How to Choose Your Kitchen Appliances

When we start a project, the first run at the budget generally represents an "ideal" situation. From there, we work together with our clients to come to a more "realistic" budget. But, hey, that is why they call it planning.

One area that I do push my clients on is appliances. I believe that if you are going through the process to improve your kitchen, you really need to purchase the best technology out there. Let's face it, most of us don't remodel the kitchen every 5 or 10 years, so you really need to put the money in to making sure that the appliances you purchase today will not be dinosaurs in 10 years. Let's talk about one of my favorites for refrigeration - Sub Zero.

There are some products I believe that you pay for the name, but then there are some that you are paying (up front at least) for the technology. Sub Zero's refrigeration is pretty amazing, for many reasons. If you want to know more go to http://www.subzero.com/.

The air purification system, my favorite, helps to purify the internal compartment of various items such as ethylene. What is ethylene you may ask? It is the off gas from fruits and vegetable that promotes ripening. One of the worst producers is apples. Do you have an apple in your refrigerator? Well it is helping all the other fruits and veggies to ripen along with it.

It today's climate, I hate when I have to toss fruit or veggies due to over-ripening. Sub Zeros air purification system slows all of that down, extending the life of your produce. Don't believe me? My friend, Cathie has a 600 series Sub Zero. She says she just threw out a bunch of celery this week. But she bought the celery in the beginning of December. Hmm, that is 3 months. Think of how much you could save on your grocery budget with a Sub Zero in your house. I have two boys & a grown man in mine - I'm always looking for ways to do that!

Sub Zeros also last FOREVER! I'm sure there are cases where they don't, but I can't tell you how many kitchens were we update the Sub Zero not because it doesn't work, but because it is over 20 years old and just needs to be updated to fit with the rest of the kitchen. For most people it is a fight to get them to update them because they love the one they have.

Sub Zero is also making several new product and design introductions over the next couple of years. So when it is your turn to remodel your kitchen, think hard about your appliances. Buy the best you can and you'll be glad you did down the road.

Remodeling in a Strained Economic Climate

In many ways, it seems that America has taken the current economic situation to heart. Many people have curtailed their spending, delaying gratification, waiting to pay cash versus paying on credit. But we have also seen many clients that have the funding to go ahead with a plan are waiting. My question is, waiting for what? Often the statement is "The Stock Market". OK, my next question is, "So you are waiting for the market to get better to liquidate?" Surprisingly, many answer no. Hmmm.

Amazingly, when we did research for the Houston area, we found that the home values were actually up 1% for 2008. So Houston has had a bit of protection compared to other markets. That's good news.

The other good news, now is actually a great time to do that project. Why? For several reasons.

1. Remodeling an older home to modern standards, helps to protect the investment in your home. For example, here is the picture of a master bathroom remodel we completed at the end of 2008.

This home is over 30 years old, only had one sink and the standard bath/shower enclosure.

The Master bath also only had one sink. With two people needing to get ready to leave at the same time, this left the wife to get ready in the powder bath just out side the bedroom.

These are the pictures after. What value did this add for the client?

Both the husband and the wife now have a luxurious walk-in shower with bench, they are both able to get ready side-by-side with two sinks. If you were looking at buying this house, would it appeal to you? Probably a lot more than the before shot. The point is people are more likely to purchase homes that have the least amount of work for them to do.

2. The slowing market has more available labor and material resources. Materials are more readily available and some others are better priced than they were before. From a labor perspective, contractors, painters, electricians have a greater ability to focus on you and your home, resulting in a quicker timeline, that inevitably translates to a better controlled budget.

So in short, the next time we have a situation so beneficial to the homeowner like this may be a long time coming.