The Not So Big Author and Architect

Recently Randy and I had the privilege and honor to meet the author and architect behind the Not So Big concepts that we model our business after, Sarah Susanka.  Sarah is part of a program with Marvin Windows called The myMarvin Project, a program where they've approached known names in the design world and asked them to design their own signature window (see Sarah's window below).  The Marvin Windows Gallery in Lake Bluff recently invited Sarah to visit and give a talk on her Not So Big concepts and it was a fabulous event.  Sarah is one of the nicest, most down to earth people I have met and she just lives and breathes her beliefs like it's just the way it always has been and always should be (and she's right on the last part!).

Randy and I with author and architect, Sarah Susanka

Sarah's Signature Marvin window designed through the myMarvin Project

Okay, but here's the coolest thing . . . Sarah has been asked to design one of the houses in a new subdivision that is being built in Libertyville, Illinois called The School Street Homes.  It is a remarkable new development going in that (in their words right off their website - I couldn't have said it better) develops a streetscape of 26 Front Porch Revival homes in harmony with transforming the historic Central School into 15 Urban lofts. Enhance SchoolStreet resident's quality of life to align with the cultural shift in the United States of how people want to live. Promoting a New Urban lifestyle that is connected to the community, pedestrian friendly, less excessive, more sensitive to the environment and within steps of Libertyville's vibrant downtown.  Sarah got involved in this project as she was investigating builders who were interested in building smaller, smarter homes and because of the current economic culture we are in, she wasn't finding any who were willing to go outside the box.  Click here to read more about her involvement in the School Street Homes project.  As you will see from her website, there is an public meet and greet with Sarah tonight from 6 - 8 p.m. at The Libertyville Civic Center, 135 West Church St.  She really is a genuinely nice, intelligent and passionate women who is worth the time to go meet.

Illustration of School Street from porch

Folks this is our passion, this is right up our alley, THIS IS SO COOL!!!  YES!  Let's get back to porch living, being an involved and productive member of our community - let's actually talk to our neighbors and do life with them, all while living in homes that are sound for the environment and are built to last!  Learn more about this amazing development by click on their name above.  Enjoy scouring their website - be inspired and get excited!  I know many of us aren't in the market for a new home, but check out Sarah's Not So Big Books and website and get inspired to make changes in your own home to make it more suitable to the way you and your family live.

Creating Beauty from the Wreckage

On one of our latest jobs, we had a customer come to us as a referral from another job we did, who had water damage in her house and her insurance company sent in an adjuster to investigate the damage.  In the process, however the contractor the adjuster sent out to investigate did way more damage than she started with, inappropriately cutting into materials and slicing at the hardwood floor to where she needed much more repair work done because of the damage he caused.

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After seeing a spot on the news last night about an insurance adjusting scam that is currently going on, I have to wonder if that is what happened here, but thankfully, she did not have any further involvement with the adjuster and instead, found her own contractor to do the work.

To stay within her budget, we replaced the kitchen cabinets in the same general layout that they originally were in, we moved the refrigerator to give her more counter space and added some nice, personal touches to give her a new space to call her own.

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Our motto and focus in general is that we strive to give our customers an enjoyable, stress-free remodeling experience.  But, especially when there is stress and strife to begin with on a project, we make sure to take the absolute best care of our customers so their minds can be at ease in knowing they are going to end up with a lovely, comfortable space and they can leave the memory of what went before in the dust.

It's Time for Some Autumn News!

R & W Construction's Autumn News E-Newsletter is out.  Check it out for great information, a helpful Fall/Winter Home & Yard Maintenance checklist and the scrumptious recipe for Pumpkin Soup!  Check it out HERE!

Remodeling in Stages

When we moved into our home 17 years ago, it was pretty much a disaster.  Peach shag carpeting covered the bedroom floors; dark cabinetry, with doors and drawers threatening to fall off their hinges, graced the tiny square kitchen; flimsy dark paneling covered the basement walls; the windows were ancient and you could hear the wind howl through them with chilly fierceness in the middle of winter; and the bathrooms were in MUCH, MUCH need of updating and TLC!  Let's just say it never would have passed the stringent home inspections that are the norm these days.  We weren't blind to any of it - we knew what we were getting going in, and frankly, were just fine with it because we knew what we could turn it into - eventually.  There was absolutely NO way we could have remodeled it all at once, but by remodeling it in stages, it was both affordable and emotionally do-able.

