Google 3 D-Renderings have been a great tool to communicate our vision to our customers.  They also help us design.  They're great from room layouts and when it comes to construction, such as complicated built-ins where we have to consider how various plains will come together, they're invaluable.  In many way, we find the mistakes in construction on the computer so we avoid them in the field. 

Compare these to the finished product in the last posting.

"Surprises"

I cannot be more thrilled about how this project turned out. I had worked with Chris when she called for our 4-hour Half-day design.   She needed a little help making her gorgeous, minimalist's dream of town home more cozy and inviting. Chris also wanted to update her mostly white laminate kitchen but wasn't sure it was going to be within her budget.

Right away, I knew Chris had a good sense of design as her existing pieces were all very harmonious and looked as if they could have been selected by a designer. Yet she had a mix of styles going on and items that seemed to have a bit of her personality or a bit of history, which in my book, adds a layer of richness that you cannot buy. All that was missing was a little punches of color and a few minor adjustment on materials and proportion. During our design session, I gave her advice on what needed to be done. I also,designed an updated version of the kitchen she may later decide to remodel.

Chris had a budget for the kitchen that at first seems impossible, but Mitch worked his magic with our suppliers.  After a few revisions, here it is. I am just so happy with the look of it. The best part is that it really was Chris' vision. We just helped her make it happened. I love that it is clean and minimal...but it's warm and the best part is that it looks as if it was the original kitchen. As if it was always part of the original intent...

Check out Norma's bathroom, featured on an episode of HGTV's Bang For Your Buck.  In addition to being a complete success for the client's design wishes, Renovation #2, which features vessel sinks, high quality tile tub enclosure, and glass shelf niches, was rated a 90% return on investment, surpassing the 67% average for bathroom remodels in Chicago.

 If resale value of your house or condominium is important for you, make sure to tell your interior designer.  They can work with you to select materials and finishes which won't limit your ability to recoup most of the renovation costs when you sell.

Habitar Design's newest designer, Norma Zeiger, talked with Pure Contemporary about the thinking behind her ASID award winning kitchen design.  This small kitchen renovation brought warmth and energy to the space with a bold, tomato-red, tile back-splash design, and cool maple cabinetry in a clear finish.

"Put storage everywhere you can and use lighter colors for large spans of space. Built-in furniture is a great way to maximize space and create a clean, streamlined look." --Norma Zeiger

DESIGNWALI has picked-out a very nice selection of contemporary bathrooms from Houzz.com, including one of ours from a recently completed project in the South Loop. 

The tub that Moroso used in the last photo is particularly striking.

Hafela (Haefela, Hefela) offers several different corner cabinet pull out drawer systems.   We installed the LeMans and the Magic Corner one in two kitchens.  Here are some things to consider when choosing between these various pieces of hardware.

1. Careful measurements of the size of your box and the size of your opening are critical.  The LeMans requires less space and is easier to install than the Magic Corner.

2. The door swing for these two systems need to be toward the cabinets on the other wall of the corner.  This means that if your door is on the wrong side, your installer will have to reswing the door.  It will require patching a whole where your handle was or require a new matching door -- which can be a lot of work.

3. The Magic Corner II opens differently so that it has the opposite door swing -- the door swings back toward the cabinets on the same wall.  The issue we had with the Magic Corner II was that it required a larger cabinet opening than we had.

Below you will see pictures of Hafela LeMans install.  The owner is not overly pleased with it, but her nanny likes it alot.   This might indicate that it's helpful but not seen as a good value to this particular owner.  Prior to installing this unit, this corner was not being used at all; now it clearly is being used.   The limiting factor in this cabinet which is 19.5 inches tall is the height.  In a taller cabinet, the LeMans would be able to carry more on its top shelf. 

This top notch hardware is not inexpensive.   With install it ranges from $975 to $1300 depending on the particulars.

n

Okay...other than being a home decor person...I am also a fashion person.  Which is fine because they are not that different.  So while I was checking out some pics  and news from fashion week, I noticed the trends predictions...one of which is PATTERNS. So I was thinkin'...a lot of people I know are very scared of patterns.  Both for their clothes and their homes.  I say this is the year to conquer your fears...because  lets face it...patterns are fun! Without them the world is so boring.  You're a little boring without patterns.  I'm not saying go and cover your entire house with patterns or wear head to toe polka dots...unless you want to...Thats the thing, patterns  can be lively and bold but used in moderation, it can be subtle and sophisticated.  So try throwing a checkered scarf around your neck...maybe all your blah living room needs is a little bit of striped rug...if you're still scared...get it in a neutral tone.

