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Expensive Lesson Learned

Expensive Lesson Learned

by | Feb 21, 2020 | HER Home

In another of the “it happened to me” all-too-real stories, when we moved into our new 2-story home, we were disappointed in how the second floor rooms were uncomfortably cold heading into our first winter. The main floor was just right—perhaps even a bit on the warm side when we enjoyed the new see-through fireplace (which we did a lot!). As we rounded New Year’s, it finally occurred to me what the problem was—the thermostat.

Not that the thermostat wasn’t working right—it was operating exactly as designed. The problem was its location. The thermostat had been installed approximately 8 feet from the fireplace, in the great room. With the fireplace on, the room warmed up, telling the thermostat there was no need for the furnace to turn on.

We hired a contractor to relocate the thermostat to a more “neutral” location away from the great room and the fireplace. Problem solved. Expensive lesson learned.

Also, keep in mind thermostat placement in the following scenarios as these can sometimes “trick” the thermostat into thinking the house isn’t warm or cool enough, thus triggering extended run times for your heating and/or cooling:

  • A large, open area that also includes a vaulted ceiling
  • A drafty area, such as in line with your front door/entry hall

Be sure to discuss thermostat placement with your builder or remodeler to determine the ideal placement. 

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Cover Image: <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/coffee”>Coffee photo created by pressfoto – www.freepik.com</a>

Glass Care Center: Made for Entertaining

Glass Care Center: Made for Entertaining

by | Feb 14, 2020 | HER Home

Thermador’s Glass Care Center dishwasher was made for entertaining. It is specifically designed with glassware in mind, and can hold up to 26 large wine glasses, giving it the largest wine glass capacity of any dishwasher on the market. Thermador paid special attention to breakage and designed a no-slip, soft rubber lower rack and adjustable stands so stemware stays put. And to prevent the host from getting stuck in the kitchen, the dishwasher has smart capabilities and can be controlled through their Home Connect™ app. It even features an array of color options for dishwater lighting!

Work-in PantryHow great would this be in your Work-in Pantry?

A Work-in Pantry makes storage, prep, serving, and clean up a breeze! With additional appliances, such as wall ovens and a dishwasher, as well as storage and counter space, the Work-in Pantry is a wonderful addition to your kitchen configuration. The Glass Care Center dishwasher would be a perfect addition to your Work-in Pantry. Learn more about this Thoughtful Design Concept in the blog post: Storage and Prep Kitchen in One!

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Images Courtesy: Thermador
Learn more at Thermador.

(Product spotlights are for informational purposes only.)

Storage and Prep Kitchen in One!

Storage and Prep Kitchen in One!

by | Feb 7, 2020 | HER Home

Problem: You enjoy entertaining, but don’t like to rush around cleaning up from food prep before your guests arrive. You have a large family and need additional space for storage, prep, cooking, and cleaning up. Or, you just enjoy keeping the kitchen clean and presentable.

Solution: The Work-in Pantry concept is more than a mere walk-in pantry. It offers the conveniences of storage and prep kitchen in one! Perhaps you have several dishes that need to be baked, the additional ovens are handy. A second dishwasher makes clean up quick and easy when you wash the dishes you store in the pantry in that dishwasher. Prep for a party and leave the mess in the Work-in Pantry until after your guests have departed. All the while your kitchen counters are free for serving up hors d’oeuvres, not your prep dishes!

Additional Benefits of the Work-in Pantry:

  • Some dishes produce strong odors that may be unpleasant to the senses, such as seafood/fish, spices, etc.; keep these in the Work-in Pantry and out of the main kitchen and entertaining areas.
  • For those that require kosher (or other ethnic/religious) food prep, the Work-in Pantry provides an ideal solution for keeping prep/cooking/serving separate. 

The Zinnia (plan #42041) presents a nice Work-in Pantry layout. Tucked in the back corner of the kitchen with ample space for incorporating additional appliances, storage, and counter top for food prep.

Zinnia - #42041 Pantry

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Powder Bath Considerations

Powder Bath Considerations

by | Jan 30, 2020 | HER Home

Being fortunate enough to have a powder bath (or ½ bath) means guests need not appreciate your child’s rubber duckies in the tub. If your new home will have a powder bath, its location and design are top considerations. Having a powder bath might also be a cost issue requiring further trade-offs.

Powder Bath Location. Convenience suggests that main bathrooms should be located near the bedrooms, freeing the powder bath to serve other areas of the home. But for powder baths, privacy is as important as an accommodating location. You wouldn’t want to see the toilet when you walk through your front door, nor an “extra seat” from the kitchen/dining area. Location privacy is also important as a sound buffer. While simply keeping the bathroom door shut at all times seems like a reasonable alternative, in reality, that solution doesn’t work because you never know if that bathroom is in use or not. Finally, “how you want your home to live” can affect location. Do you want that bathroom near the entrance in from the garage? Near your home office for clients’ and colleagues’ use?

Powder Bath Design. For many, the focus rests upon selecting the perfect pedestal lavatory and faucet to compliment the design of the rest of their home. In terms of aesthetics, those pedestal lavatories can be stunning, but excellence in design means combining the aesthetics and practicality – specifically, storage.

At the risk of being indiscreet, when you’re sitting on the stool and you don’t have what you need (extra roll of toilet paper, hygiene products, etc.), then it’s not a good bathroom design. An over-the-toilet or in-wall storage cabinet are a couple ways to deliver the practical as well as the aesthetic in a powder bath that features a pedestal lavatory as opposed to a sink that sits atop a vanity base cabinet.

Thoughtful Design vs. Cost. Consider two Design Basics’ plans – the Osborne (#6282) and the Limington (#43037) – that are almost identical, with the only significant difference being the addition of the powder bath and drop zone in the Limington, adding about 42 square feet. Yet, using the standard $150 per square foot rule of thumb (source: HomeAdvisor.com), that works out to an additional $6,300. It seems like a lot of money for a 1,600 square foot home, but the convenience of powder bath would sure be appreciated by both occupants and guests alike!

Osborne – #6282

Limington – #43037

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Cover Photo: <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/business”>Business photo created by freepik – www.freepik.com</a>

Ditch the Dirty Clothes Basket

Ditch the Dirty Clothes Basket

by | Jan 24, 2020 | HER Home

Problem: You’re constantly tripping over the laundry basket in your walk-in closet/bathroom/laundry room. It’s something you need to catch the dirty clothes until wash day, but can’t it be less troublesome?

Solution: Design Basics’ plan customization specialist, Tricia Baker, developed a handy and attractive design amenity, the Laundry Solution. It can be incorporated into your closet, bedroom, or bathroom, integrated into your cabinetry as a tilt-out or pull-out drawer. On laundry day, simply lift the clothes basket out of the drawer to transport to your laundry room.

Another concept is a pass-through from your closet, bedroom, or bathroom (see cover image). If your home’s design facilitates a shared wall between one of these rooms, the Laundry Solution conveniently “drops” dirty clothes into your laundry room!

Design Basics’ plan #35038 – Arturo Timbers – includes both types of Laundry Solutions:

  • A Laundry Pass-Through style in the Owner’s Suite walk-in closet
  • A Laundry Tilt-Out/Pull-Out style in Suite 2’s walk-in closet

Let our Plan Customization Specialists help you incorporate a Laundry Solution into your favorite home plan!

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