Doing your own demo work can save on the cost of your project.
  We had a ton of fun as a family doing some of the work together.

If your budget is limited, start with paint and flooring.  We replaced the carpeting in the bedrooms and added colors to the walls.  We also took a 4th, small bedroom and turned it into an office right in the middle of our home.  Our office started out in the basement, and especially with the dark, panelled walls I mentioned before, that got very depressing and for me, a young mother needing to keep my finger on the pulse of what was going on in the house, working in the basement just wouldn't work.  We had a half wall that led to the basement that we built one desk up against and used the closet for an office closet that we kept open and added shelving to.  We painted the office a beautiful copper orange color giving it a warm, peaceful, welcoming feeling - a place where we would want to spend many hours in daily.  Think ahead to what you are using your rooms for and be sure to make them as inviting and functional as you possibly can.

The next phase of our remodeling involved adding on a 14' x 14' addition to the kitchen and completely gutting the kitchen.  We wanted and needed a space where we could gather with family and friends around a nice, big table (we had an 8' table built out of recycled barnwood and have surrounded it with mismatched chairs that we have found at garage or antique sales).  With gutting the existing kitchen, we were able to add new flooring and paint the walls easily before cabinetry was installed.  We kept the layout of the kitchen to keep costs down regarding moving plumbing and electrical, but we removed soffits and installed new, beautiful cabinetry in a layout that perfectly fit the way we live (baking center, coffee/tea center, bread drawers with liners for dog food, under cabinet lighting, wine rack, etc.).  The new addition off of the kitchen is filled with windows all around, so now was also a perfect time to replace all of the windows in the house, which we did with beautiful, Marvin double-hungs throughout the entire house along with a fabulous sliding door that rolls like butter, screen door too, to this day and two picture windows, one with an eyebrow window above it.  It also made sense during this phase, since putting on the addition affected our old deck, to put on a new deck that we have enjoyed many, many meals and fun times with friends and family on.

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A few years later, it was definitely time to attack the basement with a completely redesigned overhaul as we had teenagers coming up and needs of our own that we were ready to have met.  Randy was tired of sharing a bathroom/shower with three females, so we added a full bathroom to the basement, complete in manly decor, so he could enjoy a bathroom to himself.  It includes slate tiles, a rainhead showerhead and masculine colors.  We turned another bedroom in the basement into an open craft room/exercise room.  By taking down the wall seperating it from the rest of the basement, we gained even more space to comfortably fit a wall of craft cabinets and a treadmill with suspended TV on the opposite wall.  Now, I too, have a space to call my own (I do share it on occasion).

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Because we wanted our teenagers to feel comfortable having their friends over, we wanted the basement to be a self-contained area where they really had their privacy, so in a space next to the stairs, we included a kitchen complete with a microwave built in under the stairs and a full-size fridge also under the stairs.  We even made the most of the bottom space under the stairs for storage of their toys they would want to keep for their own children someday.  The cabinetry in this kitchen doubles as storage for our more formal dishes and silverware.

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A new laundry room was also included in the overhaul, complete with folding counter, plenty of cabinets and a clothes pole.  A new Kenmore energy efficient washer and dryer set completed the job and the room actually makes doing laundry a pleasure instead of a chore.

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We have a third phase that we want to tackle down the road that involves reconfiguring the front porch, turning the deck into a screen room, turning the single car garage into a two-car garage, reroofing the entire house and changing the chain-link fence into a nice, new wooden fence, creating a beautiful backdrop for our gardens.  With the recession and the decline in home values, this phase will just have to wait, but someday . . .

Thankfully, with phased remodeling, we've been able to turn what was a disasterous house into the home of our dreams - one we plan to stay and grow old in.  With careful planning, you too can avoid the stress of moving multiple times to accommodate the different phases of your life.

Thanks for visiting with me today.  Randy and I are both Certified Remodelers and would love to work with you to create a home that is personalized to your life and that grows with you and your family.  Visit our website to learn more about our business and use the Customer Contact Form to set up an appointment today.

Personalize Your Kitchen to Reflect the Way You Live

Whether you are adding on to your house to make room for a new kitchen, knocking down walls, installing new cabinetry or just rearranging your existing kitchen, have fun with the process and totally make it your own and make it work to fit the way you live.  In this day and age, a whole lot of living goes on in the kitchen.  It has pretty much become the hub of the house, so arrange it so when that living is going on, it makes the most sense.

