See It Before You Build It with Green Remodeling

Whenever the time comes for you to begin looking around for a skilled professional home remodeling/renovation contractor to begin a dream project of yours, there’s a long list of questions and criteria you should address before you finally decide who it is you’re going to trust with what’s probably your most treasured and expensive asset — your home. In Living Color One factor that may not initially register as a “must-have,” but certainly registers as a “should-have” is finding a contractor who can offer the luxury of 3D computer modeling and design services. One of the most important stages of a home remodeling project occurs before even the first hammer is raised or the first slab of concrete poured; it’s the planning stage. Not only is it important for you to find a contractor that can envision and encourage your plan for the new space, but one that can combine your vision for the project with their resources and produce a successful plan and rendition of what the finished space will look like. Since remodeling a home requires so much planning, it’s important to have as accurate a depiction of the end product as possible. That’s where 3D design services come in. Sneak Peek At Green Remodeling, we take pride in the fact that our clients can “See It Before We Build It” using our state-of-the-art 3D design services. No matter if it’s as small as a tile layout, full-blown kitchen cabinet makeover, or sunroom addition with adjacent deck, our skilled design specialists can create bold, vivid 3D renderings that not only give you a more precise idea of what the space will look like with all the right colors, textures, lighting, and so much more, but help to eliminate the risk of potential mistakes and bad decisions that can adversely affect budget and timeline. Because Green Remodeling is fully dedicated to your satisfaction in all we do, we utilize 3D design services to increase your level of confidence and trust in the work we’re performing for you, which helps to build the rapport that’s essential to every successful client/contractor relationship. To find out how our 3D design services can be of service to you, no matter the scope or scale of the project, contact the Green Team today and let’s start laying the foundation on the living space of your dreams!

Remodeling with Luxury Vinyl Tile

As manufacturing technology advances and installation gets simpler and simpler, the popularity and versatility of luxury vinyl tile only rises! Over the years, the quality of vinyl floors has sky-rocketed. Vinyl used to appear in only a few different styles and those styles were really not that appealing. Luxury vinyl now comes in many ceramic, slate and hardwood styles. Improved printing technology has made it so that the vinyl version of a wood or stone floor is often all but indistinguishable from the real thing. They feel nice and cushy underfoot plus they’re affordable and easy to clean. It’s no wonder they’ve grown so popular. The wide variety of vinyl lets builders and remodelers pick whatever stylish design they desire and use it as part of their decor. Best of all, they allow you to get any kind of design at a very affordable price. Vinyl hardwood designs are an especially coveted option. As you probably already know, real wood floors can be quite expensive and tend to require a lot of maintenance. They scuff, they stain and in time they can even warp and rot. The same goes for real stone tiles which can crack and leaves dirt-collecting grout exposed in your floor. This is why people, especially people with pets and young children, are looking for alternatives that can retain the beauty of wood and tile but are easy to maintain as well. We can expertly install all sorts of LVTs and traditional vinyl flooring. These floors are totally scratch-proof, mostly water-proof and stain-resistant. With vinyl, you can effortlessly still maintain the shine and beauty of your flooring, year after year. Because genuine hard woods can rot if exposed to moisture, contractors often avoid using them in bathrooms and kitchens. Because moisture does not affect vinyl wood floor tile that way, they can be installed in any part of your home. If you’ve always wanted hardwoods for your kitchen, consider getting them (and keeping them looking great!) by opting for vinyl. Vinyl flooring is an excellent choice for people who are worried about high remodeling charges or don’t want to worry about floor maintenance costs. Plus, LVT is quite easy to install – the process only takes a few hours. Therefore, your home is not disrupted. When you opt for vinyl, cleaning the floor is easy and finding exactly the floor you want for a price that you like is easier than you think!

