Your Guide to a Smooth-Running Construction Project

Article by: Jeffrey Veffer, B. Arch, MBA

Imagine walking into your newly built or remodeled home and seeing it exactly as you had imagined it at the start of construction: the windows are all in the right places, the flooring is the right color, and the kitchen cabinets are a perfect fit.

Now allow me to pinch you on the arm, because for most people, reality is often different from that idyllic scenario. You might see missing trim around the bedroom doors or wonder why that small change in the kitchen cost so much. Looking back, you might ask, “And why did we have to hire another subcontractor to finish the bathroom?” 

Of course, there are things you just can’t plan for, but there’s plenty that you can. Costly changes and additional time-consuming work can be kept to a minimum if you fully understand what you are building before you start. By understanding the construction process, being part of the team and keeping a firm grip on the budget, your construction project can result in the home of your dreams. 

1. Don’t Skimp on Design Help

Given the busy lives most of us lead, we don’t have the time to research every type of technology and material that might be used on a construction project. Use professionals to save some of the time that would otherwise be spent learning and perfecting the process. 

Architects are trained not just to make a project pretty but to match building systems, thermal envelopes and other properties to the client’s needs. They have a broad, up-to-date knowledge of these systems as well as of materials and processes for a wide variety of project areas.

Now, I sympathize with the awful feelings associated with a project’s going over budget. I’ve been there; I’ve gotten that dreaded call from the contractor that the structural and mechanical designs are in conflict. And dealt with preexisting conditions that the contractor hadn’t anticipated.

A design pro can provide guidance on what team members will likely be required for the project. And not just for the big ones, like a full custom home construction. Smaller projects like additions and remodels also can benefit from a pro’s expertise.

Architects can usually recommend other team members, too, such as engineers. 

Your budget might be tight, but I’ve seen time and time again that trying to save money on design actually can cost homeowners far more in the end, in dollars and frustration. 

Homeowners often underestimate the cost and complexity of a remodel or new home. The cost of the design work on a project is something that homeowners may consider skimping on to save money, but we find that the best way to avoid problems in construction is to invest time with your designer or architect up front to think about the construction process during design. This takes far less time than fixing mistakes that happen when the walls are going up. 

Although it isn’t often pointed out, a good designer or architect depends on the client throughout the design and planning process as much as the client depends on the designer. 

2. Become Part of the Team

Most people spend more time planning their next vacation than they do planning their house project. Not that planning a house project has to be a full-time job. An architect or a designer can help you understand your role in the project as well as the contributions of other team members. That means participating in the process from the start so that you stay fully up to speed with what is happening throughout the project. 

I’ve seen clients assume that I know what’s going on in their head and are surprised when something comes out different than what they were expecting. That’s why communication is important. The Houzz web site and app allow you to show your team what spaces and materials you like. This can give them a reference point to understand where you are coming from (and where you can go together as a team). 

Being part of the team also means becoming familiar with some of the ways your team members communicate. The vast majority of projects use two-dimensional drawings (as well as written specifications) to communicate a homeowner’s intent to the construction team. This documentation is used to create three-dimensional structures. 

This sounds simple enough, but there are many chances for misunderstandings each time a team member reads the documentation. On a recent project, the foundation contractor misread the drawings and built the formwork too narrow on part of the foundation. During a site visit, we were able to catch it before the concrete was poured, saving the time and frustration of having to chip out all that concrete.

You can ask your team to assist you so you understand what is being communicated at each stage of the project. The best opportunity for this is during your design meetings. Remember, if you don’t understand something, ask. It’s better to get everyone on the same page early before a structure gets built that sticks out like a sore thumb. 

You should also talk with the architect and/or contractor before the project starts so you can make sure that everyone agrees on the approach to how the building will be put together. There are evolving areas of construction, especially regarding the building envelope, that contractors and the architect should resolve before the project commences. 

3. Establish Your Goals and Refer Back to Them Frequently 

Be ready to suggest ways to get what you want while avoiding potential problems down the road. If you can create a list of priorities, then when you are faced with challenging decisions during construction, which is pretty much guaranteed, you and your team will be able to look back at your prioritized list to really focus on what will get you closer to your goal instead of what may be a costly distraction. 

Things like prioritizing morning light in the kitchen or consciously forgoing a walk-in closet for a larger main bedroom can save the time and cost of having to move walls and making other expensive changes in the middle of construction.

How to Stick to Your Remodeling Goals

4. Establish Your Budget and Add at Least 10 Percent 

Be sure to set aside a construction contingency for critical items — and don’t be tempted to use it just to put in an upgraded cooktop! Due to the complexity of the construction process, unforeseen issues will come up. Without a contingency, you might find yourself short of cash when you really need it. 

