Home Improvement Blog

Creating a Dining Room Home Addition in Duxbury That Fits Your Personality and Style

December 10, 20150

Add more dining space with a home addition.

A home addition can add dining room space.

If your children have moved closer with children of their own, family and holiday dinners may have become an exercise in how to squeeze in additional place settings. You’ve dreamed of having a large dining room to accommodate your growing family for years. Maybe it’s time to make your dream a reality!

Here are three basic plans for creating the dining room addition of your dreams:

1. Add an entirely separate room next to the kitchen — This could include windows and possibly an exterior door. Your dining room addition could also be adjacent to a living area and designed to flow into a great room for a more spacious and open feel. Great room addition floor plans in Duxbury and the surrounding areas provide a less ‘boxy’ look to a home design.

2. Enlarge an existing room — This is often called a bump out and can provide up to 50 square feet of additional living space. As with a room addition, this plan requires pouring concrete and running electricity to the area but seldom needs additional heating or cooling vents.

3. Remove a wall in the kitchen — In many cases, this will provide enough room to accommodate a larger dining table and open up the kitchen as well.

Your Entertaining Style

When planning your home addition in Duxbury, consider how the room will affect the adjacent rooms in your home. For example, do you want an enclosed room or an open, expansive area?

Homeowners who frequently host dinner parties enjoy having their dining room separated from the kitchen area so guests aren’t exposed to the inevitable clean up. These people also enjoy having a buffet table and bar in the room and can request their designers to include a built-in serving area along a wall in lieu of a stand-alone buffet.

Others prefer having the kitchen open into the dining room and even into the living area. In this arrangement, the cook feels less isolated and can enjoy conversations with family and friends while the meal is being prepared. No matter what your entertaining style is, you can plan a dining area that can take you from comfy casual for family meals to dressed up and elegant for entertaining.

Add value and beauty to your home with a dining room addition.

A dining room addition can add value and beauty to your home.

Lighting: Natural and Overhead

While designing your dining room addition, your best source of lighting will come from window placement that maximizes natural light. Once you have established the design style of your room, you can look at ceiling fixtures and install dimming capabilities to change the ambiance of your dining area.

Furnishing Your Dining Room

When you’ve determined your room dimensions, you can begin looking for the perfect dining table and chairs. Your table options can range from a traditional round to a rectangle for seating 10 people, or you can choose a square table with a drop leaf to add when you have more dinner guests.

If you’re ready to take the next step in creating your dining room addition floor plans in Duxbury and the surrounding areas, consider calling Colony Home Improvement, design and build experts for more than 40 years. Contact us today for a consultation to discuss your plans.

Tips for Designing a Comfortable, Functional Brookline, MA, Home Office

December 8, 20150

Include an office in your custom built home plans.

Your custom built home plans should include an office.

Whether you’re giving up the office commute or starting a home-based business, your home office design should start with a carefully thought out plan for creating a work environment that suits your particular needs. Home offices are typically created as a room addition, a room conversion or a multi-purpose room re-design.

The increasing need for room additions for Brookline and the surrounding towns has given contractors plenty of experience in designing home offices. No matter how you create your office space, here are a few tips to help you get the most functionality and comfort built into your design.

A Designated Work Space

One of the biggest disadvantages to working from home is the distraction from the rest of the household and its associated responsibilities. Obviously, having a separate room is ideal, but utilizing a corner section in your guest room or family room is a good second option. Built-in work areas with desk surfaces and storage are easily accomplished. Sliding screens can also be installed to enclose the space for more privacy.

Surface Space

Some people require nothing more than a small free-standing desk for their laptop. Others need lots of space to spread out their work. When designing your home office as part of your custom built home plans in Brookline, designers encourage homeowners to plan the room around the actual square footage of surface space needed for all your work requirements. Many home office designs accommodate work surfaces that can serve many purposes, such as a weekend family hobby or the kids’ school projects.

If you're consider room additions, think about a home office.

Home offices make great room additions.

Built-Ins

When it comes to storage, few people ever have enough! Home offices tend to accumulate many items that are best tucked away in storage so whether you’re designing your home office space as a room addition, a room conversion or into custom built home plans in Brookline, adequate storage should be a key component. In this situation, built-ins are the way to go.

