Home Additions and renovations in Dallas & Toronto

Karen Homes provides home additions and renovations in Dallas & Toronto

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Kitchen Renovation Advice On Selecting Your Countertops

Countertops play a central role in the experience of your kitchen. The other kitchen elements have to work off of them colouristically and from a textural standpoint. If they’re highly reflective that may influence your lighting scheme and choice of appliances. On top of the aesthetic load they bear let’s not forget that you cook, eat, drink, work, talk and more while sitting and standing at them. Yup, the countertops you choose for your Toronto kitchen need to wear a lot of hats. So how do you make sure you chose the right ones? In this post we’ll look at some of the most important selection criteria.

Choosing the Right Countertops for Your Kitchen Renovation

The humble countertop is both eye candy and workhorse. As such making sure you wind up with the right countertop material is crucial and involves asking yourself some fundamental questions.

  • Who will be using them? – If your kitchen is a beehive of family activity you’ll want to lean toward a material that is more stain resistant. If it’s you and your spouse and you use the kitchen mostly as a quiet place to enjoy your morning coffee and occasionally entertain you might want to go with something more obviously luxurious, like granite. Also, you’ll likely want bright countertops in a lively kitchen whereas a more subdued, adult oriented kitchen is free to indulge darker colour motifs.
  • How much do you have to spend? – This could the most important consideration because a hard ceiling on what you can spend on the countertops will go a long way toward winnowing your material choices. If you decide to make a stretch and overspend on the countertops you may have to cut back on the quality of other elements of the kitchen renovation. Keep that in mind and try to maintain fiscal balance between the different components.
  • Do you have a dream material? – If there is a certain type of countertop – let’s say marble – that has been whispering sweet nothings in your ear for a decade or so you owe it to yourself to indulge your wishes if at all possible. An entire kitchen design can be made to work off a single element like marble countertops, but your kitchen renovation designer needs to know upfront that’s what you have in mind so they can design accordingly.
  • Keep maintenance in mind – Some countertop materials require virtually no maintenance. Granite for instance is typically sealed once a year in a process that takes about an hour. After that all you’ll need is a damp cloth until it’s time for next year’s resealing. On the other hand wood countertops stain and scratch easily and ceramic tiles tend to be high maintenance due to the grout. Don’t select a high maintenance material unless you’re prepared to do the work.
  • Don’t lose sight of the whole kitchen – All the elements of a kitchen – countertops, cabinets, appliances, flooring, lighting and walls need to work together harmoniously. If they don’t the entire design will fall apart. Make sure you don’t make your final countertop selection without first making sure it will work with the rest of the kitchen. A disjointed kitchen design can negatively impact the market value of your home.

The kitchen countertops probably have more influence over the retail value of your Toronto home than any other single element. Get them right and your kitchen renovation can generate a handsome ROI. Get them wrong and you may wind up having to tear them out and try again. If you’re about to embark on a kitchen renovation talk to the kitchen design professionals at Karen Homes about which type of kitchen countertop will be right for you.

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Home Additions: What to Expect

Adding a room or rooms to your Toronto home is an exciting undertaking. Unfortunately, it also involves noise (lots of it), dirt (ditto), part of your home being exposed to the elements, strangers in your kitchen while you’re trying to eat, power outages, cold showers and more. While none of that sounds particularly inviting there are steps you can take to make the whole process a lot more palatable and in this post we’ll talk about some.

Surviving Home Additions is All About Planning

Some people find the process of home additions so odious they move out during construction. While people are free to do as they wish abandoning the home may not actually be necessary if you engage in some pre-construction planning, such as:

  • Designating a “contractor free zone” – Unless you set limits the various contractors are going to assume the public areas of your house are, well, public. So make sure you establish at least one public area of the house where contractors are not allowed. This way you’ll always have a place to go where you can just be yourself and feel normal.
  • Setting start times – The last thing you want is to be eating breakfast accompanied by a symphony of hammering and circular saws. Having some quiet time at the beginning of the day can go a long way toward making the home additions process more bearable. So even if you’re just able to push the start time back a half hour, do it; it can really help.
  • Renting a Porta-Potty – Nothing brings workmen into the family areas of the home like the need to use the toilet. You may be able to circumvent this unwelcome intrusion however by renting a portable toilet for the contractors. You may have to be creative and smart (think odours) where you place it but it’s worth looking into.
  • Requiring notice of utility shutdowns – You don’t want to be in the middle of a shower when the water is unexpectedly turned off by the plumber. Talk it over with the general contractor and insist on as much notice as is practically possible. That may be a day or two days, or it may be a few hours. Still, something is better than nothing.
  • Sealing off vents – Construction work is dirty business and trying to contain dirt and dust during home additions can be a formidable job. There is one thing you can do though to stop the mess from propagating more than necessary: seal off any heat vents near the construction area. This will prevent your HVAC system from spreading the mess.
  • Moving flora before the work starts – One complaint many homeowners share about large scale construction is the destruction of bushes, flowers and the lawn. While it’s unlikely you can do much to prevent the lawn from taking a beating you can move bushes and plants out of harm’s way before construction begins.