Preview Your Remodel

This year, Green Remodeling is introducing a new 3D virtual design program. This program allows you to see 2D and 3D visuals of how your redesigned home will look after we’ve put the finishing touches on it before you’ve actually made any changes to the space. We’re doing away with that dreaded phrase, “it looked better on paper.” Because we’re getting your ideas off the page and into a clever design program that lets you view the completed project before anyone has started knocking down walls or tearing up carpet. These days, when somebody decides to start a remodel, there’s usually a lengthy research period that precedes the fruition of the project in the physical world. We read design books, watch home improvements shows, surf architecture and design websites and spend countless hours trying to plan the spaces we live in each day. Shouldn’t we be able to see our plans in perfect 3D? There’s really no better way of visualizing a new room than seeing it modeled to scale in a three dimensional simulation. One of the best features of the Green Remodeling planning program is its ability to multitask. It has a large gallery of decor and finishes to choose from to simulate your style and it can clearly lay out multiple rooms and spaces in a single virtual design session. When you think about it, our virtual design previews are like a super affordable way for you to try out different paint color, move walls and add sophisticated details to your home without buying a thing. Whether you want to do work on your basement, your bathroom, your kitchen or your family room, the program’s 3D catalog library, packed with thousands of cabinets, appliances, furnishings and textures, is sure to have what you’re looking for. Our architectural design software is easy to use and the images it creates are realistic and easy to understand. You won’t be decoding blueprints or working with vague sketches with this design innovation! Your contractor and designer will work with you and quickly show you how your finished basement or remodeled kitchen is going to look in your home. And if there’s anything you don’t like about your home preview, tweaking features here and there is a breeze so costly redesign miscommunications are minimized. You can even move through the virtual models so you’ll know how your home’s new architectural features will look from every angle. A final benefit to previewing your new space on remodeling software is that it can even speed up the building process. The 3D models can be translated into construction documents hastily so the work can start faster and your real home can become like your virtual home sooner!

LED Lighting is the new GREEN Light

What are LED lights, why are they so expensive, and why is everyone is using them? LED stands for Light Emitting Diode.  They have become popular because they are the most energy efficient way to produce light.  LED lights use about 90 percent less power than conventional light bulbs (halogen, incandescent, fluorescent, etc).  They are more durable and have a long service life.  Believe it or not, but they can last up to 25 years or more!!!  This is about 40,000-50,000 hours. Have you ever noticed how much harder it is to keep a room full of canned lights cool?  LED lights can solve this problem, because they do not emit heat the way conventional lights do.  This allows you to stay more comfortable while saving on your utility bills. For safety and environmental concerns, they don’t contain any mercury or toxins, don’t generate radio frequency so as not to interfere with radios or TVs and are resistant to vibration and shocks.  They are cool to the touch so as not to burn you.  Again because they do not generate heat, they are safer to be placed near drier bushes and plants.  Their waterproof quality allows them to be safe to be used near water hoses and sprinklers. The trendiest place to use LED lighting right now is with cabinetry.  Because they do not generate as much heat as conventional lights, they can be used in places that were not possible before.  They are commonly used for task lighting, under cabinet lights, inside cabinets and drawers, and under the toe kick. Another place where LED lighting is making headway is in outdoor spaces.  There are the obvious energy savings, but beyond that, they are a great choice because they do not emit any ultra violet light and therefore do not attract bugs!  They can withstand harsh weather conditions and are available in a variety of configurations.  They are commonly used in vibrant colors for holiday decorations. They are also commonly used for night lights, stair and walkway lighting, pendants and replace lamp bulbs. So what’s the catch?  They are expensive.  It goes back to the adage, “You get what you pay for.”  It is estimated that between replacement costs of bulbs and energy savings, LED lighting will pay for themselves within about 3.5 years. If you would like more information, there is a free app about LED lighting call “Learn LED” from Phillips. If there are any home improvement topics you would like me to cover, please feel free to email them in to me at lgreen@greenremodeling.com

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “vinyl”?

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “vinyl”?  For most people, they think of those huge rolls of cheap plastic flooring sold at the big box DIY stores. I try not to tell people that LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile) flooring is actually a vinyl product until I have been able to tell them about the wide range of amazing attributes that have allowed it to become a very popular flooring choice. Otherwise, people immediately become close-minded about the product without wanting to hear additional details. LVT most commonly looks like hardwoods; however, you can also choose LVT that mimics the look of porcelain, travertine, slate, stained concrete – pretty much any style you would want for your new floor.  Instead of one big sheet, the product will come in whatever form that the LVT is imitating.  “Hardwood” LVT will be shaped in individual planks to closely match the look of hardwoods.  When mimicking tile, it will be shaped in squares or rectangles, and it even has a line you would install to mimic the grout!  These individual pieces will be glued down using pressure-sensitive glue.  There are even some thicker, heavier styles of LVT with a gripping mechanism on the bottom, which allows it to be installed by merely placing them on the floor. Luxury Vinyl Tile is most commonly used as the flooring of choice in the basement.  LVT is a great choice here because it is virtually waterproof so it can withstand the water from an outside pool, hot tub, or even a flood.  LVT is virtually indestructible, so it can withhold high traffic (often installed in Wal-Mart), kids playing around, get-together’s, etc.  I installed it for a customer who called me two days later, thankful because she had dropped a large glass container full of lemonade that shattered across the floor.  She winced because she was afraid she had damaged her new floors, only to find there wasn’t a single mark. From a maintenance perspective, LVT is a great choice because it can be cleaned with anything, never needs to be refinished, resealed, or re-grouted, and should you damage a piece/plank, it can easily be replaced.  It is softer than the flooring types it mimics and also is better at muffling sound.  As far as pricing goes, LVT starts off at a very affordable rate.  However, the more indistinguishable you want it to be, the higher the price.  The higher end wide plank hardwood looks may end up being about the same price as the real thing, but will end up saving you money in the future on repairs and maintenance.  No matter what you envision for your home, there will an LVT product out there that will meet your design and budget needs!

