Renovations, Remodelling & Makeovers Archives - Page 4 of 8

Greenwich Fashion and Function in Home Remodeling Project

Our clients for this home remodeling project in Greenwich, CT work in the fashion design industry, which gives them a creative vision that served this complete home remodel perfectly, providing us the opportunity to blend colors and materials in unique ways.

Beautiful example of the living room with relaxing sofa’s chairs, and a gorgeous open fireplace

With two young children, our clients needed to make sure their home met their aesthetic vision but was also functional. They also enjoy entertaining, and wanted to create an inviting home to spend time with family and friends in a space that reflects their personality.

Working closely with well-known architect and designer Robert Couturier, our clients invited us to provide a constructional analysis of the plans, along with the design work.

No detail was left alone in this remodel, and the exterior is a testament to that.

We beautified the exterior through a new cedar shake roof, copper gutters, a new turret, a second-floor outdoor patio, a bluestone porch patio, new steps, new windows and doors, and railings. The end result is a warm, but show-stopping, style that takes more than a minute to take in.

Stunning kitchen with large kitchen island bench and built in sink

In the kitchen and great room, we emphasized the ample space by creating clean lines and an open feeling, envisioning the family dinners and gatherings with friends that would take place in those rooms.

The great room provides plenty of space for conversation and activities, with tall ceilings, beautiful natural light, a gorgeous central fireplace, and stunning trim that all pulls together a functional, inviting great room.

The master bathroom was one of the most demanding pieces of the entire remodel, as we needed to find the perfect materials for the project.

Ultimately, we sent a fabricator to Italy to hand select the gorgeous marble to create a classy interior that is unmatched.

The 18-month project was a delight to work on, and the beauty of the home will provide peace and comfort to the family for years.

Gerety Building & Restoration is a full-service general contractor that offers kitchen & bathroom remodelling, masonry, flooring, custom wine cellars, roofing, residential painting and more.

Lawn Care And Lawn Maintenance

Is your current lawn old and looking tired and you keep asking yourself the question ‘how can I renovate an ugly old lawn’?

Is it patchy and lumpy looking?

Is your lawn weed infested even after applying weed control products regularly?

If any of these questions are true of your lawn, this article will guide you on the ways you can restore your lawn and get it back to looking great.

Deciding to renovate your existing lawn or scrapping the entire lawn altogether and start from scratch is a difficult decision.

For your efforts to bear fruits, you need to figure out why you want to or need to restore your lawn.

If you do not determine the problem, fixing the lawn can be tough. For instance, when over seventy percent of the grass in your lawn is dead, whether it is because of being cut too short, soil compaction or not receiving enough water, the easiest way to renovate your lawn is removing the grass and starting afresh.

However, if your lawn is infested with weeds or has several dry patches, you can still just concentrate on these areas and make your lawn look great again.

Today we are going to guide you on how to renovate a lawn that is more than 50 percent dead and how to maintain it in top shape.

The first thing to do is contacting a local extension service to test your soil to see whether you will need to amend it. Once you have the results, you can order for compost and amend your soil as per the instructions.

Next, you need to rent some power tools such as the sod cutter that will help you to cut the dead grass and a rotary tiller to blend the amendments.

These power tools can help you to renovate about 1,500-square feet of lawn in one weekend.

The following tips will assist you in renovating your lawn easily.

Getting Started

Remove The Old Grass

Hire a sod cutter and use it to remove the old, dry grass. This power tool will help you to cut the grassroots while making long tiles of loose sod.

This machine is easy to use and helps you to remove old grass quickly and effortlessly.

You can make use of your hoe to eliminate the tight spots around the house.

After cutting the long strips, chop them into manageable pieces with a spade and scoop them into your wheelbarrow.

Take this waste to your compost.

Till The Soil And Add Compost

The next step is loosening your soil.

A rotary tiller will help you to loosen about 2-4 inches of the soil.

For heavily compacted soil, look for a rear line till. However, if the soil is loose, a midline tiller is a better choice.

