The Gleason’s (see Grand Master Bathroom Remodel) called RCS in the summer of 2009 and told us they needed our help to renovate the exterior of their home.  We couldn’t wait to get started on helping them design a project that would completely change the exterior look of their home.

The following was the SCOPE of WORK we developed:

1.   Tear out the concrete stoop, uneven steps, and concrete walk leading to the front of the house

2.   Construct a new front porch with decorative columns, composite deck, vinyl handrails, standing seam metal roof, and painted bead board ceiling with a new ceiling fan.

3.   Replace old single pane aluminum windows with (13) new energy efficient double pane, low E, double hung vinyl windows.

4.   Install new vinyl siding on the entire house with the addition of vinyl shakes at the front gables (for an added splash of style).

5.   Install a white subway tile backsplash in the kitchen.

6.   Replace the existing concrete walk and failing retaining wall with a new segmental block wall and paver walkway with code compliant steps.

We may have worked ourselves out of a job…there’s not much left to do.

Check out all the photos for this project on RCS’ FLICKR site.

This article also ran in the Houston Chronicle, Earthtimes.org, FinanzNachrichten.de, Yahoo! Canada, Business Wire and Forbes.

It’s the height of remodeling season during a weak economy, which is a tough combination for homeowners needing to make upgrades to their kitchen. This summer, things are heating up as people debate a costly home improvement that also offers one of the best returns on investment.

DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen offers these five tips for kitchen updates that look good and also make ‘cents.’

1. Granite counters: Look for thinner widths without the beveled edges.

2. Cabinets: Shop stock items or semi-custom cabinets that can rival custom craftsmanship. Or, for real savings, consider refacing your cabinets to get a new look without the demolition and installation of costly new units.

3. Stainless steel appliances: Skip the high-end manufacturers and go to cost-conscious labels that can still perform.

4. Wood flooring: Wood laminate flooring gives the look of an expensive wood surface with lower cost and easier cleanup.

5. Energy Star ratings: Look for energy savings on appliances that may be a little more expensive today, but will save you even more on energy bills down the road. Our clients are surprised to see all of the remodeling options available to them that can achieve their goals and still work within a budget, said Doug Dwyer, president and CSO of DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen. And we are noticing that people are still interested in investing in their largest asset, their home. They just want to make wise decisions.

CONTACT REDBUD Construction Services at 865-250-9172 to determine an affordable budget for your kitchen design.

From Lakehartwellrealestate blog, Julie Haley with All Hart Realty, discusses what to do and what not to do in order to get your home ready for a high return sale.

“The American house of 2008 will be smarter, greener and sleeker than before. But here’s the trick: Homeowners want a home that will work now–and 10 years from now.”

Here’s a run down of what’s hot — and what’s not — for your home in 2008.

What’s In

The destination bathroom

The huge bathroom getaways tempt you to linger and are outfitted with everything from wine chillers and espresso machines.

The smart house, operated by phone

“One tend that I think is pretty clear is that we are finally moving towards more tightly intergrated systems in the home that do allow for greater automation of certain functions, whether that’s controlling the temperature or lighting,” says Kurt Schrf, vice president and principle analyst of Parks Associates, a market research and consulting company that studies emerging consumer technologies.

Turning the house inside out

The trend of bringing the indoors outdoors is accelerating dramatically.  People are often extending radiant-heat floors outside, under patio flagstones.  The goal is to extend those shoulder seasons in order to sit longer by the giant fireplace that have become even more popular, or to cook in the extensive kitchens that anchor many of these outdoor spaces.

The return of glamour in furniture and decor

The whole idea of glamour is a little bit of a reaction to what is now still a very strong trend toward an appreciation of fabrics that have what you might call imperfections in them,” says Davis Remignanti, lead design consultant at Furniture.com. Remignanti refers to rougher fabrics that have sprung from the green movement, and to wood finishes with knots and grain.

Concealed appliances

More homeowners are opting to hide kitchen appliances such as the dishwasher and refrigerator. Some people think that appliances are ugly. What’s making it possible to hide a fridge behind cabinet doors is technology, which allows a big appliance today to be “broken apart” into separate, smaller pieces.  The kitchen is evolvingand is becoming an aesthetic room.

Home elevators

Elevators are starting to appear–and will only proliferate–as baby boomers age.

Bold fabrics

Smaller-scale furniture is in, and as furniture gets smaller, “it can sustain a larger and lager pattern without looking ridiculous, says Furniture.com‘s Remignanti. So a hot trend for 2008 is using large-scale patterns on fabrics and floors and wall coverings. “If you’re choosing a pattern over solid colors, make it big and bold,” he says.

