A home to grow old in

One big trend that I am seeing over and over again is planning a custom home that takes into consideration the challenges that we face as we age.  Many baby boomers, especially retirees, want to plan a home that they can stay in as long as possible and maintain the comfortable lifestyle they are used to.  So whether they are in a wheelchair or worried about reduced eyesight or arthritis, navigating their home does not have to become a chore.

Here are some of the areas that people are customizing so that they can grow old gracefully in their home:

• Single story floor plans
• Stair free living - that includes eliminating steps leading into the front door or even the garage
• Wider doorways and hallways - these should be at least 32 inches wide
• Clothing rods that are located between 24 and 44 inches from the finished floor
• Lower light switches
• Higher electrical outlets
• Good lighting through out the home including closets and hallways
• Eliminating carpet in order to be more wheelchair friendly
• Showers with a sit-down bench

Thinking through these options has allowed many of our clients to not only build the home that they want to live in now, but also down the road.

Hello Mold!

When we were called out to Dripping Springs to talk about a potential remodeling project, we were told that the house had some mold.  Wow, the homeowner was not kidding.  This house was swimming in mold.

With mold this bad, we knew immediately that there was really only one option - tear the house down to the studs and start all over again.  So that is exactly what we are doing.

Stay tuned for more photos as we rip this house apart and build it back up to its former glory.

Kitchen Remodel - Andersen Mill

The kitchen at the Pena residence was our first kitchen remodel this past summer.   

The wish list included:

• Bring the kitchen "out of the 1970's"
• Open up the space
• Remove a double oven and adding more storage
• Install new cabinets and appliances

As you can see, the kitchen did need some updating.  In order to open up the space, we removed the upper cabinets separating the kitchen from the dining room.  Then we removed the light box at the kitchen ceiling.  This allowed us to "bump" up the ceiling 12 inches.  These two decisions opened up the kitchen.  What do you think?

We then added these great shaker-style, espresso-stained cabinets from KitchenCraft.  The cabinets are frameless, allowing for less wood to be used, as well as increasing storage capacity.  Combined with integrated storage solutions, the cabinets are much more efficient than the previous ones. 

We also installed a New Venetian Gold granite countertop from Rodeo Marble and a travertine backsplash to compliment the cabinets and granite.  

Overall, the kitchen looks cleaner, updated, and much more open.  Another kitchen remodeling success!

Looking to update your kitchen?  We would love to help. Contact us at info@duarteconstruct.com or 512.275.6500.  

Laundry Room Makeover

While many hours each week are spent in the laundry room, it may be one of the least thought-out rooms in the house.  It is all too common to focus your attention on the kitchen or master suite, but the laundry room is just an afterthought.

But when someone takes the time to think through the features and logistics of a laundry room, it can make the necessary chore of doing your laundry a much better experience.

Take this laundry room renovation that I tackled this summer.  My client had a typical laundry room that did the job, but was narrow and had limited storage.  And with two active kids, the laundry baskets often piled up.

So they decided to change things around a bit.  The wish list included:

• More storage
• Everything to have its place
• More open space  that would make it easier to move around in
• A room that could function like both a laundry room and a mud room

And with a design by Austin designer Jon Salinas AIA, we jumped into the project.  

We extended the laundry room by using some of the existing garage space.

Then we added much needed storage in the form of cabinets and an island from QSI Custom Cabinets.  The cabinets work well for all of those random items that end up in the laundry room: dog food, water bottles, etc.  The soapstone island countertop from Dorado Soapstone serves as a great work surface to sort and fold clothes.

And my favorite part of this renovation are the perfect-sized cubbies to hold those laundry baskets and the cloth bins that can hide the clutter.  Everything has its place.

The final touch was a fresh coat of paint. The mustard yellow warms up the space immensely.

When an overlooked laundry room gets the attention that it deserves, the results can be extraordinary.

Sears House, Update 2

The Sears house remodel project is coming to an end.  Here are several more before/after pictures:

(Before)

(After)

The roof was entirely demolished and the metal was sent to a reseller for reuse.  Once damaged roof rafters were replaced, a new galvalume metal roof was installed.  The original windows were kept on the front  elevation in order to keep the authenticity of the intital design.  Along with a cleaning and a fresh coat of paint, the Sears house has a second life well into its next century.



Before



After



These before and after pictures are taken from the living room while looking into the dining room.  The original light fixtures were kept, as they still work, and lend an additional charm to the Sears house.  The hardwood floors were repaired and refinished with a red oak stain and a water-based, semi-gloss polyurethane.

Before



After



After



The fireplace mantel had very interesting mouldings and ornate details that we definitely wanted to repair and preserve.  After repairing the mouldings, we removed all of the old caulking, sanded, re-caulked and painted the mantle.  As intended, it is now the focal point of the entire house.



Before



After

The exterior dining room wall had extensive termite damage and was completely rebuilt with new framing members, windows, sheetrock and trim.   The interior wall was painted a light blue to help balance the earth tones and to create a nice accent.  Again, we kept the original light fixture and the trim around the windows was designed to replicate the original window trim.

This was such an amazing project to see this transformation.

Sears House Remodel

Several months ago, we started a remodel of an older kit house in the Texas Hill country.  This is a project I was really excited to be a part of as these types of houses are rare in central Texas.
Here's a little history: 

At the beginning of the 20th century, a person was able to pick up a handy Sears Roebuck Mail-Order Catalog and order everything from table linens to houses.  That's right - actual houses, operated by Sears' "Modern Homes" division.  They are now often referred to as "kit houses," as everything needed to build the house, from framing lumber to nails to paint, was included in the kit.  Overall, Sears designed over 400 plans/kits for sale during this time!  Sears was not the first company to sell "kit" houses, but over time, the Sears name has become synonymous with kit homes.  As it turns out, the concept of modern, pre-fab houses is about a century old!   

Below are several "before" images of a kit house remodel in Johnson City.  Though it has not been verified, the owner (as do I) kindly refers to the house as "The Sears House."  

As you can tell from the photos, this house is in need of some attention.  I will send out updates as this house goes through its transformation process.