2014: New Trends & Inspirations for Home Improvements

Happy New Year

Hey guys! I hope everyone had great holidays, I know I did. It was great to have family come from New York City and Miami Florida. It's always fun having lots of kids around the house - and I mean "lots"! We had around 15 kids at one point running around, others paying video games, others just chilling. I miss that age.

I wish everyone the best for this new year 2014, which by the way, can you believe the first week of January is gone? jeez!!

Back to business. New Year, new goals, new inspirations, new things to learn. All in the name of love for the art and industry of Home Improvements! This year I feel like the number of kitchen renovations being considered, planned and executed by home owners will keep growing. I am not an economist by any means, but - from what I understand and see - the economy is getting better. This of course is great news for us in the industry of home improvements and construction.

Slow Months

As many of you know, January and February are the slowest months of any year for home improvement projects like kitchen remodeling, granite countertop replacements, bathroom renovations or even home additions or basements. This happens I believe because people get financially drained with all the holiday shopping, gifts, parties and other expenses linked to enjoying the year-end holidays. Nevertheless some people plan ahead and want to have their projects ready to enjoy for spring and summer. With a standard kitchen remodeling job taking anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks, planning ahead of time is essential.

This is a great time (while you're a little slow) to put together some great tips and articles that can help your potential customers plan ahead. Tip - Doing a little online marketing around this time a year can never hurt your business. Just by looking at my Google Analytics, I can see that in January people are already starting to prepare (thus plan ahead) for spring projects. People are searching for project ideas, inspiration, trends, etc. If you have something that you would like to share with us, please send it over and we would love to post it on our blog or even our website. You can just leave me a message or comment here.

Kitchen Trends for 2014

Some things never get old or go out of style. Some things do go out of style, but eventually come back around in a matter of years or in some cases decades.
Granite countertops or other types of natural stone surfaces don't seem to be going anywhere for a while. These are the number one improvement project that home owners will continue to make for decades. The price for having "natural stone" sitting in your very own kitchen is phenomenally affordable nowadays.

A look further ahead 

Don't worry, there is plenty of granite to go around! By the time we start running out of these natural stones like granite, marble, travertine, among others, we will already have the technology and resources to be fabricating countertops from lunar stone or maybe even other types of natural stones found in Mars. Imagine that. If we think about this, it's completely possible. I just hope we get to see it in our lifetime.

In my opinion, one of the classic look for kitchens are black granite counters. These are elegant, luxurious, never get old, natural of course, plus you can combine them with almost any color cabinets, floors or wall paint. They look extraordinarily sophisticated with the right combination of light fixtures and appliances. I know I mentioned this before, but granite countertops are very affordable.

If you are into the green movement, there will be many more options for green surfaces like GEOS, which is made from recycled glass materials. Take a look at some green recycled colors, they are gorgeous.

Cabinets? Of course. More designers are matching those black counters with glass door kitchen cabinets. This is especially true in smaller kitchens. The glass allows the space to become more open. Kitchen islands are also a growing trend it seems. I see more and more people requesting an island be considered into the kitchen design process. Islands do a great job at allowing additional (much needed in most cases) storage space and working surface for cooking, baking or even an overhang to sit a couple of people for breakfast or lunch.

Much more to come

I know, but I have to go now. I promise to keep bringing you more inspirational articles and other fun materials. Again, if you have something you want to share with us or the world, let me know, I love working and learning from other people. If there is anything I can help with, I'm here to help.

Have a great week!

Kitchen Countertops: Which One is Right for You?

Granite, quartz, recycled materials, Formica, Lexton -- there are so many choices for kitchen countertops not only by material-type, but also within each category. What should you look for if you are interested in purchasing a new countertop for your kitchen? Are some materials easier to care for than others? Which are the most cost effective? These helpful hints should guide you in the right direction.

Pre-Selection, Pre-Installation

Before entering a showroom or visiting your local area granite company, take a few moments to think about these questions before you invest in a new countertop:

• How do you use your current kitchen countertop space? Do you do a lot of cooking, setting down lots of hot pots and pans, cutting up vegetables, etc.? Or, is your countertop space more of a showpiece, hardly being used for cooking preparation?
• What is your budget for a new countertop?
• Is your house of the style that you will receive a good return-on-investment if you install a high-end countertop?
• Are you willing to install the countertop yourself? Or, will you be hiring a professional installer?

It is also recommended that you talk with a designer or kitchen expert to avoid potential issues early in the process. There are two areas where kitchen design goes wrong: 1.) Selection of cabinets and 2.) Selection of countertops.

Answering these questions, first, will save you time, effort, and energy in the selection process, since the countertop choices are extensive.

Countertop Choices

Materials available for your kitchen countertop range in price from ceramic tile (at about $10.00 per square foot) to natural stone counter tops that can run anywhere between $35 and $250 per square foot. There seems to be an endless number of types of counter top materials to select from. Here are some of the more common options for countertop materials:

Granite Countertops: Currently, granite is the top choice amongst homeowners for kitchen countertops. There are two types of granite: 1.) Polished finished granite is very shiny; 2.) The honing finish has a dull, matte look. In addition to type of finish, granite is priced according to color, where the stone came from (its’ origin), and availability. Granite that is readily available is less expensive than the rare elite colors which are less consistent and have an exclusive unique color pattern to them. Engineered stone colors are much more consistent than granite, but still costs about the same.

