Rockstar Homes

Boston loves to rock, there's no denying it. We often imagine rock stars living it up in the seediest of dens, because that's kind of what the lifestyle is all about. However, in the case of Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, his home is probably the furthest from the Chelsea Hotel that you can get. (My apologies for the poor video quality.)




A few things I took away from this:

• In contrast to a recent post where we mentioned ways that architects, designers, and homeowners can utilize small space, here we have an example of what to do with a sprawling space. I especially liked that the couple have very few interior walls. The kichen/dining room/living room concept is also a very astute and practical choice.
• This is a tall couple--so their countertops are 2 inches higher than normal. Always keep in mind who will be using the space the most. (Though I wonder what this choice does to the resale value?)
• Lower ceilings for the Nielsens translated to a 10% cost reduction!
• At one point during the feature, Nielsen's wife, Karen, comments on some of her choices by saying that a designer would probably cringe. But I say, who cares? I love design as much as anyone, but at the end of the day you're the one who will have to live with the choice you've made, so it's best to pick out the decor that suits your personal taste. 

Any thoughts? Share them with us! Leave a comment!

The Sleeping Porch

Admit it, Boston. Winter has barely begun and you’re already planning your summer. How else to distract yourself from the bitter cold that’s only getting worse? And we’re in the midst of the holiday season (thankfully we can see a light at the end of that tunnel), so my guess is your every other thought is immersed in fantasies of deep, restorative sleep. Am I right?

That’s exactly where my mind wandered while leafing through a back issue of Design New England. (It was the July/August 2011 issue, in fact—ah, remember July? Shorts and T-shirts? Were we ever that young?) The magazine featured an engrossing article on the history of the sleeping porch, a throwback to the turn of the 20^th century when such constructions were promoted for the beneficial effects of sleeping in the open air, a popular notion at the time. The sleeping porch died away as more and more houses adopted modern-day air conditioning, but this nostalgic home feature is making a comeback today. As the article concludes:

Architect Christopher Dallmus of Design Associates in Cambridge and Nantucket, Massachusetts, designed a new sleeping porch for a client who was renovating her Federal-style Nantucket house. "We put it on top of an enclosed porch and adjacent to the master bedroom, and it fit in beautifully," he says. "The owner asked that it be air-conditioned, but I hear her grandchildren like to sleep there with the windows open." 

Interested in adding a sleeping porch to your house? I found this helpful, succinct guide on how to get started. As the guide indicates, fixing up a sleeping porch can be a simple DIY project or a full-scale renovation. As with all construction projects, the more thought you put into it, the more satisfying the result will turn out to be. I particularly agree with the advice to consider who will be using the space the most--is this simply a room for one or two people, or is it more of a family space? The choice of materials here is as important as with any other project--take into consideration sun exposure as well as moisture and all the rest of the slings and arrows of the elements.

And most importantly--tell us what you think! Have you added a sleeping porch to your home? Share your stories/pictures in a comment.

Decorating for the Holidays

No matter what your religious background may be, this is a special time of year. We have the opportunity these next few weeks to take a rest and reflect on the previous eleven months, and to spend time with the ones we love. More than any other time of the year, it’s a time for having friends and family over for celebrations. With that in mind, I’m thinking about how we decorate for the holidays to make our homes more inviting.

When I was a kid, December was the time to bring the Christmas tree down from the attic. That’s right, we displayed the same artificial tree for years. Ours was nothing special. Indeed, some might say it was a bit tacky. I know that I would never display such a tree in my house today. You could tell right away that it was fake. But when I was a kid, running into the living room in my footie pajamas, diving onto the floor as if I were scoring a home run, the last consideration in my mind was whether the tree was an eyesore.

My parents worked long hours. They didn’t always have the time to drive out to the Christmas tree farm and bring back a real fir for the living room. But they always dedicated one Sunday afternoon in the year to putting up the tree and letting us kids decorate it with ornaments we made in school.

Something that you don’t often read about in articles about home decorating and design is sentimentality. To quote Robert Frost, “We love the things we love for what they are.” Sometimes we choose to keep an old piece of furniture rather than replace it because it brings back too many memories. Can you think of something in your home that you would not dare part with, even though it doesn’t exactly contribute to your decor? Share it with us! Link to pictures! Let’s get a conversation started. 

Real Wood or MDF?

Speaking of natural vs. artifical materials, a common theme here at Helping Hammer....Some people automatically think that wood is superior to medium density fiberboard (MDF) since its production is more natural than the engineering that goes into boards of MDF. But there are several advantages to using MDF in certain situations, and oftentimes (especially if you are painting the MDF) it can look just as nice as real wood.

