How to Solve Kitchen Peninsula Problems

After 20 years of living in their home, a Cary NC couple came to us with the hopes of remodeling their kitchen and making it “theirs” for their next 20 years.

Their old kitchen was like so many kitchens we’ve seen—old in look, feel and design. The small kitchen was designed with those very familiar color and features: brown wood cabinets and vinyl countertops. The kitchen had only one small window and was otherwise lit by large fluorescent tubes. It sat adjacent to a small dinette lit with the also familiar brass chandelier. The cabinetry consisted of one large U-shaped unit, positioned in such a way that one of the long arms of the U served as a separator between the kitchen and dinette. The refrigerator stood closely to the “legs” of the U shape. The combination of a large amount of brown, almost no natural lighting and the cabinet acting as a half wall made the kitchen/dinette areas feel dark and cramped.

Our goal was to give our clients a kitchen that was brighter, less cramped, more usable and more up to date, compatible with their changing lifestyle. In order to do this, we added more natural light by replacing the small window with a much larger one. We removed the one large fluorescent unit and installed high hat lighting and a more modern chandelier in the dinette. Other renovations included new cabinets, which came in a white wood and granite countertops that nicely complemented the new stainless steel appliances. The reconfigured layout of the cabinets to be set along the edges of the kitchen made for more of a streamlined effect, opening up more space, and creating a longer unified space.

To add to the usability of the kitchen, a granite-topped island was put in place. It was adjoined to a dining table set on the dinette’s floor, again adding to the streamlined look and feel. The redesigned kitchen and dinette was finished with the replacement of the linoleum floors with hardwood flooring adding to a smooth, modern feel. The new features give this kitchen more personality, more functionality, and more space for the homeowners and for entertaining.

SEE MORE PHOTOS AND READ THE FULL STORY HERE

About Paradise Found Construction

At Paradise Found Construction, we're grateful and honored to be trusted with the homes of our clients in Cary, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Holly Springs, Apex and beyond. We are dedicated to providing affordable custom remodels and new custom homes that fit your unique vision, while partnering with you to scale features to align with your budget. We promise to be transparent and reliable to help you along each step of the way.

Choosing custom construction allows you the flexibility to get everything you want — and nothing you don’t.

Our passion is to help you create your personal Paradise in your home. We work closely with you to understand your vision and bring it to life in a 3D visual design, and then turn it into your finished masterpiece.

WE SPECIALIZE IN:

National Award Winning High-Performance Whole House Remodel in Raleigh, NC

Finding Paradise on Picardy

We were delighted to have the opportunity to take this quaint 1960's brick ranch and transform it into a Whole House Remodeled Green Certified Home with an open floor plan. We had no idea that this project would go on to win the 2013 National Green Certified Project of the Year !

The spectacular granite countertops featured in the kitchen and bathrooms served as the design palette used to create a wonderfully harmonious balance of muted tones throughout the home in this whole house renovation project.

Beautiful natural hardwoods with a No Volatile Organic Compond (VOC) clear coat finish, next generation porcelain tile, and No VOC carpet and paints combine to create a healthy and light-filled living environment.

The home has been equipped with the latest in energy efficient amenities including updated EPA EnergyStar Qualified electrical fixtures and appliances, EPA WaterSense rated toilets and plumbing fixtures, LED lighting, upgraded insulation and air sealing measures, and rain water harvesting.

The carefully orchestrated design elements and focus on eco-conscious features make this home a fresh and smartly appointed Home Paradise. Daylight. Quiet. Energy Efficient. Healthy. Low Maintenance. Aesthetics. It’s a complete transformation.

SEE MORE PHOTOS AND READ THE FULL STORY HERE

About Paradise Found Construction

At Paradise Found Construction, we're grateful and honored to be trusted with the homes of our clients in Cary, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Holly Springs, Apex and beyond. We are dedicated to providing affordable custom remodels and new custom homes that fit your unique vision, while partnering with you to scale features to align with your budget. We promise to be transparent and reliable to help you along each step of the way.

Choosing custom construction allows you the flexibility to get everything you want — and nothing you don’t.

Our passion is to help you create your personal Paradise in your home. We work closely with you to understand your vision and bring it to life in a 3D visual design, and then turn it into your finished masterpiece.