Okay...I am WAAAAYYY happy with the way this bathroom turned out. I just had to post...  My clients have great taste...and expensive taste... But in this economy, it makes more sense to try to save as much as you can.   So we had to be more careful with our selections. We hunkered down and crossed a few things off of the list.  So no fancy Kohler tub...no italian faucets...no high-end Euro-cabinetry...But thanks to my boss, and Krzysztof and Artur and Javier, we did not have to sacrifice an ounce of style to keep within budget.  Yay!

After spending a long and grueling weekend at the Merchandise Mart for NCIDQ Preparation workshop, I came back to the office on Monday morning to find a postcard stating that my subscription to Metropolitan Home was going to be replaced with Elle Decor.  It may not seem like a big deal to most people.  But to me, it was another blow, right in the belly.  Why? Well...I'll tell you the sob story....

Almost exactly a year ago, my beloved magazine, Domino, folded.  It was almost unbearable, as a few months earlier, I had received a corresponsdence from none other than Ms. Tori Mellott herself.  She was interested in me as a contender for the annual Domino 10.  OMGx10!!!!! Also, a model I furnished was picked up by an international magazine.  This was right before Xmas '08.  My boss was so giddy he threw a huge holiday shin dig to mark the occasion.  We are moving up! and the future couldn't be more promising.  I was on cloud nine for most of December. But then silence...Emails unanswered...A lot of anxiety and restlessness....Then on January 28, 2009, Conde Nast made their announcement....Domino was no more....My heart sank...I 'm sure I cried.  

So, here we are, one year later...another magazine ...or 10 later... A sad reminder of how quickly things can change...

Construction and real estate account for about 10% or more of the economy.   Construction booms and busts have the lead the economy out and into recessions.  With 10% of the economy paralyzed, it’s fair to say an chance of an employment-filled recovery depends on repairing the sector.  

Three factors suppress the industry: first, lack of confidence, second, lack of qualifying buyers, third bank practices.  They’re all intertwined.

A falling market keeps buyers thinking a better deal awaits – so why buy now?  Buyers will purchase when prices stabilize.  Unfortunately, until buyers purchase prices will keep falling.   Only discovering a sea of oil beneath Montana could create the kind of economic burst to break this psychology.  That’s not likely.

The lack of confidence in future prices is justified.  Too many units were built, banks are squeezing developers to sell their buildings at a discount to pay off their construction loans and the number of qualified buyers is in retreat.   As fewer buyers chase more available properties, values fall, more properties go upside down, banks require more sell offs, and more real estate pours onto the market.  This causes the next round of price drops and the cycle repeats.  

Eventually, if nothing is done a bottom will be reached but it won’t be pretty.  Every piece of real estate will be owned predominantly in cash or will be appraised at the price of a rental.  This applies to everyone who has short-term financing and might have to refinance in the next five years and it includes single family home owners.

The lack of qualified buyers is not predominantly a result of the recession.  Unemployment rose from 7 to 10 percent or considering real unemployment and underemployment it went from 11 percent to 17 percent.  That should mean 6 percent fewer qualified buyers plus those buyers who fear impending unemployment.  This latter group shrinks as the economy sheds jobs and stabilizes.  It also shrinks as we get used to our current circumstances.   In other words, we stop fearing the possibility of unemployment just like we stop hearing a noisy neighbor.   The fear always exists during good and bad economies and eventually the fear factor between these two level out.   

This means that once the job growth begins, the number of qualified buyers should be at most only 6 percent lower than before.   On the other side of the coin, with housing prices falling, a whole lot of Americans with smaller incomes should now qualify to purchase homes.  Only they can’t.

The reason is a crisis in lending.  Bankers have strong incentives not to give mortgages.  First, bank regulators demand that they build their reserves and limit their real estate exposure.  Second, regulators examine their loan portfolios and challenge anything questionable such as home mortgages.  Third, Fanny May, Freddie Mac and FHA dictate home loan qualifications and they’ve raised the standards.

And there’s more: some banks like Bank of America irrationally avoid mortgage risk.  Avoiding risk is not irrational but avoiding low-risk mortgages while taking on higher- risk loans for less return is irrational.  Major enterprises get plenty of money at low rates even though they’ve had their major collapse.  Remember GM?   Bankers act like a herd in a stampede.  The bolt of lighting was the mortgage crisis and they’re still running fearing the cloud of dust they themselves are creating.  