As a recent commenter pointed out,  MDF should be avoided when finishing a basement since it more readily absorbs moisture than real woods. This can lead to mold and rot. However, say you're having kitchen cabinets made. In this case, MDF generally works nice because of the way it evenly adjusts to extreme temperatures. So, as with anything, be sure to base your decision on materials on your own specific use. Also factor in other variables such as the room where the project takes place, the possible contact the wood or MDF will have with other materials, etc.

Have you used MDF or real wood in a recent project? Let us know in the comments!

Recycled materials in home building and renovation

Probably one of the most encouraging aspects of green and sustainable practice is how cost-effective it can be. Installing energy efficient windows lowers your heating bill and helps conserve energy. Long-lasting lightbulbs, when utilized properly, can reduce waste and save you money on your power bill. When it comes to home building or renovation, recycling building materials or incorporating recycled materials into your design can translate into substantial savings.

            

I recently came across the greenGoat website through this article in Design New England.

The founder of greenGoat, Amy Bauman, collects construction materials that are being discarded and finds new locations for them. From the article: “When homeowners donate old materials to greenGoat, they get a tax deduction that can recoup more than the cost of deinstalling the materials.” So, even if your plans don’t include reusing old materials, you can still participate in this process and ultimately ease one of the highest costs of construction.

            

In yesterday’s post, I mused on the stories that accompany the objects that we own and the materials we use to build our homes. Just as certain cuts of limestone hold a prehistoric charm, re-using discarded materials like old tiles or stained glass can add all sorts of vintage appeal to a project. What’s even more alluring than the story these recycled materials tell about their own history is the story they could tell about you and your values, your concern for life and the environment.

            

What do you think? Will you be incorporating reused materials in your next project? Do you intend to donate your discarded materials to an organization like greenGoat? What about past experiences—have you utilized greenGoat, or similar organizations? How was your experience? Tell us! Leave a comment!

The Storied Stone

Sometime during Thanksgiving, I started thinking about traditions, and about the things that last well after we're long gone. I started thinking about the materials we use to build our homes.

Growing up close to a swamp, the only stones I ever saw were rocks dredged from local rivers, used as gravel. I had a hard time imagining the stone walls, compiled of stacked loaves of granite, that line the countryside of New England. As a young rock hound, with only a gravel bed as my quarry, granite was a rare find indeed. I stumbled upon smooth pebbles of quartz, which is an ingredient of granite, every once in a while. But by and large the most plentiful stones were sedimentary rocks that had been smoothed over by centuries of lying in a riverbed. 

A good number of those rocks contained fossils. The pieces I found were much too small to contain dinosaur bones, but I marveled just the same at the tiny screws of vertebrae and other prehistoric remains that had been turned, as if by magic, over long expanses of time, to solid rock. The first time I saw a piece of limestone tile patterned with fossilized ferns, I couldn’t help but feel like a kid again. Here were the remains of prehistoric life, and you could tile your bathroom floor with them if you wished. Each natural stone evokes a sense of timelessness in its own way. Granite reminds us of prehistoric volcanos erupting constantly. White marble reminds, perhaps, of Michelangelo’s David. We look at travertine and remember that this is the stuff of the coliseum in Rome. But gazing at the fronds and other bits of life forever locked in a piece of limestone can create a unique feeling of connection with the beginning of life on the planet.

If you’re choosing natural stone for your project, there must be an aesthetic reason for your choice—certain colors evoke warm and comforting feelings, the stone’s finish is pleasant to the touch, and you like the idea of building with a material that has been in constant use for thousands of years, that will never go out of style. Part of the aesthetic and charm of any material or object, though, is in its story. Whether it’s a slab of granite glittering with quartz crystals formed in the hot, violent infancy of Earth, or a piece of limestone that chronicles a short stretch of the beginnings of life, every stone has a story. Including stone in your own home, among the mementos and curios that you treasure, can only enhance the emotional investment of your building project.

Home Design with Small Space

Frank Lloyd Wright referred to Beethoven’s fifth symphony as “probably the noblest thought-built edifice in our world.” To think of a piece of music as an edifice may seem strange at first, given that the materials of music (sound and time) hardly compare to the stone, wood, and other materials of building. But every structure, whether the Empire State Building or your local supermarket, has a visual rhythm just as music has a rhythm of sound. Music is an organization and patterning of sound whereas architecture is a patterning and organization of space.

           

I couldn’t help but think of Frank Lloyd Wright’s thoughts on Beethoven when I read this article from the October 2008 edition of Architectural Digest.

