But why does granite get all the attention? Manufacturers and installers of granite and quartz weigh in on the benefits of each type of stone.

Pressure & Time
After nature does its part, mined quartz is crushed and mixed with resin to create subtly patterned slabs.

Beauty & Movement
“The customers we see that are looking at granite really are looking for that beauty and movement in the stone,” says Troy Roering, sales and marketing manager for Stone Holding Co., in Waite Park, Minn. “With granite, it’s like choosing a piece of art, whereas customers who want a more consistent look will choose quartz.”

Remodeler Ben Thompson agrees. “Both granite and quartz are premium products, but it comes down to aesthetics,” says the co-owner of Thompson Remodeling, in Grand Rapids, Mich., noting granite’s impact during the sales process. “We can take our clients shopping, pull out a big slab and show them that it’s the most dramatic and substantial item they’re getting for their new kitchen.”

At the same time, Cambria PR director Stacia Smith says quartz is one of the fastest growing surfacing categories in the industry. “Granite is a mix of quartz, filament, and mica, and it’s the quartz component that gives the stone its strength,” she says. “While some granites can have as little as 20% or 30% quartz, a quartz countertop can have as much as 93% quartz and only 7% coloring and binding.”

Porous granite also requires sealing against moisture, adds Hanwha Surfaces product designer Lisa Herreth, and the consistency of quartz means the material can be seamed more easily than granite where fabricators may need to work with or around veining and inclusions in the stone. To that end, Thompson says he often finds that quartz installations require more seaming, while granite installations result in more waste.

Price It
For customers concerned about cost, Roering says that quartz does tend to cost more than base-level granite. However, “granite price has nothing to do with quality and everything to do with availability of that stone in the world,” he says. “If they’re quarrying 10 blocks and nine of them are usable, we would put that granite at a level-one or -two price point. But if only one of the 10 is usable, it would likely come in at a premium pricing category.”

Herreth adds that most quartz is cost-competitive with granite, particularly since the price of some stones has dropped dramatically in recent years, and can include green elements such as recycled content (usually glass), which might interest some homeowners. “Stone materials are going to last a lifetime,” she says, “so homeowners should consider choosing colors and patterns that will stay in style for the duration.”

Lauren Hunter, associate editor, REMODELING MAGAZINE.

By Kathleen Donohue and Martha Kerr, Neil Kelly Design/Build Remodeling

Planning a kitchen for multiple cooks can involve many different situations, and in order to meet clients’ needs there’s a lot of information to gather regarding how they use their kitchen. Just accepting a “multi-cook kitchen” description does not give you a clear-enough picture of what is truly needed, and your chances of coming up with just the right design for that client are a shot in the dark until you delve deeper with more targeted questions.

Are the cooks partners in meal preparation, or is there a chief cook and assistants? Is it a multi-generational family where grandparents and children cook along with the mom or dad? Does one of the cooks only prepare salads and hors d’ouvres? Maybe there’s a “designated griller” in the family. The answers to the various scenarios for the particular family will determine how we approach creating the multi-cook kitchen.

To start, we need to identify if the family wants and has room for dual-cooking centers. Can we include two sinks (a cleanup area and a prep sink), or do we include two sinks and two dishwashers? Should refrigeration be “decentralized” and located at point of first use so that each cook has access to the refrigerated items they use most often, or do we carefully locate a single refrigerator so that it is accessible to each cook without crossing their work path or causing a log jam when the door is opened?

If there is room and budget allows, a second sink almost always makes a multi-cook kitchen function better. A prep sink near a cook top, baking center, or prep area can keep cooks out of each other’s way.  More targeted questions will help you to determine if it needs to be a small bar sink or a larger prep sink.

A high-functioning multi-cook kitchen with unlimited space or unlimited budgets will vary greatly from the average multi-cook kitchen. Our everyday multi-cook kitchen would include two work triangles that preferably don’t intersect one another, or do so infrequently. One cook might go from the refrigerator to the second sink and microwave (located to the right of the refrigerator) and one might go from the refrigerator to the primary sink and cooking area to the left of the refrigerator.

Pay special attention to the door swings of appliances. We always draw them open, with dotted lines on the floor plan, so clients can visualize walking through the space while someone else may be accessing them from any particular work center. Try to engage your clients in visualizing working together in a space doing specific tasks. This helps to flesh out any work patterns or tasks they may have forgotten to mention but could be a serious inconvenience once the kitchen is installed.

