You can't wait for your kitchen to look like the photos you see on other pages of our website.  Don't forget - there is a lot to do before your dream comes to life.  You may be anxious to have someone come to your home and tell you what that dream kitchen will cost.  Please be patient.  There is much to do before plans are laid and the price can be determined.

Photo by Taylor Smyth Architects - Source: houzz.com

Source: i.pinimg.com

Photo by Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects - Source: houzz.com

Capped Composite

As we discussed in an earlier blog post, The Benefits and Drawbacks of Natural Wood Decking Materials, the choices of materials to use on your new deck are constantly expanding. When you’re deciding which way to go, consider the cost, beauty, durability, and availability of the materials. The spectrum of materials, arranged by price, runs from the least expensive treated softwoods, through more costly natural and manmade materials, up to exotic hardwoods and the highest-end synthetic materials that do the best job of mimicking the appearance of wood. In this post, we will look at manmade decking.

Western Red Cedar

The trend toward outdoor living is inspiring more and more homeowners to ask for luxurious remodels that bridge the gap between the house and the outdoors. Whether it be an outdoor kitchen, living room, pool surround, fire pit, or private retreat, it most likely is going to involve a deck as part of the design. Building a deck will require you to select a decking material, considering factors such as cost, beauty, durability, and availability.

The young couple that discovered this charming two-story home in Des Moines’ historic Waterbury neighborhood loved the house but had some ideas about making it more compatible with a 21st-century lifestyle. The 2,428-square-foot Craftsman/cottage-style home was built in 1925 and had four bedrooms and a single-car, tuck-under garage.

When choosing a general contractor to build your addition or remodel, you must diligently research the options available to you. One of the factors that should carry weight in your choice is how the company proposes to make the job least disruptive to your family. There’s no denying that a construction project inside your house will affect your lifestyle, but there are things your contractor can do to minimize the disruption and leave you with a positive feeling about the process.

When you enter a beautifully designed home, you usually get a feel that something is special here. At first, you might not be able to put your finger on it, but you gradually realize that it has something to do with the ceiling height, the number and placement of windows, the choice of materials, the craftsmanship displayed in the woodwork, the way one feature flows into the next.

How many “reality” TV shows have you watched that focus on remodeling a home so you can sell it for more? In general, it’s not reality. A significant remodeling project takes a substantial amount of money, and you will be disappointed if you think you’re going to make most of that money back if you are planning to sell your house in the near future.

While a major remodel of your kitchen or bathroom should be undertaken primarily as an investment in your lifestyle, such projects also do increase the value of your home. Remodeling magazine’s recently released 2018 Cost vs. Value Report can give you a sense of how much of the money that you put into such a remodel you could expect to recoup in the increased value of your Des Moines, Iowa, home.