Solid surface countertops are a manmade material constructed from bauxite, which is an aluminum ore, and a plastic resin combined with pigments. The components are brought into a mold and then cured with heat and chemicals into a solid sheet of stone. The final sheet is a quarter of an inch thick and can be layered upon itself to fit into any space and to create edges.

Budgets are tight and winter is on the way, which means increased heating bills. Everyone has heard about eliminating leaks around windows and doors, craw spaces, under eaves and any place there is a break in the integrity of your home's exterior surface. What you may not be aware of is the effectiveness of window blinds to help you reduce your energy costs this winter. In the same way, you can reduce your summer cooling bills by applying the opposite strategies.

Window shades and window blinds can be used to create a buffer zone between your window glass and your home's interior that acts as a passive insulator, reducing your heating and cooling bills significantly. Following these basic suggestions can turn your expensive winter heat sink into a cozy winter hideaway and your summer hot box into a cool, comfortable sanctuary.

Take Advantage Of The Sun's Heat In Winter

Sunlight provides heat, even in the middle of winter. Leaving your windows closed, but opening your drapes, window shades and window blinds can allow the sun's heat to be absorbed by your furniture, flooring and carpeting. This heat is then released into the rooms of your home at no cost to you. Darker carpets and darker furnishings will absorb more of the sun's heat than lighter colors, so you may wish to strategically place dark throw rugs near your windows that receive sunlight during the day.

If you notice, when opening your drapes, window shades or window blinds, that the air closest to the window is warmer than that of the rest of the room, you can benefit by opening your window treatments earlier in the day. If, however, you notice significantly colder air, you may have a leak somewhere around your window frame that requires your attention to repair.

Turn Away The Summer Heat With Window Treatments

In the summer, use your heaviest window treatments to block the day's hottest sunlight from entering your home, reducing its ability to heat your home. Drapes, window shades and window blinds that have a light, reflective color on the exterior and a darker color on the inside will increase the cooling effectiveness of window treatments in the summer by reflecting more light away from your home and creating a dimmer, cooler environment within your home.

During the cooler evening and night time hours, open your window treatments and your windows to allow the cooler air to circulate through your home without paying for air-conditioning. By timing the opening and closing of your windows and window treatments throughout the summer, you can greatly reduce your cooling expense while still keeping your home at a comfortable temperature.

Window shades and window blinds can provide you with a cost effective means to reducing your energy costs within the home by blocking out heat from the summer sun and maintaining a constant, more comfortable temperature in the winter months with only minimal effort and expense on your part.

When redecorating, you can enhance -- or completely recreate the mood in each room of your house with just a few strategic changes. By determining the optimal mood for each room before you start decorating, many of your other decisions will be easier to make. Wall color and window treatments are the two most powerful mood setters in room décor. Assuming your walls are already painted or papered, your next consideration in setting the mood of each room is the appropriate window shades and blinds.

The Effects Of Lighting On Mood And Appearance

Brightly lit rooms inspire activity while rooms with more subdued lighting create a more calming, intimate feel. Decorating disasters often occur when window shades and blinds create lighting environments that are in stark contrast to the wall color and furnishings of a room. Red, yellow, and blue are best suited for active rooms such as kitchens and playrooms. These rooms look their best when window shades and blinds provide plenty of sunshine while preventing glare. The sunlight adds a cheerful note to the mood of the room and complements the color scheme.

Bedrooms and dens are better suited for earth tone colors, such as greens, browns, gold, and purples with heavier window shades and blinds made out of wood or other natural fibers. These materials allow you to eliminate sunlight for those weekend mornings when you are able to sleep in. Heavier window treatments also allow you to protect your darker wood furniture and books from the damage caused by too much sunlight.

