Next in our series of possible bathroom design options we look at adding a couple of feet to the back of the room and creating a shed dormer.  We want to manage costs so the expansion will be minimal but still develop the necessary space.  The sketch on the right is the same starting point we have for our other design options.  Now let’s see what happens with a few extra square feet positioned in the right place.

We will incorporate a tub, full shower, two vanities and a toilet compartment in this expansion.  The tub is generously sized with ample room on the deck for towel storage and decorations.  The shower has a large seat and potential for multiple heads and there is room for a private area for the water closet. Having his and her vanities makes sense for many couples.  The complement of quality cabinets on either side of the room, such as the WoodMode cabinets we feature, not only allows symmetry in the space but creates a focal point to the tub and window above.  The added window could be the most valuable component.  Large amounts of natural light flowing in the bathroom through a round or elliptical transom makes the room feel more connected to the outside.  The ambient light in a room often negates the need for illuminated lights.  Finally, look at the closets.  They have more than doubled – something every family could use!

So now you have three functional options to the standard bathroom in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.  Each one has different priorities but none come at significant expense because they are designed and constructed in a logical and practical manner.  With these designs you can bring your home from the 1940’s quickly into optimum design standards for your lifestyle today.

Feel free to contact me by e-mail at Bob@NatelliHomes.com or visit our website, www.NatelliHomes.com

In our first bathroom design evaluation, we looked at the design potential of a typical bathroom in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area assuming we wanted the primary components to include a vanity, shower, toilet and tub.  If you look back at that post, you will see that we actually increased the usable and functional space within the confines of the existing room.  The original bathroom is shown in the image to the right.

For the current option, we are going to be honest with ourselves about the need for a tub.  Natelli Homes has installed hundreds of tubs in Master Suites over the years.  Upon reflection the vast majority of our clients admit that they might use a tub a few times a year.  So let’s see what one gains if we allocate the space taken up by the tub for more vital funtions in a bathroom. 

The first thing that strikes me is an expansive double bowl vanity with lots of surface area and potential for ample storage below.  One can image a wood framed mirror over the vanity with attractive sconces complimented by some recessed pin lights in the ceiling.  The toilet is within a room with a door for complete privacy.  The shower is still ample allowing for a bench, multiple spray heads and a rain-shower above.

A small recess into the sloped roof area behind the vanity expands the room slightly, but this comes at a minimal cost with huge benefits.  The hallway is aligned with the entrance so the closets have expanded nearly 150% of their prior size.  All these benefits come within the boundaries of the existing space with the exception of the small expansion behind the vanities.

Good design supported by practical evaluation makes for a successul bathroom renovation.  In our next evaluation we will see how the potential grows when a small dormer is set into the rear roof. 

Feel free to e-mail me your questions and comments to Bob@NatelliHomes.com or visit our website  www.NatelliHomes.com

Homes and designs constructed in the 50’s and 60’s often don’t work very well for our current needs.  In particular, bathrooms were seemingly tertiary spaces, whereas they are vital and one of the primary priorities for homeowners today.  People expect more in a bathroom now, especially when it comes to the master bathroom.  The challenge comes when the client does not want to expand the room due to structural issues, the effects on other rooms or simply budget limitations.

We have done a 4 part study of design options for a typical bathroom built in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.  The existing bathroom is shown in a sketch on the right.  You can see a long dressing vanity, a compacted bathroom area and two modest closets.   As you can see, there is a lot of wasted space in the hallway and open area in front of the dressing vanity.

For the 1st option, below, we kept the bathroom to the same general limitations of the existing space.  We did not allow the design to expand into other rooms, except a small portion of an adjacent attic. In this version, we maintained a tub and a separate shower.  Clients often debate whether to incorporate a tub or not; some people use the tub, many do not – every client is different so we will show you alternatives without tubs in subsequent posts. We have one long vanity with two bowls, a compartment for the toilet and even a linen closet dedicated to the Master bath.  The closets have been expanded into the attic space.  The entrance incorporates a vestibule to delineate the privacy desired for the Master Suite.

This example shows the potential of working within the structure of the existing home.  The bathroom is vastly improved with a large shower, good counter space and expanded closets.  Next we will show you what we can do if we eliminate the tub.  After that, in Options 3 & 4, we will show you what happens when we add a window.  Stay tuned!

We appreciate your comments and questions.  Please e-mail me directly at Bob@NatelliHomes.com or visit our website at www.NatelliHomes.com.

Kitchens can be a lot of fun if you let your imagination go beyond traditional thinking.  Families spend the majority of their time in a kitchen so why not put the emphasis in that room?  We obviously eat our meals in the kitchen; but in addition, kids do their homework on the kitchen counter-top, parties invariably end up in kitchens, computers are in most kitchens, families watch TV in the kitchen not to mention the cooking and food preparation that goes on in a kitchen.