The ideal multi-cook kitchen — with lots of space and no budget restrictions — would include two sources of refrigeration, a cook top (or perhaps separate cook tops, one two-burner gas and one two-burner magnetic induction) with separate wall ovens, two sinks, and two dishwashers. A microwave drawer might be included in a snack center along with under-cabinet refrigeration. Specialty steam ovens, speed-cook ovens, or convection ovens might also be desired — this is where asking questions about what and how they like to cook can really pay off.

Kitchen design is really all about creating spaces that work for the family that lives in the house.  Appliance placement, sufficient counter surface in the work areas, proper and accessible storage, and really good task lighting are all considerations.

If baking is a primary function, a lowered countertop for the baking center may also double as the work surface for the children who are learning to cook with their parents. If child participation is a primary goal, think about the ages and abilities of the children as you create the different work centers. The foodstuffs, utensils, appliances, and counter surface all need to be accessible.

If the multi-cook kitchen is being designed for a couple who both love to cook and entertain, you will likely be including a beverage center. The center could be located separately in a butler’s pantry or could occupy a multi-use area, such as a corner of an island, the end of a peninsula, or a raised serving area, and might include the coffee/espresso machine, a wine chiller, or under-cabinet refrigerator/ice maker, and perhaps a single drawer dishwasher. This area would also store the wine glasses, cocktail glasses, coffee cups, and other amenities needed for the beverage center.

Finally, a word about islands:  Islands in kitchens that have a 36-inch-high countertop on all four sides provide a great area for family cooking projects. With the counter surface being accessible on all four sides, you could likely have as many as eight people working around the island. If it’s a growing family, perhaps you have stools on one or two sides for the kids to have easy access. Whether it’s a family Christmas cookie project or the girl scout troop making papier-mâché animals, a kitchen island that is maintained at one height provides a fabulous work surface for many hands. Islands are a natural gathering spot, and, as long as they don’t block critical access lanes, they are the perfect multi-use center of any multi-cook kitchen.

Kitchens

1) Shake It Up

The Shaker style began a rise in popularity in 2009 and gained momentum in 2010. By the end of the year, Shaker has supplanted Contemporary as the second most popular style used by NKBA member designers. While Traditional remains the most popular style, having been used by 76% of designers surveyed over that last three months of 2010, that’s a slight drop from the previous year. Meanwhile, the percent of respondents who designed contemporary kitchens fell to 48%, while Shaker rose to 55%. Cottage was the only other style to garner at least 20% of the market, as it registered at 21%.

2) Dark Finishes

Dark natural finishes overtook medium natural, glazed, and white painted finishes to become the most specified type of finish toward the end of 2010. While medium natural fell from being used by 53% to 48% of designers, glazed from 53% to 42%, and white painted from 49% to 47%, dark natural finishes rose from 42 to 51%. Light natural and colored painted finishes remained fairly common, as each rose slightly from the previous year: 24% to 25% for light natural and 24% to 29% for colored paints. Distressed finishes dropped significantly from a year ago, when they were used by 16% of designers, to just 5%.

3) A Place for Wine

While the incorporation of wine refrigerators seems to be on the decline (see Bonjour Refrigerator below), unchilled wine storage is growing in popularity. While only 39% of surveyed designers incorporated wine storage areas into their kitchens at the end of 2009, just over half—51%—did so as 2010 came to a close. While other types of cabinetry options remain more common, most are on the decline, including tall pantries (89% to 84%), lazy susans (90% to 78%), and pull-out racks (81% to 71%). Appliance garages also seem to be falling out of favor, as their use declined from 36% at the end of 2009 to 29% a year later.

4) Bonjour Refrigerator

The French door refrigerator has strengthened its position as the type specified most often by NKBA member designers. While freezer-top refrigerators were only specified by 8% of designers as 2010 drew to a close—down from 10% a year earlier, freezer-bottom models fell very slightly from 60% to 59% and side-by-side units actually rose slightly from 46% to 49%. Meanwhile, French door refrigerators jumped from 67% to 78%. Among smaller units, refrigerator or freezer drawers remained flat at 31%, while undercounter wine refrigerators fell sharply from 50% to 36%, an interesting change given the increasing use of unchilled wine storage.

5) Inducting a New Cooktop

Induction cooktops haven’t overtaken gas and electric models, but they’re closing the gap. As we entered 2010, gas cooktops had been recently specified by 76% of NKBA designers, compared to 38% for electric and 26% for induction. However, while the incorporation of gas cooktops has fallen to 70%, electric cooktops has risen slightly to 41%, while induction cooktops are up to 34%. Meanwhile, single wall ovens are down from 46% to 42%, although double wall ovens are up from 68% to 74%. In addition, warming drawers are down from 49% to 42%, and ranges are down sharply from 81% to 68%.

