This Raleigh inside-the-beltline home was comfortable inside but lacked good outdoor living options. The homeowners asked Wood Wise to design and build a porch for family living and entertaining. The new space features a vaulted ceiling with a large skylight to keep the interior of the home bright. The stone fireplace not only adds to the ambiance, it makes this space inviting in winter by providing warmth. A small deck was added for grilling convenience. With the large area for dining, this porch meets and exceeds all expectations for an ideal outdoor living area.
The 2020 Remodelers Home Tour has officially started! The area’s best remodelers have opened their remodeled homes for you to visit – virtually! Try out the neat technology that allows you to “walk” through the rooms to see the best and latest ideas in home improvement.
So have fun touring, get inspired, and give us a call to get started on improving your home!
The 2020 Remodelers Virtual Home Tour launches this Saturday, September 26! The amazing Matterport technology transports you to the tour homes, allowing you to go room to room directed by your mouse. You can linger in areas or return over and over to see tags identifying selections, view the overall layout, and even measure areas of interest.
Check out all the homes – and especially the Wood Wise entry. Our home features a full kitchen renovation, removal of walls to open up to the living areas, an amazing long island, an addition featuring a new laundry area and drop-off/organizational cubbies.
Who could have predicted everyone being required to Stay Home? A pandemic forced us to commute via Zoom, reduce driving and cancel travel plans. To make the best of our life at home, here are some home-life thoughts:
Personal:
Taking Steps: Without the gym and with snacks at home I was getting the Covid 19lbs last spring. Using an iPhone app, like Health, gives you the positive feedback of your step-count and your miles-walked, plus weekly reports and more. Most apps are free to download. Walking more, I have met some nice neighbors.
Fruitful Changes: To eat less I began eating an apple late morning and drinking extra water to be less hungry for lunch. More apples, less bread. Blueberries with plain yogurt and some maple syrup taste like dessert at snack time. Blueberries are super nutritious and apples aid digestion. Maple syrup…makes everything better.
Core Strength: Before the gym closed I asked a trainer what he would recommend for reducing and toning my soft middle and his advice was to mix leg lifts with an overall core strengthener, the elbow plank. He pointed out that doing a pushup (raised) type plank builds arm strength but keeping both elbows on the mat while holding yourself up in a straight plank builds core muscle strength.
Less Distraction: For quiet amid conversations or TV: Noise-cancelling headphones give you the ability to screen out “noise.” Two people working at home can be distracting, or if one of your “roommates” watches ESPN or depressing news while you are working or reading, good headphones let you listen to blogs, music, or enjoy silence.
I splurged on the Sony WH-1000XM3 model, with Bluetooth so I can listen to Pandora music or enjoy solitude without a cord. Comparably priced Bose headphones are rated a bit higher; cheaper models sacrifice some comfort, ease of use and battery time. I love having the ability to tune out conversations, radio, TV, and even traffic sounds when I sit outside.
Sleep: Check out the free app Sleep Cycle which gives you a daily graph of your sleep cycle plus the morning excitement of your sleep “score”. The book, “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker is a good read on the subject.
Home:
Pressure washing the exterior: Before you hire a painter you should hire a professional pressure washing company since a good exterior wash may be all you need. I recommend having them clean all the exterior windows while they are at your house since the basic washing leaves the glass streaky. Costs: $150 – $300 for pressure washing, $3 – $5 per window to clean outside only, but ask for a package deal.
Digital thermostat: Switching from an older model to a programmable thermostat makes home life more enjoyable, with the fan running continuously at night or whatever settings provide your ideal comfort. Your HVAC service company will be glad to install one for you when they come for regular servicing. The intermittent fan setting is particularly beneficial to circulate air in spring and fall when mild temperatures don’t trigger your HVAC unit to come on.
The magic of pumice: If your water comes from a well, you may have top-of-water stains in your toilet where mineral deposits build up as water evaporates. For $5 you buy a nifty pumice on a stick tool that erases mineral stains without damaging the porcelain finish. Be sure to flush after scouring so your partner doesn’t worry about your digestion.
Lighting: Compact fluorescent bulbs in kitchens are not pleasant lighting, in my observation. Substituting LED bulbs that dim is my recommendation. I bought a sampler of LED bulbs to try out the light quality and the dimming. Some bulbs turn orangish when dimmed, while others just get dim. Sylvania LED Ultra SE (sunset effects) may be more color/ambiance than you want but I like the dimmed sunset effect in the evening.
Home office: When family moved from Washington, DC into our house at the outset of the pandemic, I created a Quickie Desk made from a flat, hollow-core, wood door slab (Lowe’s) and an old file cabinet. I planned to stain it but haven’t yet and it looks fine.
