We've started a bathroom remodeling project. The home was constructed in the early 1970's and it was time for some updating of the two upstairs bathrooms. We pulled all the materials out of the first bathroom and had the mechanical and electrical work revised to accommodate the new fixtures. We expanded into a nearby bedroom a bit to create a walk-in closet.

It was interesting to see how air had passed through the exterior building insulation behind the acrylic shower stall. The home has 2x6 walls, but there was no vapor barrier installed behind the shower unit. When it was removed you could clearly see how air had been moving through the insulation, pulling dust from the home with it. The yellow insulation was discolored from the air flow. In these photos we have covered the old insulation with a new polyethylene vapor membrane and taped and caulked the seams and edges to prevent air flowing where it shouldn't be flowing.

This shows how important it is to have a properly installed vapor film on the warm side of walls. If a home doesn't have a vapor membrane the drywall finish can act as a membrane if it is treated with the proper paint finishes and sealed at all openings. However, when there is no drywall over the insulation, as in this instance, air can really rush through the insulation. In conditions like this the insulation is not doing its job at all.

Posted by Ray Cox at 2:11 PM | Link

 

It has been a long, cool spring but some of our clients are thinking about exterior projects for the summer. Last week we started a nice deck job. The work includes a main stairway entrance to the home. Tucked along side the building the stairway and landings make a nice transition from the ground to the upper entrance level. Large landscape boulders will be placed along side the deck/stairway when we are done.

This deck finish material is Ipe.also called Brazilian cherry. It is a very, very tough material for decks and seems to hold up very well in our climate. It is hard enough that the carpenters need to drill holes for the fasteners.

Posted by Ray Cox at 1:55 PM | Link

 

The tables were turned last week when we started replacing damaged roofing for Lampert Lumber in Northfield. Northfield Construction Company purchases quite a bit of lumber and materials from Lamperts. It is nice to have a reciprocal work arrangement where we can provide a service to Lamperts.

This work was related to the severe hail storm that came through Northfield almost two years ago. In some places on this metal roof the hailstones went right through the metal! Imagine the force behind such action. It is no wonder that every asphalt roof and many membrane roofs suffered damage in the storm. With lots of out of town roofers working in the area just about the entire city has had a new roof. This metal roof for Lamperts will be about the last of the hail work for us.

Posted by Ray Cox at 10:18 AM | Link

 

We installed mirrors and lights in bathrooms on one of our current projects. The first bathroom incorporated light fixtures in the large polished plate glass mirror. The mirror extends to the ceiling. This is a great way to provide good lighting in a room. When the lights are on full power they give off a lot of light. When toned down with the dimmer they create a soft glow.

The second bathroom incorporated a framed mirror the client had. We mounted wall sconces on each side of the mirror. This is a guest powder room so it doesn't require significantly high light levels. The vanity was made to look more like furniture than a sink base, with furniture style legs. The sink itself is a bowl sink set into a hole in the stone countertop. This creates a very pleasing appearance and is an easy to clean detail.

Posted by Ray Cox at 8:50 AM | Link

 

We set granite countertops on a kitchen job today. The stone the client selected is beautiful! It has such an organic feel to it with the wonderful crystalline formations contained in the stone.

This kitchen has an island. The owners decided to use a shaped end on the stone, overhanging  the cabinets to create an area for stools. The island has a spectacular feature that to me looks like flowing water. I believe this granite selection is from Brazil.

Posted by Ray Cox at 12:04 PM | Link

 

On the kitchen remodeling project we are working on we created a fun little functional design feature. Part of our work included creating a new buffet cabinet in the dining area. The buffet has a lovely oak countertop. The owner asked if we could insert some ceramic tiles into the countertop, creating a flush area to set hot or wet things. We figured out a way to rout an area into the countertop and set the tiles. The owner selected some very pretty tiles for this feature.

Another thing we did in this kitchen is use LED undercounter lighting. LED stands for light emitting diode. LED's last years and years and operate using far less energy and stay cool to the touch. The light assemblies we used in this kitchen draw just 7 watts of power per unit. We used 8 units, so when all undercounter lights are on they will draw a total of 56 watts..less than a single 60 watt incandescent bulb! These lights are mounted below the glass front buffet cabinets, creating a great spot for serving food to guests. The recessed lights in the kitchen are also LED fixtures so the total electrical use for lighting is very low.

Posted by Ray Cox at 9:47 AM | Link

 

On our whole house remodeling project we are wrapping up with the cabinet work. One of the nice features we  incorporated into this home is an area for 'cubbies'. Located adjacent to the door from the garage, the cubbies are a place for the children to hang coats and boots. The base of the cubby is a bit deeper than the cubby itself which provides a spot for the child to sit and remove boots or shoes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each child has a cubby with shelf that can hold school projects, lunches or materials that should be taken along the next day. Having an area like this really helps with keeping a home clean and organized.

Posted by Ray Cox at 8:55 AM | Link

 

With the oak floor installed and the walls and ceiling painted, our next task on this kitchen remodeling project is to install the cabinets. We attended to cabinet installation late last week.

The owner elected to use oak materials for the cabinets, which match the floor and trim work. The upper cabinets are 42" high units that extend to the ceiling. The previous cabinets were 30" high units and butted up against a soffit. We removed the soffit and finished the ceiling. The added 12" of cabinet height provides quite a bit of additional storage.

 

 

Our work includes creating an island in the kitchen, as well as a buffet at the dining room area. These will be welcome additions to the new kitchen and will be put to good use for entertaining.

Posted by Ray Cox at 8:42 AM | Link

 

I'm reminding you that this is the second weekend of the Northfield Builder's Home Tour. Five area builders have 12 homes for viewing and sale. We have our Circle Lake Prairie style home on the tour.