Then you will need to add compost to improve the drainage and give the grass the nutrients it needs to grow well.

Spread manure about 3-inches deep and add about one inch of sand to clay soil to improve the drainage.

Use the tiller to blend these components with the soil thoroughly.

Grade The Soil

The next step is to smooth out your lawn using a grading rake.

Use the rake to amend the top two inches until no lumps are remaining.

Smoothening and amending the topsoil is easy.

Begin by holding the rake closer to the ground to allow the teeth to blend the soil thoroughly. Hold the rake handle higher until all the soil is smooth.

To avoid fatigue or back pain, take short strokes and complete small patches at a time.

Picking The Right Grass

There is a variety of grass available on the market.

Some of the factors you need to consider include the quality of sod you expect, drought tolerance, how you want to use it, the effort needed for maintenance as well as resistance to insects and diseases.

Always stay away from cheap blends of seeds as this could lead to uneven germination or low-quality grass.

You should also avoid selecting mixes with noxious weeds, annual grasses, and seeds with low germination percentages.

Spreading The Grass Seed

Use a spreader to add nutrients as per the recommendation from your soil testing service.

You can then spread the new seeds with the spreader set at its broadest extension.

For the best results, overlap each pass by a few inches. After spreading the seeds, water the lawn well every day until all the seeds have germinated.

General Lawn Maintenance

Reseeding Small Patches

If there are any holes or low spots, you need to fill them before replanting.

Ensure that your lawn is level and takes care of any other drainage problem.

After the grass has germinated, you may need to reseed small patches that may be left bare.

Here you will require a garden weasel. This tool will allow you to rough the small areas and tight spaces allowing you to make good seed to soil contact.

Mulch Large Bare Spots

Marsh hay or weed-free straw will help you to prevent erosion and conserve moisture.

Some of the other materials that you can use for mulching including paper pellets, wood fiber materials or any other erosion control blankets.

Erosion blankets are very useful especially if you are planting the seeds on a slope.

Most of the erosion blankets allow the grass to grow through them and decompose after some time, meaning you do not have to remove them.

Water Your Lawn Regularly

The new seeds, as well as the young seedlings, require a lot of water.

Ensure the lawn is moist all the time until the grass covers the ground.

When watering the seeds, ensure there is no runoff as this could cause erratic germination.

You can increase the water as the grass continues to grow and reduce the watering interval when the grass has covered the ground.

Fertilize Your Lawn

After 4-5 weeks after seeding, apply 1 lb. Nitrogen/1,000 square feet.

This will increase the shoot density and enhance the color.

Additionally adding this fertilizer will improve the seedlings ability to withstand rust and diseases.

Mowing

After more than 70 percent of the grass has reached 2-3 inches, you can now start mowing.

Mowing will enhance lateral shoot development, increasing the stand density.

While mowing it is important to ensure that your mower blade is super sharp as dull, blades will tear young seedlings from the soil.

Weeding The Lawn

After mowing twice or the grass has covered more than 80 percent of the ground, you can now start using the weed control products.

However, take care as you may still have young seedlings that are not yet hardy to withstand the weed control products.

Using the above tips will help you to renovate your lawn quickly to have a beautiful yard that you can be proud of.

After the grass has fully developed, you can now enjoy your lawn.

You have worked for it, so you can now use it for baseball, parties, picnics or any other outdoor adventure you have in mind.

This article was contributed by Dianne Lampe, a person passionate about all things related to gardening. She blogs about indoor and outdoor planting as well as offering useful information about the best gardening products.

Return to Home Page

Kitchen Renovation And Remodel Ideas

Modernizing your kitchen through renovations is a great way to bring your old dated kitchen back to life and re-invigorate the passion for cooking that may have disappeared over the years.

The kitchen is the ultimate part of the home where we love to make delicious food dishes.

The aroma of delightful food smells enhance our level of salivation during cooking, as well as also helping to fulfill the hunger pangs when we finally get to enjoy the tastes.