Kitchens are one of the most important rooms in our home.  They need to be significant, functional, comfortable and engaging. 

A properly executed kitchen renovation needs to convert a basic kitchen into a multi-functional, useful and family oriented living space.  In this example we converted an ordinary kitchen into an eye opening, light filled space with a breakfast room, large open counter-tops, an expansive island, two dishwashers, accommodations for computers and TVs and comfortable sitting areas.  It is hard to believe that these photos are the before and after of the same kitchen, but they really are, which is a testament to the power of imagination and good design.

Note the high ceilings in the open gable window of the breakfast room.  The room fills with the warm morning sun and makes for a inviting space for families and guests.  The back yard and patio are now extensions of the kitchen and breakfast room.  There is even a fireplace in the adjacent room that can be enjoyed from the kitchen and breakfast room.

When designing a kitchen or any space for that matter, “think outside the box”.  Creative design, quality construction and understanding the needs of a client should be paramount in your selection of a kitchen contractor.  Don’t be limited by the walls in front of you, look to a professional designer like Natelli Homes to guide you to to the right design and premier construction services.

We enjoy hearing from our readers.  Feel free to contact me, bob@natellihomes.com or visit our website, www.natellihomes.com

We have all been in homes in winter months, perhaps our own, when we feel a bit colder than the temperature seems to indicate.  The wood joints have opened up in the mouldings, doors, cabinets and furniture.  Interior doors and cabinet doors don’t quite close or lock as they did a few months ago. We generally shock one-another or objects when we touch them.  Our skin gets rough and itchy, our eyes are irritated and our throats and noses are dry.  Those homes are begging for more humidity.  Winter dries everything out in a home because the relative humidity is low and our furnaces are blasting hot air needing a healthy dose of water vapor.

A given volume of air can contain a fixed amount of water, but when that same volume of air is heated up it can contain a greater amount of water.  So when our furnaces crank out heat in the winter, the potential amount of water contained in the air is increased.  If we don’t add water vapor to the heated air the relative humidity goes down and we feel cold.  Our bodies are very sensitive to relative humidity.  A temperature with only 10% relative humidity feels colder to us that the same temperature with 45% relative humidity.  For example a heat index table tells us that a 70 degree temperature with 10% relative humidity feel like 65 degrees, but if we increase the relative humidity to 40% it feels like 68 degrees.  That is a 3 degree increase in comfort by just adding water to the air!

With that in mind, we need to ensure we give our homes the ability to add humidity properly.  One should carefully evaluate whole-house humidifiers in a new home or renovation.  Humidification is not always one of the top boxes to check in a home project but one should know the benefits and work diligently to include the proper equipment.   A typical evaporative humidifier is attached to the ductwork near the furnace as shown in the adjacent photo on the right.  These humidifiers are effective but require periodic maintenance because they remove particulates and minerals from the water.  These evaporative humidifiers are used in the vast majority of homes in the Washington, DC area, and perhaps nationwide, but there are other cost-effective options.

I prefer a steam humidifier (shown in the photo on the left and installed by Tri-State Home Services) which is dedicated to a zone or individual furnace in a home.  These steam humidifiers are incredibly effective and have the ablity to increase the relative humidity measurably in a home.

Steam humidifiers , as opposed to units that operate by evaporation, have several advantages including lower water consumption, much higher capacity, and increased flexibility in installation.  While a typical humidifier might have a capacity of 8-12 gallons per day, depending on how much the furnace runs, Residential Steam Humidifiers can have capacities of as much as 50 gallons per day, independent of the furnace operation.

Steam Humidifiers operate by heating a container of water causing steam to be formed, which is then distributed into the home. Most units can be mounted directly onto the ducting like standard humidifiers, and in the case of units like the Honeywell TrueSTEAM or the GeneralAire Elite Series they can be mounted remotely with the steam delivered to the forced air duct system via a hose, with a nozzle installed in the duct system.

Humidity is important to your home and your health in the winter months.  Make sure you consult with your building professional or your trusted Heating and Air Conditioning contractor.  I have several that I recommend – feel free to contact me.

I enjoy feedback from our readers.  Please contact me at bob@natellihomes.com ,visit our website www.natellihomes.com or go straight to our blog.

Everyone seems to be spending lots of time at home working on their business, so more and more of our clients are looking for ways to accomplish this need.  In this case we converted a large hallway adjacent to an open 2nd floor foyer into a work area.  Working with WoodMode cabinets we created a very effective work area.

There is a pull out desk-top for additional work surface area, file storage, customized spaces for the hard drive, keyboard and computer display.  The pull out desk-top slides imperceptibly back into the cabinets when not in use.