6) LED Lighting

Incandescent lighting continues its journey to obsolescence. While 50% of NKBA member designers incorporated incandescent bulbs into their designs at the end of 2009, only 35% have done so a year later. Instead, designers are clearly opting for more energy-efficient lighting options. While the use of halogen lighting is down from 46% to 40% over the past year, LED (light-emitting diode) lighting has increased from 47% to 54%. Designers aren’t turning to CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) as a solution, though, most likely due to the poor quality of light they produce; their use by designers remained flat at 35%.

7) Trashy Designs

A greater emphasis is being made to address trash considerations in the kitchen. Some 89% of kitchens designed by NKBA members in the final quarter of 2010 include a trash or recycling pull-outs. In addition, garbage disposals were incorporated by 86% of designers, up from 75% the previous year. Trash compactors have also become more common. Entering 2010, they were recently used in designs by 11% of designers, but a year later, that figure had climbed to 18%. These changes may be due to an increase in sustainability awareness, but they certainly indicate an increase in concern toward trash generated in the kitchen.

1) Quartz Countertops

Quartz continues to take away market share from granite in the market for bathroom vanity tops. A year ago, 85% of NKBA bathroom designers incorporated granite into a recent design, compared to just 48% for quartz, but now, that gap has narrowed to 83% for granite and 54% for quartz. Unlike in the kitchen, solid surfaces haven’t gained much popularity in the bathroom, increasing only from 23% to 25% over the past year. Meanwhile, solid marble has declined from 46% to 37%, while cultured marble and onyx have increased from 12% to 19%. No other material has even 10% of the market.

2) Green Bathrooms

No, we’re not referring to eco-friendly spaces—we literally mean green bathrooms. A year ago, green color palettes were used by only 14% of NKBA designers, but at the end of 2010, that figure had risen to 24%. Still, whites and off-whites, beiges, and browns are the three most commonly used color tones in bathrooms. However, while white and off-white palettes are up slightly from 57% to 60%, beiges are down sharply from 66% to 57%, while browns have dropped from 48% to 38%. Other common color tones include blues at 22%, grays at 21%, and bronzes and terracottas at 17%.

3) A Worthy Vessel

Undermount sinks continue to dominate newly remodeled bathrooms, with 97% of NKBA bathroom designers having specified them over the last three months of 2010, up from 95% a year earlier. However, vessel sinks have become the clear second choice among designers, as 51% of NKBA member designers have specified them in the final quarter of 2010, up from 39% a year ago. Integrated sink tops were also up from 34% to 38%, pedestal sinks were up from 21% to 29%, and drop-in sinks were up from 23% to 27%. This shows that bathroom designers have been specifying more lavatory sinks across the board.

4) Satin Nickel Faucets

This trend relates to both bathrooms and kitchens. From the end of 2009 to the end of 2010, the percent of NKBA designers who specified a satin nickel faucet rose from 41% to 63% in the kitchen and from 45% to 57% in the bathroom, while the percent who specified a brushed nickel faucet fell from 61% to 48% in the kitchen and from 66% to 38% in the bathroom. Other popular faucet finishes in both the kitchen and bathroom are bronze and oil-rubbed bronze, polished chrome, and polished nickel. However, while stainless steel is popular in the kitchen, specified recently by 44% of designers, that figure drops to just 16% in the bathroom.

Here are some thoughts to help you cope:

·        Good communication prevents most problems, so make sure you and your remodeler agree on a system for staying in touch.  Often the lead carpenter or foreman is the best contact person.  Some contractors provide a box or folder where everyone can leave notes or change orders.  Make sure that you communicate with the designated contact person.  A single worker or subcontractor will not have the information or authority necessary to make changes or assess how it might impact the project as a whole.

·        Share your concerns with the contact person immediately.  What is a minor adjustment now might be a major expense later.

·        Don’t panic!  If you discover what you think is a major problem, get all of the facts and discuss them with your remodeler.  A good remodeler knows there will be problems, and knows how to solve them.

·        Expect that the project feels like it is taking too long.  After the initial demolition and framing, there will be times when it seems like not much is happening.  It is difficult to schedule a project seamlessly without any down time.  All of the subcontractors have other projects to finish before they can start yours and if one phase of your project takes longer than expected for whatever reason, it can impact the schedule.  Discuss this with your contractor.  Most remodelers factor in some down time in every project. 

·        Expect good quality work, but remember that remodeling is an art and even the finest remodeling project will not be perfect.  Finishes applied today may not match older finishes.  Your contractor will strive to blend his new construction with the less-than-perfect conditions that may be present in your home.

