Posts Tagged ‘Remodeling San Diego’

Bathroom Remodel

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

A significant room in anyone’s home is the bathroom. They come in all kinds of sizes & shapes. Let’s look at a basic bath remodel. bath-baypark

The first step will be the demolition. Make sure you know where the main water shut off is and that it’s working. There are usually two. One is at the street and one is at the house. Often when construction begins neither valve is operable. They are not used much and tend to freeze. Check the angle stops below the sink & toilet. These can be frozen as well. Once the water can be turned off the removal of the vanity, sink, faucet, & toilet begins, being careful not to damage the drywall. If the angle stops are inoperative, this would be a good time to change them. This way you can easily turn the water back on.

Next up, removing the tile and tub. These items can be tricky to take out. Cast iron tubs are very heavy and awkward to maneuver. Is there a shower valve? Replace it too. Even if it has been recently replaced, it would be better to do it now while the walls are already opened up. We like to use a Moen brand pressure balanced valve for the shower.

Now on to the bathroom remodel. A Kohler Villager tub costs about $230 and is a good choice. Black paper and cement backer board is installed around the tub. Ceramic tile can be glued to the backer board after which the tile is grouted. Silicone grout sealer is a popular option to protect the grout. At this point the drywall would be repaired and then painted.Now your new vanity can be installed. If you are using a tile countertop this can be done at the same time as the tub tile. There are 2 styles of sink to consider. First there is the “self rimming” or “drop in” type. This style is the easiest to install or replace. The other is the “undermount”. This style is considered more elegant, but harder to remove if repairs are necessary.

Faucets come in 2 styles as well. They are 4″ or 8″ spread. This refers to the distance between the handles. The 4″ is standard in most homes. The 8″ is used in more upscale settings. Countertops have several options. Some of these are solid surfaces like Corian, cultured marble, granite, & tile. Corian & cultured marble are both available with integrated sinks. Floor installation would be next. Using ceramic tile is popular with sheet vinyl running a close second. Tile costs more but lasts much longer.

The toilets can be installed once the floor is done. The Kohler Wellworth Lite is a good product. This is a low flow toilet that really functions efficiently. Toilets come in round or elongated bowls. Elongated are considered more elegant but take up more room. Don’t use tablet cleaners in the tank, they tend to ruin the flapper. But that’s another article.

At this point, the bath accessories can be installed. Mirrors & medicine cabinets come in many shapes & sizes. Surface mount medicine cabinets above the sink are popular now. Towels bars and paper holders come in all varieties. Lighting is usually placed above the sink on the wall. This is the best location because no shadows are created when looking directly into the mirror. Remember, “Lighting is everything”. The plugs should be changed to a GFI type when possible. City codes require a bathroom to have an exhaust fan or a window. I prefer both when possible.

Most full bath remodels cost between $10,000-$25,000. That number can vary tremendously with all the different choices out there. Pick up any home magazine and you’ll see there is no limit to what you can do…have fun with it!

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Posted in Bath Remodeling | 2 Comments »

Increase Your Homes Value

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

Lots of homes in San Diego have increased in value over the last year or so. It’s great when the value of your home increases for any reason, but there is a difference between an increase because of market conditions and an increase due to improvements to the home.

Homes that go up in value simply because of a strong housing market can just as easily lose that value if the market weakens. A home that’s been improved is less likely to lose the added value if things go south, since their increased value stems from tangible things like additional rooms, or an updated interior.

Here in Clairemont where I live, many homes look virtually the same as they did when first built in the 50’s. While “original condition” might be good when you are talking about classic cars, or collectibles, when it comes to a home, it’s not always so good.

This is especially true if you are planning to sell your home in the next 5-10 years. You’ll be competing for a buyer with newer homes and updated homes, so your “50’s original” is going to look poor in comparison, and you are likely to have to settle for less in the sales price. ClairemontFamilyRoom

Even if you aren’t planning on selling, building materials and techniques used to build the 1950’s home can’t compare with today’s energy efficient and convenient home features. Take windows for example: in the 50’s, it was significantly cheaper to heat and cool a home, so the thermal loss through windows wasn’t a big issue. I don’t have to tell anyone in San Diego that that isn’t true any more. Today, the investment made in new dual pane windows can be recovered in savings on the old power bill.

And there’s another consideration-lifestyle. Think about how many entertainment options your family enjoys at home–renting movies and DVDs, video games, the Internet, dinner parties– so why not make your home as comfortable as it can be? An extended family room, an eat-in kitchen, a luxurious master bedroom and bath suite could convert your “plain old” home into the home of your dreams.