This is our kitchen and what we needed was more space to hold our large farm table (to accommodate our somewhat big families and friends), so we added on a 14' x 14' room that is all windows and sliding door so we can enjoy the view of our yard all around us.  We designed each and every inch of our kitchen to reflect our needs and likes.  We have an open cookbook shelf cabinet and we use the cabinets/drawers to the right of that for cooking ingredients and supplies; a wine rack with a shelf under it for pictures and decorations; a double bread drawer unit, one of which we use for dog food so we don't have any large unsightly dog food containers around; we have one countertop next to the stove designated as our coffee/tea area and use the cabinets above for cups and supplies (one of which has a glass door on it to exhibit my teacup collection  - note:  be sure if you are installing a glass-doored cabinet, you install glass shelves so the lighting filters all the way through) and we used up empty space by installing a thin, cooking sheet/cutting board cabinet.  We also created a transom space above the kitchen door for a stained glass piece that I had made.  Our kitchen flows so easily and is such a pleasure to use and to be in.

A china cabinet, or buffet, takes up room and can become cluttered.

A common consideration that could be considered a problem when designing a personalized kitchen, but really isn't, is what to do about china cabinets that you enjoy having, as you can display your favorite dishes and/or glasses, but need the room that they take up.

There are endless cabinet options that you can incorporate into the kitchen design that can take the place of the china cabinet.  Notice in this design how the ends of the cabinets are on an angle making space for getting around the cabinets.  While light was not desired all the way through the shelving, you can see how the solid shelves vs. glass shelves blocks off the light flow.

Instead of creating cabinetry to take the place of this china cabinet, this customer preferred to use the space to create a walk-in pantry.  By using a frosted-glass door, the condition of the pantry was not visible.

In this next kitchen, you can see how the space that the stairs took up in a tri-level house was used for glass-doored cabinetry.

This is a perfect example of making the most of every available space which is a big part of Building Better Not Bigger.

You don't have to have a huge kitchen to achieve really neat design elements.  As you will see by the next two photos, by using glass-front cabinets, you create a formal area to your kitchen.

Instead of leaving the wall space empty near a sliding door, a drink center was installed complete with wine rack and glass holder.

In the next picture, this customer wanted to create a flow between her kitchen and living room while creating a casual eating bar for her teenage son.

So beautiful and reflective of how this customer and her son use their home.

It is important to include the needs of all of the members of the family in the kitchen design since it is one of the most used rooms in the house by all of the family members.  In this next photo, a desk area was included in the kitchen design for mom to do her bills and paperwork at and not off in some upstairs room away from her beautiful, family kitchen space.

A hole was made in the countertop to hide electrical cords.

And what a beautiful kitchen it is.  By using different woods species, different heights and depths along with above and below cabinet lighting such amazing visual interest was added to this kitchen design.

Don't be shy when choosing your lighting - let your creativity flow!

And for this last kitchen, this homeowner is a cook, studying to be a chef, and she had some definite musts for her kitchen.  She wanted a pot filler right at her stove and she wanted the counter on her island to be butcher block.  She also utilized the space at each of the island for a wine rack on one side and her cookbooks on the other.  Truly such a personalized and stunning kitchen.

Notice the beautiful stained glass pendant lights and the covered trash receptacle in the butcher block countertop for ease of sliding her food waste into the garbage.

So, whether you are designing the kitchen of your dreams or just rearranging the kitchen you already have - have fun with it and make it totally your own.

Randy is a Certified Kitchen and Bath Remodeler and would love to help you realize the kitchen of your dreams.  Be sure to give us a call to get the ideas flowing and before you know it, you'll be living life in your new beautiful, personalized kitchen.

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Visual Screening

Over the years, we have found ourselves needing screening around our yard either giving us some privacy or to hide some unsightly areas of our neighbor's yards. As you will see, either using simple materials found at your local home improvement center or using trees and shrubs, you too can create the privacy and visual appeal you desire.

This screen was made using simple lattice pieces that we spray painted a color that would blend in with our foliage. We needed this screen in this spot to hide the side of our neighbor's house where they did not attend to rocks and weeds. I'm sure it is an "out-of sight, out-of-mind" situation, but as it is along the path to our backyard, we wanted to give it more visual appeal, so set up the screen and planted in front of it.