 

If you are in the market for a quality home overlooking a 30 acre wetland with access to Circle Lake, this may be your home. Stop out and visit us between noon and 5:00PM this Saturday and Sunday. And remember, at each home you can register for a 32" LCD high definition television!

Posted by Ray Cox at 1:13 PM | Link

 

On the whole house remodeling we are working on we've come to the point where stair and guard railings are being installed. Most homes use some type of finish wood railings and in fact this home had oak railings initially. The owners wanted something that was not as heavy as a wood rail. We settled on iron railings with a cherry hardwood cap rail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The iron railings are made out of ?" square tube steel. As you can see in the photo, they are custom made to fit the openings around the stairs in this home. We used a concealed fastening system at the base at the base of the railing to create a 'clean' appearance. Stay tuned for more photos when all the railings at the loft are installed.

Posted by Ray Cox at 6:28 AM | Link

 

We are wrapping up a few final things on the Three Links Care Center reception area remodeling project. This work created a very nice entry area. The entry is very busy at times with family and friends stopping by and residents waiting for people. The rearranged spaces appear to work well for the facility.

I really like the circular lighted ceiling area the architect created. It is painted sky blue and has a very warm feeling to it. Right near by is the main reception desk. We used some low voltage pendant lighting, combined with traditional recessed lights, in this area. Yesterday I met with the architect who wants to modify the pendant lights slightly. We'll get things set just right for everyone.

Our work included creating a new reception desk. This new work station was set up to handle the specific needs of this busy work area and it is meeting those needs very well. The curve in the desk mirrors the curve used in the ceiling.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:24 AM | Link

 

Last week we finished up the demolition and electrical work in the kitchen remodeling job we are working on. We've started to patch and repair the walls and ceilings. On this project we were able to retain much of the wall and ceiling surfaces, opening up only for new electrical work. We installed several recessed ceiling lights. We are able to get at this area from the attic, which allows us to seal up the light openings well.

This project involves installing a new red oak floor in the kitchen. The new floor joins the existing oak floor in the dining area. This is always a tricky situation. It is very difficult to simply 'add on' to the ends of the existing flooring with new hardwood flooring. You can do that in a small patch, such as a door opening, but matching strip flooring across 12 or 15 feet never works properly. New strip flooring is invariably milled slightly smaller than older flooring. Older flooring also often has shrinkage gaps between the boards. Between these two issues the new flooring 'creeps' tighter when installed and within 6 or 7 boards you are already off pattern and fighting to keep things looking good. To avoid this issue we sometimes remove the existing flooring and relay the entire area with new wood. However, that carries some cost and with a nice existing floor is a waste of resources.

I've found a better approach is to trim the ends of the existing boards straight and cut a groove in the ends of the boards to receive the tongue from a strip of wood flooring. We then lay the new flooring tight to this single perpendicular wood strip, locking all the flooring ends properly together. This creates a floor with a joining strip of flooring marking the point where the new and existing floors have been joined.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this kitchen project we are placing island and wall cabinets over much of the transition strip. Once the flooring is sanded and finished the two floors blend well together and the new and old are hard to differentiate from each other. 

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:53 AM | Link

 

This week we installed appliances in the residential remodeling we are wrapping up. This homeowner selected some very nice appliance units. Appliances are always a bit tricky to install but these all seemed to fit well in the prepared spaces. We started out by installing a double oven in an existing niche in the fireplace. We had to modify the stonework slightly to fit the new oven units, but it was a great way to use the space.

 

 

 

 

The dishwasher has a custom wood panel front that matches the cabinet work. It is hard to  tell it is a dishwasher when the front is closed.

  

We installed a coffee unit.something that I've not done previously. This one is a Miele appliance that holds coffee beans and grinds them as needed. It dumps the used coffee grounds in a container and draws water from its own dedicated water line. It is a handy, quick way to get a perfect cup of coffee. The stone counter projects in a slight radius...just enough area to park a coffee cup.

 

The cooktop is a gas unit that with excellent BTU production on the burners. The exhaust fan for the cooktop is contained behind the unit, and motors up at the touch of a button. The multi-speed fan draws at pan height to pull steam and odors out of the house. We included a small make-up air unit with this unit as when it is on high we needed to provide air to replace the air being removed from the house.

Posted by Ray Cox at 10:43 AM | Link

 

Last week we started another residential kitchen remodeling project. This one does not involve an expansion of the home at all. We are confining our work to the existing spaces, but rearranging the cabinet layout to make things work a bit better.

The existing 1950's cabinets were site built units. Those often end up being destroyed during the demolition process. But this time, through some careful work by the carpenters, the cabinets were salvaged for reuse as storage units in the basement.

Once the kitchen was cleared out the layouts were determined and we are now having new electrical work installed.  Work is progressing well.important when you are dealing with a kitchen!

Posted by Ray Cox at 7:50 AM | Link

 

Last Saturday I participated in the Northfield Home and Garden Show. This was another great show. The weather was bright and sunny, but since soils were cold and wet people were not outside working in their yards and gardens. Instead, many of them elected to attend the show, visit with their friends and neighbors, and see what home and garden products are available.

 

I thought Bridgewater Elementary school worked rather well for the show. When you enter the school the bright rotunda area provided a very nice spot for central seating and snacks. It was also a great spot for the Northfield police department to have a booth outlining their community service work. Jeff Johnson with KYMN radio was there doing live broadcasts with participants.

 

Longtime Northfield Construction Company employee Phil Olson and I worked the show together most of the day. We had new photographs of some of our most recent new home projects as well as the First National Bank-South. Across the aisle from our booth was Kes Equipment, showing their new water treatment systems.

 

 

It was a busy Saturday full of visits with many past customers as well as meeting many new people.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:59 AM | Link