With the political situation in the world being what it is, you may be thinking that this might not be the right time to spend the money on your home. You might be concerned about our economy in this time of war overseas and terrorism here at home.

The way I see it is this: if we stop spending money–fixing up our homes, buying big screen TVs, taking vacations– then we become part of the problem. The best thing we can do to keep our economy strong is to continue to invest in it. Buy stock, improve your home, take that trip to visit your relatives back east, and know that you are supporting the world’s greatest economy.

 

And don’t forget to support your neighbors, the locally owned merchants– like K-Co!

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Posted in Design Matters | No Comments »

Don’t Paint Stucco!!

Friday, July 10th, 2009

People often call me with the same problem. They tell me they have mold on their walls, behind their bed, for example. I ask a few probing questions, eventually coming to the same conclusion. At some point in time, their stucco has been painted.

It is very common in our region to find painted stucco. This does not make it right. Stucco is a porous product. It is made of sand and cement and is meant to stay porous. When you paint your stucco it can no longer breathe.

The black paper behind the stucco is designed to keep water out of your house. As the water migrates through the stucco it hits this paper. Water then runs down the paper and back out through the stucco towards the bottom of the wall. If the stucco has been painted, any water that enters the wall will be trapped in the bottom and begin to mold, eventually rotting the paper and stucco. Remember that water always travels in the easiest direction. In most cases that is inside your house.

In the mid ‘70s, the Federal Housing Authority invented a screed (metal trim) to go along the bottom of the house. This screed allows any water in the wall to escape. Most Clairemont houses don’t have this screed. The stucco goes right down into the dirt. The moisture in the dirt wicks up into the wall. If your stucco has been painted, it stops the stucco from drying out. It then decomposes. I call it stucco cancer.

Look around your own home to see if you are experiencing any of the same problems. Many Clairemont homes need to be re- stuccoed. The correct method is to sandblast and re-stucco. This removes all the paint from the stucco. Then it can breathe again. This is also important when we re-stucco. It makes the stucco even more porous and helps get much better adhesion. The new color coat attaches to the old effectively.

The top layer of stucco is called “the color coat”. It is approximately 1/8″ thick. This surface should last for up to 30 years. (As long as you don’t paint it!). If you find that your stucco has not been painted, you can water blast then re-color coat. The new color coat will last a long time if the preparation is done properly. A common technique is to put an acrylic bonder (glue) on the wall first and in the mix.

Fresh stucco is an elegant look on a home. We prefer a Spanish lace texture as this hides some of the imperfections on the surface of an old house. The smoother the finish the harder it is to conceal the problems. There are many colors to choose from. It is a good idea to re-paint any wood or metal trim before re-stuccoing. We suggest sandblast, paint, then re-stucco.

One thing to think about before you re-stucco is replacing your windows. Wait, that’s another story….

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Posted in Exterior Remodeling | 4 Comments »

Tips When Remodeling

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

Hello, I’m Ruby Konstantin. Dave K, who usually writes these articles, is my husband. I’ve been working with Dave in our family remodeling company for quite a few years now, so I thought I knew everything about the business-well, except for the things that require the use of power tools!-but I recently learned what remodeling is like from our customers’ perspective. I thought I’d use that experience to pass on a few tips to those of you planning a remodeling project.

You might think that since we are in the remodeling business that we would be doing remodeling at home but I have been waiting 10 years to remodel our kitchen. The ugly yellow countertop, the old vinyl floor that never got sparkly clean anymore, the cabinets with their old-fashioned doors and knobs– all of it just had to go. Clairemont Kitchen

The first step in our project was the demolition of the existing kitchen. Everything right down to the walls had to come out. That meant moving the refrigerator into the dining room, the stove onto the patio and everything from all the cabinets to wherever we could find a spot.

Here’s my tip number one: as soon as you know you will be remodeling start cleaning out the rooms you’ll be working on. I didn’t start soon enough so I found myself still pulling pots and pans out of the back of my kitchen cabinets late the night before they were to start.

When I got home from work the next day my kitchen was gone. If you have never lived in a home without a kitchen, let me tell you it’s pretty weird. You don’t realize how often you are in there in the course of a day. Naturally, at dinnertime it meant we just had to go out to eat. Normally, I love that, but after a week or so, it gets old. Plus, the perishable food in the fridge that I would have been using to make dinner-veggies, salad stuff, etc.-ended up in the trash. Tip number two for kitchen remodels: start purging the fridge a week before you start. Face it, you aren’t going to be cooking dinner, so why waste the food.