What’s out

Living rooms

Dark and heavy

…the trend is moving toward a little more modern, a little fresher, lighter, brighter, open, use of new materials.

Mosaic tile

The tile is such a personalized design statement that it scares off would-be home buyers who may not have the same taste. The cost and waste to remove intricate mosaic is overwhelming to buyers, especially if it has been recently installed.  Even the most expensive but not agreeable tile could kill an otherwise acceptable property.

The Taj Ma-ceiling

For years, tall ceilings inparted gradeur to a home and were a signal that the homeowners had really made it. Those soaring ceilings don’t impress prospective home buyers the way they use to.

Read the full article here.

CONTACT REDBUD Construction Services at 865-250-9172 to discuss the trends that will maximize the re-sale vaule of your home.

Also from the article:

Rheem summarizes some of the differences:

* Product Cost: Tank water heaters typically range in cost from $350 to $550, while tankless water heaters are roughly double that amount.
* Operating Cost: Average annual operating costs for tank water heaters are in the $230 to $285 range. Average annual operating costs for tankless water heaters are about half of that, at $165 to $170.
* Installation Cost: In new construction, installing any type of water heater includes running fuel lines or electrical connections and allowing for adequate venting, so there is little difference in costs between a tankless water and a tank water heater. In remodeling, however, it will cost more to replace a tank water heater with a tankless unit. Installed costs to replace a tank water heater with a tankless unit are typically between $1,200 and $3,000, compared with a range of $500 to $800 to replace a tank with another tank.
* Size: Tank water heaters are typically four to six feet in height, and up to two and a half feet in diameter. Because of their size, tank water heaters are usually located in the garage or basement, which sometimes places the hot water far from the point of use. Tankless water heaters, about the size of a medicine cabinet, can be wall-mounted indoors or even outdoors.
* Experience: Tankless water heaters never run out of hot water. A properly sized unit allows for use of multiple fixtures and appliances at the same time. Tankless is especially ideal for luxury spa bathrooms, where one large whirlpool tub can empty a 40-gallon tank-type water heater before the tub is even filled.

While the site is open for all, including homeowners, Rheem offers a white paper and bi-monthly newsletter that is strictly limited to professionals. For more information, visit www.smarterhotwater.com.

Is a tankless water heater right for your project?  Contact REDBUD CONSTRCUTION SERVICES at 865.250.9172 and we would be happy to discuss the possibilities for your project.

How to Properly Illuminate the Kitchen:

Pendants are often used in addition to recessed and under cabinet lighting to add character and ambience to a kitchen. The recent trend toward open floor plans has also pushed the mini pendant into prominence since they leave more open space than traditional island fixtures.

1. High style pendants provide functional task lighting for kitchen work spaces. They do double duty as a designer look and a practical necessity.
2. The ideal hanging height for a pendant varies with the environment and the height of the home owners but make sure to position the pendants low enough to avoid glare.
3. Add a dimmer switch to increase the versatility of the pendant lights. They can provide either task or mood lighting.
4. Top designer brands that offer kitchen pendants are Tech Lighting, Murray Feiss, and Kichler.
5. Maintain design continuity by matching pendant finishes with the kitchen hardware and other surface materials.

Call REDBUD Construction Services and speak with our designers about how to incorporate these lighting ideas into your project…865-250-9172.

Are you looking for that unique surface top for your kitchen or bath, or do you want to have a stylish and durable ‘GREEN’ product…then look no further than IceStone.  This product has appeared in This Old House, The New York Post, and Building Design + Construction.

From their website:

IceStone durable surfaces are made from 100% recycled glass and concrete.  IceStone® products are the ideal choice for green kitchen countertops. They’re also a great option for backsplashes, bathrooms, vanities, bathroom dividers, tabletops, interior walls, and commercial flooring applications. Beautiful shower surrounds and bathtubs could be made with IceStone durable surface material. It can be shaped, cut water jet, inlaid, mounted vertically or horizontally. While there are 27 standard colors available, the color palette is infinite….IceStone durable surfaces are strong like granite, not as porous as marble and heat-resistant like stone. The chemical composition is benign and 99.5% inorganic making it a very safe material from the standpoint of toxicity and fire resistance.  The fabrication, installation and maintenance of IceStone surfaces follow essentially the same process as used with natural stone.  Due to its high recycled content and Cradle to Cradle Certification, IceStone materials can be used towards LEED points.