This particular screen was made out of lattice, 2 x 4's and trim pieces to give some much needed privacy to our deck. We spend a good deal of time on our deck eating, talking, reading, working, surfing, etc. and having our neighbor's driveway right along the side like it is, we just needed to construct a privacy screen for times when either we or they just didn't want to be bothered. I'm sure they appreciate it too for times when they arrive home and just don't feel like being exuberantly greeted by the Franz family when they've had a tiring, hot day at work.

This picture shows the use of a tree as screening. We like to sit on our front porch with a book, the paper, etc. and often times, are in our jammies while doing so. By planting this fast growing Cleveland Pear in this location, along with plantings in our window boxes, we have created a natural screen from cars and passersby without totally being blocked from our surroundings. We also have strategically planted a beautiful yellow maple tree in our parkway (that the village planted and split the cost of the tree with us) to block the view straight from our front picture window into the neighbor across the street's picture window. From the spring to fall, both we and they get complete privacy from the other being able to see into their home at night because of the placement of this beautiful, showy tree.

And, lastly, this screen was built to block unused items that our backyard neighbor would store behind their shed - an old basketball net/backboard, unused garden materials, etc. - again, a case of "out of sight, out of mind" I'm sure. Because this trellis was behind their shed and to the right of the bushes that line the back of their yard, it wasn't rude on our part that we were trying to block our view of their yard. It was just a really subtle, attractive way of hiding their unsightlies while giving us a lovely background for this particular part of our gardens. We have also hung lighting and bird houses/feeders from the trellis, so it has become a lovely addition to our gardens.

So if you like to create a visibly enjoyable experience in all areas of your yard along with enjoying your privacy, I hope you have gleened some ideas for how to accomplish just that for your home and yard.

Simple Fun

This past Sunday as a family we went up to Lake Geneva to celebrate Randy on father's day. He chose a very fun and eclectic cafe to eat at for lunch. Simple Cafe is a great little corner cafe that hold recycling in high regard, even recycling the building it resides in, it started as a Napa Auto Parts building. The decorations in the restaurant are even recycled, which gives the place an amazing rustic feel to it. Almost as if you're being transported back to the 50s, only this time it's hip. Even the lighting is vintage. Using bottles, wire baskets, mini chairs, and even old phonograph parts, the lights are fun and hip while giving the cafe great character.

The Simple Cafe prides itself on the fact that they buy their ingredients from local farmers. Diners there know that they're eating safe and non-processed food that is not only good, but good for you. When a food is grown locally it has a distinct flavor. You don't find grease or that feeling of regret after you eat a meal that is healthy and home grown. The food is full of veggies, herbs, and essentially taste. You have to be prepared to have full blown flavor when you order a dish. No shy chicken sandwiches here; just rich and flavorful ready to assault your taste buds with good taste. I ordered a simple club, and there was nothing simple about it. My sandwich came on tasty cibatta bread and boasted thick cut slices of turkey. Fruit wood bacon, spring greens, and tomatoes were a great accent to the tender turkey. And to top it all off the bread was covered in an aged tomato mayonnaise that was light and flavorful. And with every dish comes a healthy serving of red roasted potatoes. I can't remember the last time I left feeling full and happy about what I had eaten.
If you ever find yourself in the beautiful Lake Geneva do yourself a wonderful favor and stop over at Simple Cafe for breakfast or lunch. You'll be very glad you did.

An Easy Room to Remodel to Increase Your Home's Value

A great way to increase a home's resale value is to remodel a tired, out-of-date bathroom. Bathrooms were previously designed to be purely functional rooms, to just get in there to do what you're in there to do and move on. But these days, there are SOOOOOOOOOOO many ways that you can personalize a bathroom, whether it be a small powder room or a large master bathroom, that can bring peace and comfort to all who enter.

A quick, easy change to a bathroom is to change the paint color. The bathroom below felt so institutional with it's white walls and medium-grey ceiling. By pulling a color from the bath mat, the bathroom was brightened up in one weekend, with a quick and colorful paint job.With a few touches from Junk Warehouse to further personalize the room, it now has a sense of fun-chic and brings a smile to all who enter.

Paint color is just the beginning. You can really let your own personality shine with sink styles and cabinet styles, not to mention cool lighting (and cool lighting abounds these days!!!). Unless you're remodeling for the sole purpose of moving, DO NOT hold back on reflecting your own style in your bathrooms. When it does come time to move, your cool, stylish bathroom will no doubt give you a leg up on any competition!