On my day off, there were workers in the house all day, so I could forget having a relaxing day at home. Here’s another tip: try to plan your days off so that you aren’t home all day when they are working there.

I hope you haven’t gotten the idea that this was all just a hassle. There are fun parts too, like picking out the materials and colors for the project. For me, it was kitchen cabinets, countertops, and flooring. There were so many choices in so many price ranges and each material–Corian, marble, granite–had its pluses and minuses. I love to shop, so I was in heaven.

Here’s a tip on picking out materials-educate yourself about the qualities of the materials you are looking at. It’s not only about the way it looks; you should also consider factors such as your lifestyle when selecting materials. For example, we have a pool and people often come in from the pool through the kitchen, so I needed a floor material that water wouldn’t damage.

In terms of things like the cabinets, think about what worked and didn’t work in your old kitchen, and incorporate solutions in the new layout. For example, we had a spacious pantry cabinet which was great except things on the back of the shelves tended to get forgotten about-in fact when I cleaned that cabinet out I found we had 8 cans of tomato paste back there (I’m not sure but I vaguely remember some recipe those were meant for).

In our new pantry cabinet, which is the same size and location as the old one, we have slide out shelves so everything is easily visible all the time. Yes, it cost a little more for that feature, but the convenience is worth it to me.

I also decided to go with a style that doesn’t require knobs on the cabinet doors since on our old cabinets I always disliked how grubby the knobs could get and how hard they were to clean.

My final tip to those of you planning to remodel is to take the time to think about these things before you start. I spent a fair amount of time in my kitchen just looking at what was there and thinking about how I wished it was before we did anything. I also looked at my friends’ kitchens, photos in magazines, and displays at home improvement stores. If you do that, you are much more likely to end up with the kitchen (or bath or room addition) of your dreams.

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Posted in Construction Questions | 3 Comments »

How To Pay For Your Remodeling Project

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

If you are getting serious about remodeling your home, then it’s time we had the talk about money. No, not the talk about how much it will cost. I want to get you thinking about where you will get the money.

I should say right up front that I am not a financial or tax advisor. I can’t tell you which of the ways to get money for a remodeling project is best for you. I just want to give you the basics to help you start the process of deciding for yourself.

Let’s start with one financing option you are bound to be familiar with-cash. Whether you got the remodeling cash the old-fashioned way (saved up for it) or won the lottery or had a big tax refund (what’s that like?), using your own money is cheaper than paying someone else for the use of theirs. Of course, if the cash you are thinking of using is your family’s emergency stash, then it’s not the best idea to sink it into a new kitchen.

Another option you’re no doubt familiar with is a credit card. Using your credit card(s) means less hassle, and no waiting for approvals to have the money. If your home improvement project is urgent (leaky roof in rainy season) a credit card might be the best bet. You will pay for that convenience, as credit card interest rates are way above the rates of other financing options. You may also find that your contractor doesn’t take credit cards, or prefers not to because of the 3%-5% service charge they pay on each transaction.

So if you don’t want to wait to save the money to pay cash, and you don’t want to use a credit card, how can you get the money for home improvements? If you own a home in most parts of San Diego, chances are you have the money you need in the form of equity in your house. There are several ways to tap this resource: a home equity line of credit, a second mortgage, or a cash-out refinance are some of the most common.

All of these options are similar because they all borrow against the equity in your home. Since your home is the security for each of these loans, if you aren’t able to make the payments, you could lose your home. You may also be able to write off some or all of the interest expense in loans of this type (please check with your tax expert on this one). However, there are differences between them.

A home equity line of credit is a revolving credit plan, like a credit card, with a specific credit limit based on the equity in your home. The funds are obtained by writing checks as you need them and payments are made only on the money you use. For example, if your line of credit is for $100,000 but you only use $60,000, the payments are based on the $60,000 and not the full $100,000.

A second mortgage is disbursed as a lump sum and is repaid over a fixed period of time under pre-set terms, just like your first mortgage. Since you receive the money all at once, your payments are based on the total amount, even if you don’t end up using all of it for your remodeling project.

A cash-out refinance is another way to use your home’s equity. If your home is worth significantly more than you owe on it you may be able to refinance your first mortgage for the appreciated value of the home. After paying off the original loan, the leftover money can be used to pay for remodeling.

