Making your existing space feel like your dream space:

How Almar freshened up a kitchen without a major renovation

     by: Craig H. Guido, CS

Making your existing space feel like your dream space doesn’t always have to involve a major renovation. Almar recently completed a kitchen renovation here in Hanover, MA. But this wasn’t a typical renovation where we demoed all the existing cabinets and started over.

Several years ago when this client needed more space Almar also helped the navigate thru their wants and needs to create a unquite basement space that could serve as both a play space for the kids and an entertaining area for the adults without sactificing all of their storage space. So when they were ready to tackle remodeling the kitchen Almar was glad to help again.

In this 1990’s Colonial there were some features of the kitchen that were fine, the basic layout of the cabinet placement and some of the actual cabinet units themselves were in perfectly good condition and the homeowner liked them well enough. What she didn’t like was the limited storage space and the awkward island that was not really good for cooking prep and made the kitchen hard to navigate, and the out dated Formica countertop which was in rough shape.

Almar’s solution was to leave the existing cabinets as they were, remove the existing countertop, repurpose some of the cabinets in the island to make a peninsula instead leaving space for a beverage fridge, and then adding a bank of cabinets in the eating area.

By removing the existing island and creating a new peninsula we were able to open the floor space up, and create a defined kitchen and eating area. The new peninsula also gave added cooking prep space.

We then installed a new Granite countertop. On the new peninsula we overhung the countertop to create both an extra-large prep area, and a place for stools for countertop dinning.

We were able to fill in the existing hardwood floor with new oak and refinished the whole room so it looked uniform.

For the new pantry area we installed new Black Heritage Cabinets by Huntwood Industries. The black offset the white cabinets in the main kitchen area and provided a beautiful contrast that in not obtrusive to the eating area, and coordinates well with the table.

The floor to ceiling cabinets are split to allow for extra storage and feature pull out draws and soft close hardware. We also included one cabinet unit that is not split in order to store tall items like brooms close at hand, but with all matching doors everything from the exterior looks uniform.    

So this is one example on how you can redo your existing space without taking on an overwhelming project if there are aspects of your kitchen you already like.

Hanover, Ma: Earth Day 2012 - Tips for Your Home

by: Allison Q Guido, CS (Hanover Ma)

Yesterday was Earth Day 2012. Earth Day is a celebrated each year, and events are held worldwide to increase awareness and appreciation of the Earth's natural environment. 2012 was the 42nd anniversary of that mission which was attributed to John McConnell staring in 1969.

In honor of Earth Day Almar Building & Remodeling, Hanover Ma wanted to share some tips and information about how you can make changes in your own home to improve the earth’s and your personal environment.

1.      Replace leaky Faucets: gallons of water can be wasted each day from what appears to be a minor leak.  Need helping finding the right faucets for your home? Stop in and see our friends at Snow & Jones in Norwell to get a Kohler faucet.

2. Choose the Right Cabinets: “Many cabinets are made from particle board, hardwood plywood paneling, or medium density fiberboard glued together using a formaldehyde-based adhesive. To avoid exposure to harmful chemicals, purchase cabinetry made with formaldehyde-free adhesives and finishes.”*1 Almar installs Huntwood Custom Cabinets which offers us Green Manufacturing.  

3.      Choose Flooring that has environmentally friendly attributes without sacrificing style.

a.       Sustainable Grown/Harvested Materials

b.      Reclaimed materials

c.       Recycles materials

d.      Reduced Toxicity 

4.      Water Filtration: Although the EPA enforces national standards for taps water approximately 4 out 10 American homes also have a water filtration system.  

5.      Replace old toilets: Toilets account for almost 30% of your homes water usage. In 1992 the Energy Policy Act was enacted which mandated water efficient toilets use up to 3.5 gallons of water per flush. By replacing your old toilet with a to high-efficiency toilets can save a family of four, on average, $2,000 in water bills over the lifetime of the toilets.*2 

6.      Upgrade Insulation: By insulating your house or sealing up air leaks you can your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Installed correctly, insulation can deliver comfort and lower energy bills during the hottest and coldest times of the year. 

7.      Weatherize with Windows, Doors and Skylights: Leaky unites allow warm air to escape which makes your heating/cooling units run more. By installing Energy-Efficient Windows and Doors (Like Harvey Classic or Alside Excalibur Windows) you can reduce energy costs.  

8.      Low-VOC Paint: When choosing paint opt for Low-VOC products to reduce air pollution.  

9.      Choose low-maintenance Exterior Finishes: “When choosing the finish for your home, look into recycled-content materials that are locally manufactured. High-maintenance materials (such as wood) should be avoided to reduce repair, replacement, and upkeep costs (e.g., repainting). Brick, concrete, stucco, steel, aluminum, and fiber-cement offer superior longevity, and resist cracking and other deterioration.” *3 

     10.  Choose a Cool Roof: Most people choose dark roofing shingles. But if you choose a lighter roof shingle (or one of Certainteed’s Solaris Shingles) that have high reflectance and emissivity you can keep your roof up to 70degrees cooler than traditional shingles. Which can help save you money on air conditioning costs.