You can further stylize and personalize your bathrooms with your choice of tiles, countertop materials and of course your faucets/fixtures and choice of shower door. The possibilities are absolutely endless! If you do not use your tub at all, change your shower/tub to a walk-in shower. Many people are removing their spa tubs to achieve a spacious shower space and turning their old small shower spaces into linen closets. What a perfect way to make the best use of all of your bathroom space.

Check out the latest Cost vs. Value report to find out exactly what value remodeling a bathroom adds to your house.

And, lastly, especially because a bathroom remodel involves plumbing and electrical, you absolutely MUST use a qualified remodeler to get the job done. The damage done by water can be devastating and by improperly wired electrical work - downright dangerous. Randy is a NARI certified Kitchen and Bath Remodeler and we would absolutely LOVE to help you turn your dreams of a new bathroom an absolute reality.

Do Your Homework Before You Sign!!!

Sometimes I feel like I'm beating a dead horse when I preach about this, and because I feel that way, I back down and just don't preach it, yet again. But, honestly, you can't hear this sermon enough, folks. Randy & I work hard to run a professional business and we want to be our customer's advocates, protecting them from unscrupulous contractors and vendors.

On a recent job that we looked at, an entire basement had been remodeled, complete with bathroom and kitchen. The kitchen was designed so poorly that corner cabinets couldn't even be opened. The shower in the bathroom wasn't drained properly, if at all, and when the homeowner went to take a shower - the water poured out into the bathroom. This improper draining also caused a mold situation to arise, also affecting the kitchen cabinets on the shared wall. The toilet was drained into a common drain and the customer was told they had to clean it out periodically (WRONG). The dryer vent was vented out into the basement, so the lint was blowing out into the basement. And there was more, but I think you get the picture. This contractor was recommended by a well-known tile store. I can totally understand why this customer would trust that recommendation. But, you can't stop there - on our website, there is a list of items you should check - and PLEASE check out every single one! Yes, this takes time, but in the long run, you are saving yourself a HUGE headache!

Everyone has heard at least one remodeling nightmare story . . . either the work was done so poorly that it had to be replaced (as is the case with the aforementioned basement), costs went well beyond the estimate, or the contractor simply disappeared with the money. To avoid becoming another statistic, you absolutely MUST take the time to do your research and homework. You want your project done right the first time. Especially these days, you cannot tap into more money to repair mixtakes or to take your contractor to court. As I mentioned before, on our website, visit our Choosing a Contractor link for tips on how to cover your bases. PLEASE make sure to check off each and every suggestion when you are choosing the company that is going to be in your home, around your loved ones, pets and valuables and making changes to the structure of your home. Also, please watch the NARI videos on the NARI link of our website for more information. When you are comparing contracts, if one contractor is thousands less than others, THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT!!! Sorry, my passion on this subject is rearing it's ugly head. Here is a list of why that could be:

• The contractor just wanted to get your money and has no intention of doing your work - they are leaving the area with your money.


• The contractor is using sub-standard materials that aren't going to last.


• The contractor is using sub-standard subcontractors who don't know what they're doing.


• The contractor doesn't know how to run their business and could possibly run out of money during the job and come to you for more to complete the job.


• Also, in not knowing how to properly run their business, I guarantee you, they won't be able to stay in business, thus rendering them unable to honor their warrantee (if they even offer one) when things go wrong (and with a cheap contractor, chances are REALLY good that things will fall apart).


• The contractor is quoting you a low price to get the job and will hit you up with change orders so you end up paying the same if not more than the scrupulous contractors were charging.


• The contractor hasn't listed all aspects of the job and you are assuming they are included and guess what? They're not! DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR CLARITY!!! A good contractor will be more than happy to answer your questions/doubts/concerns, etc. If they're not - RUN!

There are other reasons for a cheap bid, but these are definitely common ones that we have heard have happened to potential customers and others we have met and talked to.

While it is never a good thing when we lose a contract to another contractor, we at least can deal with it if we know they are another reputable contractor. When that is not the case, it makes us heartsick for our potential customer and we just truly wish them well and pray that they don't become another statistic or news story.

