Tips for Creating a Houzz Ideabook to Share with Your Contractor
At Custom Craft Contractors, we are crazy about Houzz. If you haven’t discovered it yet, take some time to explore this online community dedicated to home improvement. Houzz has changed the way homeowners plan for a remodeling project. The Houzz website centers around a searchable database of project photos uploaded by remodeling professionals. To date, more than 5 million photos have been added. Similar to Pinterest, users of Houzz (also known as Houzzers) can search these photos for ideas and inspiration for their own homes. When they find images they like, they can add those photos to Ideabook folders in their account for future reference. Follow this link for some helpful tips from Houzz on how to create an Ideabook.
We like Ideabooks because they are a useful communication tool in the design process. For every room we work on, we ask our clients to prepare an Ideabook with specific types of images. Reviewing these photos together facilitates a productive dialogue about the styles and finishes our customers prefer.
If you are planning for a remodeling project in your home, here are some tips on the images you will want to include in your Ideabook:
- Cabinetry style – For kitchens, this can include your primary cabinets and island. For bathrooms, this would include the vanity and decorative storage cabinetry
- Knobs & Pulls – The hardware on your cabinets can be more of an understated accent or a bold highlight. Be sure to include close-up shots with details of the style you prefer
- Wall Tile – Whether it is the backsplash in a kitchen, or shower and tub surrounds for bathrooms, try to include photos that tie into the overall theme of the room
- Flooring – There are many options for flooring. When adding photos to your Ideabook, try to be consistent with the material type and look, like natural wood tones, tile, or other material
- Lighting – Lighting features can dress a room beautifully, so remember to include pictures of the type you would prefer, such as pendants, chandeliers, sconces, recessed, under cabinet, etc.
- Plumbing fixtures – Faucets, sinks, tubs, and showers will play a role in the overall look and functionality you’re trying to achieve, so be sure to include images depicting the features you would like to see, from zero threshold shower stalls, to pot fillers over a cook top
By filling your Houzz Ideabooks with images of the features and finishes you would like in your home remodeling project, you will help your contractor develop the ideal design for your home. As always, if you have any questions about these tips, don’t hesitate to contact us at (610) 584-0665.
Please Support Team Dancer Strong
The Custom Craft team is proud to support Team Dancer Strong in Alzheimer’s Association Run to Remember!
Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t just affect the elderly – it can rob people of the best years of their lives. My wife Kristen’s beloved stepmother Gail, pictured here, was diagnosed at the age of 53. The devastating effects of this disease on Gail and our family have been swift and unrelenting.
Team Dancer Strong – comprised of Mike Dancer, Katie Osley, and Kristen Foering – are running in the Alzheimer’s Association Run to Remember Philadelphia Half Marathon in support of this amazing woman. They hope to raise awareness and some research money in hopes of finding a cure for this devastating disease.
Please consider supporting Team Dancer Strong by making a donation at http://act.alz.org/phillyr2r2014 – click “donate”, then “search for a team” and type in “dancer strong”. Or come on out and help cheer for them on November 23rd.
Team Dancer Strong thanks you for your support!
A Day in the Life at Custom Craft Contractors
If you have ever wondered what it was like to work at an award-winning remodeling company, keep reading. To gain this insight, we posed a series of questions to Matt Hill, one of our lead carpenters. Here is what Matt had to share about working at Custom Craft Contractors.
1. Describe a day in the life at Custom Craft Contractors
At Custom Craft, when we are not planning we are busy creating. Each day, I arrive on a job site with a checklist of tasks to be completed that day. As the day goes by, I am checking off the tasks that have been completed to make sure we stay on schedule. At the end of each day, I am planning for the following day. I also take time to speak with homeowners, to keep them updated on our progress and respond to any questions or concerns.
2. What is your favorite aspect of working at Custom Craft Contractors?
Presenting the homeowners with a finished project that goes beyond their expectations is my favorite part of my job. It feels great to see how much they appreciate the end result, especially when it is something I have dedicated so much time to over the course of several weeks or months.
3. If Custom Craft Contractors was a car, what make/model would it be and why?
I think we’re most like a Toyota Camry. The Camry is a well built, functional car that meets just about everyone’s needs. They last a long time and they’re reliable. They also come in a wide variety of styles, colors and options to meet everyone’s tastes. Similarly, Custom Craft Contractors is versatile. We can build anything from a bathroom, to a custom home. We also have high customer satisfaction ratings.
4. Complete this sentence, “When it comes to _______________, Custom Craft Contractors does it better than any other remodeling company around.”
Customer satisfaction. It’s one of our main focuses as a company. Our people all go above and beyond to make sure that goal is met. Everyone takes personal ownership to make sure that the customer has a high level of satisfaction with our work.
5. Tell us a little about the Custom Craft team
We have a good team. Everyone has a different construction background which makes for a good blend of skills and talents. We can meet a wide variety of needs. Our team members are all ethical and professional, which is important when you are working in other people’s homes. It makes for a happier work environment when your team members all understand how to interact appropriately on the job site.
6. Share one fun fact about yourself
I enjoy backpacking. In fact, just this past weekend I went to the “Grand Canyon” of Pennsylvania, the Pine Creek Gorge. Over the course of three days and two nights, I hiked 31 miles with a group of friends.
Read the 2013 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report
Remodeling Magazine released the 26th annual Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report to the public this past January. It contains localized data from the Philadelphia region and compares construction costs of 35 popular remodeling projects against the resale value that these projects could add to your home. The results of this report present the homeowner with an estimate of how much of their cost is recouped at resale.
Read the report by clicking on the image to the right:
In 2013, the top three remodeling projects with the highest return rate are projected to be 1) Entry Door Replacement (steel); 2) Garage Door Replacement; and 3) Deck Addition (wood). As the cost of living continues to improve, the demand for housing will grow. The Remodeling Cost vs. Value report is a beneficial tool that can be utilized in your home-improvement decision-making to help you to determine the next best project for you and your home.
A Remodeling Cost vs. Value iPhone app is available for free download at the AppStore and has been updated with new data. See what your home-improvement project could be worth!
Read the Spring Issues of The Craftsman
We recently introduced The Craftsman, a quarterly newsletter filled with helpful remodeling news and information. Download the latest issue. Our goal for this newsletter is to provide readers with remodeling ideas and inspiration, share details about products we love and to answer any questions they may have about home renovations.
The Craftsman is mailed quarterly to the homes of our clients, vendors and friends of the company. If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please click here or email your name and address to: info@customcraftcontractors.com