Friday, October 15, 2004
Tips from the Homefront:
Our last (but certainly not least) house project for 2004 is the kitchen. Stripped to the studs, we have now re-clothed it about half way. While waiting for this horrifically expensive project to finally conclude, I thought I might put together a short resource list as well as some do's and don'ts.
First some good resources I found (some are Boston-based and some all you need is Internet):
1) State Stree Discount in New Hampshire is the way to go for kitchen appliances. These guys have absolutely some of the best prices on appliances and electronics; they charge no sales tax (which I'm not sure is entirely legal if you are a buyer from Massachusetts but anyway...); and they charge only a minimal delivery fee.
2) If you live anywhere near the Boston area and need your wood floors repaired, installed, and/or refinished, call Vong Phat at 617.407.9088. He just spun off his own business after his scoundrel brother-and-law screwed him royally. His English isn't very good but he will work magic on your floors and give you the most competitive price around.
3) Looking for the unusually-sized shower rod (extra-long, curved, whatever)? The online store Clawfoot Supply offers everything. Good quality.
4) For the brave who don't mind buying big ticket items online e.g. sinks, faucets, disposals, toilets, etc., HomeAnnex and Faucets4less can't be beat. You do kind have to be sure what you want though because there is often a re-stocking fee if you decide against the item (unless of course it is damaged)
5) Lighting? Try Pegasus Associates for a great source on all kinds of lighting.
Do's and Don'ts. There are a couple of basics which I think go a long way toward improving the look of your home as well as adding significant re-sale value. Take doors for instance. You might ask, 'Well why change out all the hollow doors for solid wood ones when the old ones are perfectly ok.' Well because your eyes have an uncanny ability to give a room a once-over and come up with an 'assessed value' based on split-second judgments you're probably not even aware you are making. You don't even have to touch the door to know. You just know. One thing is for sure. The relationship to an object based on whether it's the real thing or a cheap imitation is very different for each. As far as investing into 'real' doors for your home, you are investing into the feeling a solid door invokes: quality, sturdiness, strength, durability. All the things you want to feel when you're plunking down your entire savings into a house.
1) Paint your rooms with interesting colors but keep the trip uniform throughout the house. The one-color trim is like the ribbon on the package -- it neatly ties together the contents within. It will also make the house appear larger as the eye is not distracted by vertical and horizontal variations of color. If possible, always use oil-based paint on wood trim. It's messier and harder to work with than latex but holds up much better and has a nicer sheen. I like to use Benjamin Moore (BM) satin for the trim. For the walls I use latex. The new matte finish offered by BM gives the look of a flat finish but performs like the easy-to-clean eggshell finish. I especially recommend a flat or matte finish if your walls are not100% smooth (ours are wavy in places). Any sheen will only accentuate these imperfections.
3) Change out all the electrical sockets so that they are 1) uniform in color with the exception of kitchen or bathrooms where backsplash material may warrant something different, and 2) aligned. A potential buyer may not consciously perceive the electrical switches and outlets throughout the house during a walk-through but on a subliminal level the cracked plate, the crooked outlet, the lack- or overkill of outlets all make an impression on the buyer. I personally like the cheap, non-descript plastic kind available at any Home Depot or local hardwood store vs. the high-end porcelain or metal plates. I mean it's not like an electrical socket is something you want to draw attention to from an aesthetic stand-point. On the contrary, you want them to fade non-descriptly into the wall...
4) Get RID of those acoustical ceilings that were widely popular in the 60's, 70's, and early 80's (I call them cottage cheese ceilings). First check to make sure they are asbestos-free. If they are, a good plasterer can affix 1/4 inch blue board right over the ceiling and finish it off with a nice smooth skim coat. The result is a much brighter, cleaner, larger-looking room. This is not an expensive project and worth EVERY PENNY.
5) Door knobs and pulls can add up cost-wise but are well worth the investment if you can fit them into your budget. Like a handshake, a doorknob shouldn't be wimpy. Consistency and good quality are key. If you think how often you use doorknobs throughout your house, then it's a no-brainer that the experience should be a source of pleasure each time your hand envelopes one. I personally like the European-style lever -- great for when your hands are full with groceries -- you can just use your elbow to push down the lever and open the door. Ditto when your hands are slippery with lotion. Lever handles are lastly friendly to the arthritic; you don't won't to exclude the elderly or handicapped from your potential buyer's market do you? It takes some searching, but online sources have a good selection of quality products not normally available in local hardware stores.
