Connor Remodeling & Design

You just know that some products are good. Well, one of the best product lines that we know is the custom cabinetry made by Holiday Kitchens, headquartered and produced just a few hours north in Rice Lake, Wis.

We’re proud to announce that Connor Remodeling & Design is offering the Holiday Kitchens line to our customers for their kitchen projects. We’ve looked into this for some time, and recently reached agreement with Holiday Kitchens. Needless to say, both sides are happy.

Here’s what’s so great: Holiday Kitchens offers an almost unparalleled selection of designs, wood types, overlays, veneers and other features. It’s literally a smorgasbord of cabinet options, and customers can pick and choose to create their own personalized product.

The options for creating a custom look for a kitchen are unbelievable. In other words, customers get exactly what they want, because they can select every element of the cabinets – from the wood, to the frame style, to the metals, to the finishing … you get the point.

Do we sound excited? We are, with good reason.

Enhancing the options, Holiday Kitchens carries an extensive line of “green” products. Customers so inclined can choose cabinets made from recycled materials and even exotic eco-friendly woods such as bamboo. All are produced with low VOC emissions, but still offer unique aesthetic and functional qualities.

In addition, Holiday Kitchens has teamed with famed eco-designer Robin Wilson to create the Robin Wilson Home Custom Cabinetry Collection. Ms. Wilson is well known for creating healthy home environments around sustainable and non-toxic elements. She’s good company to keep.

The breadth of the Holiday Kitchens product offerings is truly breathtaking. But don’t take our word for it – see for yourself at www.holidaykitchens.com.

It’s possible that some customers might be overwhelmed by all the options that Holiday Kitchens offers. If so, we’ll step in and offer some suggestions. But we believe it’s better to offer customers more choices, rather than fewer.

In many homes, the kitchen is the hive of activity. People are spending more and more time there. We believe the space should be as closely matched to their needs as possible. With our Holiday Kitchens partnership, the universe of possibilities has expanded like never before.

For seemingly forever, showers were pretty utilitarian. After all, how much time did you really spend there? You got in, got out and went about your day. Not much was expected from this very personal cleaning space.

A lot has changed in the past decade or so. Showers are no longer just a place to scrub down – they’re increasingly an oasis of tranquility, relaxation and comfort.  Homeowners have increasingly opted for comfort and luxury. These desires have manifested themselves in a plethora of shower stall design features.

For example, gone is the tiny, cramped, almost coffin-like shower stall where one could barely turn around. New homes are being built with showers large enough to take a nap. The shower has gone from a necessity to an experience.

Significant trends have emerged in the design of interior elements of shower stalls. Benches are an increasingly popular feature, again illustrating the push for more comfort. Wall niches and corner shelving are built so that bathers can leave frequently-used items in the shower space.

In existing homes with limited area – where a shower cannot be physically enlarged – options exist to create the illusion of greater space. One method is replacing walls in the showers with corner glass units, which can add a tremendous amount of natural light. Frameless doors with full glass panels offer a sleek, clean look. The goal is to create a brighter, more open feel to the shower space.

Water delivery has undergone a wholesale transformation. Rain showerheads deliver a drenching quantity of water at a gentle velocity, increasing the relaxation factor that many seek in a shower experience.

For those who like the water more directed – and from multiple angles – body sprays are the answer. Body sprays can create a true “spa experience,” as usually four adjustable heads are mounted in the shower walls. The sprays are often at different heights to target specific body areas, and can be rotated for people of different sizes. Sometimes the sprays are in movable panels mounted on the walls, offering even greater flexibility.

In a sense, perhaps this evolution of the shower isn’t so surprising after all. Most people have to spend time in a car each day, and vehicle features have grown to make the experience more pleasant. Why should showers – another necessity for most people – be different?

Besides, a shower almost guarantees that you’ll emerge refreshed, clean and smelling good. The same certainly can’t be said for a car – especially when stuck in traffic on a hot, sticky day. Where would you rather be?

The Handyman did it (in the shower stall, with a claw hammer …)

If you’ve ever played the classic game “Clue,” you’ll recognize that lead-in. If not, well, read on and you’ll understand …

Let’s start with a question. What if you hired someone to do a remodeling project, and then couldn’t use the finished space?

You’d be pretty upset. Justifiably so, too. And yes, it does happen.

We’re in the midst of replacing a shower stall project gone very wrong at a customer’s home. She had a “new” shower area built three years ago. Her family has yet to use it.

It’s really a disturbing story. She entrusted someone – probably a handyman-type person who said they could do it – and was completely misled. The lure, in all likelihood, was a very low price.

