Did you know if you paint the rooms in your home in colors that “you” would normally wear it will look better to you and you will feel better in the room?

It’s true. Unfortunately if you and your spouse have two very different color forecasts you have to choose carefully.

It’s really nice when a home’s exterior reflects what will be happening on the interior. This is true of paint as well as layout. We are so fortunate to have the technology we do today in paint. We have available today a plethora of colors with several finishes. You can choose between oil paint, latex, low VOC which is so popular today because it’s better for your health and for the environment. And neutrals that are NOT just black, white or builder beige. Many greens, khakis and some taupes can fall into a neutral category but still give you a warm feeling.

This home has a color scheme of khaki along with golds. This is going to look wonderful with the cherry colored cabinets and the black countertops. Bronze hardware on the cabinets compliments the Bronze in the ceiling light fixtures. It’s really starting to look like home now!

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Now things are moving along- drywall is being hung and finished. This is when wallpaper should be removed if needed. I remember a time we were working on a house built in 1856 there were FIVE layers of wallpaper. It is so much easier if each layer is removed before another layer is installed. Yes, I know you CAN hang paper over paper and you CAN paint over paper but, just because you CAN doesn’t mean you SHOULD. With that being said, we have a budget to work with and the wallpaper is staying.

Selections are being made for flooring, cabinets, countertops and light fixtures. Paint selections for the interior are being made as well.

At this point plumbers, electricians and HVAC have their rough in completed.

Time for a good cleaning. You know this is the “guys” favorite part of the project.

Well, sometimes things just don’t pan out the way you would like.

There wasn’t any pocket door in the wall. No evidence of a third window in the bay area like we suspected. And sad but not least, funds are not available to open that dining room door like we had hoped. But, at least they thought it was a great idea. I guess that leaves somethng for the next owner to do. Several disappointments but time to move on.

Everybody has a budget or maximum they have allocated for a project. A wise person will look at their estimate then add 10-20% for overages.

This is what we call the “may as well disease”. You know, I’m having siding put on the house, I may as well insulate it first so I can do it from the exterior.

Click here to view pictures of the house as we complete the work.

Any home of this age usually has had multiple owners. Each one had their own needs and desires. Therefore walls have been added that weren’t there originally. We will be removing some of these. A doorway will be closed off here and there. Old vinyl and carpet floor coverings will be removed. The existing cabinets and appliances will be removed and disposed of.

At this point we make suggestions. A previous owner had built a 3/4 bath in what would have been the Butler’s pantry. Thankfully they left the original door to the dining room intact. However, the shower is on the other side of it. We would like to remove the shower and open that door utilizing a portion of the original Butler’s Pantry. We can keep the powder room which would allow for a water closet on the main floor.

Along with these thoughts we’d also like to remove what was a dumb waiter cavity. The chimney which will no longer be in use could be removed below the attic floor saving the architechtural integrity of the home while also allowing for a larger better designed kitchen area.

In doing this we could also restore an original porch as well as a bookcase. Sounds expensive! But you don’t know if you don’t ask.

Click here to view pictures of the house as we complete the work.

After repairing the cedar siding and insulating the walls the windows will need to be addressed. Sometimes they are replaced with a historical single pane wood window (look alike). Sometimes they are repaired. Other applications we just add storm windows. Every project is different. But if they are wood, they must be painted.

The uplifting 5 color paint scheme on the exterior breaks up this mini mansion. A bright cheerful lemon color on the upper portion with a soothing soft lemon on the lower portion makes you energized when you gaze upon it. It’s like standing in the sun on an absolutely gorgeous day. The white accents on the ribbon board, railing and corners bring everything into balance. It also prevents the yellow from becoming over-powering. A duo of greens on the porch and foundation reminds us of “mother earth”. It just makes you want to run inside and say, “Honey, I’m home”.

Click here to view pictures of the house as we complete the work.

Well, we are at our featured home again today. It doesn’t make much sense to go into a large project like this without first insulating for energy efficiency. One of the worst elements about an older home is that there isn’t any insulation. We’ve been watching this for years. An old home, some of them historically significant, goes on the market. The proud happy homeowner purchase and move in. They clean it up, spruce it up, perform a lot of cosmetics to personalize it into “their” home and then it happens. Winter comes and with it, heating bills, then they either sell it, divide it into apartments or our preference, make it more energy efficient.

Generally when they divide a home into multiple units little respect and thought are given to the character of the home. It’s physical attributes get ignored. Moldings get divided in half because at first glance it seems the best place to put a wall.

Sometimes there are better ways, but you need someone to think outside the box. This is where a good designer or draftsman can be the best asset a homeowner has.

Click here to view pictures of the house as we complete the work.

One of the projects we are currently working on is a home built approximately 1850. It is very charming. Most of the original woodwork remains and thankfully has not been painted. It’s a beautiful, warm, inviting, open space. I can picture a large family living here. There’s even a small room that could be an office (an escape, a getaway) to just enjoy some tranquility without the children or to attend to the family finances.

In 1999 it received a Preservation award from the City of Rock Island, Il. It appears to have been for the exterior because parts of the interior are pretty rough. But that’s alright. That is why we are here, to give it big dose of tender loving care.

Like a diamond before it is cut and shaped and polished to bring out it’s greatest attributes, we enjoy bringing out the best quality in a home. We don’t own this home, if we did there would be parts of the project that would be approached differently. Everybody has a budget and we have to work within that parameter.

We are looking foward to watching it “unfold” as a sparkling “Gem”.

Click here to view pictures of the house as we complete the work.

What would you like to portray?

Are you looking to paint a room, all your rooms, the exterior? What impression do you want people to have when they look at your home? Color evokes many emotions in each and every one of us. Think about the emotion you want your guests to feel when they come into your home, living room, kitchen, even the bedroom. Here are a few messages that color can communicate:

White: innocence, purity, reverence, safety (in several Eastern Cultures it represents death)
Black: Death, mystery, Power, Elegance
Brown: Earth, Home
Pink: Gratitude
Violet: Royalty, wealth, power
Blue: Peace, faithfulness, tranquility, the ocean
Green: Nature, hope, luck, fertility (can also evoke jealousy)
Yellow: Joy, positive feeling
Orange: energy, enthusiasm, excitement, adventure
Red: love, beauty, blood, the heart, heat

In a room with a northern exposure where it’s typically cooler, using a warm color on the walls and in the overall decorations can actually make you feel warmer.

     Remodeling your house not only makes your house a more enjoyable place to live, but you are also increasing the value of your investment. When you perform any kind of construction or remodel job on your house you will recoup some of the costs for the work being performed. Below is a list of the most common jobs and the amount of return you can expect to earn when you decide to refinance or sell.

From the softest peach to the largest moon, orange is  a color that grabs your attention.  It is flowing with energy, warm and vibrant.  Even in the palest tone, it’s impossible to make orange a cool color.

It will range from mango, coral, salmon, apricot, tangerine and mandarin.  Orange is associated with harvest time.  There’s nothing quite like the feeling it evokes on a sunny fall day when you look at the trees with their red, gold and orange leaves.  It’s intensely earthy and soothing to the soul.

Food packages are often made in orange-to get your attention.  Paint your dining room orange and watch appetites increase.  Oranges and orange blossoms are symbols of love.  German suitors sent oranges instead of flowers.  French brides wore orange blossoms in their hair to represent fruitfulness.

If orange is your favorite color you are enthusiastic, work hard, play hard, have a great sense of humor, are good natured, extroverted, determined, more agreeable than agressive, always looking for adventure, motivating and make perfect sales people.