6) Don't use white tile on your bathroom floor... Just as black velvet enhances the diamond it showcases in the jewelry store, so does the white bathroom floor advertise every bodily hair to fall from the emerging naked bather. Too bad the prior owners who upgraded our master bathroom didn't know this...
6) The kitchen... I can't say I've enjoyed this project at all. There are simply too many choices in terms of materials and appliances. The cost is exorbitant. The inconvenience and mess harrowing. When you do finally pick out the countertop you like is it because you really like it or because you're caught up in a trendy fad? You'd hate to think all that expensive granite and cherry wood is going to end up in a landfill somewhere alongside rusting bread making machines of yore. At the other extreme are the cheaply-made pre-fab kitchens and I can't tell you how many Before and After photos I've seen of these where I quite frankly couldn't tell which was the before and which the after.
I will consider my kitchen a success if I can manage to achieve a certain measure of classic timelessness. The perfect tile backsplash be damned. Unfortunately I think my goal is already doomed by the fact that the only cabinet-depth fridge that would fit in my new kitchen design layout was a stainless steel one and I can say with almost certainty it will probably be passe in five years or so. Frankly, if our old galley kitchen hadn't been so completely non-functional, I would have left it in all its' white Formica ugly glory. It at least had a one-of-a-kind charm to it. The kind of kitchen buyers would walk into and say, "Oh well this is kind of funky, isn't it... ? I bet it wouldn't cost much to re-do given how small it is...." Heh wait a minute.... I think that's just what WE said before we bought it. So now barring any unforeseen expenses, this kitchen upgrade will have about a $30,000 price tag on it. I do like it but jesus, doesn't that come out to about $1000 a drawer or something? And no doubt if we had to sell the house tomorrow, the next potential buyer would say something like, "Oh can you BELIEVE they put in those light maple cabinets? Who would DO that..."
I'd tell you all how much we've spent to date on all the house renovations but I'm just too embarrassed to tell you how off the mark we were....
Our last (but certainly not least) house project for 2004 is the kitchen. Stripped to the studs, we have now re-clothed it about half way. While waiting for this horrifically expensive project to finally conclude, I thought I might put together a short resource list as well as some do's and don'ts.
First some good resources I found (some are Boston-based and some all you need is Internet):
1) State Stree Discount in New Hampshire is the way to go for kitchen appliances. These guys have absolutely some of the best prices on appliances and electronics; they charge no sales tax (which I'm not sure is entirely legal if you are a buyer from Massachusetts but anyway...); and they charge only a minimal delivery fee.
2) If you live anywhere near the Boston area and need your wood floors repaired, installed, and/or refinished, call Vong Phat at 617.407.9088. He just spun off his own business after his scoundrel brother-and-law screwed him royally. His English isn't very good but he will work magic on your floors and give you the most competitive price around.
3) Looking for the unusually-sized shower rod (extra-long, curved, whatever)? The online store Clawfoot Supply offers everything. Good quality.
4) For the brave who don't mind buying big ticket items online e.g. sinks, faucets, disposals, toilets, etc., HomeAnnex and Faucets4less can't be beat. You do kind have to be sure what you want though because there is often a re-stocking fee if you decide against the item (unless of course it is damaged)
5) Lighting? Try Pegasus Associates for a great source on all kinds of lighting.
Do's and Don'ts. There are a couple of basics which I think go a long way toward improving the look of your home as well as adding significant re-sale value. Take doors for instance. You might ask, 'Well why change out all the hollow doors for solid wood ones when the old ones are perfectly ok.' Well because your eyes have an uncanny ability to give a room a once-over and come up with an 'assessed value' based on split-second judgments you're probably not even aware you are making. You don't even have to touch the door to know. You just know. One thing is for sure. The relationship to an object based on whether it's the real thing or a cheap imitation is very different for each. As far as investing into 'real' doors for your home, you are investing into the feeling a solid door invokes: quality, sturdiness, strength, durability. All the things you want to feel when you're plunking down your entire savings into a house.