Banks making record profits reinforces this risk aversion.  If you’re making record profits doing what you’re doing, why change?   Banks borrow from the fed at 0% and lend at 5, 6 and 7 percent.  It’s a big slice.  Writing mortgages is a small slice.  Mortgages get sold off and banks only make routine profits.  It requires work the old fashioned way but it’s not worth doing when there’s low hanging fruit at 5, 6 and 7 percent.

Banks have other destructive behaviors: they know they have their real estate developers by the short hairs.  No bank will finance another bank’s construction loans.  In other words, if you’re a developer and you need your loan renewed, you have only one choice, your existing lender.  The result is that banks are squeezing real estate developers with loan renewal costs, interest rates, and the threat of foreclosure.  Banks justify this by claiming the need to replenish their capital reserves.  Developers are easy pray.

The result is a sell off of real estate, a flood of units on the market and lower values which trigger further sell offs.  The banks acting individually destroy real estate values which they end up holding as a result of foreclosures.  Game theory indicates they all would be better off if they changed practices and worked together.   That hasn’t happened which means it’s too much to expect of bankers.

The government needs to intervene or the destruction will continue.   The FDIC has to loosen its standards and raise its insurance rates.  It should focus on unethical and irresponsible business practices and let bankers hold more real estate-related loans in the portfolio.   Fanny, Freddie and the FHA have to get on board, too.  I haven’t had a single foreclosure in the projects I’ve sold but it’s unlikely that half our buyers would qualify under today’s standards.  This means the standards are far too tight. 

Had these buyers not been able to purchase, our construction capacity would have been wasted. That’s exactly what’s happening nation-wide today.

Finally, the fed can stop lending money to all banks equally.  If banks had been making mortgage loans previously, demand that they continue to do so.   Tie their fed loan rates to the percentage decrease or increase they have in writing home mortgages.  A proper formula will make it profitable to write real estate loans.  A flood of new qualified buyers in the market will stabilize prices and create more new jobs than any stimulus program.

Everyone agrees that in home renovation nothing is more valuable than a checklist, just no one agrees on what it should include.    

Here are three lists developed by Habitar Design.  The first has the purpose of making our designers more efficient.  It lists all the things one needs to determine in designing a bathroom to the last detail.

It not only helps make sure our designers don't miss anything, it eliminates wiggle room for the contractor.  If you give the contractor a list and say this is what I want, when the contractor puts in ugly gray grout contrary to the grout color listed on your list, if you show him the list you will usually win the argument.   Most contractors welcome a list.   They want to get it right and not having to guess what you want or bother you makes their live's easier.  The list also gives the client an opportunity to consider every option and helps them do their home work. 

Some clients find all the choices baffling and appreciate our work as interior designers more while others will begin to look more closely at their friend's bathrooms and begin the process of discovering what they really like.   

As remarkably simple as checklist are they've been shown to be extremely important at completing complex tasks with better outcomes.

A completed checklist also helps a contractor price your bathroom more accurately and order materials more efficiently.  Everyone wins and it helps keep the peace.

The second list is a list of resources and questions we like our clients to explore to help them understand what they really like and want to achieve with their bathroom renovation.

Questions:

1.  List three to five words that describe the bathroom you want.  (i.e.  contemporary, traditional, clean, open, light, modern, welcoming, etc.)

2.  List the major reasons you want to change your bathroom. (i.e. Out of date, don't like the way it looks, doesn't fit our current needs, too small, want to improve for resale, etc.)

3.  How is this bathroom going to be used?  By who?  What functions in the bathroom will make it more useful?  Consider:

• More storage (medicine cabinets, drawers, additional vanities, linen closet.)
• Hardware (more towel bars, towel warmer, shower bar for support, shower seat.)
• Lighting and electrical (better lighting for make up, other lighting needs, additional outlets -- possibly inside cabinets, heating under the floor tiles, fan -- adequate ventilation, noise level)
• Plumbing issues (water pressure, additional hardware like hand-held for shaving legs, body sprays, double shower heads, drainage problems, toilet flushing, freezing pipes, change a shower or bath tub.)
• Mold and mildew.
• Ease of cleaning.

4.  Aesthetics:  

• What kind of materials do you like?  (tile, countertops, vanity)
• What colors do you like?
• What kind of tile patterns do you like?

5.  Budget

• what would you like to spend and what is the maximum you can spend?