WE SPECIALIZE IN:

A professional remodeling job typically costs more than homeowners imagined.

In this era of cable TV shows, where jaw-dropping results are achieved for a pittance in less than 60 minutes, it's not hard to see how one's expectations are typically out of line with the reality of costs.

Add to that the variability of labor and material costs between different regions and metros in the country and you start to get a sense of how dramatically prices and value for the same work can vary across the United States.

These annual reports provide the numbers you need on how much it really costs for a pro to do a typical remodeling project, as well as how much that project can be expected to bring in resale value.

The numbers come from RemodelMAX, an unbiased third-party research firm that keeps track of labor and product costs in markets nationwide. They report on how much it really costs for a professional to do a typical remodeling project, as well as how much a real estate pro believes that project will increase a home’s value if it’s sold within a year of when the work was completed. By dividing the project’s value into its cost, you get a sense of how much bang for the buck you’re generating as a result.

Unlike reporting services that claim to report average or typical costs for remodel jobs that were performed, Cost vs. Value bases its numbers on what it would cost to do any of 29 theoretical projects in each of 99 markets nationwide. They put the same amenities into the same-sized space, varying their price by market. Likewise, while they assume it takes the same amount of labor to do the work, they vary labor costs according to the local rate.

After that, they add the same corporate expenses: taxes, worker’s comp insurance, and general overhead items like the cost of having an office, a website, a phone number, utilities, company vehicles, and equipment. Finally, they add a reasonable profit.

We’re not talking about repainting some rooms or planting flowers.

Most Cost vs. Value projects range from difficult to impossible, not to mention dangerous, for a DIYer to do. And if you don’t plan to sell within several years of the project, ignore payback numbers. They are closely tied to the latest rises and falls in home prices, and we all know how quickly those can change within a few years.

In general, the hotter the market, the bigger the payback.

As you review the reports, note that in some cases there are two versions of a common job, such as renovating or adding a kitchen or bath. The baseline or standard version is called a midrange project and the higher-priced version is called an upscale project. The difference between them usually has to do with the scope of work and the complexity of the project. It also takes into account different quality standards for finishes: for instance, the midrange major kitchen remodel calls for a plastic laminate island countertop while the upscale version has a stone top.

A job that’s done by a pro rarely will pay back at resale a higher amount than was invested in it in the Short Term.

In general, work to replace items that are broken or need simple changes, like replacing a steel entry door or a vinyl window, score higher paybacks than more discretionary projects, such as constructing a two-store addition or updating a kitchen.

Below are two downloadable reports for the Raleigh NC metro and the Chapel Hill NC metro.

About Paradise Found Construction

Since 2008, our mission and passion has been to help our clients throughout the Triangle NC create their personal Paradise in their homes. We work closely with them to understand Their Vision, and leverage our vast experience in residential design to bring it to life in a 3D Color Visual Design before helping them Rediscover the Paradise in Their Home.

WE SPECIALIZE IN:

Preserving the Environmental Heritage of Heritage Hills in Chapel Hill

Performance (Green) building has come a long way. While a decade ago many may have perceived green building to be a fad, today it’s about more than just reducing a carbon footprint. Financially, it makes good sense with eco-friendly designs that deliver appealing functionality and healthy indoor air quality. For the second year in a row, Jeff Wiblitzhouser with Paradise Found Construction has received the National Association of Home Builder’s (NAHB) 2014 NAHB Green Certified Remodel of the Year Award, this time for a home in Orange County.

Located in southern Chapel Hill, the 40+ year old, two-story Gambrel Roof home remodel demonstrates how easy it is to preserve the charm and security of an older neighborhood and the many benefits it offers, making the home healthier for its occupants while reducing its ongoing cost of ownership. This amazing whole hose remodel demonstrates how to preserve the heritage and charm in older neighborhoods with modest investments that create a healthier living environment and yearly savings that compound over time.

“While any home can be built or remodeled with green features, a home that meets the National Green Building Standard’s certification criteria offers financial gains when the cost of ownership is reduced and a home’s value is increased,” says Jeff Wiblitzhouser President of Paradise Found Construction. “Plus, growing market evidence shows new and remodeled homes that are green certified are increasing in value and holding it better than those traditionally built or remodeled.”