           

Just as Beethoven took a handful of notes and created his masterpiece, architect Carlene Nolan Pederson worked with limited materials—five-and-a-half acres of land—and designed an expansive, modern house on top of a small knoll.

The article cites the architect’s mechanical inclinations and her capacity to solve knotty problems creatively, but I would liken this ability, as well, to the musician’s ease of improvisation. If you’re a jazz fan like me, you know that the greats only work with the bare bones of the original tune, and the fun in playing and listening is seeing what kinds of interesting problems they get into after they change things up a bit. In architecture, it’s often necessity that determines where improvisation needs to be done, but the true talent of the designer will come through in the way these problems are handled. It’s all about the quality of lemonade you get from the lemons life hands you.

           

The lesson to take home here is this: you have to work with what you have. You have a vision for how you would like your home to look, feel, and function, but there are also limited resources to take into consideration. Sure, you have to stick to your guns when it counts—but there are other times when you can use mere chance or happenstance to improve upon your ideas, or even get new ones—that’s inspiration.

           

Well, what do you think? Can you remember a time when you had your heart set on doing a project a certain way, only to change due to unforeseen circumstances? How did it turn out?

Natural, or Artificial?

Getting back to our main topic last week (one that is near and dear to our hearts)...What is better for a kitchen countertop—synthetic or natural stone? Almost overwhelmingly you’ll hear that natural stones like granite or marble are ideal, and that synthetic materials are a cheap substitute. It’s not as simple as that. For instance, some artificial stones are pricier than their natural counterparts.

            

Why go the artificial route? For starters, most artificial stones feature the same pattern without variation. While this may sound dull, it does eliminate the chance of choosing a stone based on a perfect sample in the showroom, only to install a countertop that doesn’t quite have the patterning you were expecting. Knowing exactly what you’re going to get, and perhaps saving a few bucks while you’re at it, are features that sure do make artificial stones more appealing.

            

On the otherhand, it is definitely our opinion, and a great number of people share it, that natural stones are more pleasing to the eye, and to touch. Natural stones possess a vibrance that cannot be manufactured, and a texture that is the result of millions of years of geological history. There’s not a factory in the world that can come close to that. Natural stones are like a fine wine that has been aged for many years. For many, artificial stones are the wine that comes out of a box—they do the job, but they ain’t nothing like the real thing.

            

Going green? This is where the whole issue of artificial vs. natural gets complicated. Surely mining stone out of the earth opens up a whopping huge can of environmental worms--where is the stone mined, and how much impact do the mining operations have on the local environment? How is the material shipped, and how far is it shipped from where it was extracted? Are there local options that may reduce the carbon footprint of the project? These are just a few of the questions that come to mind.

            

Considering the problems posed by mining natural stone, surely artificial stone must be the green alternative. Right? Not necessarily. You have to take into account where the product is manufactured, and all of the processes that go into it. Is the factory dedicated to sustainable practices? Green initiatives? How far does the product have to travel--and is there a local source?

             

From a green standpoint, choosing the material for your kitchen countertop is just as involving as selecting the local and organic foods you will serve on it. It takes the same level of dedication and determination to make wise, sustainable choices.

Interior Painting

A few months ago my wife and I spent a Sunday afternoon helping our friends, Lily and Jack, paint the walls of their new apartment. The whole experience got me to thinking about the colors of walls, and how we choose them. (Jack and Lily went with gray and sea foam green as their color scheme.) A buddy of mine, whose hobbies include football, body building, and rocking out to Van Halen, painted his living room—the largest room of his house—pink. Entering his living room is like walking into a Pepto Bismal bottle. When I asked him why he went with this color, he said that he had read an article about how color affects your mood. According to the author, pink is very conducive to relaxation. I have to admit, all the times I visited his living room, I was never particularly tense. But I think that may have had more to do with the fact that I was always there on a social call, usually to watch the latest action flick, make fun of Schwarzenegger’s acting, and sip some brews. If my cubicle at the office were entirely pink, I don’t think the groovey vibes from the color would make things better in the event of a computer meltdown.

           

Painting Jack and Lily’s place this weekend, we noticed a few spots where the previous tenant had splattered paint on the trim and hadn’t bothered to clean it off. Which brought up an interesting conversation. I had always been taught to paint the trim around doors and windows first, then cover it with masking tape (after it has dried, of course) before covering the walls with the rollers. Since they did not want to repaint the trim (despite the specks of old paint), we were all set to start taping it when I noticed that something was missing—the tape.