6.  Rate the following on a 1 to 7 scale, 7 being the most important.

• Budget
• Aesthetic
• Function

Resources:

• Flickr
• Houzz
• Lux, Architectural Digest, Chicago Home and Gardens
• Habitar's portfolio

We advise our clients to search the resourses and show us a number of bathrooms they love and particular elements they like.   It's best not to consider budget or whether it will work but rather take it as an open exploration.

The third list to consider regards practical aspects of the build out.

1. What bathroom will you use during construction as well as our workmen?

2. Where will the workmen enter the house?

3. Where will the waste be hauled out?  Is there a storage place for waste?  Is there a storage space for materials?

4. Is there a place for the tile cutting?

5. Is there a time you will be on vacation when this can take place?

6. When is the optimal time for this project to take place?

These checklists help us achieve optimal result in meeting our client’s need and in performing quick, efficient build outs. Good planning pays large dividends.  Good luck.

Send your comments to info@habitardesign.com

One night, a client was wandering through their yet to be completed renovation when he heard the neighbor's television through the wall of his master bedroom.  He reported it was "as if it was in the same room."   He explored further and found he could hear it on the floor above in the soon be bedroom of their 3-year-old daughter.  To make matters worse, the neighbor reported hearing our workers as if they were “in her master bedroom” and that until then -- for 15 years since she had moved in -- she “had never heard the neighbors.”

Their first assumption was that we, Stratagem Construction, a home renovator in Chicago, had done something to cause this.  This is a universal reaction.  The home renovator is always at fault even if a bird house falls down in the back yard. 

In this case, we hadn’t done much work on the party wall.  We hadn’t opened it, rather, our work was limited to constructing a built-in along the wall.  We had screwed into the 2 x 2's but not more.  So we considered whether the built-in acted as a speaker adding sound transmission.  But this theory didn’t account for why their child's bedroom upstairs had become noisier.

To better understand the situation, let me describe the party wall.  It was typical construction separating our client’s town home from his neighbor.  The central structure was a 6 inch concrete block.  Each side was furred with 2 x 2's wood studs and covered with 5/8th inch drywall.  This usually creates excellent sound protection.  

Here are our general ideas for dealing with sound control and sound insulation issues (in Chicago):

1. Everything sounds worse in a quiet, empty house.   There's no furniture to absorb the sound, nor are their other sounds to mask them.   In addition remember that clients are very sensitive to anything unexpected.  It makes a problem seem larger.  

2. Everyone has a different sound tolerance.  What may be hardly audible to you, the home remodeler (in Chicago), may be very irritating to them.  The client by definition is right but it’s still important to have a thorough discussion regarding sound perception.  A few talking points:

• People stop hearing things that are repetitive like nearby trains.
• Sound machines or fans can mask sound.
• Furniture, carpet, clothes in a closet all absorb sound and improve the situation.
• You can talk to your neighbor and work out quiet times as alternative to sound control methods.

3. No matter what method you use for sound control, it may not be effective.   Sound is like water, if you block one way, it may enter another way.  Chances are the more you do, the more likely you improve the situation.  Be sure to show your client information on how sound transmits through and around walls.  The more they understand how complex sound control is, the less likely they’ll be angry when the results are not as good as they had hoped.

4. Start your analysis by listening to the offending sound with your client.  As a neutral observer, your listening will put their perceptions in perspective.  If you can barely hear the sound that is annoying them, they’ll understand they’re very sound sensitive.  In addition, you’ll understand their level of sensitivity to the noise.

5. Map out where sound is loudest.   Have the neighbor turn on the TV and put a cup to the wall and your ear on the cub and start listing.  It’s old fashion and there’s no fancy machinery, but it’s surprisingly informative.  Check all the surface, floor, ceiling and walls. 

6. Visit the source of the noise.  If the neighbor has turned on the TV for you, go from your client’s bedroom to their bedroom on the other side of the party wall.  This helps you and your client how good the party wall is at stopping sound transmission.   Importantly, try to observe where the sound is being generated and spot how the sound is being transmitted to the party wall.   Is the TV on the wall or is it across the room?  Is sound transmitted through conduction or through the air?  Are there speakers in the ceiling so some layers of sound protection are being circumvented?

7. Picture the construction between where the sound is created and where the sound is perceived.  Use your knowledge as a home remodeler (in Chicago) to create a theory on how the sound is transmitting through various construction elements.   Your theory should account for the sounds source and where the sound is heard loudest.   