This operator put in a three-piece fiberglass “surround” stall. The finished project was anything but, though. The fiberglass housing was cracked. The drain pipe was cracked. The shower door didn’t seal. Leaks were everywhere.

In short, it was a mess. Worse yet, it probably added unneeded stress to the family of four. That additional shower space would have been nice on days when everyone is rushing to get ready for school and work. But it wasn’t available.

It’s an example of how, when people try to save money by choosing the cheapest contractor, they often end up spending more later to fix the job. Sometimes the old saying is true: You do get what you pay for.

Hiring a contractor or remodeler shouldn’t be an exercise in hope. Here are some pointers on finding someone who will, in all likelihood, do the job right the first time:
• Always – always – check references. Ask to speak to the most recent customer for whom they finished a project. Ask to speak to a customer from at least a year ago, to get an idea of how the work has held up and, if needed, how the contractor followed up.
• Check professional affiliations. Is the company a member of NARI or the Metropolitan Builders Association? These organizations have codes of ethics that members are sworn to follow.
• Check professional certifications, again through NARI or the MBA. Such certifications help ensure that the company exhibits professionalism and quality workmanship.
• Ask to see a project(s) that the company has done – real, live and in-person. A reputable contractor should be willing to arrange this.

We guarantee that our previously-mentioned customer will have her project done correctly this time. She’s picked out some nice elements: a custom-poured floor, new tile on the floor and walls, and a custom heavy glass shower door.

The customer isn’t doing things on the cheap – and that’s probably OK with her. She’s already taken a bath, figuratively speaking. At least this time, she’ll get the shower that she wanted all along.

Whew! It’s been a busy several weeks. We’re still working on a list of topics to address here. We plan to focus on the questions we hear most often from customers, and the projects that are in greatest demand. Any suggestions? Let us know.

In the meantime, we extend an invitation to visit Connor Remodeling & Design at the 48^th annual Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Show. This is Wisconsin’s biggest home improvement and remodeling show, and it draws thousands of visitors each year.

Mark your calendar, because you don’t want to miss it: Feb. 11-14 at the Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park. Doors open at 11 a.m. the first two days and 10 a.m. on the weekend.

Connor Remodeling & Design will be in Booth 219, located near the main entrance. Stop by and say “Hi,” then take in a bevy of seminars and demonstrations by home improvement experts. If some look familiar, it’s because you might have seen them on HGTV!

Similarly, if you enjoy good food – who doesn’t, right? – be sure to catch the cooking demonstration stage. There might be a few recognizable faces there, too. Some prominent local chefs will be working their culinary magic, along with national cooking celebrities from FOX and Bravo.

The show has more than 300 exhibitors, so allow plenty of time to take it all in. This year’s theme is “Put a Little Love in Your Home” which, while encouraging, doesn’t quite sum it all up. We suggest that you put a lot of love into your home, so that it can be a place of true comfort and enjoyment.

Here’s a hint: Go to the show’s web site and get a coupon for $2 off admission. The link is near the bottom of the page.

We are very pleased and proud to have received a first-place award for “Best Show Booth” at the MBA Home Building & Remodeling Expo in January. Above all, we appreciated the many people who stopped by to chat or bounce ideas off us.

We hope to meet many more at the Milwaukee/NARI show. These events are your chance to really learn what’s out there and, hopefully, expand the possibilities for your home. It’s your space – make it fit your dreams!

Welcome to our inaugural blog post! We’ll be posting all sorts of useful information here about remodeling trends and topics. Your questions and ideas are always welcome.

For the immediate moment, we invite you to visit Connor Remodeling & Design at the Metropolitan Builders Association Home Building & Remodeling Expo. The show is Jan. 7-10 at the Midwest Airlines Center in downtown Milwaukee. We’re in Booth 742, which is pretty much right in the middle of the show floor.

If you’ve been considering a remodeling project or home addition, you’ll find this event to be time well spent. Bring an open mind and an inquisitive attitude. This show is all about making your home brighter, more useful and, above all, more enjoyable.

Besides the hundreds of exhibitors’ showcases, the Saturday and Sunday event schedules are filled with seminars on planning creatively, building smart and saving money in a new or existing home.

Need more incentive? Connor Remodeling & Design has some free tickets. Contact Kevin Connor if you’re interested – just use the “e-mail us” application on the web site.

The new year is here! Let this be the year that your remodeling dream becomes a reality. The MBA show is a great place to start. Be sure to stop by Booth 742 and say “hi.”