The desk top is set lower to a table top height while the adjacent cabinets are slightly higher for more storage. Clever features and details make this space functional and attractive.  Note the large windows adjacent to the desk that bring ample natural light to the work areas.

Good architectural design blends an addition to a home seamlessly as if the improvement had been there all along.  In this example, Natelli Homes designed and constructed a screened porch on the rear of an existing home and blended it perfectly with the composition of the architecture.  Compare the before and after photos – one almost has to look twice to see that we added an entire room.

This comfortable addition includes a stained fir ceiling with dramatic beams and brackets, which we will describe in a post in the near future.  A floor-to-ceiling field stone fireplace anchors the plush seating and eating area.   This home owner enjoys the space, which overlooks a pool and patio, almost year-round.

Good architectural design for renovations is quite a skill.  We enjoy hearing our clients tell their friends that it looks and feels as if our new work was a part of the original architecture.

I appreciate hearing from readers about our posts.  Please contact me at Bob@NatelliHomes or visit our website at www.NatelliHomes.com

A few years back we did a renovation to an existing home that amazes me every time I see the before and after photos.  Obviously this was an incredible transformation – we even considered tearing the house down and building a new home.

After debating with the architect and client we decided to proceed with the renovation as it would be far more cost effective and quicker.  You can see the old house peeking through in the middle of the ”after” photo.  ”5 over 4 with a door” never goes out of style, it just looks better with the improvements on the sides.   I’ll provide details of this project in future posts, but for now these photos speak more words than I could express.

As always, feel free to contact me bob@natellihomes.com or visit our website www.natellihomes.com

I am getting a lot of calls from friends who know I am a builder asking about the water leaking through their ceilings and walls.  With all the snow in the Washington Metropolitan area over the past weeks, homeowners might be seeing problems that they have never encountered.  What is occurring is a phenomenon called an ice dam.   As the snow goes through a melt and freeze cycle, the ice that is formed creates a dam and pushes the water back into the home.

Interestingly ice dams are caused by too much heat in the attic.  The heat causes the snow on the roof to melt, which freezes up again when the water travels beyond the heated attic space.  The water freezes at night in colder temperatures and melts again during the day.  When the ice and snow melts there is simply no where for the water to go except back into the home.

There are two conclusions I can make about ice dams that are within your control.  (1) make sure your attic ceiling is properly insulated.  If you have an older home, call an insulation company or Natelli Homes and evaluate adding more insulation in the attic to keep the heat in the living spaces, not in the attic. (2) make sure your attic is properly ventilated.  Air needs to travel from outside through the attic and then through a gable or ridge vent.  The attic temperatures need to be cold if not the same as the outside temperatures. Most homes have a perforated vent in the cornice – you know, the ones that are filled solid with paint.  Those need to be perforated to allow lots of air to flow in and out of the attic.  So if yours are painted shut and have no visible perforations, call Natelli Homes or a siding contractor to replace or correct those vents.

Ice dams are not always preventable but a well constructed home, such as a Natelli built home, would normally not be subject to this issue.  Click on the following link to State Farm Insurance which gives a couple of good sketches, explanations and things to might do to prevent ice dams.  http://www.statefarm.com/learning/loss_prevent/learning_lossprevention_icedams.asp

As always, feel free to contact me at bob@natellihomes.com or visit our website at www.natellihomes.com

It must be hard for a consumer to decide how to select replacement windows or windows for a new home.  How do you start, where do you start and who do you trust for such an important investment?  All the manufacturers claim high efficiency glass, tax incentives and new and improved technologies.  In my career at Natelli Homes, which is going on 25 years in residential construction, the window and door industry has grown and improved the most.  The standards for all the major manufacturers are so much improved that I would venture to state that there are arguable financial and performance benefits to replacing windows that are only 10 years old.

Windows and exterior doors are the biggest contributors to heat and energy loss in a home.  People notice it more in the winter when we can feel the cold spots and drafts around windows and doors, but imagine how much is also lost in the summer when we are not quite as sensitive.  Poor performing windows and exterior doors contribute to an immeasurable amount of energy loss in our world.

Again, where does one start?  You might start with the U-value of a window which is a measurement of 4 combined ways windows lose heat.  This is a standard by which a homeowner can evaluate the performance of manufacturers on an even playing field.  Simply put, the U-value of a window combines the heat loss of a window through (1) radiation, (2) convection, (3) air leakage and (4) conduction.  The lower the U-value the better performing the window is.

I found a great sketch in an article by Paul Fisette in Fine Homebuilding.  Paul Fisette is director of the Building Materials Technology and Management Program at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA (www.umass.edu/bmatwt). Chart information courtesy of W. W. Norton & Co. Inc., except where noted. Photo: Brian Vanden Brink; drawings: Dan Thornton.