Wood Hoods Can Make a Statement

When trying to decide on a range of oven or a cooktop, they often overlook the type of hood to get. Wood Hoods can be a great focal point of your kitchen. One of the latest kitchen trends is to have your wood hood and island be of the same wood and finish and the rest of your cabinetry to be of a different species and color. Obviously, it takes a keen eye to determine what goes with what and how to make your wood hood stand out as a strong presence in your kitchen. We have a wide selection of hoods to choose from as well as a selction of new wood hoods like this one.

New Quartz Countertops From Cambria

Cambria is the only quartz surface made in the USA. Like all quartz products, they are beautiful and have a full color range. However, Cambria’s 2011 collection is really amazing. They have added 21 new colors and some patterns never yet seen in quartz. The simulated veins really draw the eye to the randomness of its new collection. Quartz is no longer solid color or “speckled” granite–it truly has taken on a product of its own. The new colors are not released until mid-November and we have already sold a kitchen with a new color. It’s really worth checking out.  Go to www.cambriausa.com

As a homeowner, be prepared when asking for bids

Being your own general contractor is not a bad idea, if you have the time and understand how the different trades work. Most people can save 10-30% on their remodels and that kind of savings can really add up. But to do it successfully you have to be able to collect several bids, be organized, and most of all be flexible. Collecting the bids sounds easy, but if you’re not organized or flexible it can be a disaster. In this next video, Mary will show you how a homeowner can “chase” a bidder out of her home. Most experienced tradespeople don’t want to work when then are a bunch of red flags; such as a relative is going to be in charge, you want them to bid on things that are outside their trade, or put time or money demands before you have even bid.  Again, this isn’t to say you shouldn’t be your own general, it just means understand what you are asking each person to bid on and stay organized and flexible.

You can Find Out A Lot About A Contractor At a Home Show

If you have never been to a home and garden show, they are great resources for the homeowner. You can find just about everything you need for  home repair. However, I like to drop by the stage section of these shows to hear what the “experts” have to say. Now, there are a lot of very talented people who are vendors at home shows.   But I have found that many of the speakers, shouldn’t be speaking.  The clip above is a compilation from 3 vendors that I heard speak. Of course they did not say things as blunt as Contractor Chris says them, but stories are all true.

As a homeowner its hard to decipher the truth.  But simple follow-up questions like:  Do you hold a General Contractor’s license?; or Who honored you with “The Contractor of the Year Award?” or Who published your book?  You don’t have to do these things in front of a crowd.  All the speakers encourage people to come up after their presentations and talk or you could stop by their booth.  Whatever way you do it, if you don’t want to be taken, you should ask the “experts” a little bit more about their credentials and decide for yourself if what they are saying is honest and credible.

Hot New Trends in the Kitchen

From time to time, we find products that stand out from the usual.  When we do we’ll post him here.  For appliances there hasn’t been a whole lot to get excited about since the great stainless steel rush of the 1990’s.  But these 2 are pretty cool. The first is a combo oven by Termador that allows you to steam.  The second is an induction cooktop by Electrolux.  If you are not familiar with induction cooking it allows you to do things like boil water in 90 seconds.   If you are looking to remodel you should check them out.

Thermador’s Combo Oven

Thermador’s Steam & Convection Oven combines three distinct cooking options – steam, true convection and a combination of the two. It also includes 40 automatic food programs, nine advanced cooking modes and a series of advanced features. 

36″ Induction Hybrid Cooktop

Electrolux induction hybrid cooktops include a combination of electric elements that are compatible with all cookware, and induction elements that are compatible with most cookware – if a magnet sticks to the bottom of the pan, it works.

The Misguided Adventures of Contractor Chris and Homeowner Mary

In addition to the latest and greatest trends and ideas in remodeling we will have in this blog, we would also like to bring you a little humor as well. We have heard numerous horror stories of remodeling projects gone wrong from both contractors and homeowners. We thought it would enlightning to talk about them, so that future remodelers can avoid these fiascos. So, we created a series of videos with reocurring characters Contractor Chris and Homeowner Mary to demonstrate what not to do or what to look out for in your remodel. Well instead of me explaining it, I’ll let Chris and Mary tell you

Financing Available

One of the largest concerns for a customer is going over budget. Well, Donald-Morgan Design just made things a little easier by securing 0% Financing for up to 12 months. We negotiated a deal with a bank and our countertop vendor for customers to be able to secure a loan for up to $45,000 to do any part of their remodel. Its easy, just come on and spend 10 minutes on the phone and get approved and your remodel can start immediately. Its not for everyone, I mean if you don’t have the cash for a remodel now, what is 12 months going to buy you. Obviously, after 12 months the interest rates go up to about 13%, so not the greatest financial plan. But if you are $5-15,000 over budget for the remodel you want and were at the point of of having to not include things that you want, this may be ideal. If you know you can afford to save the $5-15,000 in the next year, than its perfect, because there is NO charge. Again, not for everybody, but interest free is money in your pocket.