As a General Contractor, we've seen our share of styles and preferences for house design and interior decorating. In fact, throughout the Eugene-Springfield area, you can see homes exhibiting the best in modern design, homes with the charm of the Victorian period, and everything in between. Each has their place, and it's fun to work on homes from different eras. But, if you find yourself needing some inspiration, here are some home design trends that seem to be on fire.
1. Creative and functional use of space More often than not homes are being designed to utilize every inch of space to its best use. Think "tiny home" necessity scaled to match your square footage. Examples of this include creative storage solutions, utilizing "dead space" in new ways, and giving areas of the home multiple purposes. Built-ins are a great way to make use of otherwise dead space. Drawers installed under stairs. 2. Warm metals vs. industrial finishes This is one trend that seems to swing every decade or two. But, right now, warm metals are all the rage. Bring out your copper and gold fixtures, pots and pans, etc. These metals make a space feel welcoming and cozy while still maintaining a sense of elegance. 3. Matte appliance finishes Up until recent times, the appliances in your home were flashy and somewhat attention grabbing. They were statement pieces in your kitchen, the envy in your laundry room, etc. But now, the goal is to have these appliances blend into your space. Matte finishes allow appliances to do just that — blend in. With this approach, we place the focus on the "life" in the room, not the giant refrigerator. 4. Cerused wood floors and cabinets The trend lately is based on a technique introduced in the 1500's, whereas wood was 'limed' to expose the texture and grain. Today, people are using cerused wood throughout their homes and with their cabinets to get that old and worn look but with new wood. 5. Jewel tones Regarding color, beige is out, out, out. Designers are choosing bolder colors for interiors to bring out the drama of each room. In fact, the 2017 Benjamin Moore color of the year is a deep amethyst color called Shadow. Juxtapose these colors with the soft pastels found in nature, and you'll have a winning palette. 6. Subway tiles Subway tiles have been popular for a few years now, but they haven't lost any ground when it comes to tile selection. They can be bold or subtle, and the patterns you can create are endless. Concerning application, you can use subway tiles in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and even in other spaces like home offices and entertainment rooms. 7. Smart home features With the tech world in which we live, the ability to integrate "smart" features into homes is appreciated. The trick is to make sure the technology you integrate is universal and long-lasting. For example, create charging stations with standard types of plug-ins vs. creating a solution for which only one type of device can work. You'll want to avoid what car manufacturers did when the iPod was popular — many created iPod specific cradles, so you had a place to set your device while driving. Not too long after, the iPod started changing sizes and connectors, and the cradles were no longer useful. To discuss your home remodeling needs and ideas, please give us a call at 541-767-1611.
0 Comments
An issue we've seen lately, especially now that the weather is starting to warm up, is that of rotten walls on the sides of houses. And truthfully, it's not too surprising given the amount of record rain our area saw this winter and spring. We've had homeowners contact us thinking they have just a rotten strip of siding or window trim needing to be replaced only to find out the problem was much more than they could see from the surface. Rotten walls are no joke and need to be remedied sooner than later. But, how do you know if you have rotten walls? There are a few telltale signs. You might notice warped sections of your siding, or perhaps streaked fading where water has been running or splashing. It's even possible you will have excessive mold growing on one section of your siding. When you touch these areas, you'll feel the siding give way to the pressure and easily break apart. If you're experiencing any of these with your house, you'll want to get ahold of a contractor right away. But what caused the rot in the first place? It's simple: the rate of getting wet exceeds the rate of drying and over time, this breaks down the integrity of your wall. This extra moisture can come from a variety of sources such as missing flashing between touching surfaces (i.e. between the roof eave and the top of the wall) or poorly flashed windows or even splashback from having your siding too close to the ground. Left unaddressed, any of these causes allow for wetness to continue seeping into your walls and rotting everything along the way, which in extreme cases, can include the flooring attached to the walls on multiple-story housing. Bringing a contractor out to examine the rot is crucial in order to fully understand the scope of the damage as well as identifying the source of the wetness. But beware of contractors who only offer to patch things up to make the walls look pretty again. While it could save you money now, a couple years down the road the rot won't only be back, chances are it will be even worse since the source of the problem wasn't addressed. Better to pony up the extra money now to do it right than pay for it in spades down the line.
The Fort Rock Construction team has dealt with and corrected rotten wall issues throughout Eugene, Springfield, Cottage Grove and the entire Willamette Valley. If you suspect you have an issue, please give us a call today at 541-767-1611. We provide free, no-obligation estimates. When you decide to undertake a construction project, be it new construction or a remodel, one of the first steps you will need to do is to talk with contractors so you can get bids. Easy, right? All you need to do is call up some contractors and have them come meet with you... or is it really that simple?