Selecting The Best Materials And Styles  

Window shade and blinds materials make a significant difference in the look and feel of your rooms. There are more options available today than ever before. Window treatments include curtains, sheers, shades, blinds, and shutters. Today's blinds are made from wood, faux wood, woven wood, aluminum, and vinyl and they come in a variety of widths, from 1" to 2-5/8", and can be horizontal, vertical, or roller style. Window shades are made from fabric vanes and panels, natural fibers, and other materials and they can be pleated, cellular, bottom to top pull style, and even made to fit arched windows and skylights.

Heavier, more natural materials will create a softer light and a more soothing mood for your room. More modern, lightweight materials provide a brighter light source and a more stimulating environment. Most window treatments now offer extra light blocking and insulation capabilities, reducing your utility bills and protecting your possessions from sun damage.

Design Options Using Window Treatments

The correct combination of style and materials can make a significant difference in the overall feel of your room. A child's playroom would be best suited to brightly colored, sturdy materials that diffuse only some of the light coming in through the window. Special cord safety features are also available to prevent choking risk. Dens, libraries, and bedrooms are best suited to heavier, more natural materials and designs, creating a more elegant ambiance.

Kitchens and workrooms are ideal locations for vinyl and aluminum blinds in lighter colors, providing the necessary light to make working in these rooms easier.

Clearly, the sky is the limit when it comes to using window shades and blinds to create specific moods for each of the rooms in your home or office.

Laminate floors gave homeowners a less expensive way to achieve the look of traditional hardwood floors. However, there is a rich quality that hardwood offers that cannot be matched with laminate. It's not necessary to make a choice between one type or the other. Both types of flooring can complement each other and really shine. With a sensible pairing, homeowners can achieve a uniform look throughout their home with only two different flooring materials.

When finishing a basement, homeowners and renovators face a common enemy, moisture. With any room below grade or ground level, the potential for water seepage is a constant threat. When it comes to flooring for the basement, one has to be especially careful; mold and mildew coupled with water damage will certainly ruin a floor as well as pose a health risk. However, these problems can be tackled to allow a basement to become a usable living space that a homeowner can enjoy for years while adding value to the home.

Hardwood floors have been the standard for beauty in both modern and contemporary homes. From a dark, elegant dining room to a light, rustic country feel, hardwood floors have been used for interior decorating for generations. Advances in technology have followed hardwood flooring options and have allowed homeowners and builders an even greater variety in decorating styles.

A design build contractor combines a design professional with a general contractor to deliver a total custom remodeling project. The major difference between contractor types is that a general contractor typically only provides a quote for labor with materials being added at the end. In contrast to that setup, a single design and construction team works with you to lay out the entire project and provide a complete quote. They also do the design work themselves, whereas a general contractor hires out for the design work and passes the cost onto the homeowner.

The design build contractor is a great choice for northern Virginia home renovations. Utilizing their services will make any custom remodeling job much easier.

Staying On Budget

Roughly 50% of general contractors end up going over budget before the end of a project. The average design build contractor only goes over budget 5% of the time. This efficiency is due in part to up front, comprehensive quotes, having the design work done in-house, and the close communication between contractor and homeowner. Both the contractor and the client work together to determine which methods and materials will satisfy the project’s goals while maximizing the value added to a home.

Effective Communication

Communication is vital in any custom remodeling project. Specifics have to be laid out and followed by all parties, but as word spreads between sub-contractors, the message is often lost. The homeowner has better access to the design and construction team since they are one in the same. Too many hands in a project often leads to unwanted changes.

Accountability

When something goes wrong with a custom remodeling project, there is often finger pointing between separate contractors and sub-contractors. With an entire team operating under a design build contractor, each member takes up their responsibility in a clear manner. A clear distinction of duties and a hierarchy creates a better organized design and construction effort to avoid costly errors. The inevitable issues that do crop up are openly acknowledged and addressed, rather than hidden or blamed on a particular person.