What are “Green” Products and How do they Help Me and My Home?

If you asked 10 people what it means for a product to be “green”, you would probably get 10 different answers.  The truth is, there are many different attributes that allow a product to be called “green.”   This can range anywhere from being made of recyclable material to the cleaner or more efficient manner in which they are manufactured.  Basically, “green” products can loosely be defined as products that lower their negative impact on the earth. The most recognized classification for green products is whether they are made from recycled materials or are themselves recyclable.  Manufacturers are finding many inventive ways to use recyclable material to create interesting things.  Take for example glass countertops.  There are companies that take particular bottles for their coloring (Heineken for green, Skyy Vodka for blue, wine bottles for red) and use them to create beautiful unique countertops.  These countertops are quite a fitting choice for a basement bar or wet bar area. In many cases you can also remodel your home using items salvaged from existing or demolished buildings such as bathtubs, sinks, and cabinetry. Doing this lowers the demand for having these items manufactured and in turn lowers the strain on the environment from the factories making these items. Sustainability is a big part of classifying a product as “green”. Sustainability in the remodeling world has multiple definitions.  It can refer to the replenishment of the resource from which the product is made.   This is called “sustainable harvesting”. Many hardwood floor manufacturers have programs to plant a tree for every tree they cut down. Bamboo has become a popular green flooring choice for this reason. Bamboo grows at an incredible rate, reaching maturity in 3-5 years, as opposed to trees which require more than double that time. It is more durable than traditional oak hardwoods and is also a bit more resistant to water. Another popular “green” flooring choice is cork.  It is considered sustainable because one tree can be harvested multiple times. It is a natural insulator, dampens sound, and is hypoallergenic.  Because of its softness, it is great for those who have children or back/knee problems. Sustainability can also mean being extremely durable with low maintenance requirements.  This longevity keeps it from needing to be replaced in the near future.  Examples of this would be HardiePlank Siding and LVT flooring.  HardiePlank siding will not rot or warp like it’s real wood look-alike and is made to last for many years.  LVT flooring is virtually indestructible, can be cleaned with anything, is water resistant, and does not require any maintenance such as refinishing.  Another example would be using LED light bulbs.  They can last for 20+ years before having to be replaced.  They also use very little energy to create the same output as traditional light bulbs which is another aspect of being a green product. Reducing energy consumption is another attribute of a “green” product.  Not only does this lower the impact on the earth, but it also lowers utility bills.  There are many products which are aimed at reducing energy costs such as Eco Wraps (an insulating wrap placed around your house before the finish is applied), Low-E Windows, Energy Star Appliances, etc. A product can also be considered “green” if it does not produce or contain any contaminants.  As of the late 70’s paints with lead have been banned; however, many paints and stains used today still contain harmful substances called VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). VOCs are toxins that are released into the air as the paint cures. They can cause symptoms ranging from asthma attacks and complications, decreases in enzymes in the blood which help the nervous system function properly, and cancer.  The good news is that paint manufacturers have begun to make products with low or no VOCs. They are water-based, which makes for easy cleanup since it is not considered hazardous waste, has little to no odor when applied, and has no ozone depleting contaminants. As you can see, there are many great products that can be used in your home that can be considered “green”.  Many do not cost you any more than you would pay for a non-green product and can in fact save you money in the long run. Just being aware of the product’s qualities can help you make a more informed “green” decision.