Some homemakers spend a lot of time during the day in the kitchen for making various scrumptious food items for the family so it makes sense to have a kitchen that is both modern, up to date and encouraging when it comes to preparing tasty meals.

Some people like to experiment in the kitchen and surprise their family and friends by cooking a variety of different International cuisines.

Therefore, a kitchen is just not a few square feet in your home where foods are methodically made up.

It is (and should be) the place in the home from which strong family and friend bonding of every relationship starts.

Every kitchen must be clean enough and the kitchen owner must maintain proper hygiene in the space.

Over time, every kitchen reaches that point where they must be renovated appropriately with all the modern amenities and updated appliances.

Appropriate kitchen renovations change the ultimate look and feel and make people feel like a master chef in their own home kitchen, comfortable to experiment with many food recipes.

Some Tips On How To Renovate The Kitchen

Undertaking a kitchen renovation is something that is able to be achieved either by the homeowner if they are a DIY type and have the appropriate skills, or by bringing in the kitchen renovating experts to provide a quote and/or getting them to do the work to bring the kitchen up to date.

Check the points below as here is all the information related to kitchen restoration which makes the kitchen look like a new one and brings a new vibe and interest in cooking.

Put The Extra Stuff Aside:

In the kitchen, a lot of unused stuff, especially dishes, and other utensils can be noticed but should be stored out of sight.

Sometimes the place can become very messy with used napkins, fruit and vegetable peelings, plastic wrappers, bottles of oils and much more.

These altogether make the look of the kitchen worse.

It is better to have a conveniently placed ‘out of sight’ garbage bin to put all this used stuff as you work.

Also having a convenient waste master in your sink can help to deal with many of the organic disposable food waste items.

One can also put the utensils on a portable hanging rack for convenient access and storage when not in use.

Color It Right:

In some cases, people can even lose interest in cooking because they don’t want to go to their boring old outdated kitchen.

This interest in cooking can be enhanced when the kitchen has been renovated and offers a much more modern look with the latest appliances and gadgets.

If the walls look greasy, an unpleasant smell can emanate from the kitchen and if enough light is not there, then the mood can also get spoiled.

It is important to paint the kitchen with the latest color trends and techniques which can help to attract people back into spending time in their kitchen perhaps cooking exotic cuisines.

Design the wall with multiple food images which are absolutely now in fashion to enhance the salivation.

Install Modern Appliances And Gadgets:

Nowadays, everybody wants to finish work as soon as possible.

To make a dish within a few hours should be easy and enjoyable.

It won’t take magic but some hi-tech kitchen appliances can make it easy.

Cutting, frying, boiling and all the other methods can be done easier with modern kitchen appliances.

The technical kitchen appliances also keep the entire kitchen fresh, oil-free and also free of unpleasant smells.

By using these updated kitchen appliances, people can make a multitude of different foods and also end up saving effort and time whilst also enhancing and restoring their interest in cooking.

Design The Waste System Appropriately:

A kitchen looks clean and fresh when there is minimum use of water.

If water is spread out or spilled in the kitchen then it can start to look dirty.

Ensure that there is efficient drainage in the kitchen and the preparation areas.

The kitchen renovations need to have an effective plumbing and drainage plan showing where the clean water pipes will be installed as well as where the waste drainage will flow.

If you have a sink in an island bench, then you need to take into account how the drains will work.

This could be expensive if you have a concrete floor so it’s important to have the drainage system planned initially when the kitchen is designed by the architects.

Modern kitchens, if renovated with their own unique style, can yield amazing value improvement for the entire property as kitchens are one of the key areas people look at when deciding on buying a home.

The style, comfort, and aesthetics of the kitchen matter most especially when you want to spend more time in there cooking delectable dishes for your family.

Return to Home Page

Restoring the Historic Gideon Reynolds Brick House

A Timeless, Welcoming Sight

The view you see above was a welcomed sight for travelers making their way between New York and Danbury during the early part of the 19th century. As a tavern and stagecoach stop, it was a symbol of much-needed comfort, food, and rest after a long day of bumping along in a dusty coach.

