem overwhelming. Here’s a quick lesson on tile that may prove helpful.
One of the first things homeoweners can run up against when thinking about tile is the difference between porcelain and ceramic. Here are some simple differences. Porcelain is denser, more durable and has a slightly lower water absorption rate than ceramic. Porcelain tile generally is more expensive that ceramic and may require a higher labor cost to install. Generally, for most home projects, ceramic tile is the product of choice and is more that adaquate in terms of durability.
Tiles come in a multitude of sizes. If you are working with a smaller bath or space, you may like the look of a smaller tile such as a 6″ x 6″ or a mosaic tile that is typically based on a 12″ x 12″ mesh screen. These mosaic sheets are easy to trim down to fit around plumbing or wall angles and can replicate the look of vintage tile styles often found in older homes. A large 12″ x 12″ tile (or larger) can create a smooth finish on a floor with fewer grout lines. The only challenge is to make sure the grout lines you do have are centered on the room and make sense in the layout. If you are installing a shower floor in your project, the general recommendation is to use a smaller sized tile. The installer needs to get a slight slope to floor drain and this can be tough to do with a larger tile. Smaller tiles also means more grout which can create a safer floor finish in a shower. More grout can equal fewer slips on wet tile. When looking at wall tiles, it is important to ask whether the tile you are looking at comes with bullnosed edges (smooth edges on one size) or whether there is a finished cap piece available. Anywhere the tile ends in a shower, there will need to be a smoothed edge of tile. Nothing is worse than a beautiful tile installation but a poorly thought out edge detail.
Grout color is another important aspect of the overall design. One can use a contrasting color and have the grout play a larger part of the design. White subway tile with a dark grey grout can be striking. Selecting a grout color that matches your tile as closely as possible can create a continuous, monolithic look and can eliminate the visual “noise” of a space. Unless you love to clean, white grout is typically discouraged.
Installation patterns are also seemingly endless. A few basic styles are either straight, diagonal, or a running bond. A running bond is a staggered pattern that is often employed when using rectangular tiles, or subway tiles.
Now once you select the majority of your tile, sometimes called field tile, you may want to add an accent tile. Overwhelmed yet? If you need a hand, Home ReBuilders has designers on staff who can walk you through some tile selections. Tile can be one of the best paints in your palette when creating your renovation.
Bathroom renovations
Bathroom renovations in Atlanta don’t have to be big, messy, expensive and painful. If you have a standard bathroom that has seen better days, a renovation can be easily within your reach. The key to a smooth bath remodel is planning. When a wise person said “the devil is in the details” one wonders if they were talking about home renovation!
The first step is to think about what doesn’t work in your space. That’s probably the easiest part and on the forefront of your mind. But maybe think a bit deeper. If lack of storage is something you struggle with, identify which specific items you can’t find homes for. Pill bottles, make up and small toiletries are best stored in medicine cabinets or drawers. If piles of clothes and stacks of towels are something you trip over, look to robe hooks, hamper storage or additional shelving.
Often a bathroom’s function is not the problem but the dated wallpaper and ancient accessories make getting ready in the morning a drag. Cosmetic changes can be a snap with the right experience and tools. If all of your plumbing locations and major fixtures are good enough to stay, fresh “make up” is easy. Small changes like paint color, new lighting fixtures, towel bars, shower curtains and window treatments can make a huge difference without huge upset to your home.
Now if tile needs to be replaced and your plumbing fixtures need to be replaced, start looking for brands, models and styles you like and are in your price range. It’s easy to say, “Replace my toilet” but it is always smoother if you have a clear idea of the model you like and its price tag. Is it in stock and available? Does the lavatory faucet that you have your heart set on have a coordinating shower set? Does it matter to you if all of your plumbing fixtures are the same? Information for home renovation has never been easier to access. All major plumbing brands have good websites with model numbers and specification. Big box stores can be a good source of ideas for materials either in person or on line. Internet sites such as Pinterest can provide endless inspiration for renovation.
Probably the biggest key to success in a bath renovation is your contractor or handyman. Find someone reputable with a good reputation and who has plenty of experience. And make sure you like them. They’ll be in your home, working on some intimate areas!
Design Trends for 2014
It’s a new year and everyone seems to be talking about what is ahead. Here are some design trends to watch for in 2014.