A few years ago while remodeling my own house, we discovered numerous problems stemming from a quick and dirty job done 40 years prior. One of the most worrisome issues was a hacked-out joist on the second floor, leaving the bathtub supported inadequately by adjoining joists and bits of plywood. A great deal of creative thought and some extra cash were needed to fix the deficient joist without tearing apart the whole bathroom. Without a contingency to tackle this urgent situation, we might have been forced to postpone other parts of the project to deal with it and might have been stuck with dust and disruption for a longer time. 

5. Don’t Get Attached to an Optimistic Timeline 

Ideally, your team members will take the time to carefully plan and build your dream house most efficiently. Even if they are not putting in hours specifically on your project, the designer and others will likely be thinking about your project in the back of their mind. It takes time to work out the details of a project, so if you need to get the project designed and built very quickly, there might be situations that won’t be fully resolved in the design phase. There will always be elements that will need resolving onsite, but taking the time to do as much as possible on paper can reduce costs.

It’s also tempting to look at the best-case scenario for construction and think that it will then be the norm for your project. Just like with a cost contingency, though, you’d be well served to build in a time contingency as well. As much as it might seem possible to get into the house on a certain date if all the stars align, realistically there is a chance that the project could go late for a whole variety of reasons (laid out previously). Do yourself a favor: Have a backup plan in case you can’t roll up in the moving van on your exact date. 

6. Consider Construction Implications Before You Start 

During a recent remodel, one homeowner (who was working without a designer) realized that opening up the main floor of her house required a structural engineer, which caused delays as she searched for an engineer and he did his drawings. 

So it’s important to understand what the construction implications will be to get the space you want. Even though it cost her approximately $7,000 more to open up the space, she was really glad that she went ahead with this part of the project. An architect would have been able to point this out before construction started and would have avoided the stress and extra costs involved in undoing some work in the middle of the project. 

7. Communicate Frequently With Your Team

A weekly or biweekly status report can help identify areas of concern. This should be done at the onset of the project and continue through construction. The construction phase is where there are likely to be changes due to site conditions, availability of products or other factors. Be sure to get all changes documented in writing, along with the dollar amount promised; sign off on both the changes and the cost to stay in control and to ensure that all team members are up-to-date at every stage of the building process. 

In construction the document is usually called a change order; it explains the nature of the change and the cost. Sometimes the changes are called extras, because they are additional to what was agreed on in the construction contract.

For example, a homeowner might decide to move the location of a door, so the designer will assess the impact of the change with the general contractor and draw up a change order for review by the client. If the client is OK with the amount, then he or she would ideally sign the physical copy (often confirmation via email is used) and the work would begin.

7 Steps to Pantry Perfection

Article by: Christine Tusher

When we installed pullout pantry cabinets during our kitchen remodel last year, I thought my organizational problems were solved. I envisioned rows of neatly stacked spices and easy-to-see bins of pasta just waiting to be whipped into something delicious.

The reality is that my pantry has turned into a game of spice-and-go-seek that generally ends in frustration and guilt. The bins I bought for my pasta are there, but there aren’t enough of them, and they aren’t the right size. Worse, the myriad packages, from cans to cellophane-wrapped cookie boxes, create chaotic clutter in the rest of my pantry. So I’m taking time out this weekend for a thoughtful organization project based on my real life, not something I saw on a cooking show.

Here’s my seven-step plan for pantry perfection. 

1. Install a spice shelf. I love my roll-out pantry, but my spices are getting lost in the mix. Because they’re stacked one behind the other, they waste space, and it’s hard to see what I have. To remedy this problem, I’ll install door-mounted spice shelves inside the cabinet where I keep my cookbooks. 

The trick will be finding a rack that doesn’t require heavy mounting hardware that might poke through to the outside of the cabinet. So while I would absolutely love a wooden rack like this one, I’ll likely need to find one made of wire.

2. Keep go-to items at eye level. Judging by where these cereal boxes are kept, I’d guess that a couple of self-directed kids hit this pantry for breakfast every morning. I’m taking a cue from this smart parent and organizing my pantry based on how often my family uses individual items. 

I’ll reserve eye-level shelves for cereal, pasta and other staples while keeping baking supplies and treats higher up. 

3. Optimize containers. When I first organized my pantry, I figured that every bulk, pourable item belonged in an airtight container. So I went to my local wholesaler and got container sets that featured boxes in various sizes. Big mistake. Because really there are only two sizes I use: large and medium. 

Not only that, but I didn’t think carefully enough about what went into the containers. We don’t buy our cereals or snacks in bulk, so trading a slim box for a clear container did nothing for improving my organization.

Instead, I’ll take a cue from this pantry and use containers only for items that need to stay fresh and come in messy bags, like baking supplies. 