Had Jack forgotten to buy this indispensable tool? No, he didn’t forget the tape—he just didn’t want to use any. Jack’s philosophy is to apply paint to the wall with rollers first, leaving about three inches of space above the trimming. Later, this space gets painted with a hand brush. The reasoning behind this method is that people tend to get sloppy when they see the tape, letting paint fall where it will. Paint sometimes gets under the tape and is only discovered after you remove it. Without the safety net of tape, we tend to be more careful not to splatter paint. 

            

Jack and Lily could count on us to lend a helping brush or two. What if you don’t want to bother your friends, and frankly you’d rather not burn the elbow grease and paint the walls yourself? There are any number of contractors out there who will paint the interior of your house. A general tip, though, is to check their references and get a good idea of the quality of their work. You will probably find that the best professional painters come at a premium price. This is because they know the value of their work. The extra zeros on the bill could mean the difference between a picture-perfect living room done up in your favorite color, or window sills that are as speckled as quail eggs. This is definitely an area of home improvement where you shouldn’t look to pinch those pennies too hard.

Reasons for Finishing your Basement

When you hear the word “basement,” what comes to mind? I’m willing to bet that a certain eerie image flashes into your mind: a creaky, rickety set of stairs, clouds of dust shooting up with every footstep, a harrowing descent into darkness where the only thing that shines in the meager, gray light is an ominous spiderweb that threatens to cling to your hair and never let go. What do we shout in the movie theater when the girl decides to check out the basement? Don’t go in there!

          

 Maybe your own basement isn’t as terrifying as all that, but it’s probably cluttered with a bunch of junk. Am I right? Maybe it’s hard to maneuver down there for all the boxes of dishes that have been replaced, old sports equipment, the treadmill you never got around to using, boxes and boxes of VHS tapes and CD’s that you don’t want anymore, loads of toys the kids don’t ever play with, boxes of clothes, toolsets, holiday decorations, on and on and on.

           

Space is a precious commodity. Everyone needs it, the more the better. If you’re living in tight quarters with a bunch of people, you know just how torturous it can be when you need alone time but can’t find it anywhere in your house. Aside from that, what good does it do to accumulate a bunch of junk? If you have to move, the biggest hassle is deciding what to take, what to give away and what, regrettably, to send off to the dump.

            

These are just a few of the considerations that lead people to finishing their basements. What you lose in storage space you gain in real, livable space—a whole other vista within your home to devote to any number of activities. Some people use the space to create a guest bedroom for traveling friends and relatives. Some people build home theaters complete with stadium seating and surround sound. Others offer the basement up for rent—a relatively sweat-free way to help you cover your mortgage, if you find the right tenants. Basements have been converted into family rooms, arts and crafts rooms, exercise rooms (think of it—your own private gym with no membership fees!), you name it.

            

That all sounds nice, but what about the added construction cost of doing the room up right? Well, that can be easily offset by organizing a yard sale to sell off the excess stuff that’s clotting up the place to begin with. Get in touch with your local Goodwill, church, and other organizations to see if they can use some of it—there may be an opportunity for tax deductions, and you’ll make sure that perfectly fine clothes and other items go to people who can put them to good use instead of the landfill.

Storage space is a huge industry in the United States. Self storage now accounts for more than two billion square feet of space in the US, and that number continues to grow.  People are renting that much space for their stuff. If you’re currently renting a storage unit because you simply don’t have the space in your house, consider the savings of clearing that space in your basement. In the end, you know what’s right for you—but definitely consider your storage needs in as objective a manner as possible. Is it really all that important to keep those old newspapers, or the musty tennis shoes you wore when your high school basketball team won the championship?

If you’re currently renting a storage unit because you simply don’t have the space in your house, consider the savings of clearing that space in your basement. In the end, you know what’s right for you—but definitely consider your storage needs in as objective a manner as possible. Is it really all that important to keep those old newspapers, or the musty tennis shoes you wore when your high school basketball team won the championship?

           

Even if you’re not a pack rat, you can factor in the fact that finishing the basement can add value to your home, so long as the quality of work matches the rest of the house.  What do you think? Are you going to be finishing your basement soon? Got a yard sale coming up? Have you finished your basement and have stories to tell? Don’t keep us waiting—leave a comment!

            

Measuring for Natural Stone Countertops

Accurately measuring a space, and the materials that will fill and structure that space, is the first and most important step to completing a project as quickly and pain-free as possible. Measurement is the breakfast of construction—just as breakfast is the start of your day, measurement is the start of your project, and just like breakfast, everything that follows depends upon it.

