Silvertree Remodeling

Adding on? And why is that?

I have been remodeling for over 35 years and meet people who say they need more space in their home and then mention building an addition, why is that? There are ways to make better use of the space you have. Think about it, your living in a 2200 SF home, now think about where you spend the most time, now think of how the space you have can be integrated into being put to better use.

Advantages to a smaller home are many, like smaller energy bills, less time to clean, less money spent on furniture, repairs and the list goes on.

So what can you do if you aren’t happy with your present living space? The best thing in my opinion is call in a contractor or designer who understands bigger isn’t better, its only bigger. Revisit building an addition to your home, explore maximizing the space you have and find someone who understands how homes work. Consider an interior remodel. You’ll save money, get a beautiful space and help the planet. There are endless possibilities to enhance your living space, making your home bigger is not your only option and may actually be a poor use of your money.

Paul Lesieur/ Silvertree

Paul Lesieur General Remodel

Paul Lesieur Kitchen

Save 50%, no 75%, no 110% or more.

Remodeling homes can be like the mystery ingredients in Mom’s hot dish, you kind of know what’s in it, but you can’t tell the method employed by looking at the finished product. Remodeling is a little like that. Lets put some falsehoods about remodeling to rest today,OK?

First of all, I have no problems with do it yourself people, many remodelers accept the fact that doing it yourself can be rewarding financially and good for your sense of accomplishing something that people admire. We feel that same boost of pride when we build for other folks. DIY people are not a threat to our jobs or egos. Go for it. But lets get some facts straight.

You can save 50% or more.

Well that depends, if its painting your doing then yes, paint is materials light and labor heavy. If its a kitchen or bath then you’ll find out that the materials might actually be 50% of the job costs. That’s right! Before you even get the products in your home you have spent half of what a contractor quoted you. Same for flooring, windows and doors. You will spend a large chunk of money getting those products. I have a newer kitchen in my home, nothing fancy and it cost me $28,000 in materials, not including appliances. I would have sold that same kitchen for $60,000 to someone else. Wow, I made a lot of money right? Nope, wrong! $60000. minus $28,000 leaves $32,000 of which $2800 was electric, $2600 was plumbing, $1400 was for a building permit. Now I have $25,200 still a lot right? Add demo $2200, labor to install cabinets $2800, flooring labor $1750 and plaster repair $1100 and I have $17,350. Still a lot? Dumpsters took another $600 so now its $16750 and the heating guy just got $850 for venting so its $15,900 Still a lot? Well the average kitchen takes 4 to 6 weeks of my labor, lets say 5 weeks or 200 hrs at $50 an hr for carpentry and then add overhead like insurance, phone, truck tools. And now you see, we don’t cover ourselves in cash at the end of the job. Its a competitive business with low margins, but you can save half doing the work yourself, but you will be earning all the money you saved.

If you do the job yourself it will be better than hiring a pro.

Really? You might hope so. Think about this, who are you calling a pro? If your talking about the horror story your neighbors remodel turned into, the neighbor that got such a good deal getting a pro at 40% off and the job went into the toilet shortly after. Well, he didn’t hire a pro, he hired a hack who called himself a pro. How can a pro sell at a 40% discount when the net profit for the industry hovers around 8%, that’s right 8%. I can’t do 20% discounts because I don’t make 20% profit. Think about it, could you walk into Home Depot and get 40% off cabinets or a stove. No, you can’t. So then, how can someone give you 20 or 40% off unless they lied about their pricing. At 40% off they are paying you to work on your house. Doesn’t make sense.

Its easy and anyone can do it.

If that were true I would go into another line of work. After 35 years I still encounter challenging situations and still need to consider options to make some plans work. Energy and intent don’t make up for experience and skills. But in spite of the difficulty you can remodel your own home and save money, you can do some pretty nice work to if you take your time and follow good work practices. Will it look professional, sometimes but seldom to a pro, but it might to other people. The difference between top of the line finish work and a talented amateur is like the difference between what a chef cooks vs a home cook. Both can do tasty things with food, but only one will consistently produce memorable meals. But good is good, so get your plan on paper, make sure you have the right materials, have a backup plan and Good Luck!

Paul Lesieur/ Certified Kitchen Bath Remodeler

Paul Lesieur General Remodel

You want your kitchen to look new and you don’t want new cabinets. Your countertops are ok, flooring is good but you want undercabinet lights and a tile back splash.

No problem, get your kitchen cabinets refaced.

And how is that done?

Remove the old doors and drawers, wipe down the fronts and sides of the cabinets, install the wood facing of your choice and install the new doors and drawers. Other things you can do is upgrade the drawer boxes, get new knobs and have undercabinet lighting installed. Refacing looks like new cabinets and will save you money. When you consider the cost and time a total kitchen remodel takes refacing is a great option.

How does a refaced kitchen look?

I’ve done some that looked so great it would knock your socks off. Other contractors and interior designers have hired me to do refacing and were totally blown away by how awesome a good reface job can look.

What about adding cabinets and other modifications?

That’s not a problem, but you must consider that too many modifications may drive the price high enough to consider new cabinets a better choice. Trust your kitchen person to help you make the best decision.

What about styles?

Any style you see in any showroom can be done as a cabinet reface. Refacing uses the same products and woods that any cabinet company uses. That’s right, the same stuff. Many cabinet companies buy their doors and drawers from the suppliers we use.

Whats it cost?

Depends on the woods and door styles. A Maple Shaker door is less than a Cherry raised panel. Prices vary on some finishes and if you add applied moldings to doors. Labor cost depends on size of kitchen, so you may spend more or less depending on the style and wood species you choose and how many doors and drawers we replace . We have done small kitchens for a few thousand dollars up to a large 80 door kitchen that cost $28,000. Most kitchens are between $6,000 and $12,000. But you could add tile, electric, flooring really, anything you want that fits your budget.

If you like your kitchen but hate the cabinets call and get a refacing price. Refacing has one of the highest paybacks for any interior remodel.

Paul Lesieur

Paul Lesieur Kitchen