Today it is an equally welcomed sight, and for similar reasons.

Making the Gideon Reynolds Brick House a Home

In 2006, after the birth of their fourth child, the Prusko family was on the hunt for a home that provided more space. During their search they discovered this historic, brick gem standing proudly on 5 acres. Intrigued by its long history and all it had survived over the past centuries, including numerous repurposing and a major flood in 1908, the Pruskos purchased the home.

There was a substantial restoration adventure ahead of them, but the effort was well worth it.

Living Alongside History

The Pruskos, along with their architect, designer, and builder, seamlessly blended 21st century updates with the history of the property. As you can see above, Mr. Prusko’s office sits next to an original fireplace, complete with carved out nooks where fresh bread would have been left to cool.

Modern wallpaper with a classic feel creates a cohesive, timeless vibe in this inviting bedroom. The gleaming, original wood floors and fireplace adds an extra layer of authenticity, reminding you of just how old this home really is.

The original and the updated meet again in this bathroom, connecting timeless elements like the white soaker tub with more modern design touches and artwork.

The traditional living room seems at first glance like a simple, inviting space, but after a closer inspection you notice details like the fine millwork and the marble framing the fireplace.

Gorgeous, functional built-ins add character to this dining space. Peeking through the doorway you can see the fireplace in the living room.

The kitchen is another space where old and new come together to create a timeless style. A modern stove and hood, plenty of cabinet space, and island seating feel contemporary, but the farmers sink, warm wood island, open shelving, and color choices help you to feel grounded in its history. This is a kitchen that would turn any designer’s head, but where you also can sip coffee with a friend while a pie finishes in the oven.

An Out Building Turned Wine-Lover’s Paradise

Tucked away in the surrounding orchard is a small building that the Pruskos guess may have been an ice house. With a creative vision and the help of their designer and Gerety Building & Restoration, they transformed the small space into a beautiful wine house.

Gerety installed barn siding downstairs, refinished the floors, and added a state-of-the-art lock system. Another striking feature are the hand-plastered walls, completed by Italian artisans invited to the job for this specific purpose. The wine house is now an ideal spot for enjoying wine and cheese, relaxing with friends, and soaking in the history of the unique building.

Gerety Building & Restoration is a full-service general contractor that offers kitchen & bathroom remodeling, masonry, flooring, custom wine cellars, roofing, residential painting and more.

Polished Concrete Floors For Your Kitchen

Now concrete floor polishing has come up with some new ideas in the market and you can easily avail yourself of these colorful concrete floor polishing systems. Apart from that, for your kitchen area, if you install tiles, marble or stone flooring then you may have to spend some additional expense for maintenance purposes. Also stone flooring can be easily affected by food ingredients making it difficult to wash the floor with normal detergent.

When you install a polished concrete floor in your kitchen area, you can easily maintain and wash the floor with plain water and any detergent solution. It can easily save your installation cost and maintenance cost. Concrete is so much more cost-effective and durable than normal tiles or other kinds of costly stone finish, because of the variety of building material it can be mixed with, and the variety of color options which can be opted for and because concrete can be polished, it can give a very shiny and glassy look to your floors.

What Is Concrete?

Concrete is a material, which is a mix of coarse material bonded together with liquid cement, which is then hardened over time. Most of the concretes used are lime-based such as Portland cement concrete or concrete made of hydraulic cement such as cement and sand.

Why Do You Use Concrete Flooring In Your Kitchen?

Concrete has traditionally had a very strong and rough look and it was not generally used in home flooring but it was regularly used in outdoor situations. However, interior design experts will agree to it now because of its capacity to be designed in many ways. Concrete has many virtues as being cost effective, reducing allergens, being durable and easy to maintain. Concrete is an excellent choice in kitchen flooring due to reasons like:

• In your kitchen area, food particles and huge amount of left over things can spill onto the floor and you need to clean these with some cleaning solutions. Some of the detergent ingredients include lemon, vinegar and other chemicals can create an acidic reaction on the floor, and you might even have to remove the scratches completely. So when you use the concrete floor polishing, you will get an instant shining look, and you can clean the surface with plain water throughout the day.