I’ll also pay attention to the shapes of the containers I add to my collection. I love the look of mason jars, but rectangular containers like the ones in this pantry nestle together more neatly, conserving precious shelf space within my narrow pullouts. 

4. Invest in pretty labels. Every time I pull out a container of a white, powdery baking product, I have to taste it to see if it’s corn starch, flour or confectioner’s sugar. I put all three in containers, but I didn’t like the business-like look of the labels from my label maker, so I simply stopped marking them.

So now I’m hunting for pretty kitchen labels like the ones here so I’ll know what everything is, when I bought it and when it’s ready to be tossed. 

5. Use baskets for anything round. I usually keep round, nonperishable items like onions and potatoes in their bags on the lowest shelf of my pantry, but as the shelves roll, a few veggies inevitably escape and make a mess. Baskets like those used in this pantry keep food organized and still allow air to circulate, preventing the food from getting prematurely moldy. 

6. Keep awkwardly shaped items down low. At my house a search for an afternoon snack inevitably ends in an avalanche of chips, trail mix and other bagged foods. By moving the packages to a lower shelf, as this homeowner did, I’ll be able to see how they’re shifting and prevent potato chip rainstorms and other messes.

And when I do come home from the grocery store, I’ll think about not just where I put things away but how they’re put away, taking care to face containers with the labels out and align similar items. 

Because, yes, some people’s spaces actually do look like the one shown here. And I intend to be one of those people.

8 Kitchen Design Tips for Foodies

Article by: Christine Tusher

I cut my culinary teeth in a tiny apartment where a janky oven meant that cookies took twice as long to bake, and seared scallops nearly sent dinner guests home with smoke inhalation.

The upside of all that making-do meant I knew exactly what I wanted when the time finally came to move to a larger space and remodel the kitchen. I spent hours poring over solutions for everything from pot storage to dishwasher space, and while not every idea worked for our space, the fixes I found heavily influenced the end result.

Here are eight great tips to help your dream kitchen work beautifully.

1. Buy the right vent hood. Vent hoods are rated by the cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air they can suck from a room. While formulas for determining how much power you’ll need vary, you’ll want to start by acquainting yourself with the basics. 

• There’s no point in buying a hood that’s larger than your range. It won’t really suck more smoke out, and it won’t look right either.
• Gas ranges generate more heat than electric ones, and thus require more powerful vent hoods.
• Maxxing out the CFMs isn’t always a good thing. For example, a 1,000-CFM vent hood will suck the air from a 10-by-10-by-10 room in about a minute, then will lose suction unless you have an HVAC system or an open window. So have your room dimensions handy to show the vendor when it’s time to buy.

2. Invest in proper knife storage. If you love to cook, chances are that you’ve spent a pretty penny on at least one good kitchen knife. But leaving it to rattle loosely in a cutlery drawer will dull and damage its blade – and pose a serious threat to your fingers.

Kitchen knives should be stored in a way that keeps them separate and organized, with their blades horizontally oriented so the knife never rests on its blade. 

While my knives are currently housed in the block they came in, I plan to commandeer a little-used drawer and add a knife block like this one.

3. Pull out your pans. This ingenious pullout eliminates messy stacks of pots.

4. Stash pot lids in a rollout. Pot lids can be the bane of any home chef’s existence, jamming drawers and preventing pots from stacking properly. To solve this problem, use a shallow rolling drawer to neatly stash lids for the pots below.

5. Keep cooking utensils off your countertop. Keeping spatulas and whisks in a countertop jar may make storing these awkwardly shaped utensils easy, but it also creates clutter. Consider replacing a narrow cabinet near your stove with a custom pullout to keep utensils close at hand.

6. Create extra prep space. This small San Francisco kitchen was in desperate need of extra prep space. The solution: a custom rolling cutting board and base cabinet that can be pulled out should the sous-chef need some extra elbow room.

7. Make your faucet a soaker. I was wary of a soaker hose’s high profile poking up above our breakfast bar, but my husband talked me into it. And boy, am I glad he did! It blasts water off dirty dishes, cools pasta in no time flat and ensures that every corner of our sink is sparkling clean.

8. Consider a dishwasher with a utensil drawer. The last thing I want to do when I entertain is to disturb guests with the clatter of hand washing dishes, but I don’t want to wake up to a mess either.

Choosing a dishwasher that can comfortably accommodate a heavy load was very important to me. The model I chose has a narrow utensil drawer that slides out above the top rack, freeing space below for unwieldy pots and large stacks of dishes. A year later I can definitely say this was one of the best decisions we made.

10 Ways to Open a Kitchen to the Outdoors

Article by: Laura Gaskill

The kitchen is often the heart of the home, but in summer it can feel like a bit of a bummer to be cooped up by a hot stove. If you’re considering some updates to your kitchen and live in a climate that’s friendly to outdoor living, consider opening up your kitchen to light, air and outdoor entertaining with glass doors or pass-through windows. See if one of these 10 ideas for opening up the kitchen gets your imagination flowing. 