Deciding to stay at home during a home addition project doesn’t have to be the trial-by-fire some make it out to be. By creating an off-limits zone for yourself and your family, by making sure no one is hammering outside your bedroom window at dawn and by providing the contractors with their own toilet you can minimize some of the biggest issues associated with this type of project.

If you’re contemplating a home addition in Toronto call Karen Homes and talk to one of our building professionals about what’s involved and what additional steps you can take to keep the process livable, and even enjoyable. Home additions don’t have to send you running for the hills. All you need is a plan and the right company to do the job.

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General Contractors and the Importance of Clearly Defining Your Project

Any home renovation or addition project in Toronto that entails 2 or more building trades should be overseen by a general contractor (GC). There are myriad reasons for this though most of them boil down to the GC having the experience and expertise to keep things moving in the right direction. Without clear communication between yourself and the GC however, all kinds of problems may arise that could undermine the GC’s ability to do their job and your ability to finish the project.

The General Contractor and the Scope of Work Agreement

A general contractor is not a mind reader and neither are you. Because of this you’ll want to make sure the GC knows exactly what you expect of him before any work begins. Drawing up a Scope of Work (SOW) agreement is a good way to make sure everyone is on the same page from the start.

The SOW agreement is an attachment to the main contract that gets into greater specifics on matters such as:

  • Work to be Performed – The SOW agreement will state what the project is, where the work will be performed and who is responsible for supplying tools, materials and the like. It may state that the GC is expected to be onsite X number of hours per week and that he is expected to procure all necessary permits before the start date (which will also be included).
  • Breakdown of work – The SOW may break the project down into a series of smaller segments stating what is expected relative to each part of the project. For example, the SOW may state that all old kitchen cabinets are to be removed and disposed of, that new cabinets are to be designed, fabricated and installed, that the sink is to be replaced, new countertops installed and the floor is to be sanded and refinished.
  • Hours, manpower and more – The SOW agreement may state how many workers are expected to be onsite during normal work hours, what hours the site will be accessible to the contractors, where (if anywhere) the general contractor and subcontractors are allowed to store equipment and materials and when different aspects of the project should be finished.
  • Payments and penalties – The SOW agreement may lay out a definitive schedule of payments by the homeowner to the GC as well as clarify under what conditions payment may be withheld. For example it may state that: $10,000 is due the GC on X date if the kitchen countertops have been installed. If they haven’t, payment may be withheld until they are.
  • Behavior – The homeowner may use the SOW agreement to establish behavioural parameters for the GC and subcontractors. The SOW may state where on the property they may park. It may state that music may not be played by the GC or any subcontractors onsite until after 11 a.m. It may state that alcoholic beverages are barred from the worksite.

There are other things you may want to include in a Scope of Work agreement but the salient point is that an SOW can establish guidelines that will make sure everyone is working from the same script right from day 1. This will help the project proceed in a trouble free, efficient manner with as few conflicts or misunderstandings between the different parties as possible.

If you need a general contractor to oversee your kitchen remodel, basement remodel, home addition or other capital improvement in the Toronto area call the professionals at Karen Homes. We’ve shepherded scores of projects of all sizes to successful, on-time, on-budget conclusions and we can do the same for yours.

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Basement Remodeling: Keeping Moisture at Bay

Basement remodeling is one of the most cost-effective home improvements you can undertake. There is however one issue unique to the basement that can be quite a challenge and can never be simply ignored: moisture. No remodeling can proceed in the basement until any water intrusion issues have been solved. Happily though, while basement moisture is a real and significant issue, it’s not beyond your ability to control.

The First Step in Basement Remodeling: Water Mitigation

As much as you may want moisture problems to just go away they’ll only get worse if you don’t address them. Let’s take a look at some ways moisture affects the average Toronto basement and then at some remedial actions that can help ensure your basement remodeling project is successful.

  • Mold – You don’t need to have deep puddles of water in your basement to have a water problem. If you see mold growing on the foundation wall you have a leak somewhere. Mold may look harmless but spores can cause allergic reactions and even bring on asthma attacks.
  • Standing water – Standing water may denote a high water table or cracks in the foundation. Standing water can also become a breeding ground for harmful bacteria and a red carpet for crickets, pillbugs, millipedes, centipedes and more who are drawn to the dampness.
  • Widespread damage – Moisture, along with the mold spores it carries, can find its way into the HVAC ducts and be distributed throughout the house. It can also damage the electrical components of your furnace along with anything you have stored in the basement; like electrical appliances, clothes, artwork, computers and more.

