Your Neighborhood Remodeler Is a Large
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1. Established in 1990 Volume 43 December 2014 Your Neighborhood Remodeler Is a Large Scale Renovation Addition Right for You ou like your neighbors You like the community including the schools It s a good commute to work But while you re attached to your home in many ways it needs major work What do you do move or stay where you are And if you stay where you are do you tear down the house and build a new one from scratch or renovate what you ve already got Many homeowners come to the point where they re facing that last issue the choice be tween a tear down and a large scale renovation addition Often times it s not any easy deci sion to make At Custom Contracting we ve worked with several homeowners who concluded that a large scale renovation addition made sense Here s some perspective behind their thinking Custom Contracting Inc serving you since 1990 www custom contracting com Weighing the Costs As you can imagine making major renovations generally costs a lot less than tearing down an existing structure and rebuilding And with that investment you can make signifcant enhancements For example e Taking down walls and Opening up spaces e Adding new living space e Reconfiguring the layout e Upgrading the electricity plumbing HVAC etc e Improving the energy efficiency It s also worth noting that renovations are usually more eco friendly2. e Converting a Cape to a colonial with a full walk up attic e Finishing the basement and updating the bedrooms e Adding a new family room with a master suite above it As you work through the various options Custom can provide valu able assistance in terms of estimating budget evaluating alternative solutions and much more www custom contracting com Understanding Possible Roadblocks Depending on the community in which you live external factors may eliminate a tear down from consideration For instance if you live in an officially designated historic home or historic dis trict you may be prohibited from tearing down the structure And if you don t live in a historic home zoning issues building codes and conservation issues may present the same limitation Of course some of these factors may impact a large scale renova tion addition too For example the following clause applies to Arlington homes designated as historical If you are proposing exterior changes to your house that affect more than 25 percent of a front or side elevation then the town by law requires that the Historical Com mission review your plans in a public hearing Again Custom is here to help you navigate possible roadblocks like these In addition we have the project management expe rience that s essential in successfully completing a large scale renovation addition this issue s Management Memo has more thoughts on that topic N
3. because they don t require as much lumber and other materials After running the numbers Arlington s Mark Druy and Johanna Rothman featured in this issue s Client Spotlight found a large scale renovation was clearly the way to go The Lemieux Wolfe home before The Lemieux Wolfe home after The house we bought which Custom subse quently renovated had enough for us to work with says Mark This was a more logical path for us than tearing down what was a per fectly good structure and then paying for de molition removal and new construction Why not take something with good potential and make it work for you and what you need Custom clients Carrie Lemieux and Richard Wolfe considered buying another home be cause they needed more space for their grow ing family They wanted to stay in their neigh borhood but few homes were on the market And those homes that were available they felt were either too big or overpriced because of the extensive renovations needed Continued on page 2 Design Build Remodeling Volume 43 December 2014 Management Memo Qualified for the Big Projects As you can tell large scale home renovations are the theme of this issue of our newsletter We d like to take this opportuni ty to explain why Custom is particularly well quali fied to handle this size of a project First and foremost expe rience really matters And Custom has been remodel
4. ing area homes for nearly 25 years Our experience comes into play in countless ways President Bill Farnsworth general manager Scott Blain For example we can walk you through all the important questions you should be considering What are your key goals How do you prioritize these goals How long do you plan to live in the home Answering ques tions like these can shed light on what type of remodeling solution is right for you Or perhaps whether you re better off selling the house and moving instead Budget is another important factor to weigh Having completed hundreds of remodeling projects since 1990 we can call on historical data to give you quick accurate estimates of what various types of work will cost That means fewer surprises in the form of additional costs once the project is underway Experience and a Great Team If you choose to proceed with a large scale renovation addition our experience continues to be useful Both president Bill Farnsworth and general manager Scott Blain are skilled in drawing up project plans sometimes eliminating the need to hire an architect as the homeown ers in this issue s Client Spotlight discovered Our in house design expertise is another valuable asset as we can guide you through kitchen and bath layout and cabinet and countertop selections On that note we re also a direct supplier of two kitchen and bath cabinet lines allowing for one stop shopping Our Certi f
5. and dad want space of their own carving out a master suite might help e Does aging in place appeal to you It may be time to start thinking about options that will bring you through retirement without sacrific ing style or function e Do you consider the bath to be a sanctuary Soaking tubs air jets aromatherapy and a walk in shower with multiple showerheads might all be considerations e Is the bath not up to par with the rest of the home Perhaps an update will bring everything in line At Custom we have almost 25 years of experience understanding what homeowners want and working through the design elements of kitchen and bath projects Our in house design capabilities and the fact that we re a direct dealer for two cabinet lines give us the ability to design the kitchen and or bath of your dreams within a realistic budget Kitchen amp Bath Tidbits Dishwasher Cleaning Maintenance Ever feel like your dishwasher just isn t cleaning like it used to Finding residue after a wash We found some great DIY tips at www homerepairtutor com Take a moment to visit the site and check out photos video too e Remove and unclog spray arms Refer to your user manual or look online for tips on removing Once removed use picture wire or pipe cleaners like dental floss to clean out the holes e Soak the spray arms in white vinegar to remove soap and scale buildup e Clean the inside of the dishwasher Check the bottom f
6. assed the exam He received his official certification at a NARI meeting in September Golfing for a Good Cause Custom s Bill Farnsworth Scott Blain and Elena Bartholomew took part in the 17th an nual Eastern Massachusetts NARI Golf Tour nament in September The event which also featured a raffle and auction raised funds for the EM NARI Scholarship Program Design Build Remodeling
7. c You could tell it was concrete but it was the only option out there Then awhile back companies started making thin stone veneer This in volves taking a natural thick stone and slicing about an inch off the face of it You can use stone veneer as a surface covering on a variety of surfaces inside or outside A lot of homeowners like the look of stone veneer it s real after all and it s available from more and more outlets Cultured stone costs a lot less per square foot and it s still popular in commercial building But on the residential side we re pretty much just laying stone veneer these days Bigger Tiles Manufacturers seem to have the technology to make tiles much bigger than before You can even find tile panels that are 4 by 8 And home owners are responding positively You might think that larger tiles make life easier for someone like me But in fact they make my job harder The reason is it takes a lot of prep work to make the substrate which you lay the tile on flat and even Not getting the substrate right makes the job a nightmare From the homeowner s perspective larger tiles mean fewer grout lines That means less upkeep Though it s worth noting that grout technology has come a long way Traditionally grout has been cement based But we re seeing epoxy and urethane grouts that are much less susceptible to discoloration and staining Epoxy and urethane are
8. eFelice and lead carpenter Dave Surrette Nikki played a major role in designing the new kitchen We worked with Nikki through several iterations of the kitchen and she had really great ideas says Mark If we didn t like something she suggested she d adapt She wasn t stuck on designing the kitchen she wanted to design She listened to us to design the kitchen we wanted As for Dave he was onsite every working day for about five months so Mark and Johanna got to know him well He was fantastic says Mark Nothing was ever a problem and he never showed any signs of stress If anything came up he took care of it right away And he has an excellent crew around him too Having moved in to the home in June Mark and Johanna are settling in and enjoying their life in a different part of Arlington We couldn t be more pleased not only with the outcome but also the process of work ing with Custom says Mark Everyone within that organiza tion is just first rate www custom contracting com Design Build Remodeling Volume 43 December 2014 News from Custom Contracting s Kitchen amp Bath Design Center We are a full service design build remodeling company that designs supplies and installs our own cabinet lines as part of our kitchen and bath remodeling process Understanding Your Motivations By Nikki DeFelice Our clients have a variety of motivations for remodeling
9. he dishes to clean them e If you re inclined to pre wash your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher consider this Dishwasher detergent needs a certain amount of grease and dirt to do its job Otherwise it actually foams up during the cycle which is not good for your dishwasher Design Build Remodeling 6 Volume 43 December 2014 News from Custom Contracting s Kitchen amp Bath Design Center Featured Bath amp Kitchen A total demo and renovation created this beautiful spacious and functional kitchen The new window back entry custom built in benches island cabinetry desk area and new appliances gave the homeowner everything they wanted Cabinetry including built in corner benches is Legacy product of Bertch Custom Royal full overlay doors and slab drawer fronts The cabinets are made of white birch with a semi gloss painted finish in eggshell The island is a contrasting brindle cherry stain The countertop is Serpentine Marble in Rainforest Green Plumbing fixtures include a Houzer MGS stainless steel sink Kohler Forte single hole pull out faucet along with a separate Kohler faucet with a filter system and a Whitehaus instant hot water system New appliances include stainless GE Profile refrigerator KitchenAid cabinet front compactor XO above range hood and dual fuel Electrolux range Lighting is a combination of recessed pendant and under cabinet A backsplash of 3x6 subway Florida tile and a warm fi
10. ied Lead Carpenters meanwhile are skilled not only in carpentry but also in managing even the biggest remodeling projects And they re supported by a network of talented trade partners meaning we can cover everything that goes into your project electricity plumbing roofing painting and more Lastly we have a large office staff at our headquarters on Massachu setts Avenue in Arlington Heights From a project coordinator who can assist with product selection to a receptionist ready to put you in touch with the right team member we re strongly committed to great customer service for projects big and small Is a Large Scale Renovation Addition Right for You Continued from page 1 This led us to explore the option of a major renovation to our exist ing home says Carrie Increasing the value of our home not going through the home buying selling process and being able to custom design something that fit our needs became the most attractive op tion We spoke to three contractors and ultimately chose Custom be cause they spent time in the proposal phase to paint a vision for what we could accomplish which created a level of comfort to give us the confidence to jump into a major renovation Deciding on a Plan What will your large scale renovation addition look like Based on our experience common scenarios include e Sticking with the current footprint or making a major addition that adds living space
11. isten and then take what you talk about and make it a reality Johanna adds One of Custom s key strengths is their ability to quick ly iterate on design changes during the planning process and they got it right for everything we wanted The scope of work for this project was enormous The new ad dition includes a roughly 18 x 34 kitchen with walk in pan try and family room attached to the back of the home and garage A new mudroom connects the garage to the house A new elevator we installed the shaft goes from the living room to the basement www custom contracting com Renovating the main floor involved transforming a bedroom into a master suite gutting the two bathrooms adding a laundry room and more closet space HVAC electrical and plumbing work and much more Downstairs we renovated and reconfigured the basement to cre ate space for an exercise room den study and full bathroom We were looking to have about 2 200 square feet on a single floor which is about the amount of living space we had on two floors in our old house says Mark That s what we ve managed to do here with help from Custom Continued on page 4 Design Build Remodeling 4 Volume 43 December 2014 Client Spotlight The Druy Rothman Home Continued from page 3 Very Satisfied with the Final Result Mark loved working with the Custom team starting with Scott early on and then with designer Nikki D
12. more expensive and labor intensive to install but they re worth it Shower Waterproofing I m happy to say that shower waterproofing has come a long way in recent years I ve found there are more products out there that are easier to install and do a much better job Traditionally when installing a shower you d start with a copper pan or rubber membrane as the base Next you d do a mud job pour in the cement and then pitch it toward the drain Finally if you wanted you d waterproof the walls and floor with a membrane before laying the tile on top The problem was water always managed to get down into the pan or membrane at the bottom As a result you d see efflorescence that is mineral deposits coming up through the tile The systems available now Wedi Laticrete Schulter are solid foam pans that replace the copper pans or rubber membranes They also eliminate the need for mud jobs which avoids the problem of ef florescence The waterproofing is simply a lot better Tom Blain Officially Joins Custom We re pleased to welcome the latest mem ber of our team Tommy Blain Tom the son of general manager Scott Blain has actually been involved with Custom for about two and a half years including the past year as a full time apprentice carpen ter He s been learning a lot under the guid ance of our entire production team A resident of Pepperell Tom enjoys spo
13. nished red oak flooring round out the room This master bath has been updated both in design and functionality starting with bath fixtures like a Whirlpool Maxx air jet alcove tub unit Hansgrohe Raindance shower valve system with diverter for handheld and custom made semi frameless swinging glass panel shower door Winchester 5x5 ceramic tile in the color lace makes up the tub shower tile sur round with a deco row of 5x5 topped with 2x5 tiles in contrasting color straw with recessed niches Accessories include chrome grab bar and towel bar not shown Myson 8 bar electric towel warmer Opposite the tub is a double vanity and toilet topper by Legacy product of Bertch Custom full overlay Quincy style doors drawers in semi gloss Fawn stain on white birch with wood trimmed vanity mir ror medicine cabinets and two 3 light wall sconces by Kichler The countertop tub end wall cap are Giallo Ornamentale granite with white porcelain undermount sinks and Grohe Eurodisc Cosmopolitan faucets Finishing off the room is Timeless Crema Marfil 13x13 on diagonal ceramic tile on the floor Only the Best No matter what you have in mind for your cabinetry Custom can help you with product selection design and installation Custom sells cabinets from two of the best manufacturers out there Bertch and now Touchstone We partnered with Touchstone Fine Cabinetry in 2014 for the wide ranging options and solutions they can provide fo
14. o matter what size remodeling project that s on your mind though we d be happy to discuss it Give us a call at 781 648 2835 to get started Design Build Remodeling Volume 43 December 2014 Client Spotlight The Druy Rothman Home When Mark Druy and Johanna Rothman decided their two story colonial didn t fit their lifestyle anymore they came up with an unconventional solution Custom Contracting helped the couple make it work Mark and Johanna had called Arlington home for 26 years and didn t want to live anywhere else What they wanted was a house that had most of the living space on one floor After searching around town for a while Mark and Johanna found just what they were looking for a 1950s ranch that needed a little TLC but could be renovated to fit their needs They completed the purchase in November 2013 No Architect Required During their home search Mark and Johanna occasionally consulted with Custom general manager Scott Blain We had done some work for them in the past and they wanted Scott s opinion on various properties they saw Once they bought the new home they worked with Scott for a couple months to draw up a plan for the renovation We were able to get through that process without even hiring an archi tect says Mark Scott has a great ability to walk through the house discuss ideas and translate all of that into drawings That s one thing I like about working with Custom they l
15. om Contracting s Kitchen amp Bath Design e Client Spotlight The Druy Rothman Home e Contractor s Corner with Adam Kersnowski e From the Office L NART NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE REMODELING INDUSTRY MEMBER Member KBA From the Office Fourteen in a Row Once again Custom has been named to Quali fied Remodeler magazine s Top 500 Remodel ers List the 14th time we ve made it in 14 tries This year we placed 256th among U S remodel Remodeler ing firms You can find the full list in the August issue Top O00 of the magazine Remo Elers The annual Top 500 grades remodelers based on the following factors e Years in business e Presence of a showroom e Industry awards e Industry certifications e Community service charitable work Also in the Remodeling 550 Remodeling magazine has released its 2014 Remodeling 550 list and Custom ranked 80th among full service remod elers nationwide up from 107th lastyear The Remodel ing 550 includes the largest a www custom contracting com home improvement companies in the United States distinguishing among full service re modelers replacement contractors franchise Operations and insurance restoration busi nesses One More Certified Lead Carpenter Sean Farnsworth has become Custom s lat est Certified Lead Carpenter CLC This past summer he completed the National Associa tion of the Remodeling Industry s NARI s CLC course and p
16. or any debris or big particles that could prevent the tub from draining Remove the coarse filter and check the reservoir There s also a fine filter typic ally round with mesh sections Wipe clean with a sponge and run hot water through it to remove fine particles that can build up e Ifyou can lift the fine filter and clean out build up beneath Make a paste of vinegar and baking soda let it soak and then gently scrape clean with a putty knife or steel wool e Use a toothbrush to scrub around the rubber seals and perimeter of where the door meets up with the tub Wipe down with a wet sponge Don t forget the soap dispenser cups www custom contracting com Now that it s clean here are a few pointers to keep it running smoothly Run the garbage disposal before starting the dishwasher The dishwash er drains into the same pipe as your sink so that drain must be clear e Run hot water in your sink before running the dishwasher You ll get cleaner dishes if the water starts hot Collect the water you run and use it for watering plants or other purposes e Make sure the water starts hot enough Set the thermostat on your water heater to 120 F Water that is cooler than this won t do a good job clean ing Water that 1s hotter could scald e Run full loads to conserve water and energy but don t pack dishes too tightly Dishwashers wash dishes by spraying water over them so the water needs to be able to get to t
17. r our clients Using only the best materials the latest technolo gies and the artful craftsmanship responsible for furniture quality cabinets they can build any type of kitchen for us We ve been affiliated with Bertch Cabinet Manufacturing Learn more about Touchstone located in North Carolina by for over 15 years and it s been a great relationship This family visiting www touchstonefinecabinetry com owned and operated manufacturer based in Waterloo Iowa offers a wide array of traditional and contemporary custom semi custom and stock cabinet choices for your home Bertch produces all of its components in the USA Learn more at www bertch com FINE CABINETRY www custom contracting com Design Build Remodeling Volume 43 December 2014 Subcontractor s Corner with Adam Kersnowski Adam Kersnowski s masonry experience goes back to high school when he began working for his future father in law a mason He started his own business in 2006 and it s now 17 people strong While the com pany initially focused on masonry it now balances that work with tiling We ve brought on Adam for a num ber of projects over the past three years He recently spoke with us about trends he s seeing in masonry and tiling Thin Stone Veneer Not so long ago everyone was us ing cultured stone a cement prod uct as a surface covering for things like fireplaces chimneys foun dations columns backsplashes et
18. rts fishing playing guitar and spending time with family NARI Service Projects Two members of the Custom team recently took part in Eastern Massa chusetts National Association of the Remodeling Industry NARI ser vice projects Dave Surrette building two homes in Lawrence through a Habitat for Humanity program and Sean Farnsworth remodeling a room for a chronically ill child through the Room to Dream Founda tion www custom contracting com Visit Custom Online Check out cuStom contracting cOom to see our blog a port folio of our projects an archive of past newsletters and client spotlights and more You can also find us online at Bi i E Angies list Client Referral Program Refer a friend get a reward That s how our Client Referral Program works You qualify for this program when e someone calls in and says you referred them e areferral signs on with us for their project or There are other ways to qualify For more details please call us at 781 648 2835 e you serve as a reference to a prospective client Design Build Remodeling Arlington MA 02476 781 648 2835 1267A Massachusetts Ave tt m Contracting Inc your neighborhood remodeler www custom contracting com MA Reg 101683 INSIDE THIS ISSUE First class mail VISA ar Center e Is a Large Scale Renovation Addition Right for You e Management Memo Qualified for the Big Projects e News from Cust
19. their kitchen and or bathrooms Scenarios range from a growing family that needs more space to a couple who s finally ready to build out their dream kitchen or bath Regardless of what motivates the homeowners the key to creating a suc cessful kitchen or bath plan is learning how they live in and use their space From the first meeting and site visit here s a look at the types of questions we might ask to understand your goals Kitchen e Are you a gourmet chef or baker That will influence such factors as oven and ranges countertop surfaces storage options and general floor space e What appliances are important to you Before designing a floor plan we need to know what you have in mind e g double fridge standup freezer commercial range and make sure they fit the flow of the room e Do you like entertaining If so youll want an open floor plan an island to gather around lots of counter space storage for large platters and glassware etc e Is family time a priority That is do you want to provide a functional space where the family can gather for years to come Custom Contracting designer Nikki DeFelice graduated from Endicott College with a degree in interior design and has worked in interior and kitchen bath design for about 20 years Part of our team since 2001 she is responsible for kitch en bath design along with selecting and ordering cabinetry and countertops Bath e Do you need more privacy If mom
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