·        Your remodeler will appreciate your prompt payment of bills as specified in the contract, instead of having to ask for it.  Most remodelers are working on a smaller profit margin than you might imagine and need to make timely payments to suppliers and subcontractors to get their professional discounts.

·        After the project has been completed, you may notice something that doesn’t seem right.  Contact your contractor and, if you did not pick the “low-bidder”, you should expect a prompt response during the warranty period and after!

Finally, if you did your homework and chose wisely, you can expect to pleased by the end result.  The added comfort, convenience and space will enhance your lifestyle for years to come.

All contracts should include:

·        A detailed description of the work.

·        A list of the specific materials to be used.

·        A schedule of progress payments showing how much you pay at the outset and when further payments are due.

·        An explanation of the change order which deals with changes or extras not included in the original agreement.

·        A procedure for handling disputes between the contractor and the owner.

·        It may include a description of what is not included, such as “the homeowner is responsible for carpet installation” or “the homeowner is responsible for removing personal items and furnishings from the work areas”.

·        A federally mandated recision clause, enabling you to cancel the agreement within three days of signing it.

The next step is often a pre-construction conference with you, the remodeler, the lead carpenter or foreman, the designer (if any), and perhaps the major subcontractors.  The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the project schedule and ground rules.  This is the time to decide what parts of the house are to be work or material storage areas, and what areas are off limits.  Review your remodeler’s policies on crew behavior and let him know what you expect.  While most have clear guidelines concerning things like smoking (not allowed inside), radio use (low volume), phone use (local calls only), bathroom use (port-a-potty) and daily cleanup, these may be modified to reflect your needs.

This is also the time to address concerns about safety and security.  Construction sites are dangerous, especially to children and pets.  Be sure that you are satisfied with measures to separate the work areas from the rest of the house and secure the house during non-work times.  Make sure that you remove all personal items and furnishings from the work area.  No matter how careful and neat the workmen are, there will be dust, debris and the potential for damaging anything left in the work area.  In fact, the constant vibration from the project can cause items outside the work area to shift and fall.  Check that valuable items on shelves in the rest of the house are secured or moved. 

·        They return phone calls promptly.

·        They arrive for appointments on time – or call in plenty of time to explain and reschedule.

·        They are polite, considerate and careful around your home and furnishings.

·        They have vehicles and equipment that reflect positively on their professionalism and work ethics.

·        They carry contractor’s liability insurance and worker’s compensation insurance if they have employees.

·        They can provide references and examples of previous work.

·        They will be able to give you before the job starts, a schedule of when it will start and approximately when it will end.

·        They will provide written specifications and a contract that spell out the scope of work.

·        They will not proceed with any work outside the contract without a written change order that includes a description of the changes, the cost, and the impact of the changes on the schedule.

·        Their contract should include a procedure to resolve disputes between the owner and the contractor.

So, where do you find someone like that?  Your friends and neighbors are your best resource.  Try to find homeowners whose projects were similar to yours.  Most homeowners are more than happy to recommend a remodeler that did a good job for them.  And they are also happy to warn you about contractors that they would not hire again, and why!  Ask specific questions:  Did the remodeler show up on time and complete the job at the agreed-upon price?  Was there a problem that needed correcting and did it get done in a timely manner?  Was the workmanship satisfactory?  Did the contractor honor the warranty?  For how long and how quickly did they respond?

For more recommendations, call the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of New Hampshire (603-228-0351).  Ask for a list of members in your area.  Association membership, while not a guarantee, is an indicator that the remodeler is a serious professional.  Lumberyards, real estate agents, interior decorators and bankers are other sources to contact for recommendations.  

Choose several remodelers and make appointments to discuss your project.  The conventional, but flawed, wisdom is to get at least threes bids or estimates.  We think that this method for choosing a contractor almost always backfires.  In fact, a big difference between bids usually means that one of the bidders has misunderstood something important or made a major mathematical error.  Choosing a contractor with a very low bid is just asking for trouble down the road and may lead to an unsuccessful, premature conclusion of your project.  I’ll write more about this in another post.

Many established contractors, including a large percentage of design/build firms, don’t bid on jobs at all.  Why not?  Preparing a detailed bid takes many, many hours of unpaid work, not only for the contractor, but for all of the subcontractors as well.  The companies that you would like to construct your project, the ones with the great references and high standards, are almost never the low bidders.  Sometimes, you really do get what you pay for!  These contractors generally provide ballpark estimates, then negotiate an agreement after the design has been completed.

In the final analysis, choose a remodeler that you feel comfortable with and can trust.  You will have a long term relationship with this firm, so make sure that they will pay attention to your concerns and respond to your personal style. 