• Apart from that, the installation process of the concrete floor is the same as the construction methods, and you need to spend very little for the installation.
• A concrete floor is totally bacteria resistant and it is easy to clean and remove any bacteria and fungus. Along with that, you do not need to spend any recurring maintenance cost on a polished concrete floor, and a polished floor can be easily repaired, if need be, at low cost.

Downside Of Using Concrete For Kitchen Flooring:

• Because concrete is a very hard material, if you drop anything onto it, it is likely to break or be easily damaged.
• Due to its hardness, concrete can be very uncomfortable to stand on for longer hours.
• Concrete does not retain heat for long so it can be extremely cold in winter or places where the climate is cold most of the time.
• If concrete is not sealed properly from top and bottom, moisture and dampness can seep inside the concrete floor.
• Concrete contains cement, which requires a considerable amount of energy and carbon dioxide to manufacture.

Top Benefits Of Using A Polished Concrete Floor In Your Kitchen!

Polished concrete for kitchen floor looks great and offers a lot of benefits compared to other flooring options. For a long time, concrete was used for only industrial flooring; however, in recent years polished concrete is used in homes as well. This type of flooring is used in the kitchen for stylish effect and practical benefits that it offers.

Here Are Some Of The Advantages That You Can Get By Installing Polished Concrete Flooring:

• These floors are sustainable

People who prefer to build homes that are environment friendly homes can avoid using new material which makes this flooring a sustainable choice. At the time when concrete is sealed, sanded down or polished it looks great in traditional living room or kitchen. When this is combined with good furniture and oriental rugs it provides an even more amazing look to the whole setup.

• These floors offer health advantages

The dirt and dust accumulated in a house can lead to allergies and it can be problematic for the ones that are already suffering with respiratory issues. Having carpets with fibers and tiles with groves can lead to germs, mildew and bacteria. However, this is not the case with polished concrete flooring used in the kitchen. This is because it does not leave any space for mites and bacteria that can be caught within the tiles. Hence, when you want to have allergy free kitchen environment you can consider this kind of flooring.

• These floors are simple to maintain

The majority of flooring options require rigorous cleaning. In case you have carpet flooring it needs to be vacuumed. Marble flooring needs special cleansers and special attention. Floor board are required to be waxed every often. However, when you have polished concrete flooring, you need not worry about the stains because the flooring is resistant to stains and scuffs. For cleaning purposes you will only need to mop. Hence, this will save hours and cost on cleaning and labor.

• These floors are eco-friendly

This flooring is produced from natural and renewable components. You will not require hampering forest in order to have amazing floors. Also, concrete is energy-efficient after installed. One of the good things about this flooring is that during summers, these floors take in moisture through the ground and maintain it cool. On the other hand, in winters, it becomes dry and offers sun’s warmth.

• These floors are highly durable

Treated and polished concrete flooring is considered to be highly durable. Hence, it is for this reason it is the favorite choice for kitchen at homes and commercial setup. This flooring option absorbs moisture and does not because rot issues and so are best choice n a kitchen setup. Tiles and vinyl floors absorb moisture which can require costly replacements which are not the case with this kind of flooring.

• These floors are highly versatile

Polished concrete is one of the better flooring material choices for interiors and outdoors. For this kind of flooring silicone based sealers are utilized for avoiding the wet look. This kind of flooring also looks great with walls of stone veneer. This is one of the best choices for the dining area. It actually highlights the rustic appeal. Combining wet concrete with plank wood grain imprints offers an amazing look. This flooring can be a cost-effective choice when compared to salvaged wood floors.

• These floors make your room bright

These polished concrete floors reflect lights and this is what makes the house brighter. Hence, you can lessen down the amount you will have to spend on the electricity bills. Apart from reduced bills, bright lighting can enhance the beauty of the house and flooring.

In spite of having a lot of advantages the disadvantages must also be kept in mind to take a wise decision when doing a concrete polishing on the floors.