I love my finish nailer. Well, I don't really love it, but I like it, I enjoy it, I find it useful for creating the world's most perfect crown molding corner (a future blog post, for sure).
But do I bring out the pancake compressor and finish nailer to drive a single finish nail into my son's train table? Do I go through 5-10 minutes of set-up when just grabbing a finish hammer and a nail set would do the job in 2 minutes? Of course I don't. And neither would you. Why? Because even though I find my finish nailer very handy for certain jobs, it is not meant to be used every time a finish nail is encountered.
The same can be said for a professional designer, or a myriad of professionals for that matter. They are very useful and necessary, but not in every situation.
So how do you decide if you need a design professional? It really comes down to your skill and the risk level you are willing to take. The following scenarios usually require a design professional, which is a general term I use to encompass architects and engineers. Upon reading this post you will have a better idea of when you should, and possibly should not, use a the services of a design professional.
Scenario 1: Structure Will be Affected
Any time your work will affect a load-bearing wall, column, or floor, you will likely need to consult an architect or engineer. It's simply not worth the risk to save money on this element of the project. Perhaps if your affect to the structure is minimal, you can have a designer address just that issue and you can take the rest on separately.
Expect to spend a minimum of $450 for a designer to analyze your project and draw details for the building department.
If you're short on time, money and effort but still need covet a new tile backsplash then it looks like SIMPLEMAT is for you. It literally adheres to your current backsplash of tile or wallpaper and your done! Without grout there's no mortar, mixing, or mess.
They also have kitchen countertop applications as well.
Unfortunately there are millions of people who do not have the physical freedom to function in a standard home and kitchen. Special considerations need to be made when planning a kitchen design. Once again Susan Serra, CKD, from thekitchendesigner.org steps in to show us the way.
For those with special needs, a preliminary analysis of the household member(s) needs is critical. For situations in which modifications need to be made to the interior of a home, a joint meeting with all parties, including the contractor and an occupational therapist to the household member with special needs is advisable. A design professional with a CAPS designation (Certified Aging in Place Specialist) awarded by NAHB National Association of Home Builders is verification of completed course work in this area.
It is to everyone's benefit, and often a strong desire of a household member with special needs, to preserve the homeowner's independence for as long a period of time as possible. In a situation that includes wheelchair accessibility within a home, adequate space must be provided for wheelchairs to turn, particularly in a bathroom and kitchen, in areas of the home where a hallway and doorways intersect, and to plan for adequate, and smooth flooring materials and transitions inside and outside the home via ramps.
When designing a kitchen for seniors and the physically challenged, you need to consider more than just the tile or countertop choice. Kitchen layout, counter and cabinet height, and appliances are just a few options that need to be thought out more carefully.
We asked Susan Serra, who is a Certified Kitchen Designer (CKD) and also a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS), to share her thoughts on designing for senior homeowners and those with special needs and she didn't disappoint.
Designing a kitchen for all generations, at the very least, can easily, and beautifully, include elements of Universal Design, design that is safe and functional, for all ages. It is design that is personal, yet adaptable to everyone.
We often like to help out readers with design questions and the room that seems to be everyone's priority is the kitchen.
Sarah would like some design input on this blue beauty. If she can deal with the white appliances which these days look dated, she can save a lot of money and with some paint and new drawer pulls the kitchen would look very different.
The white countertop and pink walls also have to go and are an easy fix.
If you want a dramatic change to your kitchen, consider adding a glass front to a few of your cabinet doors. Make sure the insides of the cabinet are painted properly and look good and the stemware and dishes in the cabinet are what you'd like to display.
Transforming your cabinet fronts to glass is a great way to open up more space and lighten up the space. Here is a DIY project to add glass to a cabinet door but note that this style of door uses rabbeted panel moulding, which has a small groove cut into the back side, so that it "wraps" around the edge of the door. The pane of glass is slipped into the cutout in the door against the back lip of the moulding.
We're featured in the Steal This Idea section for creating a patina mirror just like you've seen on the walls of your favorite French bistro (We prefer Le Singe Vert over Schiller's any night).
The folks at DAP have passed along a few tips for weatherizing your home for the winter. Since it's National Energy Awareness Month and the temps are dropping across the country, make sure you give these tips a try.
Keep in mind that, according to the experts at EPA ENERGY STAR, improving your home's envelope can save you up to 20% on heating and cooling costs, or up to 10% of a total annual energy bill. ENERGY STAR also states that air leakage accounts for between 25 and 40 percent of the energy used for heating and cooling in a typical residence.
What is home sealing and weatherization and why should you take action?
Weatherization is a term for improving the energy efficiency of a building's envelope. Air sealing is an important component of weatherization because it reduces the flow of cold outside air entering the house and heated air escaping in the winter. Air sealing is a very common energy efficiency measure and is also one of the most cost effective and easiest installations. In most cases, air sealing a home is a minimal investment and only takes a trip to the local hardware store and a couple hours of work. Home sealing not only saves you money, but also benefits the environment as it will require less energy to heat or cool your home.
What are some of the main sources of air leaks in a home?
The obvious ones are around windows and doors. But don't forget about the attic and basement. Leaks in the attic can create a drafting effect that lets warm air out through the attic, while pulling cold air in through windows, doors and up through the basement.
To design your own sleek modern kitchen there are more options than IKEA or spending big bucks on a designer. Henrybuilt from Seattle has launched a new line of modular kitchens called Viola Park.
The goal of the company is to simplify the process of buying a kitchen, making great design more accessible for the do-it-yourself renovator. The official site went live this weekend and includes a configuration tool that provides kitchen layouts based on a simple series of questions about a customer's particular space and appliance locations. Pricing for any option chosen is immediately presented within the configuration tool.
American's have become used to expecting a strong stream of water from our faucets and shower heads. Thanks to larger diameter plumbing and high-pressure water pumps, the stream that flows into American homes is one of the highest in terms of gallons-per-second. Unlike our European or Asian counterparts who deal with older and less modern plumbing systems as well as more urban environments that put a higher demand on each water source, American's typically enjoy baths and high water pressure that other parts of the world do not.
In an age of water conservation the rise of high pressure yet low stream kitchen and bath products have become popular. The technology behind shower heads that feel as if they are delivering strong streams of water but really use much less is interesting. Many shower heads use a combination of water constriction and air injection to provide a shower with a strong stream but using less water.
Unfortunately there are millions of people who do not have the physical freedom to function in a standard home and kitchen. Special considerations need to be made when planning a kitchen design. Once again Susan Serra, CKD, from 