Another idea is to look for a lender that offers construction or remodeling loans. This type of loan is based on the projected value of your home after the improvements are made. In some cases you can borrow up to 130% of the value of the existing home.

Before actually applying for a loan, talk to several lenders about all your options. Keep in mind, the lender will tend to focus on the options they carry. This is why many people like to start with an established mortgage broker as they usually carry many more types of loans. Besides helping you understand your options and the various trade-offs involved, the broker or lender can help you pre-qualify you for one or more loans.

Knowing how much you will have to spend will be a big help when you are meeting with a contractor (and I hope it’s K-CO!). Don’t be afraid to be up-front about your budget. That will help you separate the “need-to-have” features from the “nice-to-have” on your wish list. Together you can plan a project that gets you the home of your dreams that is within your financial means.

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How To Get Your Money’s Worth When Remodeling

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

Remodeling projects can cost tens of thousands of dollars or more-maybe the biggest amount you will ever spend at once, aside from your house itself. When you buy a house you can see it. When you remodel, you are buying a piece of paper. How can you be sure to get the most for your money?

Here are a few rules to lives by when you are remodeling your home:

Know what you want. I’m not talking about which faucet you want or what color the paint will be; I mean what the scope of the project will be, in broad terms. Make a “wish list” and prioritize it. For example, if you’re adding a master bathroom, think about what you consider that to be. Will it include a tub or a shower or both? You need to decide what you definitely want and what you can live without, so that you don’t start out over your head financially.

Don’t compromise on the people. Family Team

You need smart, honest, ethical people working on your job to get the most out of your investment. Remember when you are picking a contractor that price isn’t the whole story- the most expensive one isn’t necessarily the best. The best advice I can give you is this: get references and check them! Keep in mind that someone who is difficult to work with when they are trying to get your business–hard to reach, shows up late or doesn’t listen to you– isn’t going to get better as the project moves along. To sum it up, here’s one of my dad’s favorite sayings: “There is nothing more expensive than cheap work”.

Educate yourself about materials. There are many choices for countertops, cabinets and fixtures, and you should know a little bit about them before you decide. It’s not just about appearance; you need to think about whether the characteristics of the material will suit your lifestyle. Most contractors can give you the pros and cons of each material. For example, highly polished stone, like granite, looks great but can show every fingerprint or smudge-a poor choice if you have little kids and are fussy about having your kitchen countertops looking shiny clean. Tile is less expensive and offers many choices for color and finish, but some people hate the idea of having grout to clean. Knowing more about each material will help you make smart choices for your home.

Watch out for “creep”. This is what we call it when the customer expands the scope of work during the course of the project. It usually begins when you, the customer, decide to add something small to the project-let’s say a skylight in your new bathroom. That’s a few hundred dollars, seems like nothing much when the total project is in the tens of thousands. Then you decide to upgrade the tile, another couple hundred dollars. pretty soon you’ve added a few thousand to your project. I’m not saying you shouldn’t add those things; many times it’s well worth spending the money. Just be aware that a bunch of little things can add up. Like my grandpa used to say, “It might be small potatoes but get enough of them and they will fill a truck”.

Spend the money where it counts. Given the choice between a fabulous bathroom countertop or a fabulous garage door, I’d spend the money on the garage door. I’d do that because it’s not only the first thing I will see every night when I come home, it’s also the “face” of my house to the neighborhood. I can make up for not having the high end countertop by doing something interesting with paint or linens in that room. In a kitchen, I would be more likely to sacrifice high end appliances for high end countertops because for me, the brand of refrigerator isn’t as important as the look of the countertops. Of course, if I was a gourmet cook, I might choose a fancy stove instead of the countertop.

Don’t be stingy. Okay, this may sound like a contradiction with what I just said but think about this: Do you really think you’ll remember 5 years from now what you did with the $200 you saved by not upgrading your tile? Probably not, but as long as you live in that house I bet you will remember that you compromised on the tile and didn’t get exactly what you wanted. That’s one of those times to bite the bullet and spend the extra to get what you really want. You aren’t buying a t shirt that’s going to wear out in a year or less; you will likely be living with your decision for years. Over 5 years that extra $200 translates to $3.33 per month…less than a cup of fancy coffee.

Take your time. You are dealing with two big things in your life, your money and your home. There is no need to rush and many reasons to think things over carefully.

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Posted in Construction Questions | 3 Comments »