One Point Of Contact

With a streamlined organizational structure, homeowners are usually only interfacing with a single person. This is a huge convenience. Anyone who has had a small army of contractors in their home knows how difficult it can be to track down the right person for a particular question or comment. This allows changes to be made on the fly where a homeowner only has to communicate once for the entire team to know the new plan. In the end, this offers a great degree of flexibility and a quick reaction time to address project needs.

Ultimately, a design build contractor works with a homeowner to deliver a custom remodeling job on budget, on time, and with the minimum amount of hassle. A well-ordered and comprehensive design and construction team allows these goals to be achieved.

Stone and granite countertops are considered some of the most elegant decorating materials available. However, with that desirability comes a significant price, so alternatives to granite countertops have been developed. One such engineered stone is Zodiaq. Made by DuPont, it consists of a blend of stone, quartz, resins, and colorants pressed together.

Both materials have a lot of great qualities and some choices have to be made when deciding which to use in a kitchen remodel or new construction. With so many options and design choices available to homeowners and contractors, it's beneficial to compare and contrast them both to learn more.

Granite Countertops

Granite is the gold standard in countertop materials. Stone countertops offer a timeless, natural look that is one of the most popular styles for a kitchen. Being a natural material, no two granite countertops will ever look the same. Even stone from the same quarry will have different patterns and grains within them. Granite countertops are truly a one of a kind.

Stone slabs are sealed periodically to keep them watertight and help prevent damage and staining. Stone is very durable and heat resistant, making it a great working surface for a kitchen. The unique look and feel of granite really offers the highest quality finish for an elegant and functional kitchen.

Engineered Stone

Developed by DuPont, Zodiaq countertops are known as engineered stone. In fact, they are nearly 90% stone material, but that last 10% makes a huge difference. A blend of quartz, plastic resins, and pigments are combined with the stone before it is pressed into a solid slab that creates a unique building material.

Engineered stone countertops like Zodiaq have one huge advantage over natural stone -- they are not porous. This means water cannot seep into a Zodiaq slab. In effect, the countertop is immune to moisture and the formation of mold and mildew in addition to water damage, allowing a kitchen or even a bathroom to have an anti-microbial working surface for safer food preparation and better sanitation.

Engineered stone is actually more durable that granite. The pressing process combined with the latest technology creates a stronger product than natural stone. Zodiaq is stronger in compression and bending tests as well as in hardness. This also relates to a better scratch resistance.

Pros And Cons

Comparing the two materials reveals some interesting pros and cons. In terms of price, Zodiaq is slightly cheaper to purchase and install than granite. The engineered stone offers a permanent water barrier without the need for reapplying sealant, providing a lifetime of protection against mold and bacteria. Zodiaq is also stronger and more scratch resistant than granite.

Yet, granite is still unmatched in its style, feel, and unique appearance. Sacrificing a little function for a more pleasing aesthetic is sometimes worth the cost. Despite the pigments added to engineered stone, granite still has a superior look and more versatility in design. This ultimately translates into a higher value, which is extremely important in building home equity or making a home on the market more attractive.

Regardless of the material selected, both offer a wide range of options. Neither choice is wrong, but having options always works in the homeowner’s favor.

There are not too many homes or offices out there today that only use one type of flooring with the same style throughout the entire floor plan. Kitchens and bathrooms use water-resistant materials, bedrooms are often carpeted, and many dining rooms have elegant hardwood or engineered wood flooring.

Each time the flooring changes between rooms, it creates a transition area. Sometimes the transition is just cosmetic, but many times there can be a difference in elevation or even an empty space that shows the sub floor. In these cases, flooring transitions become the cap on home decorating designs.

Planning Proper Flooring Transitions

As a general rule, transitions work the best when they are placed correctly. When flooring changes occur between two rooms separated by a door, placing the transition underneath the door is the best way to make the installation. When the door is closed, only one type of flooring is seen from either side. Even when the door is open, the transition spans the doorframe, which would be the shortest distance possible. Even in a transition without a door, a doorframe or walkway are both natural places for flooring transitions to occur.