So, to sum it up - this is your home, your family and your hard-earned money we're talking about. Doing your research and some homework is a must. You can then rest assured that you will get a great job done by a great contractor who stands behind their work.

Visit us are our website to learn all about who we are and what we believe in and then give us a call to discuss your remodeling project. We look forward to talking to you!

Take Time to Enjoy the Good Things in Life!

This morning Randy & I attended the funeral of a customer of our's. Bruce and his wife wanted a screen room built so he could enjoy the beautiful sights and sounds of his yard in comfort. The job was completed last fall and we've had quite a chilly spring - I sure hope that Bruce was able to spend some time in the room. I am so thankful that Bruce recognized something that he wanted in life that he knew would bring him great happiness and he went for it, I just wish so much that he was given more time to relax and enjoy his new room so close to his beloved nature.

With death, comes the reminder, again, that we need to live life to its fullest and to enjoy that and those that we hold dearly before it's too late.

Rebuilding Together

After a week of various serving opportunities, I feel supernaturally at peace today!

Last Thursday, Randy, Chelsea and I went down to Willow-South Barrington to help with seed packing (read more here). On Friday, Brandon and Randy took the work truck to pick up donated building materials to deliver to Cary-Grove Neighborhood Life. Then on Saturday, we got a random team together to help Rebuilding Together's Restore Aurora project - 30 homes in the Aurora area were rebuilt/restored by various volunteer groups.


We teamed up with James Frangella and ServPro of LaGrange Park / N. Riverside and brought down with us one of our employees, Brandon; the husband of one of Women's Group friends, Steve; our daughter's youth pastor, Kevin; a dear friend of our's, Carrie; and our roofer sent down two of his employees. Along with Jim's team, we had a State Farm employee and her boyfriend, and two men who are part of a real estate investment club and one of their daughter's. Like I said, totally random group, but the most awesome group I could have hoped to work with. There was not one ounce of ego or attitude floating around and we got quite a bit of work done in a pretty short amount of time.


Check out our quick photo album from the day on Our Facebook Page.

If serving isn't your thing . . . make it your thing. Your soul will thank you!!!

Happy Earth Day!!!

Okay, before anyone comments that "saving the earth" is all hooey and something the government made up, think about this . . . The earth is a beautiful planet. Stop and take a gander at nature today, I mean REALLY check it out. It can be a thing of immense beauty!!! It should just be a total given that we desire to be good stewards of the planet we live on. It's our home, why on earth wouldn't we want to keep it clean and fresh??? And, yes, that pun WAS intended. Sorry!

Now, pay attention to all of the garbage gathered along the roadways as you drive on them. Look at how quickly the garbage at your favorite coffee house gets full of recyclable cups. Smell the assaulting stench of chemicals as we clean our homes and cover up those "offending odors". It's the ugly side of life and it brings us down. Who wants that???!!! And, okay, sidenote here . . . why was a chemical spray invented to cover up odors in our homes??? Don't cover up nasty odors!!! Find the cause AND GET RID OF IT! But, I digress . . .

If we would all just stop pretending that our actions don't affect the planet and get on with behaving ourselves and doing the right thing, this planet would be the thing of beauty it is intended to be.

Here are a few easy tips that you can get started with RIGHT NOW! As they say over at Nike - JUST DO IT!

• When going to your favorite coffee house, ask for your drink in a mug or take the cup home with you and make sure to rinse it out and recycle it.
• Get a group together to spend an afternoon picking up trash along a roadside. This is perfect for a church youth group, a school community service group, National Honor Society kids, etc.
• Turn off the water when brushing your teeth or rinsing dishes for the dishwasher. This is a BIGGIE that I need to get better at. Too often, my honey needs to ask me, "why are you in here and the water is running in the kitchen". I turn it on over a sink of dishes needing rinsing and walk off. UGH.
• Turn lights off every time you walk out of a room. Turn computers off when not in use. Unplug phone chargers (another we need to work on), etc.
• Refresh old furniture instead of trashing it. We have become such a huge throw-away society. Instead of spending your money on something new, spend it on employing someone to paint, sew, cane your furniture back to good shape.
• Clean with earth friendly products. Good old vinegar and water is an amazing cleaner!
• Instead of using pesticides on weeds, use boiling water. I tried it the other day on dandelions and the next day, they were completely brown and shriveled up.

The list can go on and on and it does. Search the internet for whatever area of your life you know you should be approaching in a much more earth friendly manner.