The cost of IceStone surfaces is dependent on the color selection, size and scope of project and it is available only to distributors and fabricators.  You can find showrooms for this product at their website.

If in the Knoxville area: G & L Marble carries the IceStone product line.

Call REDBUD Construction Services and speak with our designers about how to incorporate these and other GREEN products into your project…865-250-9172.

From MarketWatch:

When it comes to kitchen design today, cherry and maple cabinets are hot, as are quartzite countertops and custom paneled appliances. So says a recent national survey of kitchen designers conducted by the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) and luxury appliance manufacturer Thermador. With 206 participants – all of whom are NKBA certified designers – the online survey identifies several trends influencing today’s kitchen design – from popular colors and finishes used in designs, to new materials, and even new technologies being incorporated by designers.

And here’s a summary of the Survey:

Kitchen Type (design): Traditional
Cabinetry Finishes: Cherry and Maple
Color Scheme: Stainless Steel followed by beiges/bones
Appliances: Stainless steel and custom paneling/modular refrigeration
Countertops and Backsplashes: Granite and quartzite/tile, granite, or glass backsplashes
Functionality and Layout: multiple cooking stations and prep sinks

These trends have well established themselves and will continue to be used in kitchens for years to come.

Read the full article here.

This recent article from the NARI website discusses when is the right time to hire a professional for your remodeling or construction project.  Here are a few great points:

A kitchen designer or interior designer can create a functional and attractive layout for your kitchen cabinets and appliances. But if you want to start knocking down walls to increase floor space or change the traffic flow, it’s best to have the advice of someone who understands the ramifications of doing so.

Even seemingly innocuous projects can lead to unforeseen consequences. Creating an extra bedroom in a basement is a great way to maximize the space within your home. But if it doesn’t have an appropriate escape route, you could be building what amounts to a death trap.

If you’re uncertain whether your remodeling project requires professional advice, one way to be sure is to ask. …After all, not every project is as easy to manage as HGTV might have you believe.

REDBUD Construction Services does not give out free estimates, but we do offer a one hour consultation to determine the scope of your project and the level of design that would be required to price your project.  To schedule a consultation, call 865-250-9172.

REDBUD Construction Services is a member of NARI and active in the Knoxville chapter.

Before: Masterbath

This is where we started.  What we refer to as a ‘CONTRACTOR SPECIAL’…meaning the contractor that built the house probably received a special discount on every item in this bathroom because he/she bought everything in bulk.  Nothing special at all, really.

The homeowners called REDBUD Construction Services and said, “We want to update our bathroom, but we don’t know what we want.  We just know we don’t want this anymore.”

After a couple of design consultation meetings and producing an ‘AS-BUILT’ sketch, the RCS design team started working on a design that would ‘open-up’ the space by removing the old tub, demo’ing the wall at the end of the vanity, remove the vanity and generally brighten up the space with a new lighting scheme and add architectural detials like a raised panel wainscott and a new tile floor and walk-in shower.

In order to deliver a design that meets the owners’ needs and makes best use of a given space, RCS tries to focus on a sigle element and design the space with that in mind.

THE FOCUS OF THIS SPACE WAS THE WALK-IN SHOWER FOR TWO.

Remodeled Walk-In Shower

We replaced the tub and added a clear glass door.  The simple tile design and recessed lights make this shower area the focus of the bathroom.  The owners didn’t exactly know what they wanted when we started, so I suggested that they browse the internet and find a picture of something they liked.  This is what they sent us…

An Example of What They Wanted

And this is where we ended up…

The Final Product

Adam and Ellen (the Owners)…

“Redbud Construction helped us dream of a design, and then they took it from there.  From the architectural drawings to completion.  Shawn’s professionalism and integrity sold us on using them for our remodel.  He was always up front with us  and was always looking out for our best interest.  The team he assembled to remodel our bathroom was top notch.  I highly recommend them for any construction job you might have!”

Do you have a project that you would like to complete and don’t know where to start?  Call RCS and we can help you “dream of a design.”

865-250-9172

If you have ever asked yourself, “How much space do I need for that?”, then these kitchen and bath planning guidelines should help answer most of your questions.

So get a pencil, a big eraser, and some graph paper…if you don’t have any graph paper just print this out…and have fun laying out that new project.  (Use each square to represent 3″ or 6″…that will give you a scalable drawing.)

Please remember, before beginning any construction you should consult a professional in the building industry in your local area to make yourself aware of the local building codes and requirements for your project.

And contact RCS with any questions you may have about your upcoming project.