For budgeting purposes, keep in mind that the most expensive remodeling projects are those that involve expanding the footprint of the house.  Less expensive are those that reconfigure existing space and even less expensive are projects in which all the walls, plumbing and heating fixtures stay where they are.  The best way to figure out if your budget range is realistic is to run it past good remodelers.  They will be quick to tell you if you’re in the wrong ballpark.  And if you are, don’t despair.  A design professional or remodeler can suggest less expensive alternatives or divide the project into smaller phases.  Almost all successful remodeling projects are the result of a series of compromises between the initial dream and the final budget.

Do you need an architect or design professional?  That depends on your location, and the size of your project and budget.  Some towns may require plans that are prepared by an architect.  Check with your local planning and zoning office for the particular building and zoning requirements for your area.  Most small scale remodeling projects – such as kitchen and bath remodels – can easily be put together by an experienced remodeler and a cabinet supplier.  Larger jobs might benefit from a complete set of construction plans and the input of a design professional.

Using a design/build firm – either a remodeler who provides design services or an architect who provides contracting services – is one way to simplify a complex project.  You hire one firm that handles everything.  The design/build approach to building brings together professional design and construction expertise.  One company handles both design and construction, which means you enjoy greater continuity of service.  This joining of design and construction functions can also save you time and money, and helps make you – the customer – more of a partner in the remodeling of your home.

If you decide to hire an architect or building designer, start by looking for candidates with extensive residential remodeling experience.  Ask remodelers about designers they like to work with.  Make your decision based on a review of their work that might be similar to your project.  Ask for references and check whether their projects stayed within budget and ran smoothly.

Some people think that acting as their own general contractor is a good way to cut remodeling costs.  But few homeowners realize the complexity of the contractor’s job.  Your contractor must understand not only today’s building construction, but the techniques that were used decades ago; plan the job, step by step; obtain or prepare drawings and apply for building permits; hire good, reliable subcontractors (who may have worked with him on many projects); schedule (juggle) all of the elements: material delivery, labor and subs, inspections by building officials, inspect all work; and allow for the inevitable unanticipated delays!

When you hire a professional contractor, you don’t just pay for the labor and material, you also receive the contractor’s ability to save you time and aggravation.  The contractor’s fee take into account all of the expenses directly related to your project such as rubbish removal, liability insurance, and also expenses not directly related such as office and vehicle overhead, tool expense, employee training and warranty work.  That last item is the most overlooked, but one of the most important for you.

You like your neighborhood.  You have a great commute.  Your kids are in good schools and their friends live close by.  You cringe, however, when you examine your house.  It’s dated and cramped.  You start to imagine what your house would be, if only . . .

“If only” is what remodeling is all about!  Remodeling can:

·        Add space: An addition with a new bedroom, bathroom or family room can ease family “traffic jams”.  Potential additional space might be found in the attic or basement.

·        Upgrade a kitchen or bath.  New cabinets and fixtures can make those areas a pleasure to use and can add value when you sell.

·        Get the best use out of the space you have.  The way you live in your house has changed over the years and remodeling can make your existing space more efficient.

·        Save you money.  Today’s building products and systems are far more energy efficient.  Even projects that add space may not add to heating and cooling bills.

Often remodeling can pay for itself.  If your house is smaller or simpler than the rest of the neighborhood, bringing it up to date may increase its value enough to reflect most, or even all, of the cost of the improvement.  When you compare the expense of moving with the cost of remodeling, you may find that remodeling is a more affordable way to get the house you really want.  With remodeling, there is no real estate commission or moving costs to pay, and you don’t have the worries of selling your current home and starting over in a new neighborhood.  A professional remodeler can help you decide whether or not remodeling makes sense for you.

Whoever plans your remodeling project will need lots of information that only you can supply.  The process will go much more smoothly if you have a clear idea of what you want.  Take time to assess your current house.  What do you like or dislike about it, and why?  Make sure to include everyone in the family in this process.  Make a list of things to change, add or take away and rank each item on the list in order of priority. 

A little research will assist you in finding solutions.  Look in magazines that show new and remodeled homes and save the pictures that appeal to you.  Start a separate file for each area to be remodeled.  These pictures will give your remodeler a good feel for your tastes and preferences.  Take a tour of remodeled homes in your community.  Many homeowners would be pleased to show off their “new” homes and if you see great craftsmanship you can find out who did the work!  Home shows are also a great place to gather information about new products and services.  Don’t worry if you don’t come up with the perfect solution for your house and don’t try to decide every detail ahead of time.  Your designer and remodeler will have a wealth of experience to draw upon for ideas and can provide information about products that will influence your decisions.