8. With a theory of how the sound is transmitting, consider sound control solutions.  They have to be appropriate for your client’s space and budget.   Can you add sound insulation?  Can you build a second wall?  Do you have room to put in a layer of elastomeric polymere and drywall?  Maybe an unorthodox solution such as buying a carpet for your neighbor’s children’s playroom will get the job done.

9. Before embarking on any solutions, talk to your client and repeat every third sentence that you can't really be certain.   Give him your cup and let him test your theory.   Taking your time here is your best protection against your client holding you responsible for a poor result.

This is my Argonne National Laboratory nanotechnology cup that turns colors when ice tea is added to it, but any cup will do.

In this particular case, our client and I had the neighbor turn on the TV and listened together.  I could barely hear the TV – it was not as described -- and my client admitted he was very sound sensitive.  We observed that the sound traveled from the neighbor's master bedroom to master bedroom on the same floor in my client's unit.  In addition, it also transmitted well to the floor above.  My client was correct in his perception.   We heard it in both places equally.  When we visited the neighbor, we saw her TV’s speakers were in the ceiling.  This meant that sound went along the joist spaces in her ceiling to the block where they hit wall without obstruction.  They might also have been carried in the joists themselves.  The vibration likely conducted across the wall into the furring studs and then up and down the wall equally.  This explained the reason we could hear it upstairs so well.

We mapped out the sound again with our cup evaluating which walls required sound proofing most.  This method helped exclude certain wall which saved our clients hundreds of dollars.

We opted for a thin coat of elastomeric polymere (green glue) which absorbs sound transmissions in multiple directions.  We cover the existing drywall with the elastomeric polymere and screwed in a 1/4 drywall sheet.  It would be nifty if we could test the sound transmission immediately, but elastomeric polymere needs a minimum of 10 days to cure with maximum sound dampening after 30 days.  After refinishing the wall we put the built-in unit back in.  We'll see how it works.

.

Original art adds uniqueness to any interior decorating project.  Unfortunately it's usually expensive.   The same might be true if you purchased ceramics at a gallery.  Ceramics purchased at art fairs are often better values because the middleman is eliminated.  However some of the best values can be obtained at your local ceramics school.   The vase on the left -- a beautiful porcelain piece -- was purchased at the One of Kind Show at the Merchandise Mart every year for about 180 dollars.  The two pots on the right were purchase from a gifted local potter for about $75 each.   She and a number of other gifted artists sell there work at Park West Ceramics located in Lincoln Park.   They're one of our favorite places to pick up accessories for interior decorating work in Chicago.

When I was a student at Harrington Institute of Interior Design, my design teacher once told me that once you finish a project, take a moment and record the images into your mind.  Because...she said, it would never again look the way you see it at that moment.  This is a photo of a project that I haven't worked on in over a year.  The lovely couple who lives here have a small child,Max, who is the prince of this palace...Max lords over a minion of toys I never dreamt of as a child...So it was a pleasant surprise, when I arrived to help them arrange some newly acquired artwork, that this is how the place looks after a year of Max's rule.  Not too bad! Yes there are toys to the immediate left of this photo but hey...the money shot is still worth a million.  By the way, this pendant in all its bubbly goodness is one of my favorite light fixture of all times...I originally picked it because there was supposed to be a large salt water fish tank on that wall behind the sofa.  I thought the crystal balls remind me of jellyfish...and water bubbles...so you know...very appropiate.  I'm glad they didn't go through with the fish tank... because I think the pendant deseves its own space. 

Yellow and Gray

It seems that all things gray are here to stay. Which is fine by me because one of my favorite color combinations is yellow and gray.  There is something so refreshing about the mix.  The gray grounds the yellow and doesn’t let it get too cutesie…The yellow adds just the right amount of pop.   Apparently, loads of people love this combination as well judging by the new catalogues that came out this month.  West Elm added a ton of yellow Items…they even added a yellow option for their classic Parsons Desk  Of course, when it rains it pours so CB2 cannot be outdone… Here are a few of my favorites items in yellow:    

Many customers come to us for help on updating the design of an existing kitchen when the kitchen cabinets are relatively new.  As custom kitchen designers (in Chicago) we can create a solution using existing materials on paper but to actually do kitchen remodeling using existing materials is more difficult.