1. Create a focal point with glass-paned barn doors. Go glamorous with the barn door trend by installing glass-paned barn-style sliding doors across one kitchen wall. The ample expanses of glass will let in light and views, and the doors themselves will provide a beautiful focal point, even after the sun goes down. 

2. Go for sliders. Sliding glass doors and screens that slide into pockets take up no extra space, but have the potential to vastly expand the square footage of a kitchen during nice weather. 

3. Add classic charm with French doors to the garden. The allure of a set of French doors simply cannot be beat. It’s a great choice for traditional homes where sliding glass doors would look out of character. To make the most of your French doors, design a special garden feature (trimmed hedges, a fountain) to line up with the view from inside. 

4. Try folding windows. NanaWall windows fold up, allowing you to completely open up the kitchen windows to let in the breeze and sun. With their minimal frames, they are a good choice for modern and contemporary homes. 

5. Add an outdoor bar. From the outside, folding windows provide an ideal spot to create an outdoor bar with pass-through access to the kitchen. 

Positioning your outdoor bar beneath a wide eave, as shown here, will help provide some cover from the sun. 

6. Add major light to an otherwise dark space. In a kitchen or an open-plan space without windows (such as in a row house), adding light at the end of the room is essential. Here accordion-style glass doors completely fold away at the end of the long kitchen to reveal a garden patio. 

When you see the space from the outside, you can imagine how dark the interior would have been if the end of the kitchen had a solid door. With glass doors, both the kitchen and patio feel more spacious and welcoming. 

7. Open up a galley kitchen. Glass doors at the end of a narrow galley kitchen offer an enticing view of the backyard, and can be flung open to allow easy access to an outdoor dining area. Even when the doors are closed, the additional light and view make the narrow space feel larger. 

8. Try a small swap with a big payoff. Even a small change, like swapping a solid kitchen door for a glass version, can completely change the feel of the room, letting in extra light and giving you an eye on the outdoors. Bonus points for painting the frame a bright hue.

9. Open an entire side of your house. This may not be in your budget or even architecturally possible for your house, but if you can swing it, why not go for it? Glass doors that fold away, opening as much (or as little) of your home to the outdoors as you wish could completely change the way you live at home.

10. Install airplane-hangar-style doors. These are garage-style doors taken to the next level. The pro who worked on this project customized a set of doors by adding a hinge in the middle, giving them a striking look. The doors also save interior space when open (they fold up instead of sliding into the space).

Get More From Your Kitchen Island

Article by: Kathryn Peltier

Many kitchen islands open directly into another room. If you don’t require seating on that other side of your island, it’s a great opportunity to make the island serve purposes other than cooking and eating. When planning for an island, consider how it can be used to your advantage, whether it’s incorporating additional display space, extra storage or even strategically separating — or connecting — other spaces. Here’s how you can make your island work harder for you.

Get More Display and Storage

These open shelves wrap around the island to create display space on two sides. This makes for a much more eye-catching addition in an open floor plan. Can you imagine staring at solid planes of material here? Meanwhile, a small countertop at the opposite end still accommodates some island seating. 

Although this island also has shelves below, the real eye catcher is the ceiling-hung shelves, which create a bright, casual cookware display. What a visual feast for diners! 

Where seating is not required, think about incorporating bookshelves along the length of your island — perfect for all those cookbooks. 

Full-height cabinets block kitchen messes, provide storage and hold a TV here. 

Get a Divider or Transition

A simple, narrow dividing wall, which seemingly arises from the island, partially hides the cooking area and creates a stunning art wall. Notice how the sculpture niche is finished to match the cabinetry, creating the transition from kitchen to the living-dining area. 

This island does double duty with a working kitchen side and a buffet dining side, but it doesn’t stop there: The beautifully detailed end wall hides any mess and creates a lovely focal point. 

In this very open space, the island ends in a fabulous display area that looks like furniture. This concept blurs the line between cooking and living areas. 

Want to hide your dirty dishes but still converse with the guests? Use meticulously detailed cabinetry as a horizontal backdrop to your dining area — much more interesting than drywall. A narrow continuation of the countertop even serves as a buffet space. 

In the same space seen from the kitchen side, small cabinets actually form the top of the dining “wall” and provide storage — bonus! 

Get Table Seating

In this kitchen a working island is paired with a built-in banquette, making an attractive, handy spot for dining. This would work equally well with a rectangular island. 

Ease a Level Change

Many homes have a step or two from the kitchen to a living area, typically with a railing of some sort. Why not create a casual dining area as a buffer between the two instead, utilizing some great cabinetry?