Built-ins reduce the look of clutter and can free up floor space for an additional project table and a comfortable reading chair. Wherever space will accommodate, consider custom-built areas of shelving, recessed file drawers, custom-built cabinets for supply storage and even additional pull out work surfaces.

Lighting

A great advantage to working from home as opposed to a commercial office is you can avoid the dreaded fluorescent lighting and satisfy your ideal lighting. Illuminating a home office requires adequate and often specialized lighting.

Natural light is the optimal source of illumination. If possible, arrange the space where your desk and work area will maximize the most natural light. If you opt for a room addition in Brookline and the surrounding towns, consider enlarging an existing window or even installing a new window. Research your ambient and task lighting options carefully and get recommendations from your designer or builder. Whatever you choose, don’t skimp on lighting!

Your home office should provide space to focus and maximize your productivity. It should also be a place you are comfortable spending time in. As experts in Massachusetts premier home remodeling and additions, we will design a functional home office space that meets your requirements and your budget. Contact us for a consultation.

When It Comes to Kitchen Counters, Granite Is Tops

December 3, 20150

For your kitchen remodel, consider granite.

Consider granite for your kitchen remodel.

As you begin your kitchen remodel in Weston, you need to think about new fixtures, cabinets, appliances, flooring and much more. When it comes to your kitchen counters, Weston home improvement contractors recommend going with granite as long as it fits within your budget. This is because granite is one of the most versatile and beautiful options for your kitchen.

Durability

One of the biggest reasons granite is the top choice of any southeastern MA kitchen remodeling contractor is its durability, which is unmatched by any other countertop material. Granite is extremely resilient, which means it resists heat, etching and stains. This means you can complete all of your food prep right on the surface of the granite without concern over excessive wear. It is also easy to clean. In most cases, all you need is some hot water and a mild cleanser designed for natural stone to remove any dirt or residue from the surface. However, it’s still necessary to clean up spills as quickly as possible and take the right steps to protect the surface.

A Variety of Options

Granite is a beautiful stone that comes in a variety of colors. During your kitchen remodel in Weston, your contractor will likely show you samples of the different granite available so you can make the right choice to go with the rest of your kitchen components. You can also choose from a variety of finishes to complete the look, including polished, flamed, brushed or honed. While polished is the most popular choice due to its shine, more homeowners are choosing a smooth honed finish that results in less shine. Be sure to talk to your contractor about the pros and cons of each choice.

Ask your kitchen remodeling contractor about using granite.

Your kitchen remodeling contractor can tell you about the benefits of granite.

A Lasting Investment

Whether you’re remodeling your kitchen in the hopes of selling someday soon or the idea of selling your home isn’t even on the radar, it’s important to realize adding granite countertops can have monetary benefits as well. When individuals see a home has granite countertops, they are more likely to bid higher. This is due to the attraction of this surface and its longevity. Even if you aren’t interested in selling in the near future, it will increase the value of your home, which can be beneficial for other reasons.

Weston home improvement contractors can help you make the best decisions to create the kitchen of your dreams. With all the countertop options available, it’s important to make sure you know which ones will provide the end result you want. With the help of experienced professionals, you will quickly see granite is one of your best choices as long as it fits within your budget.

If you’re looking for a southeastern MA kitchen remodeling contractor, contact us. We can provide the guidance you need to help you select the right options for your new kitchen countertops.

Flooring Options for Your Eastern MA Basement Remodel

December 1, 20150

Choose the right flooring with the help of home improvement contractors.

Home improvement contractors can help you choose the right flooring for your basement.

Your basement can be an untapped resource that beautifully transforms into usable space. When you hire home improvement contractors in Wellesley for your eastern MA basement remodel, you will have a lot of choices to make. One of the most critical decisions you must make is the flooring. This is because many traditional flooring options aren’t ideal for the basement due to moisture and other issues.

Keep the Concrete

If you look at images of room additions before and after in Wellesley and the surrounding areas, you may notice that many of them use the concrete already found in most basements. If you are planning to use the space for a child’s play area or for a workshop, concrete is easy to clean. However, instead of leaving the concrete bare, consider applying an anti-slip coating or an epoxy to help keep the surface clean and safe.