Brass
After having been one of the top items on homeowners lists to remove or change for years, brass is making its way back into the home again. We saw this one coming and wrote about it in a previous post. What makes this trend fun and interesting in our field of renovation is seeing brass or warmer metals as accents. A faucet here, a light fixture there is the name of the game. It’s all about the mix of metals and finishes, not so much about the complete matching suites we have seen for years. So if you have been plagued with 80’s brass knobs, you may want to look at them with new eyes and a bit more love.
Color Palettes
Color in homes is always a trendy and fickle topic. The design world seems to be featuring interiors in a few camps. Dark, mysterious dining rooms and libraries painted in rich greens, inky blues, or deep slates and eggplants. Woodwork is painted these saturated colors and the finish is glossy. At the other end of the spectrum is the frequently seen all white palette. Airy and ethereal, these rooms provide a soft background for mixed fabric textures and wood finishes.
Knotty Woods
For years, high end wood grains have ruled the day. Walnut, maple, and cherry have been the wood species of choice with looking at cabinetry or stained paneling. In the future we will be seeing more rustic woods applied in sleeker modern spaces. Wood always provides a warmth that many modern spaces need as a counterpoint to their sharp edges and clean lines. Think about Belgian pickled oaks and cypresses. Rustic, live edge shelving applied to a clean, tiled backsplash is a trend to watch.
Serenity
People are still looking for relaxation and serene master suites and baths are the hot item. Soothing colors, soft textures, and natural materials are the choice when creating s space to forget about the work day or stresses of everyday life. Spa culture has seeped into the design world and we are frequently asked to help transform a master bath or suite into one’s favorite spa. A few clean lines, soft lighting, organized towel storage and a touch of teak can get you there.
Versatility
Homeowners today are ready to transform their homes after several years of waiting but value is still a focus. We strive to create the best spaces to use today and well into tomorrow. This need for versatility is a trend we see in our design department when working with clients as well as the interior design world. Furniture and spaces need to offer several functions. The family room may be a spot to watch a family movie or relax but it also needs to provide ample storage and a place to pull out a laptop and she dome emails. Kitchens need to be a place to cook meals, organize bill paying and paperwork, serve as mudrooms and homework stations. Everything needs to earn it’s place in the home. Superfluous square footage and empty rooms are out. Smart design, multi purpose space and furniture is in.
The Internet and Home Design
Home ReBuilders has been in business for over 30 years. One can imagine how taste and style has changed since the mid-eighties. In the early days, homeowners were interest in a new bathroom or some more space for their family. Design decisions seemed to focus on brass and crystal doorknobs, stepped coffered ceilings, floral wallpaper, and pressure treated angled decks. People also had a vague or hazy vision of what they would like to see their home look like, often shaped by what they may have seen in a friend’s home. People would talk, Bill and the designers would talk, and we produced a lot of great projects for happy clients.
Shelter magazines, things that had been around for years, seemed to be everywhere in the late-nineties. The market for remodeling and home improvement was hot and publications took notice. Grocery check out lines started populating their shelves with home magazine focusing on renovation. As designers, this was a help. We could suggest clients start really looking at what appealed to them and their focus became more detailed. Homeowners would come to meetings with clippings and tear sheets of things they liked and products they could envision in their space.
Today, Pinterest and Houzz and a multitude of blogs are shaping the industry and people’s tastes. The days of a person coming to a kitchen design meeting with a folder overflowing with ripped magazine pages seems to be over. A laptop or Ipad is pulled out today and a digital file is opened. Again, the result is the same. Clients are educated and opinionated. It’s our job to bring these digital fantasies about what their home can be to life. Successful design starts with communication and these internet sites can be a launch pad for discussion. Be sure to explore them if you are looking for ideas for your next renovation.