In order to get quality bids, the first step you need to take is to make sure you're talking with contractors who are suited for your type of project. Make sure you do some homework before you pick up the phone. Does the contractor have experience with projects like yours? Do they have photographs of completed projects? References? If you don't reach out to the right group of contractors, you run the risk of someone saying they can do the job when he or she may very well be out of their range of expertise. Okay, so you have your group of contractors... The next step is preparing how you will review the project with each contractor. In order to get "apples to apples" bids, you'll want to make sure you're presenting the project in the same way to each person. For example, it can be a good idea to have an outline of the key points: project type, timeline, budget, preference on styles and/or materials, etc. Now, of course, contractors may ask clarifying questions while you're reviewing the details, so be sure to take note of these items. It will be helpful to provide all of the contractors a document with this additional information so you can get the best bids possible. After you've met with each contractor and answered their questions, be patient. It isn't likely you will get a bid within a day or two. Chances are it might take a bit longer as your contractors will need time to communicate with their subcontractors and suppliers, and possibly engineers or architects, depending on your project. But do ask each contractor when you can expect to receive their bid...and hold them to it. This is one of the first tests to see how well they communicate and maintain expectations. A failure here can be a red flag. Once you have the bids from the different contractors, what's next? Now it's the fun part... You should review each bid side-by-side to see if the details match your project outline, if the contractors are on the same page with approach, time, materials, etc. Any bids that are totally off from the others should probably be set aside for further evaluation. Those that are similar should also be grouped together. This is an important step in the bid selection process. While it could be tempting to sort bids by price, that's a dangerous road. The low bid may be missing something and the high bid may have too much overhead or padding. A good rule of thumb is to narrow your selections from the group of like bids and focusing on those who are in the middle of the road in terms of price. Invite each contractor back for a second interview to review their bid. This second meeting will help clarify any items in the bid and help you to solidify which contractor you have a good rapport with. From there, you should be able to make your final selection. At Fort Rock Construction, we're very rarely the highest bid and we're not often the lowest bid. We provide complete and realistic bids that often fall right in the middle. We ask lots of questions so we take into consideration both your preferences as well as those items that perhaps you had not yet considered. We walk through our bid with you, answering every question you have along the way, and we explore options if what we present needs adjustment. Our number one goal is to make sure the work we do for you exceeds expectations and that you're completely satisfied. And, we hope through the bid process we can earn your trust. If you have an upcoming project and you would like a complete A-Z realistic bid, we hope you will give us a call at 541-767-1611. We provide general contractor and home remodeling services throughout Eugene, Springfield and the Willamette Valley. It's fairly common these days that our older generations don't want to feel like they have to move just to accommodate their health needs. And, this is where aging-in-place experts, like Fort Rock Construction, can be of service. We help people take a fresh view of their home and then find ways to make modifications that allow for aging-in-place. But, before beginning the process of deisgn, it's important to understand the underlying health needs — of everyone — living in the household. So, before you begin your remodeling project, take this tip to heart... Bring in an occupational therapist.
An occupational therapist (OT) works with people of all ages who need specialized assistance to lead independent, productive, and satisfying lives due to physical, developmental, social, or emotional problems. He or she asks, "What' matters to you?" vs. "What's the matter with you?" By taking this approach, the OT can help guide the remodeling process to make sure the things that matter are facilitated in the design. This might include things like making certain adjustments to the height of counters and sinks, or the types of pulls found on cabinets, or even how entrys to different parts of the home are designed. Working together, your remodeler and the OT can construct a plan to accommodate your needs for today as well as into the future, alowing you years of comfort and enjoyment in your home. If you'd like assistance with an aging-in-place plan, please let us know. We'd love to help. Tired of sneezing from those old, shag carpets with thirty years of dog hair and dander they’ve collected? Considering a home remodel and wondering what kinds of natural flooring are available? Many people who suffer from allergies, asthma, or have trouble breathing choose hardwood floors, but there are also other options out there. Many of our clients in Eugene, Oregon are more health conscious and environmentally aware about the products they choose. There is a rise in people wanting materials low in chemicals that can affect health and local ecology.
Using flooring made from natural materials produces better air quality in the home because there aren’t as many VOCs or volatile organic compound emissions. Traditional kinds of flooring contain binders, adhesives and sealants that are higher in VOCs. Many of the flooring option below also have the added benefit of being made from renewable resources or are recycled, and for those reasons are better for the environment. Healthy kinds of flooring: Hard wood flooring Wood is easy to clean and great for people with allergies because they don’t collect dust. Oak, cherry, teak and walnut are favorite hardwood floors. There are brands out there that use binders that are low in VOC emissions, but it isn’t the standard. Bamboo Bamboo is stronger and more durable than hardwoods—if one buys good quality. Bamboo should harvested from plantation managed timber rather than the wild, produced with low VOC adhesives, and dried to withstand humid or dry climates. This will also help ensure it will be scratch resistant. Eucalyptus This is harder than the hardest of woods. It is durable and inexpensive. It is also good for the environment because the Eucalyptus tree grows fast and is highly renewable. It’s also low on VOC emissions. Cork Cork is harvested from the bark of cork oak trees and is a renewable resource. Cork is lightweight, an acoustic insulator (muffles sound), is soft to walk on, and recovers well from the weight of furniture. It is resistant to fire, mold, mildew, termites, gasses and liquids and is antimicrobial. Natural-fiber carpeting This kind of carpeting is made from natural materials such as wool, a wool-hemp blend, or grass blends like sea grass, sisal, linen or juke. Wool is water and fire resistant, and hemp is mold, mildew and pest resistant. The grass varieties are strong and naturally anti-static. On the downside, many of these natural-fiber carpets do not do well in bathrooms or environments that are constantly getting wet. Stay tuned for next month’s blog post on other natural and salvaged materials that are good for your health and the environment. Considering eco-friendly home remodel ideas? Located in Eugene, Oregon, Fort Rock Construction is nestled in a green-loving, bike riding, plastic bag free, tie-dye wearing, environmentally friendly, tree-hugging community—and proud of it. So it should go without saying that our clients are going to have an interest in ideas for remodeling that involve: reduce, reuse and recycle.