Vinyl Flooring

If you want to add flooring, either for decoration or functionality, vinyl flooring can be the perfect solution. Not only is vinyl more affordable than many other basement flooring choices, but it is also durable. In fact, it is one of the most waterproof options, which is ideal if your basement has a tendency to flood. This flooring is available in a variety of styles and colors so you can find a look that creates the basement you’ve always envisioned.

Choose the right flooring for your basement remodel.

The right flooring can make your basement remodel shine.

Ceramic or Porcelain Tile

Another waterproof option for the basement is ceramic and porcelain tile. However, these tiles are more expensive than other options, which will increase the overall cost of your eastern MA basement remodel. These tiles are also available in a variety of sizes, styles and colors so you can choose what your room will look like as an end result. Talk to your home improvement contractors to determine which option may be right for you.

Carpeting

If you need to add a little warmth to your basement, carpeting can be a good choice, but you have to make sure your home improvement contractors in Wellesley know how to install it properly. It isn’t the same as installing it on your main floors. Due to the moisture in the basement, it’s important to use a special barrier between the concrete and the carpeting to prevent the development of mold and mildew. You should also choose nylon or other durable carpeting option, such as indoor/outdoor carpeting, to ensure it lasts and doesn’t become easily damaged.

As you look at pictures of room additions before and after in Wellesley and the surrounding areas, you will see many amazing transformations in basements. While there are many decisions you need to make, the flooring is an important one most people give little thought to. With the help of your basement remodeling contractors, you will find this decision is much easier.

If you’re planning a basement remodel and need home improvement contractors in Wellesley, contact us. We can provide the guidance you need to transform your basement into livable space.

Don’t Make These Common Mistakes with Your Custom Built Floor Plan

November 26, 20150

Put plenty of details into your custom built floor plan.

A custom built floor plan requires plenty of details.

One would think a custom built floor plan would provide all the amenities and comforts needed in a dream home. However, many homeowners overlook important aspects that end up being more costly to remedy after all is said and done. Make sure you don’t make these common mistakes when designing and building your custom home.

The Devil Is in the Details

The myriad of details involved in a custom built home begin with the correct positioning of your home on the lot. From there, the details seem endless. If you were thinking of acting as your general contractor, you might want to reconsider. Hiring a southeastern MA home improvement contractor will save you endless hours of frustration involved in orchestrating your entire project. They can guide you through the maze of building stages, schedules and material selections – and that alone will keep you busy!

Your Budget – Expected the Unexpected

You need to have realistic funding expectations based on diligent research of all associated costs. However, no matter how carefully you think you’ve priced out your entire project, plan for the unexpected. An HVAC system you once thought was adequate may need to be upgraded. Additionally, building materials and fixtures may have gone up in price since you started your project. Rarely has a homeowner come in under budget with their custom built floor plan.

Your home improvement contractor can help you plan.

Talk to your home improvement contractor about your plan.

Timing Is Everything

You also need to be realistic about the estimated completion date. A custom built home can reasonably take six months or longer due to unplanned events, such as inclement weather and material delivery delays. In fact, plan on spending additional time in your current location to avoid having to find interim housing and the hassle of an additional move.

Less Is Not Always More

Keep in mind when it comes to the following factors, it may pay off to plan for more than you anticipate needing.

Storage. A home with empty closets is a rarity so factor in additional closet space when planning storage for your custom home. A professional builder can also recommend underutilized areas in your home as other options for storage.
Lighting. There’s nothing worse than realizing your dream home lacks enough illumination. Make sure your design includes adequate windows and skylights for optimal natural lighting throughout your home.
HVAC. Large custom homes often require multiple units to ensure a comfortable and consistent temperature is maintained throughout the home. Southeastern MA home improvement contractors know how to plan the most energy efficient heating and cooling system for homes in this area.
Plan for the Unplanned. Let’s say your initial plan was for a four bedroom home with a game room and you’ve since changed to three bedrooms. Consider adding a bathroom near the game room in case the situation arises where you need to convert it to a guest room. This kind of planning gives you more options for the unexpected future,

Interested in custom built floor plans in Needham and the surrounding towns? Contact us to learn about our unique Design Build System. We bring our expertise in design, engineering, project management and construction to handle all aspects of designing and building your custom home.