A common transition is between raised tile flooring and a flat floor, such as a hardwood floor or vinyl flooring. Since the tile flooring is typically raised higher than most flat floors, a transition would be both a safety hazard and an obvious design mismatch. In this case, a marble transition piece can be installed in the transition. These threshold pieces are sold in most hardware stores and stone stores will be able to sell custom pieces that can gradually slope down to remove a tripping hazard.

Combining Different Styles, Textures, and Colors

When using two different styles or colors of hardwood flooring in adjacent rooms, a transition piece is needed to create a clean threshold. Threshold moldings are wood pieces that can be placed in a gap between hardwood floors. Each end of the molding has an elevated lip in which both edges of the hardwood floor slide underneath, allowing the wood to expand and contract with the seasons and not split the threshold or reveal a gap. These moldings come in many different colors and styles to match the flooring that it bridges. This solution removes a safety hazard as well as presenting a matching finish.

The ultimate goal of any flooring transition should be a safe way to change elevation between rooms without creating an eyesore. Moldings and custom pieces are a great way to accomplish both goals. With smart placement of those threshold transitions, each room looks complete without an unnatural change in the design. Mastering transitions allows homeowners to feel confident about using a wide range of flooring types throughout their homes.

Proper transitions are important for both safety and aesthetic reasons. Changes in elevation or dips in the floor can present a real tripping hazard. Slips, trips, and falls actually account for about a third of home and workplace injuries. In any decorating design, the overall aesthetic can be ruined by sloppy room transitions.

Hardwood floors are some of the most elegant flooring options for nearly every room in a home. From a formal dining room to a casual look in the family room, hardwood floors really offer great design versatility. Proper maintenance of hardwood flooring is one of the most important aspects of enjoying the investment made into a home.

Why Hardwood Flooring Maintenance Is So Important

Taking care of your floor should be a habit. Putting off floor maintenance is the fastest way to erase its beauty and waste the time and monetary investment for installation. Getting into a routine guarantees timely upkeep and very long life for a hardwood floor. By doing a little bit every week, a hardwood floor is easy to maintain.

There really isn’t a great need for doing massive cleaning projects if the little things are done on a consistent basis. The little things include sweeping up accumulated dust and dirt that can scratch the wood surface and taking off your shoes at the door to your home. Even if it sounds like common sense, make sure to clean up any spills as soon as possible!

Preventative Maintenance

One of the best ways to keep hardwood looking its best is a little preventative maintenance. By placing felt pads under furniture legs, you will prevent deep scratches or dents from forming in the floor surface. Every piece of furniture will move a little over time with constant use, so these pads are best used on each and every piece in the room. Placing mats and rugs at the entrance to a room will help trap dirt before it can make its way onto the hardwood floor.

The worst thing for the floor’s finish is abrasive dirt being tracked through the house on someone’s shoes. Rugs can also be placed in areas where spills might be likely to stop water before it can seep into wood and cause damage. If a spill does occur on such a rug, make sure it is completely dry on both sides before placing it back on the floor.

Temperature Considerations

The environment in which a hardwood floor is installed is very important for its long-term health. Ultraviolet radiation from sunlight will fade and damage hardwoods. It is important to keep thick curtains drawn over windows when sunlight is directly hitting a room. Natural wood responds to temperature and humidity, so it is important to control both. Using your thermostat and air conditioner is the best way to achieve this.

During dry winter days, you can even add a humidifier to your home HVAC system; it will help both your floor and your sinuses. Overall, the best range for hardwood floors is between 68 and 75 degrees and 40% to 60% humidity.

Make sure to follow all of your manufacturer’s instructions, especially during cleaning. The tips provided there will add years to a floor’s life. Following those instructions will also keep your warranty in effect in the off chance that something does happen to the floor. By developing good habits and following instructions, hardwood floors should provide a lifetime of enjoyment.