Exterior Upgrades for This Maple Glen Home

Have you ever had the feeling that your home needs a refresh and an upgrade? That’s just what our Maple Glen clients were thinking when they reached out to us. The homeowners shared with us their desire to create a new look for their all-stucco exterior to create a modern style.

What Is Stucco?

Stucco is a cement-type mixture made of Portland cement, lime, sand and water. It goes on the outermost layer of residential structures and is set to a thin finish coat. Stucco has been a popular exterior finish for many years, but it has its limitations. Due to its brittle nature, stucco will crack as a house’s foundation settles, which can be a pain point for homeowners.

A Stone and Siding Façade Gives Instant Curb Appeal

The exterior of the house had been entirely stucco, but the homeowners knew the problems stucco could cause to the home. Many homeowners, however, are unaware of the risks stucco poses to the structure and durability of a home. Stucco is known to cause water infiltration, encouraging the growth of mold and rot in the underlying structure. We always encourage clients to move away from stucco and replace it with more durable materials that will protect their family’s health and investment in the property.

As you can see from the before and after photos, the switch to stone and siding for their home wasn’t just practical, it also provided a major update and created a polished feel to the exterior. Our clients have found that upgrading to stone and vinyl siding has been a smart investment that not only improved the appearance of their home but also increased its value and reduced maintenance costs.

Since it’s common to have to undergo a stucco remediation process prior to selling a home, our clients were happy to get this upgrade taken care of. Once moisture gets into stucco exteriors, problems multiply. This is a complication any homeowner would want to avoid when they’re ready to sell their home for its full value.

Call Creative Contracting For Your Home’s Makeover, Inside and Out

If you’re worried about your home’s stucco, give us a call. We can help with stucco remediation, and exterior upgrades to prevent minor problems before they become major concerns.

How This Couple Went From Chaos to Calm With a Newly Redesigned Laundry Room

Do you love your laundry room? That was the question we asked our Lower Gwynedd clients when we began their first-floor renovation. Sara and Craig put extreme effort into designing a beautiful and functional laundry room when updating their home. The room has a simple, yet dramatic black-and-white color scheme, wainscoting for architectural detail, heavy black hooks for outerwear and bags, and a full-view back door that provides natural light and easy access to the backyard.

When Style and Functionality Meet

When style and functionality meet, it creates a balance between aesthetic and practicality, resulting in a finished product that looks amazing and serves its intended purpose effectively. And since the laundry room is often considered the hardest working room in the home, the design must be durable and timeless. 

Puppy Approved

This laundry room is equipped with storage, folding space and a hanging rod. It features a no-fuss stainless steel sink and leathered granite for easy cleaning. The room has black fixtures and hardware that contrast the white cabinetry and soft gray walls. The ceramic tile floors and stock cabinetry are cost-effective selections without compromising a gorgeous farm-style design. Additionally, the sink in the room is used to wash off the couple’s Cavachon puppy after muddy playtime in the backyard.

Redesign Your Laundry Room With the Help of Creative Contracting

The laundry room is often subjugated to “closed door” status. Don’t let that be the case in your home. Contact Creative Contracting today to get started on a stylish and functional space you’ll love to show off.

A Montgomery County Kitchen Gets a Light and Airy Remodel 

When our clients began their kitchen remodel journey with us, they knew they wanted a light and airy welcoming space with room for their family to gather. What they didn’t realize was that once they decided on the design, finalized the budget and agreed upon a timeline, they thought they’d gotten over the biggest hurdles. But then reality set in and decisions needed to be made on cabinets, hardware, and appliances —and the possibilities seemed endless and overwhelming. 

Decisions, Decisions

The homeowners painstakingly weighed every decision to create a beautifully designed kitchen. Refreshing traditional red oak floors were lightened to remove golden undertones, creating a lighter shade that coordinates beautifully with the neutral white oak island. We were able to expand the white oak through the space with custom shelving, an accent file folder and charging storage cabinet, and a new mantle in the adjoining family room.

A light wood table, chairs and bar seating continue the feeling of soft neutrality. Namibian white quartzite and white glossy tile with a handcrafted look, add a subtle, soft texture to the space. This neutral backdrop allows the beautiful Brizo luxe gold faucets to pop. The cabinet hardware echoes the intricate knurling of the faucet design. In this case, thinking of hardware as a jewelry accessory for the kitchen makes perfect sense.

Gold Highlights Create a Vibrant Kitchen

Light fixtures add vibrancy to the gold highlights and paned glass doors in the upper cabinetry supply ambient light, creating a soft glow. All lighting is on dimmers, so it’s easy to create the desired atmosphere at any time of the day. This gorgeous, subtly neutral kitchen is easy to accessorize with pops of color and natural greenery.

The additional set of windows flanking the original French doors to the backyard change the entire feel of the space and offer a beautiful view of the lovely patio and provide more natural light.

Creative Contracting Can Transform Your Kitchen

We love working with clients who are completely involved in their projects. Working closely to create a successful and satisfying kitchen design is extremely important and rewarding. Ready to lighten up your kitchen? Get started today.

Kitchen Remodel Ideas

There are so many options to consider when planning a kitchen remodel, that it is often overwhelming to think about beginning the process. To avoid getting mired in all of the details, it is best to use the services of an experienced kitchen remodel designer. But before you take that step, there is some research that you can do to help make the process as seamless as possible.

Creative Contracting Kitchen
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Thinking of Summer helps with Winter. But don’t overlook SPRING

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It’s cold, it won’t stop snowing and everyone is just a tad irritable. If you weren’t able to make a snow-bird trip to some place warm and relaxing this winter, spring can’t come soon enough. Even if you were fortunate to get away somewhere warm and sunny, you’re back in the cold and probably can’t wait for spring to come either.

Some people will sit behind their desk and daydream about that perfect BBQ party in 80 degree and sunny weather realizing that there is work that needs be done before that dream comes true. Then your boss walks into your office, daydream over!

Spring is a great time to prioritize some of your home’s remodeling needs and get it ready for the summer months. Don’t wait until summer to realize you waited too long.

Creative Contracting Inc. looks forward to the opportunity in helping you complete these projects.

Reasons to remodel in the Spring:

1. OPEN THE WINDOWS (for two reasons): The first, dust is inevitable. Setting fans up in the open windows gives a place for the dust to go. The second, it can give you a place to go. Living through a renovation can be tough. Having the ability to go outside and escape can be a treat.

2. ENJOY THE SUMMER MONTHS: Too often people wait too long to start their projects and they are not done by the time they had hoped. It’s opposite of the ‘Better Late Than Never’ mentality. Get the project done before summer is here so you can show it off and enjoy the finished product.

3. TAX RETURNS: This topic probably doesn’t need an explanation, but it is a legitimate reason for a large number of spring remodeling projects.

Popular projects completed in the Spring:

1. Kitchens: Hosting those summer parties means prepping and having friends and families over. You deserve a new and beautiful kitchen that you can be proud of to get everything ready for the party and show off.

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http://www.houzz.com/photos/5372491/A-Pristine-Paradise-tropical-kitchen-hawaii

2. Porches and Sunrooms: Enjoying the outside and not fighting the bugs or rain. Seems like a win, win to me.

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http://www.houzz.com/photos/3586822/Renovation—Senoia-Farmhouse-farmhouse-porch-atlanta

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http://www.houzz.com/photos/2363093/Porch-Bed-Swing-contemporary-porch-other-metro