            

Accurate and thorough measurements save money in two ways. First, they prevent buying too much of a material… or too little. How many projects have been botched because the contractor has run out of a certain material that will take weeks to back order from the supplier? With stone, knowing how much to order is paramount, because suppliers often have a limited amount, and if one slab of stone is available today, it may be sold out in a week’s time. Plus, there is always a chance that the second time you order the stone the price will have gone up in relation to its reduced availability. Since stone is sold by the square foot, the price of the material for your countertop may vary greatly, depending on the type of natural stone you choose. 

            

The second way accurate measurements save money is by saving time. This is a win-win, because, aside from high quality, what are you looking for in a contractor’s work? That’s right: you want it done quick, and at low cost.

           

Some customers provide measurements to the contractor who installs their natural stone in order to save them a trip to the project site just to take those same measurements. Relaying those numbers over the phone or by email potentially saves you money on labor and saves the contractor money on gasoline. And it lowers your carbon footprint to boot!

            

Measuring the space for a countertop is as simple as frying an egg—and it’s just as easy to get it wrong, if you’re not careful. The important detail to remember is where to start your measurements. Will you set the stone flush against the wall, or should you allow for a border? Be sure to measure the space for your stove and other appliances. It is important to talk to your contractor about the best methods of taking your measurements. Be sure to ask him or her about any details specific to your project that you need to keep in mind. If possible, take pictures of your space with the measuring tape clearly visible, and email them to your contractor for evaluation.

             

Natural Stone for Kitchen Countertops

What is the best natural stone to use for a kitchen countertop? There’s not a one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Ultimately you will have to take a look at a wide range of samples to decide what best suits your kitchen. But it’s helpful to keep a couple of ideas in mind before shopping. 

When you hear the word stone, you immediately think of a hard, durable substance, something heavy, something that will break other things before it’s ever broken. Scissors cut paper, but rock breaks scissors. With the word stone, you probably think of rough gravel rubbing against your bare feet before you think of, say, the softness of baby powder. But baby powder is made of stone, just like gravel. The hardness of a stone is one of its defining characteristics. Talc, the substance of the talcum powder you pat on your baby’s butt, is the softest stone. Everyone knows that the diamond, aside from being a girl’s best friend, is the hardest stone. 

            

What does this have to do with your kitchen counter? The hardness of the stone you choose for your countertop will determine the kinds of activities you can perform on its surface (for instance, some stones discolor under high heat, while others are more heat-resistant). The stone’s hardness also affects how you will clean the countertop, and other measures you will have to take in order to keep it smooth and maintain its sheen.

            

Let’s compare and contrast the two most popular stones for kitchen countertops: marble and granite.

            

Granite is composed mostly of silicate or quartz, which makes it very durable and resistant to acid. Therefore, it’s easy to clean with mildly acidic cleaning solutions.

            

Marble is composed mostly of calcium carbonate. As a result, it is extremely sensitive to acidic solutions, and a neutral cleaning agent should be used.

            

Note: you never want to use a harsh or abrasive cleaning product on any natural stone surface. This is a fairly common mistake for first-time buyers, and while sometimes the etch marks that result can be buffed away, it almost always winds up ruining the appearance of the slab permanently.

            

It’s also important to remember that these qualities vary depending on the stone—some granites are harder than others, and the same goes for marble. When you start to zero-in on your choice of stone, be sure to ask the dealer about the specific qualities of the stones you like, and the best way to clean and maintain them. 

We will post more on this topic throughout the week. Be sure to leave a comment--was this post helpful? Do you have further questions? Want to share your knowledge and experience on this topic? Let us know!

Welcome to the Helping Hammer Blog

Our goal is simple: to provide quality articles on all topics in the home improvement and construction world, from floor coverings to roofing, and everything in between. Located in the Boston metro area, we are particularly interested in these topics as they apply to homeowners and contractors that are local to us.

We will feature real life stories about home improvement and construction projects—all with an aim for finding lessons for average homeowners to apply to their needs. Here you’ll find links to articles of interest, interviews with private contractors, and thoughtful considerations about the materials that make up our homes, and the skilled people who build them and fix them up. 

            

This blog is about you. Whether you’re building your new home from scratch, or fixing up that old house you got at a steal, we want to help you find the answers you need and listen to your experience—the lessons you have learned along the way that can be passed on to the next homeowner. 

Be sure to comment with further questions and suggestions. Or, share a story about how things have been going with your home-building and improvement projects.

            

If you have landed here while searching for information about home improvement or renovations, please feel free to leave a comment with any questions you may have. We are happy to help you with your search.