10 Ideas For Brightening a Dark Hallway

Hello Friends,

The hall, the first space to greet us each time we return home, should ideally be a light-filled, welcoming room with conveniently located storage cleverly concealed from view. Sadly, however, our entrances are often narrow passages with little light and inadequate closet space.

There is hope, however. Check out these 10 ways, from structural alterations to decorative touches, to improve how you can both capture and reflect light in a hall of any size.

1. Try a mirror. The simplest of solutions — a strategically placed mirror — will amplify your space and bounce around whatever light is available to best effect. Position the mirror to reflect both natural light and, if possible, another key feature in the space, perhaps a piece of art.

This is a super-versatile idea that would work in period and contemporary properties alike.

2. Add glass upfront. The best way to deal with issues of darkness is to introduce more natural light. Even the smallest panes in the front door or side panels will help here. Use opal or frosted glass where there are privacy or security issues.

3. Brighten the balustrade. A natural wood balustrade can appear to eat precious light. Painting the balusters white will both soften the overall effect of the stairs in the hall and enhance light reflection.

For those reluctant to paint wood features, bear in mind that painted wood is still wood, with its own aesthetic.

4. Or go transparent. If you’re planning major work, replacing the traditional balustrade with one made of clear glass will offer an even greater flow of natural light.

5. Look up. Light from above is powerful and transforming. In fact, skylights, or roof lights, can be three times more effective at bringing in light than regular windows, according to the United Kingdom’s National Association of Rooflight Manufacturers. Investigate whether your roof profile allows the fitting of a skylight over your first floor landing. Combined with light-reflecting decor, this could allow your hall at ground level to be constantly flooded with natural light.

6. Steal light from the side. If your home is detached, it may be possible to steal some light from the side.
Here, glass blocks positioned in slim, vertical columns on either side of a console table — flanking a statement mirror would work just as well — strike a contemporary note and overcome any privacy issues. Opal glass would achieve the same result.

Where that isn’t possible, consider this option: The owners of this house have fitted an internal window looking into the living room and stealing light from the window in there.

7. Borrow light from an adjacent room. I’ve already touched on this with the idea of an internal window, but for something less structural, use doors with clear or translucent glass between the hall and any adjacent rooms. This will allow natural light to flow through the entire ground floor.

Single-panel glass doors work well in both period and contemporary homes. Again, opal or frosted glass will allow for privacy where appropriate.

8. Go Nordic. The Scandinavians are surely masters at maximizing light. They show us how the simple act of painting wood floors can bring airiness to any space. Choose from a range of specialist floor paints available to achieve a quality finish that will improve with age.

9. Step lightly. It’s essential to adopt a light palette when choosing colors and finishes for your dark hall. White floor tiles can work wonders here. In particular, tiles with a low sheen will reflect light beautifully.
A recessed mat well at the front door is vital for dirt management, and you could also add carefully selected runners to provide additional dirt management, color and texture as needed.

10. Paint it white. A hardwood door will absorb light and add to the general sense of gloom. Paint the internal face of the door white to reflect light and transform the ambience of any hall. This works well even where the door has no glass.
Choose a color you cherish for the outside of the door to add to that important sense of welcome. https://goo.gl/swmaEH

Thanks so much,

ERA Skyline Real Estate

3376 Harrison Blvd.,

Ogden, Utah 84403

(801) 627-6500

See How Much House $300,000 Can Buy Across the U.S.

Hello Friends,

Have you ever asked yourself, “How much house can I afford?” in different cities across the country? Well, in conjunction with Realtor.com, we’ve crunched the numbers for you to find out what $300,000 buys in the 20 largest metro markets in the United States.

What’s more, we’ve figured out how much you’d need to earn in those cities to afford a $300,000 home, assuming you can find one. You can thank us later.

In the gallery here, you can see actual listings from Realtor.com, as of Aug. 30, 2016, with an asking price of roughly $300,000. Click on the first image to open the gallery view and see the listing data for each property.

As you can see, your money goes a lot further in states like Texas and Georgia, with more than 3,000 square feet of legroom in some stately suburban McMansions. But in places like San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle, you’d be feeling a bit cramped; you’d be lucky to find anything over 800 square feet in those cities at this price point. Ouch.