Just building over basement water problems is like crossing the street with your eyes closed. You may get away with it for a little while but it will catch up to you. In order to mitigate water issues in the basement consider these steps.

  • Modify the landscaping – Have a landscaper adjust the grade around the house to slope away from the foundation. This will sometimes solve minor water issues. Check your window wells too. If they turn into pools every time it rains you’ll want to have them redesigned.
  • Fix downspouts – If the downspout doesn’t deliver runoff far enough away from the house this extra water can saturate the ground, resulting in hydrostatic pressure that causes leaks. Make sure downspouts deposit runoff at least 5 feet away from the foundation.
  • Waterproof the walls – Sealing the inside of the foundation walls can sometimes take care of less serious water issues. You’ll want to hire a pro to ensure it’s done properly. After sealing wait to make sure this has taken care of the problem before basement remodeling
  • Install a French drain – In more serious cases you may have to install a French drain to deal with groundwater. A French drain is typically located several feet from the house. It snags and redirects groundwater before it reaches your foundation.
  • Install a sump pump – If you determine the water is coming up into your basement and not through the walls a sump pump should take care of it. During the remodeling the sump pump can be easily hidden in cabinetry.

Once you’re able to properly assess and fix any water/moisture issues you should be able to proceed with your remodeling and enjoy the many fruits of your finished basement for years to come.

Karen Homes are one of the Greater Toronto Area’s most experienced basement remodeling companies. We’ll make sure your basement is bone dry and properly prepared before we embark on any remodeling work so that the project unfolds the way it’s supposed to and you get the basement of  your dreams.

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Bathroom Remodeling Tips: How to Choose a New Bathtub

Bathtubs are many different things to many different people. For some they’re a personal retreat where the cares of the world melt away. For others they’re the design element that makes their bathroom remodeling project take flight. What bathtubs aren’t anymore is just a place to get cleaned up. Those days passed with the ascendance of the shower. Today people typically choose to have a bathtub for personal reasons that have little to do with soap and water: they want a focal point, a meditative pool, a private spa.

Bathroom Remodeling Revolves Around the Bathtub

Deciding exactly which bathtub is right for your lifestyle can be a challenge. From a design standpoint the possibilities are almost endless and from a materials standpoint you’ve never had more choices. Let’s look at bathtub styles first:

  • The Freestanding Bathtub – The freestanding bathtub of yore has made an astonishing comeback in recent years as bathroom remodeling experts have searched for ever more ways to meld the timeless with the contemporary. The freestanding tub will need to be near water lines though, so keep that in mind while you’re lusting after those claw feet.
  • The Platform Bathtub – The platform configuration is typically used for air baths and whirlpools. Most of the bathtub is dropped into an enclosure where plumbing and other hardware can be hidden from view. Platform bathtubs are not usually associated with traditional interior design schemes.
  • The Alcove Bathtub – Similar in profile to the platform the alcove bathtub, as its name implies, is designed to tuck into a nook in the wall or that space at the end of the bathroom under the window. If you’re after design flexibility in your bathroom remodeling project the alcove may be the way to go.
  • The Corner Bathtub – In the long history of the bathtub the corner tub is a fairly recent development but one that has caught on. The corner bathtub will give you a little more room to spread out in different directions and the angled or rounded profile gives you additional interior design flexibility.

Materials

Which material you choose for your tub will largely depend on a combination of personal preference and budget, as well as availability (since all styles aren’t available in all materials).

  • Acrylic – Acrylic tubs are more affordable and available in a wider range of styles than say porcelain tubs. If something should happen to your bathtub they’re also easier to repair.
  • Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic – An FRP bathtub has a glossy surface like an acrylic tub but is less expensive. If it has a downside it’s that it is not as resistant to damage as acrylic.
  • Porcelain – A porcelain tub is actually porcelain-coated steel. The primary advantage over a more traditional material like cast iron is that the porcelain tub will weigh less.
  • Cast Iron – While a cast iron tub may last for a couple of centuries it may also be so heavy that you’ll need to reinforce the floor before installing it. Hard to beat the authentic look though.
  • Cultured Marble – Cultured marble bathtubs aren’t chiseled from a single block like a statue but rather created using crushed marble that is set in resin and given a clear coat. At 4 or 5 times the price of an acrylic tub you may want to think about this for a while.

Karen Home is one of the Toronto area’s most trusted bathroom remodeling companies. We take great pride in every project we do and it shows in the quality of our workmanship and the satisfaction of our customers. If you are contemplating a bathroom renovation give the interior design experts at Karen Homes a call and get your project off on the right foot.