And, let's be painfully honest here - as you can see from the list, it all involves effort. Let's not be a lazy society of wasteful consumers. Let's pull up our bootstraps and be active caretakers of this beautiful planet we call EARTH!

A New Bathroom Transformation!

It seems, in this economy, that people are choosing to take care of their existing homes and updating them to enjoy them themselves now while also giving them an advantage when and if the time comes to sell and the market is in a better place. They will have newly remodeled spaces, making their home more attractive over the competition. A VERY popular remodel in these times is updating/rearranging the bathroom.

One of our most recent jobs was a bathroom transformation from outdated to spectacularly functional. We took out a shower that was in a tiny closet-type hallway and created a new linen closet in its place.

We removed a spa tub that the customer rarely used and replaced it with a roomy, walk-in shower complete with bench and a tiled niche along with a Basco Infinity sliding shower door and Moen faucets and accessories in brushed nickel.

Next, a single-sink countertop/cabinet was replaced to give this customer much needed additional storage and room. A Staron solid-surface countertop with intrigal sinks was installed on taller cabinets with extra storage. Coordinating mirrors and light fixtures were installed to complete the look.

We're in the process of three new bathrooms and are looking forward to upcoming kitchen remodels too. Will keep you posted (pun intended).

The most amazing product . . . Solid marble or quartz groutless custom shower systems - easy cleaning and absolutely gorgeous!!!

Chief Architect class - an amazing design program!

Handicap accessories have style and no longer need to look institutionalized.

Taking the backroads to Chicago through Winnetka and Kenilworth and along the Lakeshore - so beautiful!!! Love it!

R & W Has Joined Facebook World!

Developed our biz facebook page tonight.

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Mission Accomplished

It has been too long since I've posted. I accomplished the bathroom makeover and it feels like a lovely "girls bathroom" now. It was such a stark, hospital-white room before - and that was fine when we were sharing the room with the hubby/dad of the house. But now that he has his official man-cave bathroom all to himself, it was time to bring some estrogen to the room. Of course, I saw on HGTV a makeover that made over a room that was the color I choose to use. Oh well - we like it and that's all that matters. So, first the walls and ceiling were cleaned and the ceiling had to have some sanding/patching done to it. The last time it was painted gray, some weird spots formed in the paint that needed to be smoothed over. After taping off edges, I got down to the job of painting the room. My best advice for painting would be to use the best tools and the best paint available. I used Benjamin Moore paint and good rollers and paint brushes. I also used a tool that is a flat pad with rollers on one side to do the ceiling and some other edges. To use this tool, you have to make sure you NEVER get the rollers in the paint and after gently dipping the pad into the paint, to scrape excess off on the edge of your paint pan. Be sure to paint all of your edges first so you can easily roller the rest of the surface with ease, getting as close to the edge of your surface as possible, being careful not to bump into adjoining surfaces that are a different color. You very well may need to do 2 coats of color and if covering an already painted surface, be sure to paint on primer first to cover that color up. Best advice I can give for a painting project is to be sure you are doing it at a time when you can relax and enjoy the process. Put on your favorite music and comfortable clothes (a good tip for that is to turn sweatshirts, t-shirts, sweatpants, etc. inside out for the work) and enjoy!












The next step was to clean and scrape out the old floor grout using a grout saw. I wanted to regroute the entire floor, so I removed any grout that was old and cracked and roughed up the rest so it would take the new grout and the entire floor would look even.

You can see what an amazing difference the new, fresh grout makes. What a refreshing difference this little makeover makes! And, done just in time for our focus to turn to the outside and all of the projects that await us out there. A homeowner's work NEVER ends! On that note, be sure to check out our Home Maintenance list under Tips and Articles on our website and scroll down to the Spring Maintenance ideas.

Beat the Winter Blues By Bringing the Outside In

Yay! It's March 1st, which means another month closer to Spring. I don't know about you, but by this time of year, I have absolutely had it with snow and cold. I am very passionate about being out in nature and especially, gardening, but do not like to be cold, so that makes for a very long Chicagoland winter for me. After seeing an article on earth911.com, I have been inspired to change the paint color in one of our bathrooms from white to a springy shade of blue. And, of course after doing that, will have to buy new bath sheets, and who doesn't like the feel of a new, fluffy towel?! Along with painting, I will be regrouting the tile floor and cutting out the caulk around to tub and shower door to replace. Just the thought of having this little mini-facelift project on the horizon brightens my mood. How about you? Any little indoor project you could actually tackle now instead of customarily waiting until the spring/summer, like we all think we must?