1) Paint your rooms with interesting colors but keep the trip uniform throughout the house. The one-color trim is like the ribbon on the package -- it neatly ties together the contents within. It will also make the house appear larger as the eye is not distracted by vertical and horizontal variations of color. If possible, always use oil-based paint on wood trim. It's messier and harder to work with than latex but holds up much better and has a nicer sheen. I like to use Benjamin Moore (BM) satin for the trim. For the walls I use latex. The new matte finish offered by BM gives the look of a flat finish but performs like the easy-to-clean eggshell finish. I especially recommend a flat or matte finish if your walls are not100% smooth (ours are wavy in places). Any sheen will only accentuate these imperfections.
3) Change out all the electrical sockets so that they are 1) uniform in color with the exception of kitchen or bathrooms where backsplash material may warrant something different, and 2) aligned. A potential buyer may not consciously perceive the electrical switches and outlets throughout the house during a walk-through but on a subliminal level the cracked plate, the crooked outlet, the lack- or overkill of outlets all make an impression on the buyer. I personally like the cheap, non-descript plastic kind available at any Home Depot or local hardwood store vs. the high-end porcelain or metal plates. I mean it's not like an electrical socket is something you want to draw attention to from an aesthetic stand-point. On the contrary, you want them to fade non-descriptly into the wall...
4) Get RID of those acoustical ceilings that were widely popular in the 60's, 70's, and early 80's (I call them cottage cheese ceilings). First check to make sure they are asbestos-free. If they are, a good plasterer can affix 1/4 inch blue board right over the ceiling and finish it off with a nice smooth skim coat. The result is a much brighter, cleaner, larger-looking room. This is not an expensive project and worth EVERY PENNY.
5) Door knobs and pulls can add up cost-wise but are well worth the investment if you can fit them into your budget. Like a handshake, a doorknob shouldn't be wimpy. Consistency and good quality are key. If you think how often you use doorknobs throughout your house, then it's a no-brainer that the experience should be a source of pleasure each time your hand envelopes one. I personally like the European-style lever -- great for when your hands are full with groceries -- you can just use your elbow to push down the lever and open the door. Ditto when your hands are slippery with lotion. Lever handles are lastly friendly to the arthritic; you don't won't to exclude the elderly or handicapped from your potential buyer's market do you? It takes some searching, but online sources have a good selection of quality products not normally available in local hardware stores.
6) Don't use white tile on your bathroom floor... Just as black velvet enhances the diamond it showcases in the jewelry store, so does the white bathroom floor advertise every bodily hair to fall from the emerging naked bather. Too bad the prior owners who upgraded our master bathroom didn't know this...
6) The kitchen... I can't say I've enjoyed this project at all. There are simply too many choices in terms of materials and appliances. The cost is exorbitant. The inconvenience and mess harrowing. When you do finally pick out the countertop you like is it because you really like it or because you're caught up in a trendy fad? You'd hate to think all that expensive granite and cherry wood is going to end up in a landfill somewhere alongside rusting bread making machines of yore. At the other extreme are the cheaply-made pre-fab kitchens and I can't tell you how many Before and After photos I've seen of these where I quite frankly couldn't tell which was the before and which the after.
I will consider my kitchen a success if I can manage to achieve a certain measure of classic timelessness. The perfect tile backsplash be damned. Unfortunately I think my goal is already doomed by the fact that the only cabinet-depth fridge that would fit in my new kitchen design layout was a stainless steel one and I can say with almost certainty it will probably be passe in five years or so. Frankly, if our old galley kitchen hadn't been so completely non-functional, I would have left it in all its' white Formica ugly glory. It at least had a one-of-a-kind charm to it. The kind of kitchen buyers would walk into and say, "Oh well this is kind of funky, isn't it... ? I bet it wouldn't cost much to re-do given how small it is...." Heh wait a minute.... I think that's just what WE said before we bought it. So now barring any unforeseen expenses, this kitchen upgrade will have about a $30,000 price tag on it. I do like it but jesus, doesn't that come out to about $1000 a drawer or something? And no doubt if we had to sell the house tomorrow, the next potential buyer would say something like, "Oh can you BELIEVE they put in those light maple cabinets? Who would DO that..."
I'd tell you all how much we've spent to date on all the house renovations but I'm just too embarrassed to tell you how off the mark we were....
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