Category: Industry Trends

Learn the Lingo : Drain Handing – Right, Left, & More

When starting a bathroom remodel or renovation there are plenty of things you’ll be asked. What type of tile do you want? Do you want to add any heating elements? Or an all time favorite question – Do you need a left handed or right handed tub?

Right handed tub? What does that mean?

Right handed or left handed tub refers to the drain orientation of your tub. The easiest way to figure out which kind of tub you’ll need is to stand in front of your shower as if you are going to go into it. If the drain is to your right you have a right handed tub, and if the drain is on your left you have a left handed tub.

Well what about freestanding tubs?

Freestanding tubs and drop in tubs can be labeled many different ways. You’ll see them marked as right/left, centered, reversible, or sometimes they aren’t labeled at all.

Centered Drain

A centered drain tubs is exactly what it sounds like. The drain is located in the center of the tub.

Reversible Drain

Drop in tubs are commonly listed as having a reversible drain. A drop in tub is inserted into a pier, and because of that drain handing can be switched by rotating the tub.

We hope you enjoyed this post, let us know on facebook if there are any terms you would want to learn about in the future.

Lingo

Aging in Place

More and more people have begun planning their remodeling and renovations with the idea of “aging in place”. According to the Centers for Disease control “aging in place” can be defined as “the ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level.” One survey had 90 percent of adults over the age of 65 respond that they would like to stay in their current home as they get older. No matter what your age, it is never a bad idea to begin anticipating what needs will have to be addressed in your future. We’ll be talking about fall prevention today, why it’s important, and what are some easier changes that can be made to assist you or your loved one as they plan to age in place.

One of the biggest issues with aging in place is falling, in fact the CDC named falls at the leading cause of injurious death among older adults. With this in mind fall prevention is crucial to consider when remodeling, renovating, even decorating (throw rugs can be dangerous).

Many of the modifications that can be made to one’s home to prevent falls are quite simple. The addition of grab bars and extra railings are a great start when beginning to accommodate aging in place. It is vital that grab bars and railings are installed properly and securely so that they function as intended.

When renovating to age in place flooring is important to consider. Hardwood floors and ceramic tiles may look nice but they can also be hazardous, especially when wet. Non-slip vinyl, cork, and low pile carpet with a firm pad are great options if you are looking for a high traction surface.

Lighting is another important factor to look at for fall prevention. After the age of 60 changes in the eye and visual system begin to accelerate, resulting in less light reaching the eye, because of this more light is needed to see details. Light switches should be easily accessible, and don’t forget to add lighting to areas of your house such as staircases and hallways. Motion sensing light fixtures are great if you are prone to getting up in the middle of the night.

This only begins to scratch the surface of what changes can be made to help aid you or a loved one’s goal of aging in place. Next time we’ll talk about more extensive changes you can make to your home to help with fall prevention and aging in place.

Aging in place

Learn the Lingo: Renovation vs. Remodeling

It seems like the words remodel and renovation are used interchangeably by a lot of people, but the truth is they are in fact two different things. Today we’re going to talk about the differences between the two terms.

Renovation

A good way to think about renovations would be to see them as a face lift for your home. Common home renovations are replacing light fixtures, repainting, changing out cabinet hardware, installing new appliances, countertops and other similar projects. During the process of renovation no major plans to the room’s layout are made, instead features of that room are updated to give the room a fresh new look.

Remodel

If renovations are a facelift, a remodel would be considered plastic surgery for your home .A remodeling job involves transforming the structure and style of a space. If you are looking to change the floor plan or layout of a from you are considering a remodeling job. For example, creating an open layout by removing a wall in your formal dining room to connect the kitchen, would be considered a remodeling job. Adding an island counter top to your kitchen floor plan would also be a remodel.

Lingo

Learn the Lingo – Rectified Tile

If you’re ever looking at ceramic or porcelain tile, chances are pretty good that you are going to run in the term “rectified” at some point. So what is rectified tile, and why should it matter to you?

What is rectified tile?

Simply put rectified tiles have been been ground and machined in order to give them straight edges – which in turn gives them exact, uniform dimensions.

Why would I want rectified tile?

The uniform edges on rectified tile allow you to use the thinnest of grout lines (3mm and under), giving the tiled surface an almost seamless appearance.

What else should I know about rectified tile?

Rectified tiles are also sometimes referred to as “sharp edge” tiles because of the sharp edges that result do to the edge finishing. It is important to consider how the tiles will be used as the sharp edges of rectified tiles can chip.

Rectified tiles have a more involved production process they do cost more than conventional non-rectified tiles. If you are looking for sleek, clean, symmetrical appearance the extra cost may be worth it to you.

Some rectified tiles are large. Keep in mind the larger the tile the more critical is is that the substrate underneath is flat.

Because of all of the work that goes into finishing rectified tiles it is very unusual to find tiles smaller than 300mm by 300mm.