To take the nerdy number crunching a step further, we asked Realtor.com to find out the minimum annual income needed to buy a $300,000 home in these markets. The income estimates are not a one-size-fits-all solution for each situation; the figures depend heavily on the size of your down payment, and they don’t take into account other debts a home buyer might have. Keep in mind that the more money you put down, the less your loan amount will be — and that eases the pressure on how much you’d need to earn to afford a $300,000 in the nation’s 20 largest metros.

It’s clear from the study that you’ll get more for your money buying in the South and the Midwest than on the East or West coasts, but the latter options have cities with booming economies and job markets that make them more attractive than some of their Southern neighbors, especially to millennials.

Keep in mind, though, that price isn’t the only consideration of where you choose to live. Think about job opportunities, crime, the local economy, schools, distance from family and friends, and home styles — all factors that might influence your happiness in a new home. Choose wisely, friends! https://goo.gl/8hQ10M

Thanks so much,

ERA Skyline Real Estate

3376 Harrison Blvd.,

Ogden, Utah 84403

(801) 627-6500

Homeowner's Workbook: How To Remodel Your Kitchen

Hello Friends,

9 steps to a kitchen remodel, from gathering design ideas through construction and final review

You've decided to remodel your kitchen. Now what? Not knowing where to start, many homeowners fall into two camps. Some start by looking at appliances. Others start by collecting inspiring kitchen photos. Some decide they need more room. Others simply want to upgrade their current kitchen. Homeowners may find themselves in this exploration stage for a year or longer before they start interviewing kitchen designers or general contractors. 

Once you've pondered long enough and you're ready to green-light a kitchen remodeling project, then what? We'll start with the first 9 steps and we'll get into the nitty-gritty details under specific steps as we move through the complete workbook.

Step 1: Think about what you need

This step is all about how you use your kitchen, and finding the layout and features that fit your household’s lifestyle. Get ideas from every resource possible, including Houzz guides and photos, kitchen showrooms, books and magazines. 

Think about your priorities: how many people will be cooking and gathering here, and how they’ll need to move around in it. Do you need an addition? Or can you work with your existing kitchen footprint?

If you haven’t already, start saving photos of kitchens with features that suit your style. Your collection can be organized and beautiful like a scrapbook or it can be filled with random, unorganized images. I actually prefer the latter, because I like to randomly stuff images into my folders and ideabooks and go back to them later on for edits. 

Step 2: Research and plan

Ready to green-light that project and take the plunge? The best place to start is by formulating what's commonly referred to as a scope of work and figuring out your preliminary budget. 

Both of these may be subject to change, so don't feel like you have only once chance at this. Budget and scope are intertwined and often change many times during the design process as you become more educated and able to reconcile what you want and what you can afford. As a homeowner, you're not expected to walk into this knowing what everything should cost. Remember, this is an educational process. 

Step 3: Find the professionals you will need

Even if you're going the DIY route, unless you're building your own kitchen cabinets and doing your own electrical and plumbing, you're going to have to work with a professional at some point. It may be as brief as leaning on your salesperson to help you in selecting and ordering your appliances or cabinets, but it's something to plan on either way. 

Some people start by visiting big-box stores or cabinet showrooms where they can see everything. Many homeowners get referrals from friends or colleagues and start by hiring an architect or designer. Still others might work on their own with a builder or contractor. Pros are available to help you with everything from contracts and permits to space planning, budgets, choosing finishes and fixtures, shopping, ordering products, helping you set up a temporary kitchen, and managing your project from start to finish.

Step 4: Schematic design

This phase includes sketches, space planning, preliminary floor plans and elevations showing the layout and cabinet sizes. I try to keep my clients focused more on layout and space planning, even though the temptation is to talk about what the kitchen will look like. But I find that getting caught up in the look too early can distract from the space planning phase. 

Plus, you need a plan in order to figure out what materials will go where, and how many square feet you will need, and ultimately how much this will cost. I like to begin the contractor interview process early and give them a preliminary drawing packet and scope of work so we can get some ballpark construction numbers. At the same time you can be sending out drawings for estimates on some top choices of finishes and fixtures.

Step 5: Fixture and finish specification

Throughout this process, and probably long before, you have been saving photos of kitchens you love into your ideabooks and folders. You've found your style, whether it'smodern, classic, traditional, cottage or a personal style in between. You probably know if you want a white kitchen, a natural wood kitchen, or some color.