Bath Design Trends
Bathroom remodels will always be popular and will always be complicated and sometime expensive to renovate. A bath can have some of the most costly building materials and products squeezed into one of the smallest spaces in your home. If you are thinking about embarking on a bath project, the investment can provide one of the largest returns to your home’s value. This type of renovation can also improve the quality of your life on a daily basis. All that being said, when renovating a bath, it is important to spend your money wisely and choose materials well. The fruits of your labor are going to be around for awhile and you want to make sure they have staying power. If you make a miss-step on a curtain selection, it can often be changed. Poor finishes or layout in a bath renovation can be there to stay. We have compiled a few design trends and renovation tips to consider.
large showers
Today, showers seem to be one of the things homeowners are looking for and responding to. Often a tub/shower combination is removed and replaced with a large rectangular shower. People are looking for multiple shower heads, possibly hand held sprays, and spacious shelves for shampoos and bottles. Shower doors with frameless glass have been the gold standard for years. Today people are exploring showers without any doors by creating a “wet zone” in a bath. Luxurious showers have taken the spotlight from the once wildly popular garden tub.
soaking tubs
The days of the jetted tub with multiple functions and pulsating streams of forced air seem to be over. They have developed a reputation for being loud and difficult to clean, two things not condusive to relaxation. The large tiled decks that these tubs sat in are also being left in the past. Too much square footage and often dangerous to get in and out of. Today people are interested in deep, soaking tubs, a place you can restfully float in, up to your ears in hot water.
private toilet rooms
This has been popular for a while now and certainly appears to be here to stay. The enclosure of the toilet into its own closet-like space has enabled the bath to be used by multiple family members, comfortably and with privacy. If space allows, this can be a fantastic feature in a bath renovation.
cabinetry function
Today’s hot buttons in cabinetry seem to be about function. Deep drawers for taller bottles and easier access are popular. Divided drawers, similar to silverware inserts, also provide organization for makeup. The placement of outlets in medicine cabinets and drawers also create permanent homes for electric toothbrushes, shavers, hair dryers and the like. Finding a home for everything, off the vanity counter, seems to be the mantra for creating that clean, spa-like feel.
universal design
Even younger generations seem to be open to thinking about how a bath will be used later in life. Grab bars are appearing in more and more baths and the manufacturers have taken notice. Today they appear much more like towel bars and can do double duty. Showers are being designed without thresholds to step over and smooth, linear shower drains are seen everywhere.
neutral finishes
You may love patterned Mexican tiles, but you may want to think twice about making a large investment in something specific and hard to replace. The wisest course in bathroom materials can often be the neutral one. Natural materials and stones can have a longer shelf like and appeal to more people, should you ever try to sell your home. Save the patterns for the artwork or towel.
Aging In Place, Shaping Your Home for Your Future
According to US Census, the 65 and older population now totals 38.6 million and is expected to grow as “baby boomers” reach retirement age. Housing trends have shown that this boomer group has started small with their first homes and then consistently “traded up” to larger homes. With today’s housing situation, many people find themselves ready to sell their larger homes as they age and their family size shrinks, but the market has prevented sales. This leaves many charting their next move and often their path leads them to the Aging in Place concept. Through design and renovation, many people are modifying their current homes to accomodate their needs as their mobility diminishes. This enables people to retain the value and equity they have in their homes as well as stay in a neighborhood they may have deep ties to. If you are thinking about renovating a home you are currently in, thinking ahead to the future can be valuable. Do you see this as perhaps a “forever home”? Careful planning with a designer or architect can open the options for your later years.
There are many modifications one can make to one’s home to make it more user friendly to someone of advanced age. Bathrooms can sometimes pose the largest challenge but can often yield the largest return. Nothing can be more dangerous or curb one’s independance, like a slippery tub and less than agile legs or compromised balance. The study of universal design, made popular as a concept in the 1990’s, allows for the user’s changing needs. Instead of a shower/tub combination, a roll-in style shower may be used. A bathroom can be designed to accomodate not just the usual towel bars but stable grab bars as well. The traditional vanity may not be the best choice for someone who may need to use a walker or wheelchair. Lever handles on doors or cabinetry can assist someone with difficulty gripping. Light switches can be automatic and on motion sensors. The automatic soap dispensers often found in commercial applications, are available and can be installed in the home. The available aids are truly limitless. The challenge is only to think and plan ahead and have your design and renovation reflect this advanced planning. At Home ReBuilders, we have a staff well versed in the Aging in Place movement. We’d love to talk to you about your changing needs.
Design Decisions: Tub vs. Shower
When starting the journey of renovating a bathroom, there are a multitude of things to consider, from tile and paint, faucets and lighting and everything in between. Frankly there isn’t a space in the home that houses so many necessary products in such a condensed square footage. Now if you are mulling over a reno project, we certainly recommend you work with an experience kitchen and bath designer who can guide you through the process. Doing some initial brainstorming before one sits down with a professional is always a good idea. Getting to the goal line is always easier when a client has organized their thoughts and priorities for their new space.