I used my cordless drill to screw a 28” long 1×4 to the wall to support the end of the desk at the exact height of the file cabinet. Affordable and easy to set up or take down. Desks are typically 28” – 30” above the floor. Brushing the door with paint primer and some white paint may be a better look for your home desk. The Quickie Desk is lightweight, affordable and easy to set up or take down.
To streamline what could be a stressful process and make it enjoyable, I accompany homeowners to area showrooms, providing guidance gained from my 14 years of design experience.
What selection decisions are Wood Wise remodeling clients making in 2020?
Classic look: One big goal for Wood Wise homeowners is to create a classic look, spaces with selections that won’t look or feel outdated quickly. This involves choosing neutral colors for cabinet finishes, countertops, and backsplashes which are the more permanent components. Accessories which are more easily changed out can provide a pop of color or contrast when a new look is desired.
Natural woods are coming back strong in flooring, open shelving, and other accents. Painted perimeter cabinets with a contrasting island in cherry or walnut stained wood create a one-of-a -kind kitchen.
Warmer grays and whites: Gray is still going strong. But there is a clear turn toward warmer grays, “greige” and even very light gray. Neutral backsplash tile is always a solid choice.
Brushed gold and matte black: These two new finishes are becoming client favorites. Sink faucets, cabinet hardware and lighting in brushed gold or matte black contrast beautifully with neutral backgrounds and enhance the classic look.
Here is a recent Wood Wise kitchen remodel with this timeless classic look:
Although the 2020 Remodelers Home Tour will be virtual this year starting September 26th, it is going to be exciting! The Matterport technology for “walking” you through the homes is amazing and easy to use. We will miss the personal interaction of meeting you in person that we have enjoyed in previous years’ tours, but we hope you will be inspired to give us a call to set up a meeting about your own remodeling project.
Just for fun, let’s revisit some Wood Wise tour homes from previous years:
The 2020 Remodelers Virtual Home Tour is coming up! Saturday, September 26 is the start date for viewing the entries online in the safety and convenience of your home. Instead of in-person tours, the cool Matterport technology will allow you to virtually “walk through” the homes to see the amazing remodeling transformations. Wood Wise’s entry is a beautiful home with a full kitchen renovation opened up to living areas, and a laundry/mudroom addition. The link to view it will debut on Saturday, September 26. Stay tuned!
Here is a sneak preview of the Cinderella laundry story:
Part of the excitement of having a kitchen renovation is all the new selections. Plumbing fixtures play a big role in food preparation so it is no surprise that choosing the right kitchen sink is important. WW designer Kathy Walker accompanies our homeowners to Fergusons to offer her expert guidance to make the decision easier. Her 14+ years of experience with different brands comes in handy for helping clients choose reliable fixtures.
Here are some sinks that our homeowners have chosen. From granite composite, enamel-coated cast iron, stainless steel and farmhouse (apron) to single-bowl or double-bowl, there’s something for everyone.
We often know when a space doesn’t work or feels “wrong.” It is harder to figure out how to improve it. At Wood Wise, we see lots of poorly laid-out and inconvenient rooms. Our goal is to offer several solutions or design options for our homeowners to consider when they come to us for a renovation.
This North Raleigh kitchen suffered from the same flaws that many older kitchens have: separated and closed-off from the family room, poor storage, underused areas, dated selections and old appliances. WW designer Kathy Walker listened to the homeowners’ goals and presented options for opening up, better cabinetry, and increased storage. With her professional guidance during the selections, the homeowners are now enjoying a beautiful and convenient kitchen.
A large shower is usually on everyone’s wish list when remodeling their master bathroom. For these homeowners, they not only wanted a large beautiful shower but they also wanted to plan for aging-in-place. Our certified aging-in-place specialist designerKathy Walker combined both beauty and function by designing options to make remaining at home a comfortable and enjoyable experience. Some of these convenient features include easily-reached shower controls at the front of the shower. Plus the entrance into the shower does not have a curb so no step up required. This works well for post-knee replacement surgery when a walker is required. The entrance was also made large enough to accommodate a wheelchair – just in case.
The shower has both a rain head and a directional shower head. From our experience remodeling many master bathrooms, we have found that men love the rain shower head with the full spray of water coming straight down on the head while most women prefer the directional spray. The handheld option for the directional head also makes it easier to clean the shower.
With beautiful tile in an appealing design, niches providing plenty of room for the shower and hair products, and lots of light, this shower is an amazing place to start the day.
