Neil Judges Qualified Remodeler Master Design Awards

Neil recently spent two days in downtown Chicago where he was one of five judges from around the US to judge the 2010 Master Design Awards from Qualified Remodeler magazine. While helicopters and movie cameras whirled outside the hotel filming the new Transformers 3 movie the panel slaved over 300+ entries in 22 categories.

It is quite an honor to be selected as a judge for this competition.  Neil took the job very seriously and did his best to give each entry the respect it deserved.  Projects entered in the competition ranged from construction details such as a floating stairway to a $28 million whole house renovation of a 40,000 square foot home!  Some of the highlights included a 75 foot curved pergola to a complete restoration of a Greene and Greene home in California.

It wasn’t easy, but in the end they had to pick one project as best in show.  The results will be revealed in the October issue of Qualified Remodeler.

St. Charles Deck Project Comes To A Close

Do you remember this old concrete patio in St. Charles?  This is what the patio area looked like just eight weeks ago.  By this time, we had already replaced the patio door and cut-in two new Pella windows to overlook the new deck.  You can see the door and windows in the upper left corner of this photo.  Since this time we have been busy with backhoes, bobcats, saws, shovels, concrete trucks and landscapers to get the project to its completed state.

 

The new deck has Azek composite decking making up the floor, skirts and benches.  The new rails are constructed of stainless steel posts with stainless steel cables for balusters.  It’s a very cool look that goes great with this contemporary home!

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see in the photos the new concrete storage shed that we constructed underneath this deck.  The shed is 8 feet by 14 feet and has fiberglass doors to keep out the weather (and critters).  Check out the great stone wall constructed by Western DuPage Landscaping.  The two walls together hold back about seven feet of earth and make for some great planting beds.  In the next couple of years once the plantings fill in this will be a great space.

Naperville Addition/Kitchen Wraps Up Construction

We recently wrapped up construction on the second-story addition/kitchen renovation project that was in progress on the North side of Naperville.  We are happy to report that the homeowners are thrilled with the results and wasted no time moving back into their kitchen.  These photos were taken in our last full week at the project so you will notice some things not quite done and temporary plastic and floor coverings in place.

The kitchen features Alder hardwood cabinets from Fieldstone Cabinetry.  Caleb did a great job installing them and they are full of features such as roll-out shelves, a spice rack an apothecary drawers.  The countertops are New Venetian Gold granite and the sink and faucet are from Kohler.

Paul did an awesome job installing the backsplash tile.  Unfortunately for him the pattern worked out that he needed to install 75% of the tile pieces individually and not as sheets as they were designed.  Luckily he stuck with it and it turned out beautifully.

The new floor is red oak that was stained in place and finished with three coats of a water-based finish.  All the appliances were from the existing kitchen and we laid out the new kitchen to accommodate them.

I will need to get this kitchen into the before and after gallery just as soon as I get some real photos (no offense iPhone) of the completed project.

Cool Cabinet Tricks for Your Kitchen Remodel – Video

Somebody turned Neil loose with a video camera!  Here is a short video showing off some cabinet ideas you can incorporate into your kitchen renovation.  From spice racks and roll-out shelves to garbage bins and cutting boards.  Neil takes you on a short tour of the Crimson showroom at 5th Avenue Station in Naperville.

You will see:

• Apron-front sink
• Garbage and recycling bins
• Apothecary drawers
• Roll-out shelves
• Pantry cabinet
• Spice rack
• Cutting board

Landscaping Begins In St. Charles

The new deck and storage shed are now framed and the landscape work has begun.  This week there were several crews on site from Western DuPage Landscaping building retaining walls from block and natural stone found on the property.  The lanscapers also created a new walkway from the deck to the driveway and they have started on a new paver patio in front of the house as well as a new front sidewalk and porch.

Next week we will begin to trim out the deck with Azek deck boards.  We will also add low-voltage lighting in the deck to illuminate the stairs at night.  The railings have shipped and will be installed soon.  They are all made of stainless steel posts and cable.  Very modern!

The landscapers will soon have the hardscapes done and will move on to plantings and grass.  It won’t be much longer before the owners can enjoy and quite evening on a marvelous deck!

Joel Is Mentioned In A Daily Herald Article

Joel got a nice mention in a recent article from the Daily Herald.  The story chronicles a charity project that the Chicago chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) took on earlier this year for a family in Elk Grove Village.  Find the complete article here.  Thanks to all of those at NARI that allowed us to be a part of this important project.

Neil Quoted In Recent Outdoor Remodeling Article

Recently Neil was quoted in the Daily Herald as part of a story on outdoor living.  Writer Arlene Miles explores the reasons and solutions for outdoor living space.  She also explores the recent trends in outdoor spaces and why someone would want to tackle an exterior renovation.  Find the entire article here.

Neil & Joel Attend Remodeling Roundtable In New Hampshire

Neil & Joel recently attended another remodeling roundtable in Concord, New Hampshire.  While there they toured Cedar Mill Group and learned more about how Geoff Martin runs his remodeling company.  In turn they made suggestions to Geoff on how he could increase the quality of his company.  As you can see from the photo things got pretty heated!  All the energy in the hotel conference room set off the alarms and the Concord fire department was sent in to check out the situation!  Actually the second floor of the hotel was being remodeled (can’t seem to get away from it no matter where we go) and the dust set off the alarms.

Thanks to Geoff for sharing his company and hospitality with us.

Seven Reasons To Update Your Kitchen

There are many reasons to update your kitchen.  These are the top seven reasons we hear from homeowners we work with.

• My kitchen is isolated from the rest of the house – when I cook I’m not part of the family conversation

• My kitchen hasn’t been updated since the house was built – I’m embarrassed to entertain in our home

• My kitchen is not efficient – it takes too long to make a meal

• My kitchen doesn’t have enough storage space – I have small appliance and cookware stored in other parts of the house

• My kitchen only has one work area – I want my kids/spouse to have room to help with the cooking

• My kitchen is dark – it’s hard to see what I’m doing and it’s depressing

• I don’t have the space and/or appliances necessary to bake – I’d love to be able to make more cookies/cakes

Do any of these sound familiar?  Have you said any of these things or have you heard a friend share one of these comments?  Please share your thoughts.

Back In St. Charles For A New Outdoor Deck

We’ve been invited back to St. Charles to work at this gorgeous property once again.  You may recall that last year we spent a few months gutting and renovating over fifty percent of the interior of this fifties ranch to make a new master bedroom suite.  Evidently the owners really liked what we did, because they asked us to come back this summer and make a new outdoor living space for them.

We started by cutting in two new windows and a patio door into the brick exterior of their home so they will be able to take advantage of the great new view we will be creating.  As you can see, our masons and to disassemble most of this wall to bring these views into the home, but it will be well worth the work!

The main scope of the project is to take a fifty year old concrete patio (with a pool buried somewhere underneath it) and turn it into a great new maintenance free deck with storage space underneath. The concrete is crumbling from fifty years of weather and it will be good to remove it and make something newer, safer and much more useable.

The new deck will be made with Azek decking (one of our favorites).  It will have two levels, built-in benches, hidden lighting and stainless steel railings.  It’s been a shame to waste these great backyard views.  A new deck will be just the thing to make backyard lounging a great pastime!

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