Design & Construction Blog

Well-executed home renovations and home remodels can enhance your satisfaction with your home as well as increase its resale value. If you’re thinking of making home improvements, you might wonder what the return on your investment will be. While some home improvement projects garner a ROI of well over 100%, Remodeling magazine’s 36th annual Cost vs. Value report estimates indicate that the average ROI for popular renovating or remodeling projects is 60% or 60 cents on every dollar spent. During the pandemic, when people were suddenly spending more time at home, popular home improvements with high ROIs upon resale were home…

A well-designed bathroom is one that creates the mood you want and has the features you desire. With the right colors and materials, even a small bathroom can feel luxurious. To design your bathroom remodel or new bathroom, think about who will use the room and identify the “must have” and “nice to have” features.  Then determine the “look” you want by creating a “mood board” with photos of styles and samples of colors that catch your eye.  Consider how the style and colors will blend with adjoining rooms or hallways. You can keep a consistent design between the bathroom,…

Choosing kitchen appliances involves making a myriad of decisions about finish, features, size, style, cost, reliability, and ease of repair. In this article, we offer some recommendations for choosing new appliances. Kitchen Appliance Finishes The most popular finishes for kitchen appliances are stainless steel, matte (less shiny than stainless), slate (dark gray), black, and white.  If a uniform look is what you prefer, consider choosing all appliances from the same line of the manufacturer. You might get a “bundle” price by doing this.  If the appliances from one manufacturer do not give you the features you desire, you can mix…

Whether you hire a professional or do it yourself, designing a new kitchen or a kitchen remodel that is both attractive and functional requires careful planning. It is not a task that should be rushed. For this article, our residential contractors have created a compilation of design decisions to help you consider your lifestyle and family needs and provide recommendations about kitchen layout, style, cabinetry, cabinet pulls, countertops and backsplashes, flooring and lighting.   The Kitchen Layout A good place to begin the process of kitchen design is to identify the features of your current kitchen layout that you like…

Home additions such as ADUs and JADUs are innovative, affordable, and effective options for adding much-needed housing in California. California’s recent changes to the laws regulating zoning and housing have made it easier to add an ADU or a JADU, or one of each, to your property. What is an ADU? An ADU – Accessory Dwelling Unit – is a self-contained secondary housing unit that is located on the building lot of a larger, primary, single-family home. ADUs are also known as granny flats, in-law units, backyard cottages, and secondary units. An ADU can add value to your property and…