Lingo

Stress Free Kitchen Renovation

When it comes to remodeling we do our best to make sure our client has a great experience. We pride ourselves on our professionalism and craftsmanship and hope that it show throughout the entire renovation project. Of all the home renovation projects, the kitchen can be one of the most stressful rooms to renovate in your home. So much of our daily lives revolve around the use of the kitchen that any disruption can just cause havoc with the rest of your normal routine. We’re going to share with you a few tips for how to survive a kitchen remodel with your sanity intact.

Make a plan

Before any work on the kitchen begins make sure you have a solid plan in place with your contractor. We’re talking about materials, pricing, timelines, responsibilities, cleanup, ect. The less on the fly decision making you have to deal with the happier you will be.

How will you cook?

Kitchen remodels can take some time. Eating out every night could add up really quick. Try setting up a mini kitchen in a room separate from the remodel. You can get by easily enough with a microwave, hotplate and an electric skillet. If you’re a fan of grilling this can be a really great experience for you.

As for cleaning up, consider using an old plastic storage container for washing dirty dishes in your tub, or switch to disposable plates and utensils for the time.

Special order anything?

If you have chosen to special order any materials wait to start on your remodel until they have arrived and you can verify that they are indeed what you have ordered. Perhaps you were sent the right faucet, but in the wrong finish, or there is not nearly enough of the tile that you ordered. Waiting until everything has arrived can save you headaches and a whole lot of unnecessary down time.

Prepare for dust

It’s inevitable, when you remodel there is going to be dust. To all those exceptionally tidy people, you have been warned. Prior to starting your project you can talk with your contractor about what can be done to minimize dust, such as doing any cutting of materials outside, or having drywall sanders equipped with a vacuum attachment. Also discuss what kind of barriers will be used to prevent dust from going into other areas of your house. Even the best laid plans can go awry though and leave you with dust in the end. After the remodel is complete be sure to check on your home’s air filter and replace if necessary. Use your upholstery attachment and clean furniture and draperies which are notorious for attracting dust and debris. Tack cloths are great for cleaning baseboards, windowsills and shelves.

Plants for Privacy

Want to make your home your oasis? Seeking solitude? One of the first places you should be looking at is your yard. Front yard or backyard a little educated garden planning can pay off big time in terms of privacy.

Layers, Layers, Layers!

A good privacy garden consists of layers.

Here we can see there are three distinct heights in this front yard garden. The tall weeping evergreens have been strategically located in front of the home’s windows to obscure the view from outside. Middle level plants fill the spaces in between the tall trees close to the entryway of the home, and the bottom level of plants and shrubs round out the landscape. When coming up with your own garden plan keep in mind that odd numbers typically make landscaping look more natural than if you were to work in even numbers. For further explanation of this rule of thumb check out this post

Plantings like these can be done along your or the perimeter of your lawn to create your own little quite getaway.

Containers for your patio

Add some containers to your deck or patio. By doing this not only do you gain privacy, you get the opportunity to have a fantastic herb garden right alongside your grill.

Climbing up up and away

Trellises, pergola, and lattices are all great structures for plants that like to climb and they end up creating a living wall of sorts. A trellis, some pieces of privacy lattice, and a few climbing plants (honeysuckle would be great) could be set up as a beautiful secluded get away spot in your own backyard. You could have summer squash growing up and over a pergola, Think about it big gorgeous squash blossoms and tasty treats from the garden, what’s not to love?

Organize It – Kitchen Drawers & Cabinets

When it comes to organizing your home the kitchen can be a difficult room to tackle. Pots, pans, gadgets, food – where does everything go? We’re going to share a few tips with you to help you conquer kitchen clutter. Today we’re going to work on those kitchen cabinets and drawers.

Keep the essentials close at hand

When it comes to organizing your kitchen pay close attention to how you use your kitchen, what spaces do you use frequently and what do you do in those areas. You should locate the items that you use on a daily basis and assign them designated areas so that they are close at hand. Heavy use items could be pots and pans, baking sheets, can openers ect. all depends on how you use your kitchen.

Everything in it's place — Everything in it’s place

Divide your drawers

Is your utensil drawer in a constant state of disarray? Does your junk drawer look more like a landfill? Consider finding draw dividers/organizers for these problem areas. Take a look at everything you have stashed away and choose whatever divider(s) you think would suit your needs best.

Maximize your storage

The backside of your cabinet doors have loads of untapped storage potential. Hanging or mounted storage units can easily be installed, making the perfect place for a much needed spice rack, or whatever else you may need.

Mudroom Ruminating

Mudroom Ruminating Schrader and Company Poet e.e. cummings famously referred to spring as the time of year when the word is “mud-luscious” and “puddle-wonderful”. That’s certainly true here in the Northeast as we wait and hope the April showers bring us May’s promised flowers. Spring is also universally synonymous with “spring cleaning”, a cultural construct in which we all don rubber gloves and take up feather dusters en masse to tackle the monsters of clutter hidden in our closets and underneath our beds.

Or at least we promise ourselves we’re going to do that…

As dissident as these two concepts seem– the muddy, wet reality of spring and the clean, orderly ideal of spring cleaning–they can come together in one brilliant, life-simplifying, home improvement project: the mudroom.

Whether you live in a one hundred year old farmhouse or a shiny new-build, some custom cabinetry, a new porch, or even the erection or dismantling of a single wall can create for you a mudroom; a space to enter and exit the home, store the jackets, the dirty shoes, the piles of mail, the cache of umbrellas.

The possibilities for this often small space are endless.

Spend a few minutes browsing Pinterest or Houzz these days and you’re sure to run across one or two shiny examples of the mudroom “launch station”: labeled hooks and bins and baskets all designed to organize individual family members’ shoes, purses, briefcases, backpacks, jackets, etc. This seamless system takes all the chaos and confusion and “Mom, where’s my homework?!” out of hectic weekday mornings.

Or visit flea markets and antique fares to see the recent trend of vintage metal lockers, salvaged from old schools and factories, which perfectly store sporting equipment and school supplies. Or maybe a great bench or window seat with hidden storage is more your idea of a great meeting of form and function.

However you envision your perfect mudroom, it’s a space specifically designated to simplify your life, spare your carpets, contain your clutter, and transition you and all of your guests from the outside of your home to the inside.

Let spring cleaning fever inspire you, gather some ideas, and contact us at Schrader and Company Construction Services. We’d love to come over and help you design and build your perfect mudroom.

And we always take our muddy shoes off at the door

Mudroom Ruminating Schrader and Company

Cost vs Value of a Remodeling Project

Have you ever thought much about the Cost of a remodeling project as independent of it’s Value? We think about this nearly every day. On national level Remodeling Magazine publishes an annual “Cost vs Value” report that is based upon their market research of relatively specific geographical areas throughout the country. Albany New York is one example.
Their data suggests the average monetary return on a wide variety of remodeling projects nationally is about 66%. This isn’t a bad return, yet it does expose the reader to the risk of concluding that the value of a home renovation can be measured in dollars alone. We don’t think so. We do believe the cost of a project can be clearly identified. We do this by creating detailed quotes that are based on good design, timely product selections by decision makers, and clear specifications. Generating a project’s cost is then methodical and logical. Value on the other hand is nearly impossible to define in this manner with any certainty.
When you consider your next home renovation project, think about the value it brings to you. Consider what it returns to you, over and over. Are you one who measures their quality of life? Would that include your home being the place where stress seems to melt away, is it a quiet place to become revitalized before you take on your next challenge? For many today a home is a place of comfort, a place for gathering with family, with friends, a place where memories of a lifetime find their beginnings. When you believe the time has come to talk about adding to the value of your home, give us a call, we’ll get that conversation started.

The Hearth of the Matter

blog-photo-04 The holiday season is upon us. Soon our shopping bags and waistlines will bulge with the bounty of the season. The to-do lists get long, the budgets cinch tight, and the stress can run high. But the magic of this time of year is never wholly lost to these concerns. The promise of closeness with our families, the gift of time to pause and be present with one another, and the celebration of beloved traditions create their own glow. And that’s what we search most for at this time of year of frigid temperatures and 4:30 PM sunsets. We want the glow.

And what room in the house is the source of that glow?

Take a moment and recall some of your favorite holiday memories with your family. Where in your home do you gather? Where do morning pleasantries over steaming cups of coffee turn into important conversations with the sibling you don’t get to see enough? Where does the daunting task of annual holiday baking become a precious flour-covered memory when shared with your grandchildren for the first time? Why is it that no matter how overstuffed the sofa and or sharp the picture on your flat screen TV, your loved ones will inevitably gather, glass of wine in hand, to watch or help in the kitchen?

The kitchen is both the literal and metaphorical hearth of the home. If food is love, and the act of cooking an act of service, nurturing and care, then the kitchen is the source of all of that good feeling. No wonder we gravitate to that warmth.

This year, in the midst of the hustle and bustle, take a moment and look around your own hearth and those of the homes you will visit. What do you like? What do you wish you could change? What would transform your hearth into the heart of your home?

Imagine your family’s beloved secret recipe sugar cookies heaped on platters resting on a gleaming granite or quartz countertop.

Imagine the blissful absence of clamor and clang as the kids race and rummage through your soft-close (no slamming!) doors and drawers.

Picture the organization and ease of use that a new kitchen island or custom cabinetry would afford.

Picture next year, your loved ones gathered close around you, in a beautiful, updated, artfully designed kitchen.

Then come see us. We’ll help you get down to the hearth of the matter.

Happy Holidays, from all of us at Schrader and Company Construction Services.