The Heritage Hills home was structurally sound but needed improvements in energy usage, water efficiency, and indoor environmental quality. By replacing the original single-pane windows with more energy efficient double-pane ones, right-sizing the HVAC system, adding a dual zone controller, replacing and sealing all duct-work and a variety of other energy-efficient upgrades, the HERS (Home Energy Rating System) rating was reduced from 98 to 59. In total, energy was reduced by 40% and projected savings are projected to be $900 yearly.

Water efficiency was also addressed by incorporating EPA Water Sense-rated toilets and plumbing fixtures as well as upgrading appliances like the washing machine, which reduced the overall water usage by over 40%. Furthermore, natural hardwoods with no volatile organic compound (VOC) finishes, formaldehyde-free materials and no-VOC paints were used to improve the indoor air quality. The original wood burning fireplace was replaced with a direct-vent natural gas one and exhaust fans were installed in bathrooms to help create a healthier indoor environment.

In addition, Wiblizthouser helped the owners incorporate the latest design trends that would harmonize with the rest of the home. He increased the usefulness and aesthetics of their screened porch by creating an appealing room that could be enjoyed year round. He also brightened living areas with lighter colors to increase sunlight reflectivity.

The homes in Heritage Hills represent the explosive growth of home ownership that occurred during the economic expansion that followed the end of WWII, and they were designed to foster a sense of community, where families could come together. They were also built with denser wood that offers superior structural support compared to the same homes built using lumber from today’s faster-growing trees. Rather than demolish structurally sound homes to make way for larger ones with larger carbon footprints, a green certified remodel is increasingly attractive.

“We can preserve older neighborhoods with established traffic patterns and charm by changing the inefficiencies,” said Wiblitzhouser. “With a relatively modest investment, a green certified remodeling provides a short investment payback and continued yearly savings over time as energy and water costs outstrip the cost of inflation. Plus, when it comes to resale value, green certified homes sell at the upper end of the range and more quickly.”

Just last year, Wiblitzhouser completed a green certified remodel that enabled a Raleigh home owner to sell the home within three days of completion. Compared to equivalent traditional construction, green certifications offer a significant value and advantage in the marketplace. Paradise Found Construction also won the National Home Builders Association (NAHB) 2013 Project of the Year for Green Certified Remodeling.

About Paradise Found Construction

Since 2009, our mission and passion has been to help our clients throughout the Triangle NC create their personal Paradise in their homes. We work closely with them to understand Their Vision, and leverage our vast experience in residential design to bring it to life in a 3D Color Visual Design before helping them Rediscover the Paradise in Their Home.

WE SPECIALIZE IN:

Kitchen Design and Remodel in Cary NC

Sonya and Mark bought their dream home in Cary NC and decided to update key areas before they moved in. They wanted to to reconfigured their Laundry Room and completely remodel the Kitchen.

They were drawn toward a green/blue color palette, and our green painted “distressed” wood cabinets resonated with their design tastes. They were worried that they might create a "negative" when they sold the house later, but we convinced them to "follow their hearts" and create the kitchen that they will love to be in every day.

We rounded out the design with antique nickel pulls and knobs and “Jade” granite granite counter tops that contained colors of all of her design elements including the slate mosaic tile backsplash, which all came together to spectacularly compliment each other.

The 36″ Pro Range with a stainless steel back splash and hood was something Sonya had grown up with in her Mother’s kitchen and this was an emotional “must have” for her. We reconfigured the cabinet and appliance layout to facilitate easier flow and usability, and also continued with the slate mosaic tile into the adjoining family room by re-facing the brick fireplace surround and hearth, and their new "dream home" was complete!

They appreciated our interest in environmental responsibility, resource conservation, energy efficient and green solutions, and recycling. She was very interested in our relationship with Habitat For Humanity and our commitment to donate all re-usable items that we removed from their home during the renovation that we could.

About Paradise Found Construction

Since 2009, our mission and passion has been to help our clients create their personal Paradise in their homes. We work closely with them to understand Their Vision, and leverage our vast experience in residential design to bring it to life in a 3D Color Visual Design before helping them Rediscover the Paradise in Their Home.

WE SPECIALIZE IN: