The Demo and Remodeling of a Kitchen Part 2

The kitchen remodel is well underway in our clients’ home. If you remember, in our last blog, we were all about the demo of the kitchen. Now the fun work begins!

What has been going on in this home and what could you expect in your kitchen remodel?

This is the second blog in our Kitchen Demo/Remodel series. Our clients began with a kitchen remodel and we’re filling you in on what decisions they’ve made in this project that involves not only the kitchen but the family room, stairway, and floors. 

• Our clients have some important design decisions to make. Where the new work begins and the old house ends is always a tricky one. Are you just going to paint the kitchen or will this new paint color work its way through the whole first floor? Does the stairwell to the second floor get the new paint color? And what about flooring? Is it going to be all new throughout the first floor or just in the kitchen? Our clients decided that the kitchen remodel wasn’t going to be the only part of the first floor to be remodeled…the living room and rest of the first floor is now being remodeled, as well as the stairs and railings leading to the second floor. You know the saying, “One thing leads to another!”
• Under cabinet lighting is important to our clients. This lighting allows illumination of the prep spaces and will show off the soon to be installed gorgeous countertops. Imagine the glow of the under cabinet lighting when you don’t want other lighting turned on!
• When installing cabinets, it’s critical to leave space above the cabinets for crown molding placement, which will cover the ductwork, electrical lines, and plumbing lines. You don’t want to get all of the cabinets up and realize that no room was left for molding installation. This is just one of the many detail decisions we have to think about and share with our clients when designing a kitchen.
• Once the cabinets have been set, it will be time to install the countertops. The true vision of the kitchen will be apparent soon!
• The cabinets themselves have been shimmed up, allowing the extra space needed for the installation of the new flooring. Again, not thinking this piece through beforehand could be disastrous on the day of the floor install. 
• Our contractor, Dave Osmond Builders, working with the client, had the foresight to install outlets (required by code) high on the backs of some of the cabinets so as not to interfere with the cohesive look of the decorative backs of the cabinets.
• What details will you add? Our clients, after seeing the upper peninsula cabinets, decided to install one of a kind seeded glass doors on both sides to let natural light and the kitchen light shine through. This creates warmth, natural and ambient light…and a little drama! We can’t wait to see the cabinets finished.
• Along with the kitchen, the remodel of the family room is underway. The existing built-ins have been updates, giving a much-needed facelift to the room.

No matter what, a remodel is an incredible journey! When you work with our designers at RDS, we promise to understand your vision, help you create the special details you want to incorporate, and guide you through the process. 

To see more of this journey, watch our Front Porch Friday Video…Front Porch Friday Kitchen Demo/Remodel Part 2.

RDS Turns 30!

We’re pretty excited by this number…we’ve been in business for 30 years as of April 1st, 2018! We celebrated this momentous occasion with a small party in the office on March 28th. To say that I was surprised was an understatement! My staff, fellow designers, builders, and clients made this day very special. 

Many people asked me questions during the party so I thought I’d answer a few of them here for all of you. As I said during the party, “It’s been 30 years, one day at a time!”

How did you get your start?
I began my career as a draftsman for a small electronics company and then was able to make a move to work for a residential design firm. After five years I joined Bob Webb Builders where I feel that I received my Masters Degree in construction and basically “how to build the right way”. I worked briefly for another builder prior to starting RDS.

How did you choose Residential Designed Solutions as your company name?
We started out as Designed Solutions but when we incorporated there was another company with the same name so we added the “Residential” to be more descriptive.

Have you always been located where you are now?
The company began in my home study and within a year we moved into our first office on Snouffer Road. Several years later we moved into a larger office in the next building over and in 1999 we moved to our current location.

What is the best part of your job?
There are many aspects that I enjoy but I would have to say that the time I spend designing is my favorite. It’s all about problem-solving, fitting the puzzle pieces together so that they make sense and the spaces flow as we meet our customers’ needs and requirements.

How many homes have you designed/remodeled?
I’ve never stopped to count but as I think about it, it must be over 7500 projects completed to date.

Which design for a new home or remodel has been your favorite and why?
I think the best answer is “the next one”. They’re all “my children” to some extent so it is impossible to pick one as a favorite. The memorable projects are those where we had big challenges to overcome and projects where we broke new ground in terms of design styles.

What have you learned over the last 30 years?
The list is endless. How to run a design business, how to design to meet client needs, how to communicate better, how to be a better person and I am still constantly trying to improve in all those areas.

How do you distinguish yourself from your competitors?
Given the construction backgrounds that our design associates have, I would have to say that we speak “Builder” fluently. We understand the cost impact of various design details and how to design to a given price point. We know what adds perceived value over just additional costs.

If you could travel back 30 years, what would you tell yourself based on what you know now?
The list is endless here also but I guess the most important thing would be to just continue to focus on the clients and make sure we’re meeting their needs.

We cherish our relationships with our clients, builders and all the trade people we encounter daily. We take our business and our clients’ needs seriously and are honored to be part of this incredible home building profession. Thanks to all of you for letting us be a small part of your life.