Now you need to make your final selection of finishes and fixtures. This usually includes:

o    Cabinetry construction type, doorstyle, finish and color

o    Countertop material

o    Refrigerators and other appliances

o    Kitchen sink and faucet

o    Light fixtures

o    Flooring

o    Backsplash

o    Decorative hardware

Step 6: Work on design development and construction documents

This is the stage when you finalize the design and prepare final floor plans, elevations, details and, if applicable, mechanical and electrical drawings, lighting switch plans, and exterior elevations.

This is where your final permit set or Construction Drawings (CDs) come into play. It's important to have finishes and fixtures selected at this time, since this is what will be considered in the final pricing from the contractor. 

You'll submit drawings for permits. These have a lead time, so check the timing with your local village. You'll need an architect, designer or licensed contractor signed up to finalize the paperwork and pick up your permits, so get ready to hire someone in the next step. I often find that we're submitting for permits around the same time or a little bit after we've placed the cabinet order, due to similar lead times. 

Step 7: Get contractor estimates

If you don't already have a licensed contractor on your project, your next step is to find one to carry the project through. I always recommend to my clients to get at least 3 different contractor estimates. I like to do preliminary walk-throughs with the contractors once the schematic designs are done so we can get some ballpark estimates and find out if we're on the right track or need to pull back some to fit the budget.

Step 8: Get ready for demo

The big day is upon us, most likely something like 4-8 weeks from when you submitted for permits. Time to get that schedule firmed up and plan on cleaning out the cabinets, putting what you don't need in storage and — if you're living in the house during construction — setting up a temporary kitchen so you don't lose your mind!

You may be moving out of your house temporarily, but most homeowners white-knuckle it and try to live in the house through construction. Preparation and organization can save your sanity. 

Discuss the logistics ahead of time with your contractor. Will you meet once a week for updates? Will you have to be out of the house for certain tasks like demo or flooring? What about debris removal and dust? Are there any family allergy issues? What is a typical work day for the crew? Getting all this on the table beforehand can set expectations and make for a smoother ride. 

Step 9: Surviving the dreaded punch list

Once construction is over, well ... almost over ... there's always this annoying little list of items that are missing, wrong, or simply forgotten about. A missing light switch plate, a caulk line that shrank and pulled away from the wall, paint touch ups — small things like this, and sometimes bigger things like the hood doesn't work, or there's a big scratch in the newly refinished floor. 

Sometimes the homeowner does the punch list. It can be as informal as an emailed list of items that need to be fixed or finished. I like to use a little form I put together that identifies the item to be fixed or finished, the responsible party and the date of completion. I send it to the client for review, changes and additions, and then off to the contractor. 

It's inevitable that the contractor may have to make multiple visits back to the house to finish these items; prepare yourself for more than one visit and you'll be fine.The best way to approach this is with a Zen attitude. Things happen, little things get missed. It's sort of like making a list for the grocery store and still forgetting some key ingredient. We all do it. https://goo.gl/hcqpU2 

Thanks so much,

ERA Skyline Real Estate

3376 Harrison Blvd.,

Ogden, Utah 84403

(801) 627-6500

8 Details That Sharpen Up Your Room Design!

Hello Friends,

Get these areas right and you’ll see why good design really is in the details

When it comes to designing a space, so much of what makes it beautiful isn’t even something you notice right off the bat. It’s the subtle things that makes a space superb, and a close attention to detail is where good design lives. Below, discover eight design details that will take your renovation to the next level.

1. Knockout shower niche. A custom shower niche built into tilework adds a level of refinement that can’t be achieved with even the sleekest of shower racks. When designing your shower surround, make sure the size of your niches corresponds with the size of your tile. You don’t want to see cut tiles around a niche.

2. Smooth thresholds. Thresholds occur at various places throughout your home. They are most apparent when one type of flooring material transitions to another type. Making that transition as smooth as possible is key. I prefer to have a flat, flush transition between all finishes as opposed to a transition strip or a transition cap at doorways. It takes careful work by the contractor to ensure that the surfaces are level at a transition, but it makes a world of difference.

3. Recessed baseboards. A popular design request from my clients today is to add recessed baseboards. But unless I’m building a space from scratch, they’re often difficult to accomplish, because they usually require reframing the entire wall — a costly and often challenging job in older homes. Recessed baseboards are particularly attractive in modern homes, because they keep the lines of the walls symmetrical and streamlined.

4.Cabinetry lighting. Recessed lighting in millwork adds a level of sophistication to any space, but it works particularly well in kitchens, which always benefit from extra lighting and space-saving solutions. Recessed lighting in millwork is a detail that needs to be worked out ahead of time. Concealing wires and transformers is nearly impossible after cabinets have already been installed.

