Thinking about outdoor living

With the warm spring weather we're having in New England, it won't be long before we're spending long evenings outdoors on our decks. This week I attended a day-long deck seminar at Concord Lumber where I learned about new decking products, techniques, code considerations and design ideas from TimberTech and AZEK.

Here's a homeowner's resource I learned about: You can download free deck designs from Decks.com. Close to 100 different style decks, many of which are available in different sizes. This is a helpful way to begin visualizing a new deck. Plans include material lists, too.

Updating a 1970's Concord Colonial - Opening up Living Spaces

Custom built-in bar next to new solarium

This 1970’s colonial home is owned by an older professional couple juggling demanding careers and committed to aging in place.  They wanted to improve the kitchen-family room connection, create beautiful spaces in which to read and write, and to better utilize an existing screen porch.    

Porch before

For this project, Hands-On Construction converted the porch to a year-round solarium, updated family room finishes and created large openings between the solarium, family room and existing kitchen. 

Family room fireplace / New painted wood trim

We converted the family room brick fireplace to gas and added a beautiful a wood mantle and granite hearth. We provided custom painted wood built-ins on three walls to house a media center, bar and some of the couple’s extensive book collection. And we replaced existing barn board wainscoting and dark beams with a painted wood trim package that was a better fit to the classic elegance of their home. New carpet, paint and wallpaper finished the transformation.

New solarium overlooks wooded lot

Engineered beams and walls in the new solarium allow for a vaulted ceiling and oversized windows.  Old-fashioned bubble style skylights were replaced in the low-pitch roofing.  Stucco hid exterior insulation applied over the poured concrete slab to preserve the slate floor.  A zoned ductless AC and baseboard heating system improved homeowners' comfort.  And a larger landing and new stair improved access to the patio and wooded back yard. 

Some of the other improvements we made ---

• We installed a french door between family room and kitchen to allow for some sound separation during tv viewing
• Better situated lighting for aging eyes and reading
• In the media center, our consultant designed for a one touch controller
• We maximized the homeowners' views of a lovely, private, wooded lot
• Construction Details:



Solarium looking into kitchen

• We called in a structural consultant for the beam
• Installed flashing detail for exterior insulation
• Used split wood shutters so top half is operable above furniture
• Made extensive roof-siding-trim repairs to make the building shell weather-tight and provide ice-dam protection

Architect: Rick Eifler

Designer: Merill Comeau

Photography: Mori Insinger

Top trends in bathroom remodeling



The Envi™ Eco-Performance ($50-$80) showerhead’s Fibonacci-inspired, spiral-shaped nozzle pattern provides full-body coverage. Image: Moen

Houselogic recently highlighted three top trends for bathroom remodeling in 2012: Conservation, Technology Innovations and Safety for an aging population.  While some of the examples are pricey and frankly excessive (do you really NEED a TV built into your medicine cabinet? Or an iPod dock on the commode?), some of these are worth a closer look.

In the area of conservation, we like the reminder to look for the WaterSense label on toilets, showerheads and faucets.  With the increasing demand and higher cost for water usage, it's important to install plumbing products that offer at least 20% water savings over those products that just meet code.  A high-efficiency toilet can shave your annual water bill by more than $90 while a low-flow shower head can save you another $150.

Many of our clients who have recently done bathroom remodels are deciding to add safety features that will allow them to comfortably age in place in their current homes.  Some of the universal design features we've included in our bath remodel projects include 

• framing for grab bars that can be installed now or later
• a curbless shower that has no lip at the floor and can be accessed by those using a wheelchair or other mobility device
• hand-held shower heads, also great water savers, and shower benches which allow for a seated shower or an extra surface to rest bath products or a foot
• taller toilets with soft-close lids

Increase in residential construction spending

Good News

Spending on residential construction projects nationwide has increased in each of the last six months, according to Census Bureau numbers reported by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). We are seeing this trend closer to home where the Concord building department is ahead of last year's record setting pace for number of building permits issued. Employment is rising, retail sales climbing, and mortgage rates are at a record-low.