The first step is to analyze the existing kitchen to determine what parts of the existing kitchen can be saved.  Part one of the evaluation is assessing the difficulty of the deconstruction and assessing how likely parts will be ruined in the process.  If parts may be ruined, it's important to assess how easily they'll be to replace in the field.  Can the door panel be made on the spot?  The second task is to assess the locations of plumbing and electrical fixtures and evaluate how exactly they can be moved to new locations if that's required.  Some moves are easy, some quite difficult.  Plumbing waste pipes are among the most challanging because waste pipes require a gradient.  This means the more remotely a sink is located from the location it drains into a stack on the wall, the more likely the stack will need to have the point of entry lowered.   This means opening the wall, cutting the stack, and reassembling it, all which adds complexity and creates risk -- risk because the stack might break in a remote location as it's being cut and that location might be behind the wall and cabinets of someone elses unit upstairs or downstairs. 

The key to the process it to evaluate solutions for costs and risks and try to create solutions that will realistically fit into the clients budget.

If a solution is reached, then the existing cabinets have to be matched.  We consider the following:

1. Can the original manufacturer be identified? (This can be found by examining the cabinets or by talking to the builder.)
2. Can the wood species be identified?
3. Has the wood aged and darkened over time? (This is important because the new cabinet doors may initially be lighter and may take a year or two to catch up. The client should be made aware of this as soon as possible.)
4. Do the new cabinets have to be an exact match to the old ones or are they far enough separated that the difference won’t be seen?

To match a door we first have our local Chicago cabinetry maker, Builder Cabinetry Supply, take a look to see if they have anything commercially available that closely approximates it.  If they don't, we have an out of town suppliers of custom cabinetry doors who has a greater capacity to do the same thing.  It does involve removing a door and sending it, which not all Chicago kitchen remodeling clients will tollerate.  Our out of town vender searches their existing designs and tools and gives us their closest off the shelf solution for the door and panel profile.   They also send the sample door to their stain lab to match the wood variety and stain color.  

Given enough time they can get the stain color close 97% of the time.  It's never quite perfect however for several reasons. 

1. The original wood has aged and often darkened from UV exposure.

2. The original wood is not identical to our vender's wood even though it's the same variety.

3. The finish depends on the finish materials being used -- in other words, it's not just the stain color but it's also the varnish or polyurethane type (there are many, many types of finishes) as well as how they sanded the wood and finish coats. 

So close means close but not perfect -- color, sheen, grain, and even how the door ages over time may differ.  But for most purposes, this is close enough.

Should they fail, we have a second set of expert wood finishers – the best wood finishers in Chicago – who can help us figure it and provide the necessary materials.

If our vender can closely match the rail and raised panel with off the shelf tools, we let our customer decide if the solution is sufficient.  The farther the new panels are from the old panals the less precise the match has to be in all respects.   If the match is not good enough, custom router tools can be manufactured to produce the exact rail and panel profiles.  Most rails of requre 2 tools and most panels require 1.  The cost of each tool is expensive ($650) so often we'll only produce one or two to get the door close enough.

Once we have the tools, the wood and the stain, it’s just a matter of craftsmanship. With good preparation, a kitchen renovation, should take anywhere from 1 to 5 days.  If we have to retile the entire floor and walls add another 2.

Kitchens are very important rooms.  A quality kitchen renovator should be wary of putting a client out of their kitchen for more than a week.  Its best to make a schedule for kitchen renovations and keeping to it.  It's really a must!

The other day, while looking for a rug on the interweb, I happened upon this handsome sight.  Room and Board’s new addition, The Louis Chair.  Isn’t he wonderful?  I don’t know why I love them so much…Maybe because wingback chairs, with their stiff, upright back and their looming and enveloping wings makes me feel protected and oh so safe.   Kinda like being swept into Colin Firths arms.  I know its not the 1700’s, I don’t need protection from the drafty windows, or the roaring fire.  But who would turn down Mr. Darcy.

A few years back, CB2 came out with the Briar chair and loveseat and I was smitten.  I used it in a model apartment I furnished.  So many people asked about it.  CB2 had a hard time keeping it in stock.  It seems that the popular wingback is here to stay a while.  I love the little twists that designers add to a classic that makes it seem fresh again. 

Calling a contractor to assess the cost of a renovation when purchasing a new home is a chicken and egg game.   The buyer doesn't want to put a contract in without knowing the costs of doing the renovation, and the contractor doesn't want to waste his time evaluating a property that will never be purchased.  I play this game with my girlfriend who is in the market for a new home and knows for sure that I'll be doing the work.   I want her to look at the place seriously and get it under contract before I come out and she doesn't want to bother with the paperwork if it can't be rehabed for a certain price.