5. Thoughtful hinges and hardware. Thinking about the type of hardware and hinges for doors is something many people neglect when designing a space, but hardware is one of those little details that can have a dramatic impact. It helps to choose hardware and hinges from the start. Custom doors have to be ordered at the beginning of a project due to the length of time it takes to make them.

6. Disguised vents and returns.Nothing breaks up the look of a well-designed wall or floor quite like unseemly air vents and returns. Spending the money to have vent covers custom made out of wood or stone so they will blend seamlessly with your design is worth considering.

7. Stylish light covers. Selecting the right light switch cover is one of those finishing touches that should not be overlooked. Consider screwless cover plates for modern spaces and vintage-inspired metal plates for traditional homes.

8. Streamlined electronics. Make sure you plan ahead and put a pipe behind your walls to run cables and wires for your electronics through. There are few things more unsightly and sure to distract from a room’s design than loose wires hanging from a TV or cable box. https://goo.gl/hcqpU2 

Thanks so much,

ERA Skyline Real Estate

3376 Harrison Blvd., 

Ogden, Utah 84403

(801) 627-6500

How to Refine Your Renovation Vision to Fit Your Budget!

Hello Friends,

Matching your renovation dreams and dollars can sometimes feel like a challenge. But there’s a lot you can do to get the look you want at the right price. In the first story in this series, we laid out the steps in choosing the pros you will work with and setting an initial budget. 

Here we’ll focus on how to work with your professionals to sharpen your renovation vision, understand its realistic cost, and refine the plan to match your budget when necessary. You’d follow the same basic process if you’re acting as your own general contractor.

Create Your Dream Plan
Once you’ve chosen the pro (or pros) who’ll be designing and drafting your renovation plan, you’ll move into a deeper conversation about your vision. To prepare, make a list of the things that are driving you crazy about your house. Collect images of homes that inspire you. Your chosen architect, designer or builder will likely ask you a range of questions about how you use the space and how you live day to day. He or she will also want to get a sense of the materials and styles you prefer. 

“I think it’s good to share with the architect the pie-in-the-sky ideas,” says Jon Dick of Archaeo Architects in Santa Fe, New Mexico, who has been practicing for 30 years and has worked on more than 100 homes. The architect may not incorporate them, but “there might be one nugget of an idea that might inform the whole project.” 

These initial conversations are invaluable as architects and designers work through the stages of a project, from initial design plans to final drawings and permitted plans. This design-then-revise process is key to creating a plan you love — that also matches your budget. And it’s part of why coming up with a new home or renovation plan takes time. 

The next step is getting a measured drawing that shows the home’s existing conditions, or an accurate rendering of the house as it stands before renovation. “We measure the whole house and get an electronic copy,” says J. Timothy Hance, an architect in Columbia, South Carolina, who has been in business 21 years and has worked on about 850 homes. What the American Institute of Architects refers to as a measured drawing of existing conditions is sometimes called an as-built, so clarify what you mean with the pro you work with. “Once you have an as-built, you’re not throwing away money.… The more information you can put out on a sketch on paper, the less likely you are to make a change in the field or have a surprise.” The drawing becomes a useful tool as the architect creates the renovation plan. These drawings may be done by a design-build firm, general contractor, architect or interior designer. 

Next Stop: The Budget Check 
Once the architect or designer has crafted initial drawings with dimensions, it’s time for an initial price comparison from contractors, also called a rough order of magnitude cost comparison. This is when you send initial plans out to contractors for pricing. Keep in mind that these aren’t bids — which in the best (though not all) cases are extremely detailed assessments of what a project will cost to build. Instead, these initial price comparisons are reasonable ballparks for how much a project might cost to build. Keep in mind that the final number will depend on which finishes and materials you, the owner, select.

To come up with the rough order of magnitude cost number, the contractor will likely count up the number of doors and windows, look at electrical and plumbing systems, and build out line-item costs based on average per-square-foot costs for the work proposed. “Maybe one contractor says it’s $100,000, another says $150,000, another $200,000,” says Anne Higuera, co-owner of Seattle-based Ventana Construction, which has worked with some 250 clients since it was founded in 2003. The goal of this initial price comparison is to feel confident enough about the likely cost of your project to move ahead with the architect or designer and pay for additional work to finalize your design plan. “It’s a tool. It’s useful,” Higuera says. 