Ceramic Tile: Ceramic tiles are one of the least expensive types of materials for countertops. Sizes, shapes, textures, tile colors, and colors of grout are numerous. Similar to selecting paint color, deciding on the right tile for your counters can take time. Installation may take longer than installing other types of kitchen counters as each tile must be set individually then grout must be applied. You also need a very high degree of accuracy to ensure that the tiles line up perfectly.

Concrete: Concrete countertops come in three different types of finishes: 1.) The trowel finish is smooth; 2.) A ground finish has the counter top sanded so that the sand aggregate shows; and 3.) The pressed finish is used to bring out the marble-like veins that are found in the concrete. Although in-trend at the moment, concrete can warp and curl if exposed to a wide variation in temperatures; acidic liquids can etch the surface, and damp items (like sponges) can discolor the concrete. Concrete countertops are high maintenance requiring sealing four times a year and waxing every two to three months.

Environmentally Friendly Options (such as recycled glass countertops):  If you are environmentally conscious, there are several options to choose from for your countertop. Corian, bamboo, and paper-based composites are all considered “green” materials. Each type of material is available in various colors and textures.

Manufactured Quartz: This product is extremely low maintenance while being durable and cleanable. It is quite stain resistant and resistant to scratches. Manufactured quartz is an excellent choice if you are seeking to have a lighter colored counter.

Natural Stones: Natural stones such as limestone, marble, and soapstone are much softer than hard granite. As such, it gives your kitchen a warmer look and feel. However, natural stone countertops must be taken care of, requiring sealing on a occasional basis.

Stainless Steel: Stainless steel is also very easy to clean and very hygienic as there are no crevices for bacteria to grow in. If you are looking for a very modern feel in your kitchen, then stainless steel will provide you with a modern, industrial look.

Wood: Wood countertops are very popular as the materials give a ‘warmth’ to any kitchen, in comparison to hard surfaces like granite. Although water can damage a wood surface and wood needs to be oiled frequently, wood is easy to clean and if scratches occur, you just sand them out.

Do-It-Yourself Install:  Here are a few items to consider if you decide to install the kitchen countertop yourself:

• According to experts, the easiest type of kitchen countertop to install by your self is pre-made laminate. At a cost of about $30.00 per running foot, pre-made laminate is about one-half the cost, per foot, of custom counters.
• Consider customizing the height of your counters. Higher counter heights (44 to 46 inches) are easier when you are preparing food than lower heights (34 to 38 inches). Many homeowners will have both counter heights in their kitchen.
• Traditional color choices are white, green, and black. If you really want to use a trendy complementary color, use it on the kitchen island, as it will stand out away from the main counter space.
• You will need other materials, such as cabinets, siliconized latex caulk, various types of screws, as well as several tools (e.g., clamps, drill and drill bit set, caulking gun, screwdrivers, dust mask, straight edge, safety glasses, etc.) to do a proper installation.

And, finally, remember that the counter surface needs to be absolutely leveled (regardless of the countertop surface material chosen!), do not order the wrong size of counter material, and seal the seams of your counter.

Kitchen Remodeling Company. Welcome to our Blog.

Welcome!

Hi there! I'm Rod. I work for Counter Intelligence Inc, and NO, I'm NOT some superhero protecting the country against espionage. We are in the kitchen countertop, remodeling, and cabinet industry (boring? not at all, read on). Actually we've been in this business since 1987! (oh how time flies). We manufacture countertops for over 50 kitchens per day using different types of natural and man-made stone materials, such as Granite, Marble, Silestone, Cambria, Viatera and more. We also work with earth friendly recycled materials like Geos - a Recycled Glass Surface.

Besides all this, we successfully remodel 15 to 20 kitchens per month in different areas, including Washington DC, Maryland, Northern Virginia, New York City, and Delaware. So yes, we can modestly say that we have some experience under our belts when it comes to home improvement projects. In fact, our leader - John Murray - has a wonderful story about how he got started while taking on a summer job at a local cabinet making shop in Maryland while in High School (read the story of Counter Intelligence).

We decided to create this blog to connect and interact with people around the globe that have the same interest that we do [design and construction improvements of public and personal living spaces] whether it's the basement in your home, the kitchen, bathroom, an office, or even a commercial public place such as a hospital, stadium or airport. Most of us traffic through these places, sometimes on a daily basis, so why not make them more attractive, relaxed, comfortable, convenient, stylish, elegant or even more sophisticated.

Improving the living space at home is by far the most common type of project that home owners are likely to take on. We feel this will only become a bigger trend as more and more people are telecommuting to work.

Actually working remotely has been a growing trend for several years now. Marissa Mayer - Yahoo!'s CEO - may not feel this is productive for the company, but the truth is, if managed correctly, by having the right tools, technology, and goal (among other things) in place, it's a great way to save on overhead costs in both situations, the company and employee. But we're not here to discuss the pros and cons of adopting telecommuting. I used that as an example, and I believe it's an important one, because a growing number of people are simply spending more time at home working, cooking, cleaning, exercising, enjoying their bathrooms, and the list goes on right? So making ones home more comfortable is that much more important.

To give you some insight into the above statement, I did a quick trend analysis for the past seven years. You can see that more and more people (around the world) are searching for "ideas" to improve their kitchen, bathroom, basement or garage (extent of my swift analysis). The purple trend that you see coming down, is "kitchen remodeling", what does that mean? A lot of things, but we can talk about that some other time. For now, welcome to our blog and we look forward to your comments, ideas, opinions and contributions.

Sincerely, 

Rod