So this is how we settled it.

To get a rough estimate of a renovation without any major system needing repair:

First, figure a kitchen will cost 25K to 50K, a bathroom about 10 to 15, a master bath about 25K, flooring 10/square foot for hardwood, and 100 dollars a linear foot for any walls you want built or removed.  Then add 25 % to that.  If that makes sense, then put a contract in using that as the estimate and if accepted, I'll come in and do a rough study.

Another way to look at it is to count a gut rehab at $75/ft for good and 100 to 200/ft for great.

A rough study take about 2 to 4 hours depending on how many rooms have to be done and how compromised the property is.   If there are water leaks or floors that are uneven, the source of the problem really has to be undertsood in order to get a ball park price.  If the rehab requires reconfiguration of rooms particularly if space is tight that takes more time and may not even be possible to understand without detailed drawings.

Some properties lend themselves to shortcuts.  Bungalows in Chicago are built more or less the same way so understanding what can be done with them and how much it will cost is fast work.

Getting from a rough estimate to a precise estimate requires plans and specifications though some contractors just ball park and live with the results.  You can count on the fact though that if you got the price before the specs were definined, there will be extras or everything the contractor puts in will be on the cheap.

Someone called today regarding a 203K consultant that he had hired to evaluate the rehab.  The potential client had very artfully drawn up plans for his house.  There were a lot of good ideas but no dimensions.   His 203 K consultant who seemed to be a home inspector with some construction experience had given him the idea that it would cost about 100K to do his rehab.  He had a contract on the place but no financing in place -- thus the 203 K consultant.

After looking at his intended plans, his 203K consultant’s evaluation, and listening to his budget, I did a ball park estimate and came up with about 150K plus to get the work done.  The problem with many consultants with construction experience is that their experience was as a carpenter or plumber but not as a GC.   They have tables and formulas but they really have never grappled with pricing and understood all the details that need to be worked through. 

In this particular home, the potential client wanted to move and reconfigure washrooms.  However, the home was built on a concrete slab.  This is complicated as waste needs to flow down a steady gradient of 1/4 inch per foot (code) and one cannot see the height of the existing 3 inch toilet waste lines that will need to be connected to.   It may work and it may require running the entire line again to the outside cutting concrete and digging under walls all the way.  How can you estimate the cost without knowing what’s there?  It’s guess work and it requires a large contingency budget.

There are some technologies that can help.  There are pumps to eject waste upwards making it possible place a toilet anywhere.  However, they require electricity and they're not particularly pleasing to look at.   You can't know how a future buyer will evaluate the work.  It might be a deal breaker.

If people call us to come out and look at properties, we charge about $200/hr with the caveat that if we get the construction job on that particular house, the price is credited back to the client.  As GC's, we have a better chance at spotting problems that will add costs than architects who have less experience in the field.  As far as 203 K consultants who've taken a course and passed a test, anything is possible.  In general my feeling is that they're good for spotting problems -- they can tell you what needs to be fixed, but they're not so good at telling you how much it will cost.  One thing we at Stratagem Construction and Habitar Design can bring to the table is that we understand real estate development as well meaning we can tell you whether the changes you want or the entire enterprise makes sense from a resale point of view.

We're often asked about the relative merits of Stone vs. Porcelain in interior design projects. In one recent project in Chicago's South Loop, our customer had us design their town home in Mid-Century Modern. We created a fireplace built-in unit which optimally would have been finished in a stone slab, mitered at the edge to make it appear as one massive. However the budget would not allow this. The economical option is to use tile and the question is whether those tile should be porcelain or stone tile

Here were a few of the restrictions our client required:

1. Color Palate Gray
2. Minimum tile dimension 19 inches
3. Tile to tile variability minimal to create the look of one large slab
4. Smooth edge
5. Color uniformity

Here's how the choices of Tile vs. Porcelain filled the jobs requirements:

In general, porcelain is much harder than stone.  It’s harder to cut and harder to polish.  But being a man made product it can be produced with many more colors and textures and is always being updated.  There are only so many stone types that are quarried at a price that makes the viable.

Porcelain is very non-porous and for most types, you can leave red wine on it over night, clean it with almost anything and wipe it up.  A stone, no matter how well sealed, will absorb and discolor.  Cleaning with anything other than soap and water or a specific stone tile cleaner can result in damage.  Stone tile in my shower still show evidence of where I put my shampoo bottle upside down where it leaked a little, but over time, the stains fade or you get used to it and begin to feel your stone is becoming personalized.  “The patina of use.”  They can also be cleaned.  The reason they fade is that water passes through the stone and leaches them out.