Most of the time, contractors will do the initial price comparison for free, though in parts of the country, an increasing number of firms are beginning to charge.

Get Apples-to-Apples Pricing
Even without fully engineered plans, you can create some standardization among your initial price comparisons by providing contractors with allowances — an industry term for specific cost projections — on items that haven’t yet been selected, such as plumbing, fixtures, sinks or lighting. Ask your architect to provide these — perhaps in unit terms, such as $10 a square foot for tile, or in rough group costs, such as $10,000 total for cabinetry. That way, the only variation between the bids you get are the fees the contractor will charge you for labor, project management, overhead and other costs of doing business. 

Once the numbers are back, your architect or designer can review the initial price comparisons and make sure that the contractors have included the same features. There is no standard way to write up these price comparisons, so one contractor may include all the millwork in the “cabinetry” line item, and another may forget to include the metal supports needed for a kitchen countertop. Your designer can provide a careful eye on the rough order of magnitude costs that come back from the contractors and make sure what has been priced is apples-to-apples.

Refine Your Vision to Match Your Budget
Once you receive the initial cost estimates, reality will hit. If your dream plan pencils out at more than your ideal budget, your architect can use these cost estimates to help you scale back. For example, you may have planned for beautiful custom cabinets that stretch to the top of your 12-foot ceiling. You may not have known that by raising your upper cabinets, you’ve almost quadrupled the cost because your standard cabinet doesn’t go to 12 feet, says Tanner Luster, a general contractor at Luster Custom Homes & Remodeling in Scottsdale, Arizona, who has worked on about 250 homes. So you’ll begin to look at alternatives that better match your budget. This process is known as value engineering.

Even owners fortunate enough to have flexible or even unlimited budgets must decide what features are really worth the price. These are very personal decisions, but as a guideline, it can be helpful to ask yourself what matters most to your family. “What are your top five priorities? What do you want to get out of it?” says Hance, the South Carolina architect. Some clients may know they want a wine cooler. Others may say, “I really want that stove, but I can give up this dishwasher,” Hance says.

Now is a good time to select your contractor from among those who provided initial price comparisons. Contractors can be a big help in working with you and the architect to suggest lower-cost alternatives as your plans develop, but some will go through a round of competitive pricing only once. Still, many contractors, once hired, will work with you to do subsequent price comparisons as you and your architect or designer continue to hash out the details and value-engineer.

Hashing out these details is an iterative process until you reach a fully designed plan with all the products and materials specified and priced. You’ll move from initial concept to fully engineered plans over several iterations. Along the way, you should select all your materials if you can, as this will go far in making sure that you don’t go over budget later. 

Having a good design team on board early in the process can help you determine where to compromise as well as guide you in all the decisions you’ll need to make. “Get all those people together,” advises Brandon Quinton of Cameo Homes in Salt Lake City, a family-run general contracting firm that has been in business since 1976. “The interior designer, they’ve got to collaborate with the architect. The builder just wants to know what to put in.” Together, your team can come up with the best plan for the money. Quinton suggests getting everyone in the same room to hash out the plan, though in this internet age, people could also hold a meeting by phone or Skype.

In this story, we’re laying out a process that is most likely to get you the project you want at the budget you want. You wouldn’t want to put a lot of money into fully developing plans only to find that they are too expensive for you to build.

Pay for Due Diligence
When your design plan is nearly complete, you may want to pay your contractor for a little extra research upfront before you finalize the project scope and budget. “If we’re going to pull out a wall, we want to know: Is it a structural, load-bearing wall? Are we seeing signs of some rot or some water damage?” says Luster, the Arizona contractor. Unanticipated problems can range from a thousand to tens of thousands of dollars to correct, he says. If you have to pull out and replace rotted wood, maybe that Sub-Zero appliance gets nixed. 

Some contractors make pre-construction due diligence a regular part of the process. Even if your contractor doesn’t normally take this step before commencing work, you could ask how much he or she would charge to do so. Luster has charged as little as $200 for minor research and as much as $12,000 for a full set of architectural plans. It can be a good step to take before you sign off on the final plan with your contractor, as this kind of research could change the scope of work — and the price. https://goo.gl/hsgk84 

Thanks so much,

ERA Skyline Real Estate

3376 Harrison Blvd.,

Ogden Utah, 84403

(801) 627-6500