Exterior Upgrades for This Maple Glen Home

March 29, 2023 No Comments

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

February 17, 2023 No Comments

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

January 20, 2023 No Comments

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.

A Montgomery County Home Gets New Luxury Vinyl Flooring

December 22, 2022 No Comments

At Creative Contracting, we enjoyed bringing our client’s dreams to reality by helping her see the potential in her downsized home. This once-outdated 1970s-era sunroom has been brought back to life with just a few simple upgrades.

Painting the beautiful original exposed wood beams in a fresh coat of white created a much-needed open and airy feel to the space. The windows and trim were painted white to match, while the deep gray color on the walls added a modern contrast. To complete this room, we installed LVF or Luxury Vinyl Flooring, which is a very popular material for high-traffic areas. This floor has so many great qualities that homeowners love.

Here are four features of LVF flooring that we believe every client should consider as a part of their home remodel:

Durable

LVF or Luxury Vinyl Flooring is an extremely popular choice for busy family living. Both scratch resistant and waterproof, it can be used in virtually any living area and is practically impervious to pets and children, wear and tear.

Beautiful

This material is almost indistinguishable from real hardwood floors. The next generation of graphic design and printers allow LVF to be manufactured to showcase the amazing realistic textures and designs of natural wood or stone through advanced technology.

Affordable

This is not a vinyl sheet product. It consists of planks in varying lengths or tiles that can be installed with ease. It is often a floating surface, meaning the pieces fit together without being nailed or glued to a sub floor. The labor savings on installation is a huge cost reduction over traditional hardwood or tile.

Comfortable

In addition to LVF being super durable, it has other added benefits depending on its construction. Some LVFs are made with a core that can lessen noise. Some have a core with more resilience that helps reduce joint stress when standing for extended periods. LVF also provides a level of insulation and warmth.

Creative Contracting Will Guide You Through Your LVF Choices

We were excited to help our Montgomery County client choose the right flooring throughout her home, especially for this wonderful sunroom addition. Choose a Luxury Vinyl Floor option that is right for your remodel by contacting Creative Contracting today.

Lower Gwynedd Kitchen and Outdoor Remodel Made for Entertaining

September 30, 2022 No Comments

Our Lower Gwynedd clients wanted to give their circa-1980s kitchen a modern feel and to make it more functional and inviting. This was a fun project for us that also included opening up the eat-in area to include a picturesque bump-out that connects the space to the new outdoor living addition we constructed.

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Wainscoting 101

September 20, 2022 No Comments

Kitchen Remodel wainscoting in red kitchen. Vertical panels

Reflect with us on a project we’ve done for a previous client. The high ceilings, big windows, and wainscoting work helps elevate your space to the next level!

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Three Necessities for an Attic Renovation

August 11, 2021 No Comments

Is your house bursting at the seams? Do you feel like no matter what you do there just isn’t enough room for everything? Feeling like you are living on top of each other, and you just can’t take it anymore? If the answer is yes, look up to the attic!

If you have an unfinished attic, you are one step closer to having a home that works with you, not against you. Attic spaces already have the basics – a floor, walls, and roof. With a little creativity, your attic can become that playroom, extra bedroom, home office, gym, or hobby room of your dreams!

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Kitchen Remodel Ideas

May 29, 2020 No Comments

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.

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

February 21, 2014 No Comments

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.

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.

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

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

Where to Begin?

February 18, 2014 No Comments

When beginning a remodeling process the decisions about how to approach your personal style may be overwhelming. I use many tools to help my clients find the palette and design which merges what they like with how it will meet their remodeling needs.

If you are at the initial stages of planning your remodel it is incredibly helpful to the designer to have some samples of things you like. Sometimes these are pictures of rooms that appeal to you; sometimes they can even be a more inspirational piece. I had one client who used a handmade pottery vase as an inspiration for her kitchen design. The color and subtle texture, the curves and softness of its shape, where all features we used to choose cabinet style, fixtures, hardware, countertops and tile. One of my favorite tools is the website Houzz. There the clients and I can create idea books and share pictures of specific things we like. It is wonderful to use for initial inspiration through the final design details.

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/10854056/thumbs/Asian-Inspired-Bathrooms

Attached are some samples of ideas from Houzz for an Asian style bathroom for a couple who live in Doylestown. We used these pictures as inspiration for their design. After meticulous planning we worked together to design a bathroom that was an award winner for Creative Contracting at the Bucks-Mont NARI 2014 Contractor of the Year awards ceremony. Look for pictures and a description of their project in our next newsletter.

Please visit us at the Philadelphia Home Show this weekend at the Oaks Convention Center. We would love to see you! If you need tickets -give us a call.

Indoor Gardening.

January 28, 2014 No Comments

Winter is a good time to focus a little time and energy on indoor gardening. As someone, who lacks the ability to keep houseplants flourishing – I look for low maintenance ideas. Terrariums have become my new winter garden of choice. I can decorate them, they need little maintenance and they’re a great table top accessory. The choice of containers for small plantings is endless and garden stores carry a wide variety of tiny artful ways to enhance and personalize garden scapes. For the best results, create a base for your terrarium with small stones layered with a thin layer of charcoal to help keep the soil fresh. Add some good quality potting soil and then start planting! Many garden stores are carrying miniature plants perfect for terrariums. Plants can grow quickly and overpower the container – so I tend to replant seasonally or use slow growing plants and moss. I replace flowering plants when they are finished flowering.

This is a picture of my fall terrarium.

Terrariums come in a wide variety of styles – express your creativity and add a little greenery to this dreary time of year! I know I’m looking forward to updating my terrarium with some early springtime bulbs.

Re-think your Re-model with RE-FACING

January 23, 2014 No Comments

Have you been looking at your kitchen, telling yourself it’s time for a change? Before you start considering a complete remodel, ask yourself these three questions and see if there is an alternative option:

Let me preface this question with this statement “Everyone could always use more storage space”. That being said, is your kitchen functional in terms of layout and space?
Are your appliances fairly new and in working order?
Is budget one of the major reasons holding you back from solving this problem?

If you answered ‘Yes’ to the three questions above, you will probably be interested in reading the rest of this blog. If Creative Contracting could give your kitchen a brand new look, save you about half the cost of a complete kitchen remodel and have it done in more than half the time, would you consider calling us to see what can be done to your dated and tired kitchen?

Cabinet Re-facing is a great option to giving your kitchen a new look and saving your bank account from going into cardiac arrest. We would not have to disconnect or relocate your appliances, which means you still have a functional kitchen throughout the process.

Take a look below at a few great examples of what Re-facing can do for a dated kitchen. If you would be interested in exploring this option, give us a call today.

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