For our current project, porcelain fit the bill much better than stone.  Our tile-layers at Stratagem are capable of laying the tile in ways that minimize exposure of the hard to polish edges.  We can also darken them with certain finishes to give them a polished look.  The goal of laying this fireplace was to achieve a slab-like look while saving the customer about 30% on the over all cost.  This required a stone that was consistent in color.  After the porcelain was laid, we mixed up as specific combination of off the shelf mortars to create a color similar to the porcelain itself.  We’ll post a picture in a few days when our Mid-century modern fireplace bookshelf built-in is complete.

Stone has its strengths, too. Variability is sometimes desirable and adds warmth.  (Porcelain can seem sterile in some circumstances.)  Stone has been around forever and will be around forever.  The John Hancock has a lobby from 1968 and it could have been put in last week.  Porcelain has more colors, more possibilities, and thus, it can go out of style, where stone – if it does go out of style – will always come back.  Carrera marble is a good example – it’s back!    In addition, people less familiar with porcelain may not understand it or value as much as stone.  They may see it as something artificial – all things to contend with when building in certain neighborhoods or parts of the country.

Check out some of our tile designs in portfolio -- bathrooms, kitchens, and fireplaces and see if you can tell what is what.  Feel free to send us an e-mail and we'll let you know.

Built-ins create character in any room of the house, but living room built-ins particularly in combination with fireplaces have the highest impact and create an inordinately strong impression on buyers.  The reason for this has to do with the psychological phenomenon related to first and last impressions -- they create our mindset and our most lasting memories.   The fireplace built-in in a living room is often the first and last thing a visitor or buyer will see.  In the case of friends, the site of your fireplace is linked to the special moments of saying hello and saying good-bye.  These positive feelings become associated with the space they take place in.  If you don't thing so, do this mind experiment.   Imagine some place from your personal past where something good happened to you.  Walk through the space in your mind and afterwards see how you feel.

There's a lot of psychology at the heart of good interior design because one of the three main goals of excellent interior design is creating a space that makes you feel great.   A really sharp interior designer will make the process of designing equally positive.  Under these circumstances, the second goal can be achieved: making your space an expression of yourself whatever you want that expression to be.   We see an optimal process as one where the clients feel entirely comfortable expressing their likes and dislikes.  A good interior designer should be able to give you any look you want, from Art's and Crafts to Mid-Century Modern to an Eclectic contemporary design and make a space look like it came right out of design magazine, but the challenge is to create a space that carries the client in it.  

We have two interior design clients in the south loop who have merged their love of design and their individual styles to create some magnificent finishes in their newly acquired town home, one being a fireplace built-in combination.   The interior design and construction work are being done by us giving us excellent flexibility.  To keep with in budget we have designed the fireplace with a unique tile surround.  The question is whether to spend $4000 more for the same surround in miter cut stone.  There’s no doubt the design in a large piece of stone will be magnificent and jaw-dropping.   Our advice is to spend the money if it all fits with in the client’s design budget.   The residence is about a million dollars meaning it comprises about .4% of the total cost.   From a sales perspective alone it will achieve that .4% back and possibly much more.   Some buyer will find it absolutely unforgettable and not be able to live without it.

In the mean time, the clients can enjoy it along with their friends, family and other guests.   Clients who have had us doing designer fireplace built-ins in their living rooms have given us more positive feed back than for any other built-ins we’ve done and the reason is that all their guests see it and positively respond to it.

One of our design challanges on a recent project was trying to match the tile laying of White Thassos tile to the counter top for the custom bathroom vanity.  There were three choices: a White Thassos Marble countertop that is extremely expensive (possibly $8K for the materials alone), a Carrera like Marble countertop (much more reasonably priced but would not match the shade of white), or a Quartz product such as a Caesar Stone Countertop, Silestone or similar product. Unfortunately, none of these options had the right color of white; all were too pigmented. However, there is a glass product available from China that exactly matches White Thassos. The raw material costs about a 10th as much, so the final product is reasonably priced.   The material comes in 2 and 3 cm thicknesses and is locally available from the importer though you have to buy a whole slab in order to cut your vanity top which means you have enough left over for two more tops when you're done.

Alright, we are finally live with the new website.  It doesn't look much different than the old site, but hopefully it will be easier to navigate and expand in the future.  Have a look around and let me know how you like it.