I've committed the cardinal sin of blogging (which is being "too busy to blog") but I finally caught a moment to show off a semi-recent project: installing wire shelving in a kitchen pantry and a laundry room. There are definitely some pros and cons to this kind of shelving, so I thought these photos might give you all a chance to see how well they would function in your home. I'll start with the "before." The shelves went into an empty hallway near a back door. This is the door that the family uses, so it's a great place for pantry shelves, because you can come in and stack groceries on them and so on. We used fairly deep shelves from a kit from the hardware store. Here's how they looked right after I put them in. Not too shabby! Very neat and tidy. But as I said, there is a down-side to these as well. Let's dig into the nitty-gritty. Pros and Cons to Installing Wire ShelvesI always like to start with the upside. PROS:
CONS:
But for a pantry or laundry room, these are great... ...although if you want to upgrade to solid shelving or even cabinets, we can do that, too. It's become a growing trend to add high-end laundry rooms and pantries to a home, and it could lead to a nice increase in your home value for a modest investment. Either way, we're always glad to help. Call or email today to get started.
One of our customers just moved to Asheville and bought a beautiful new luxury home on the banks of the French Broad river. But luxury is in the details, and in this case one or two details were missing. For example, the cabinets were very stylish, but when you opened them up, they just had a shelf inside. Things kept getting lost in the back, and you had to dig around for them. She had me replace the shelves with pull-out drawers. Now it's easy to see what's in the back. Something like this would be a really nice Mother's Day gift for your mom or spouse. No need for them to get down on their hands and knees on the hard tile floor every time they're looking for the dish soap. They can just pull the drawer out and it's right there in front of them. Plus, these are soft-close drawers, so the kids can't slam them shut, and nothing gets knocked over or jarred around. While I was there, I added another great little improvement: an extra cabinet and a valet rod in the laundry room. The rod is over the sink, so the homeowner can hang her handwashables here to dry and the excess water will just drip right down into the drain. If your laundry room is inefficient and hard to work in, give us a call. We can add counters, cabinets and drawer pull-outs to make washing clothes easy and maybe even fun. Like this pretty walnut counter which we installed over a customer's washer and dryer, so no more socks will get lost behind the machines. Plus, a good-looking laundry room adds a lot to your home value for a very modest investment. So give us a ring.
One of my customers recently asked me to install a countertop over her washer and dryer so that she had a place to set her laundry when she finished. We decided on a walnut top, and I found a piece of walnut plywood with a gorgeous grain. Here's a pic of the top before I finished it out. You can already see the beautiful repeating grain patterns. And another view after I applied the finish. The pattern almost reminds me of peacock feathers. I installed the top so that it was tight against the wall. This will keep socks from sliding behind the machines. Imagine seeing this gorgeous counter every time you did the laundry. It would make household chores way more fun! We can install custom wooden counters and shelving to fit any space. Give us a call to learn more.
The New Year is nearly here, and I like to take this time to look back on the old year and remember all of the cool projects that came our way. Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order. Click any picture to read the original post about the project. Two Custom Laundry ClosetsTailored laundry closets can make a big difference in the value of your home with a relatively small investment... and meanwhile you get to enjoy a well-organized space to do your household chores. These two laundry areas were designed to fit very different spaces; one is tucked into a hallway, and the other is a complete room with extra cupboards and a coat rack. A Built-In Platform Storage BedThis little bed has a big surprise... ..drawers that pull open to allow storage of clothes or toys. When the little girl grows up, it can serve as a window seat instead. English-Style Mudroom CubbiesSpeaking of storing your kids' stuff, check out these mudroom cubbies which I built for a family of seven. Now that winter has rolled around, they're really getting some use out of them. Custom Kitchen IslandThis island has a classic and versatile style, and it could be sized to fit any kitchen. It has storage for dishes on one side, and seating on the other, so it doubles as a breakfast bar. Portuguese TilesI know I showed these tiles off fairly recently, but since I installed them, the homeowner has mentioned a few interesting facts which I left out in my original post. These are reclaimed vintage tiles from Portugal, and their original use was industrial, which is hard to believe given how beautiful they are. (My customer says, "They decorate everything over there.") The tiles make wonderful "washable art." Building a Deck with Livestock Panel RailingsSince we're headed into the depths of winter, I couldn't resist showing off my favorite outdoor project from last summer, just to remind us all that the warm weather will return soon. If you're ready to get a head start on the New Year and get some of your projects done, give us a call. We'll be glad to make your vision into reality.
One of the quickest ways to add value to your home is to upgrade your laundry room. Why the laundry room? Because a well-planned upgrade makes life easier. The right layout gives you space to fold clothes, store supplies and generally keep everything within reach, and home buyers can picture an easier life. For example, picture yourself dealing with this laundry closet in the "Before" stages. There's no place to put the soap, and supplies get piled in the least convenient places. When my client called me in to make this upgrade, the first thing he wanted was a set of shelves where he could keep his detergents and towels. My van serves as a portable rolling workshop, so I was able set up in the parking area and built a set of clean white custom shelves. I installed them in the laundry closet, and we had a good start on a useful work area. But keep reading because there's more to come... The shelves were just the beginning. The closet was repainted, and after a new set of front-loading machines was delivered, I added a counter on top so my client had a place to fold clothes. We also swapped out the light fixtures with new spot lights with dimmer switches. Now it's easy to see what you're doing, but you can also dial the lights down if you prefer. The end result is very satisfying: easy to use, with a place for everything and everything in its place.
If your laundry area forces you to juggle things around, why not upgrade with new shelves or counters? We'll be glad to help... just give us a call. |
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