You can also get information about programs and incentives for renewable energy in Massachusetts please visit: http://www.dsireusa.org The Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency.  “DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Established in 1995 and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, DSIRE is an ongoing project of the N.C. Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.”

*1. http://www.epa.gov/greenhomes/Kitchen.htm

*2. http://www.epa.gov/greenhomes/bathroom.htm

*3. http://www.epa.gov/greenhomes/WholeHouse.htm

Hanover Remodeling: Celebrates National Organize Your Office Day

Did you know that March 8th is National Organize Your Office Day?

I don’t know about you but I work much better when things are organized and I am not surrounded by clutter and piles. All those piles juts make me stress about everything on my to-do list that I haven’t gotten to yet. So as I sit here on Organize Your Office Day I wanted to share some of our favorite tips that we use to keep our office running smoothly and organized.

1. Add Built in Cabinets
Adding Huntwood Cabinets to your home office can be a great way to utilize your space. From desks to storage cabinets built in can be a great way to customize your office. Adding sufficient storage is easy and can even make your work space feel bigger if done right.

2. Labeling
By labeling your binders and folders you will be able to store important items when you don’t need them in a uniform manner while still being able to find them in seconds when you do need to reach for them. Labeling also helps smooth the transition when someone new comes in to help or find files

3. Custom Shelves
You can Recreate a Grand or not so grand library. These can be a great way to display your cherished items while still being organized and still have space to have all your work needs at the tip of your fingers.

4. Purchase Magazine boxes to store booklets, magazines, catalogs you want to keep. Remodeling like many other industries has plenty of industry and homeowner based magazines. These publications have great Renovation ideas and information but sometimes we can’t look at them all right away. Magazine boxes help us sort ideas and keep from having piles of old publications lying around

5. Add Natural Light
Natural light is so good for us. It keeps us from getting tired and keeps us healthy. If you have to spend a lot of time in the office a large Replacement window or Velux Suntunnel could be just thing you need to make your office space more comfortable. In addition to reducing energy needs natural light can help make you more efficient.

Of course there are hundreds of other tip and suggestions and to-do to help you be more organized but I think 5 is a stress free amount so give us a call and we’d be happy to help you tackle some of the suggestions above.

And don’t forget to give us a call (781-826-2577) at Almar Remodeling Co to help organize all of your remolding projects. Almar is located in Hanover Ma, and serves many South Shore towns like: Hanover, Scituate, Norwell, Hingham, Cohasset, Duxbury and Pembroke for all of your Home Remodeling needs (Additions, Kitchen Renovations, Bath Remodels, Basement Finishing)

*Photos of Huntwood Custom Cabintry. Almar is a Huntwood Dealer

Less is More in Your Kitchen

Through all the ups and downs of life, the economy and style trends, kitchens always remain the heart of a home. A few years ago most homeowners wanted to add to the kitchen with more space, more cabinets, more, more, more. But today we see that people want to utilize their existing space better, and update to make the space they do have more functional and appealing.

Here are some tips for how we can design & utilize space better.

1. Think about what your daily habits. Contrast those with your wish list for your kitchen. What could you do without, or design differently to be just as effective?

2. Instead of adding a whole breakfast nook, why not add an island, or snack bar?

3. How can we organize the space to be the most effective? If most of your meals are just 2 people, could you just have your daily dishes & silverware in the kitchen and store the extra dishes in another area?

4. Take advantage of space near the kitchen. Can we build a pantry, or recessed unit? Can we utilize existing or new furniture to store items we don’t use all the time?

5. Consider what size appliances you really need. This could help not only to conserve space but also energy. If you don’t have a house full of people do you really need an oversized refrigerator? There are a lot of options available these days from 18” wide full height refrigerators to 24” wide high performance ranges and 18” wide or single drawer dishwashers. Again, this is where considering your normal daily habits can really save you space and energy.

6. To get the most out of your cabinets take advantage of the wide variety of kitchen accessory options like pullouts, spice rack fillers, drawers, backsplash storage areas, drop downs, etc. Consider:

a. Pullouts, also called rollout trays. They allow you to reach all items, especially those stuck in the back of the cabinet. With our Huntwood cabinets we can customize the units for pots & lids, or food.

b. Our Huntwood Kitchenware Organizers are a great addition to a deep drawer, with a beech base plate and 4 square posts. The pegs can be rearranged to accommodate various sizes and shapes of dishes. And what’s great about this is that they prevent dishes from shifting and getting damaged when you open and close the drawer!

c. Spice drawer inserts can maximize the visibility of spices, and can help keep small cans/jars in sight.

d. We can hang racks (wood or chrome) on the inside of cabinet doors for easy access to other small items.

e. For hard to reach spots, we can install tip down cookbook holders, or knife blocks.

f. A breadboard built into the cabinet units is great for extra workspace.

g. Backsplash mounts are perfect for storing all those small everyday items. Or consider a “rail system”. It consist of a metal rail that runs along the back splash with various baskets, racks, and hooks. Providing storage for everything from spices to paper towels & utensils.

There are so many great options available now, these are just a few we’d consider as you get ready to renovate your kitchen. We could talk for hours about drawers designs, pot racks, pantries, wine racks etc…

If you have specific questions or ideas about your kitchen please give us a call 781-826-2577 Craig@almarbuilding.com