Along with this mini project, I also saw a post on one of my favorite blogs about using a favorite dish as a plant dish for some small plants purchased from your local grocery store (or perhaps I might grace my beloved local nursery to find them - I MISS that place that again, I only think of during the spring/summer!). I have decided to get out a beautiful, crystal dish that we only use on Thanksgiving to serve as the plant dish. It was Randy's grandmother's and is much too beautiful to only use once a year to hold the cranberries. I can't wait to put this project together too to grace our kitchen table. I will also be making those insane cannolis this weekend - can't wait (check out my favorite blog to see what I'm talking about)! And, if you haven't already, now it is time to put away your winter decor and replace it with plants - either silk or real and spring/Easter decor. I put out our Easter decorations this past weekend and it was a definite mood booster!

I just have to add that my daughter and sister both work in a green-house and I get to see pictures and actual flowers that they come across in their work and received this beautiful picture in a text today. What a blessing it would be to daily work in such a warm, wonderfully smelling place filled with such beauty!

And last, but definitely not least, our most-awesome employees get to get back to work this week. It has been a quiet last two months, but that is about to change. I hope they rested up as from here on out, it's going to be an amazing 2010! Can't wait to have job pics to blog about!

Happy March, everyone!

It's time to discuss the Energy Tax Credits. If possible, be sure to budget in this year to get any of your energy efficient projects done that have been put on the back burner. What exactly do the Energy Tax Credits cover??? Go to our website and click on the two different links for exact details, but basically, you will receive a tax credit on the following jobs at 30% of the materials cost up to $1,500. The projects you have done have to meet certain criteria to qualify and that information is found in the links on our website. Projects included for the tax credit include:

• Insulation


• Windows and Doors, including Skylights


• Roofing (metal and asphalt roofs)


• HVAC


• Water Heaters


• Biomass Stoves


• Geo-Thermal Heat Pumps


• Solar Energy Systems


• Small Wind Energy Systems

R & W is qualified to install these products and we will help you if needed with any paperwork for the tax credits.

And, on a general note - it's February, which means one step closer to Spring. YAY!

Winter, Why Do You Stay So Long?!

It's that time of year that I walk outside into the shock of cold and ask myself, "Remind me, why do we live here???". The cold and snow are fine for the holidays - they add to the whole Norman Rockwell/It's a Wonderful Life feel of the season, but once it's over, if it were up to me, we'd head right into spring. But, that is not to be the case, so what to do with what we have??? This is a perfect time of year to settle in and read those business books that got pushed to the wayside during the busyness of the summer/fall months and then the holidays. There are a few that I am really enjoying reading that I highly recommend.

If you are pondering/planning on remodeling your kitchen you MUST check out and read, Everything And The Kitchen Sink. It's a great book full of pictures and ideas for making the absolute most of your kitchen and kitchen remodel.

If you are planning on remodeling other areas of your home, I highly recommend reading The Not So Big Remodel to get some great ideas about making the most of the space you already have in your home and how to make it so personally your own space, just right for the way you live.

And for business owners, a favorite marketing book of mine that is always great to pick up and refresh on a couple of chapters of is, Guerrilla Marketing. A very timely book about marketing at low or not cost. I have gotten some amazing ideas that really work from this book.

So, make the most of this cold, gloomy weather by hunkering down by the fire with a cup of your favorite hot drink and a great read. Reading one of these recommendations will get you fired up and ready to look ahead and plan for better days. ENJOY!

Happy New Year!!!

Happy 2010!!! Here at R & W, we have already gotten off to a great start in the new year. On New Year's Day, there was an article on R & W in the Chicago Tribune talking about some of the things that we, at R & W, are passionate about. We have great plans and goals for this year that will keep us VERY busy. We have many certifications we hope to obtain - Universal Design, LEED, Lead Removal, Energy Auditing and Lead Carpenter Certification for our lead carpenter. We plan to also work on a presentation on the Not So Big® concept (building better, not bigger) that we can present at libraries, civic group gatherings and more. We will blog about each of the steps as we work toward them.

Here are before and after pictures from our most recent kitchen remodel:




We wish for all of our readers a happy, healthy and FUN 2010.