Use recycled materials. Recycled carpet tiles are created by grinding up used vinyl and nylon carpets. Flooring and even paint can be recycled and reused. Reusing salvaged materials. Whether you find these materials locally or online, they are good for the environment—and your pocket. Buy local. Using local products and services cuts down on the distance of travel, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Purchase post-consumer or post-industrial materials that can easily be recycled later. Investigate whether the materials are sustainably sourced (wood certified as sustainably harvested by the Forest Stewardship Council) Switch out old appliances with more energy efficient models. Newer models that qualify for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s EnergyStar label can be 20-30 times more energy efficient. Make sure attics, walls and basements are insulated to keep the cold out. Better yet, try using denim as recycled insulation. Use occupancy/vacancy censors. This is a kind of motion detector that turns on when someone enters the room or turns off when someone exits. Switch older single pane windows with double or triple panes that will be more energy efficient. Add weather stripping around doors and windows. Install a low-flow toilet. This uses less water than the traditional models. Have you considered creating a more contemporary bathroom but are unsure where to start? It’s difficult to understand exactly where you can add bathroom accessories without it seeming like “a bit much”. At the end of the day, all you want a new, clean look without overdoing it. Here are some modern examples of bathroom accessories you can add at an affordable cost.
One of the most important things to any general contracting or construction business is to ensure the safety and health of your crew. Employees are the most essential part to any business and are your frontline for word-of-mouth advertising and company reputation. During the hot summer months, heat exhaustion and dehydration are among the most prominent health issues among construction workers. There is an incredibly high cost for unhappy employees as well, so ensuring both positive morale and health for your workforce can go a long way for your business’s potential success. Here are some useful tips to ensure your workers’, and your own, health:
All of these measures can improve employee morale and even help you avoid a lawsuit in case one something did happen to one of your employees and there was a means to prevent it. At Fort Rock Construction, we always take the proper steps to improve company morale and make sure the customer is happy as well. Please contact us today. In recent months, the housing market has shown a great increase in average home price, reaching nearly 12.1%. Separately, data from the National Association of Realtors showed that existing home sales were running at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.39 million homes for July, a jump from 5.06 million homes in June. The reason for such a high number of sold homes is more than likely due to the rising interest rates, up from 3.5% in March to 4.58% for a 30-year mortgage. Despite this historic rise in mortgage rates in such a short period of time, there has not been a delay in the real estate recovery. Here are some reasons why this may be.
A healthy economy can mean a number of positive things for homeowners. If you are looking at potentially selling in the near future, but are afraid that you may be losing value on your home due to the need for an installation or remodeling of a current room or outside project, please contact us today for assistance. Your deck is one of the more essential components to your house’s exterior. Not only does it add great value to your home, it also improves your own living experience (when the weather permits). The importance of your deck to you and your home should make protecting it a priority. Even if your deck is made of pressure-treated lumber, redwood, cedar, or some other durable species, it’s at risk. The Northwest is known for its moisture and humidity, which could spell a number of problems for a deck. Even sunlight can damage your deck, causing discoloration and hastening the break down of wood. Whether you want to take care of your deck on your own or pay for assistance from a professional, here are some important things to know.
It’s very important to keep your deck clean before or during the treatment process. Dirt and mildew buildup can cause discoloration in the wood if you try to treat it prematurely. Clean off debris with a leaf blower and wash it off with thereafter with a low-pressure power washer or hose. . You can find wood deck cleaners at a local home supply store and you can also find treatment options for stains on the wood as well. Thereafter, you will want to apply the sealer and protectant. Start with the railings first and then work your way down to the floor of the deck. You will want to prevent interaction with the deck after this process so the wood can dry thoroughly. You will want to periodically treat your deck after the initial cleaning to keep the quality of your deck intact. Some decks, no matter how much time and effort you put into them, cannot be saved. Whether it’s untreatable wood or a termite problem, there are a number of different reasons to look at a new deck. You may also want to install a new deck because you just don’t like the layout or size of your old one. Perhaps you don’t have a deck and want to have one installed. Whatever your wish may be, contact Fort Rock Construction to help you install the deck you want. |
Our Blog
Tricks of the construction trade, inspiration for your next project, and highlights of completed projects. Categories
All
|