One of the largest decisions in a bath renovation is whether to use a shower/tub combination, devote large square footage (if available) to both a soaking tub and shower or select just a shower. Often this decision can be driven by the space you have to work with. Sometimes people have watched a large garden tub collect dust for years, never being used, and the first thing on the chopping block is the large soaking tub. This typically space hogging feature can make way for additional storage, an extra vanity, or that spacious two person shower loaded with spray heads and multiple shower heads. Other clients yearn for a deep soaking tub to use after a run or just a long day at work. Of course when one commits to the tub idea, you now have to decide which tub. Is it free- standing or built into a tub deck and then what material to use for the deck facing and top? Will the new tub be cast iron or acrylic? How much do you want to spend? Would you like a standard tub faucet or would you like to add a handheld sprayer as well? Good thing you have a designer to help along the way!
So before you start that bathroom renovation, take some time to evaluate what you really need and want. A few hours spent coming up with a wish list can really help streamline your design time and get you into that new tub, or shower, faster!
Master Suites
In a master suite, the goal is always to create a space that is part of a home, yet separated in some way to provide that sense of oasis and calm. The standard for a true master suite is an attached en suite bathroom and closet, all accessible to the master bedroom. Beyond that, plans can include morning bars or small kitchenettes where one can enjoy a cup of coffee before leaving the bedroom. Sitting or dressing rooms are always an attraction. Custom or detailed cabinetry in a closet can take a space from simply clothes storage to something spectacular. A homeowner can wake each day with a boutique shopping experience by simply strolling into a new closet fitted with custom shelving, superb lighting, and comfortable seating. Often a sitting room, even if it is just designated by a pair of comfortable chairs, is a priority for homeowners. A desk or a small table and chair where one can to send a few emails, check a calendar for the coming day, or charge laptops and phones can be a consideration.
It is always advisable to consider storage carefully in a master suite. It doesn’t matter how lovely the space or attractive the finishes, if there is not enough room for clothing and personal items, you will have a mess on your hands. Nothing detracts from a master suite experience, like piles of clothes or stacks of books teetering near a bed. Design a home for your things and have the bedroom be place for order and calm.
Evaluate carefully what your specific needs are. How does your space work for you now and what would you like for the future. Address closet and storage needs in detail. If you have four legged family members that are underfoot, consider them in the design. Lighting is also an easy thing to miss during design but so valuable to the master suite experience. Consider task lighting like sconces next to the bed for reading but also table lamps or floor lamps throughout the space. A few low voltage spot lights, set on dimmers, can provide soft background lighting or highlight artwork. It is also good to consider how two people use the space. Do you have lighting that accommodate one person getting up and starting their day, while another may sleep longer?
Most people look to the master suite as an opportunity close the doors on a busy professional schedule or active family life and create something peaceful and special. Give Home Rebuilders a call if you are ready to add some calm to your life.
Bath Time
Home ReBuiders has been asked to design and construct a bath display for the fourth annual Luxury Living Show at Phipps Plaza. We have been working furiously with Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine to secure some amazing products and our design staff has created a dynamic space to showcase them. Our display will be highlighting the “luxury living” concept. We have taken a portion of the bath and created a relaxing retreat for dressing in front of a fireplace with a cup of coffee (or glass of wine) from the morning bar. This has been a fun project to stretch the concept of a tradional bath and although many of us may not have the space allowance or budget for some of these ideas, it helps create a dialog about what it means to have luxury in a home.
Sometimes a designated counter for makeup or a built-in outlet in a drawer for hair dryers and curling irons creates luxury. Some of us have strong and committed relationships with our single serving coffee makers. A spot designed specifically for this, even if only 12″ of counterspace with a plug and a beautiful basket housing coffee pods, can make the differance between a morning ritual and a morning retreat. A piece of upholstery in a hard surface bath can bring an element of luxury to a space. A simple chair or bench can provide a spot to get dressed or chat with a partner in the morning.
When embarking on a renovation it is important to think of your household rituals and design a space to celebrate them. Now that is luxury.
