Christmas Week - Wonderful, Magical, Stressful

  

Christmas Week: It’s wonderful, magical and stressful.

The days between Christmas and New Years can be a time to savor with family and friends surrounding you. There is an abundance of good will and warmth that leaves you feeling like a cat with a full tummy, curled up in front of a fire. But, it can also be chaotic and overwhelming. Every bed is filled and your refrigerator is beginning to look like it belongs in a college dorm. After you’ve awoken from the stupor of too much sugar, fat, cocktails and gift unwrapping, your world can seem a little out of control.

Here are some tips for getting things back on track before New Years Eve and preserve your sanity:

* Restore order

If it doesn’t intrude on your families tradition, remove gifts from under the tree and place them in their respective new place in your home. Make sure there are plenty of hangers in the closet for coats and hang them up as soon as guest arrive. A large ham can feed a family long after you’ve become tired of it. Consolidate leftovers in the fridge and freeze portions of things you have lots of. Remove boxes and bags until recycling day.

* Eat your veggies

Opportunities to eat and drink things that are less than healthy abound during the holidays and there is no reprieve between December 24th and the 31st. Make an effort to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and drink plenty of water when you are home and can control your choices. Your body will thank you.

* Maintain a routine

Whenever possible, stick to your normal routine. If you have taken the week off, try to wake up and retire close to your regular times. Make an effort to continue to exercise. If you have some time to yourself, take a quick walk. The weather may prevent you from getting outside, but you can always put on some dance music and get your groove on. Even running the vacuum helps get you moving. Which brings me to my next point...

*Clean!

While this may be difficult if you are hosting guests, cleaning your house will clear your mind and keep you feeling grounded. Nothing creates chaos more quickly than shoes all over your foyer, glasses on the counters and crumbs on the floor. An hour spent dusting, vacuuming and straightening up will give you a feeling of control in a very out of control week.

So have fun, enjoy the beauty of the season and keep your wits about you. When we wake up on Sunday, the first day of 2011, we all have the gift of opportunity and renewal.

Happy New Year!!

Kat

This article was submitted by Kathryn Robbins of Kat Robbins Interiors.

Kat Robbins Interiors
610-291-4220
Wayne, PA 19087

Superior Woodcraft is a local custom cabinet maker from Doylestown, Pa - the heart of Bucks County.

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Superior Woodcraft, Inc.
Superior Woodcraft Blog

Modern Classics Custom Kitchens Joins Independent We Stand

   

Modern Classics Custom Kitchens of Greenwich, Connecticut joins Independent We Stand.

Modern Classics is an independent business, a partnership between an experienced designer, John Johnstone, from the UK and an exceptional installer from Ireland, Gerry Hackett. This European team has worked together to create many successful projects.

Modern Classics Custom Kitchens operates from a small eclectic boutique in Banksville New York on the Fairfield County, Connecticut / Westchester County, New York border. Their level of success is easily discerned from the fact that most of their commissioned work is earned from recommendations and referrals. The duo is famous for their bespoke designs utilizing custom cabinetry, which is custom made to their exact standards.

Johnstone’s and Hackett’s aim is to provide exceptional levels of value and quality, while creating unique custom made Kitchens, Baths, Libraries, Home Offices and ‘Built-in’ spaces.

Independent We Stand recognizes all socially responsible businesses, both large and small. The movement focuses on helping the little guys not just survive, but thrive…and all the while helping them to contribute to their community. 

Pictured:  John Johnstone of Modern Classics Custom Kitchens

Contact Information:

Modern Classics Custom Kitchens
1063 North Street
Greenwich, CT  06831

203-422-2862
http://www.mckitchendesign.com/

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Superior Woodcraft, Inc.
Superior Woodcraft Blog

Electric Rate Shopping Information Available

   
The following information is from Representative Marguerite Quinn's,  News You Can Use Letter, dated 12/20/2010.

The rate caps on electricity are coming off of four Pennsylvania utility companies at the end of this year, with this region’s biggest supplier, PECO, being one of them. Effective January 1, you will be able to choose the company that supplies electricity to your home or business. Shopping can save you money on your electric bill.

I would like to point out that the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate, headed by Sonny Popowsky, has a comprehensive website that lists the energy ratesoca.state.pa.us for a number of suppliers and compares them with the rates offered by PECO. You can find that information at , or by calling 1-800-684-6560.

In addition, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission provides information about electric rate caps and electric choice. You can find that on their website http://www.papowerswitch.com/, or by calling 1-800-692-7380.

You will have the ability to shop for an electric provider of your choice, or you can retain PECO as your supplier. Information is the key to making the best possible choice.

By law, PECO is not permitted to make a profit on the electricity it sells to customers. Their profits are derived from distribution charges, in other words, the rates charged to deliver the electricity. PECO is encouraging its customers to shop. A competitive provider may be able to offer you electric generation at lower rates than PECO does today. If you choose to purchase electricity from another provider, PECO will continue to deliver your electricity, respond to outage calls and provide you with safe, reliable service. In most cases, you will continue to receive a single monthly bill from PECO that contains all of your electric charges.

Source:
Superior Woodcraft, Inc.
Superior Woodcraft Blog

How Much Should I Expect to Spend on Remodeling My Kitchen?

    

Many people ask, “How much should I expect to spend on remodeling my kitchen?” This is a great question and answering this question will help you streamline your kitchen remodeling decisions. Our reply to this important question is based on the premise that you wish to obtain the most value from your investment. We can answer this question in a few easy steps. Let’s examine how to determine a budget for your kitchen remodeling project.

1. Setting expectations - expect to recoup 70-90% of your investment if you sell your home. This number can be greater if your existing kitchen is at the end of its useful life. Also, there is the return factor of enjoyment that you will receive while you are living with your new kitchen – more on this aspect in a later post.

2. Estimate the value of your home and the value of the homes in your neighborhood. You don’t want to over improve your home because it will be hard to recoup the investment if you sell your home. You want the value of your home to reflect the value of the neighborhood.

3. A reasonable budget for your kitchen remodel is to spend 10-20% percent of the value of your home. Spending 10% or less might not be a good investment even though the price tag is lower. Also, it will be difficult to recoup your investment if you spend over 20% of the value of your home in your kitchen.

4. Strike your budget. Creating your kitchen budget for 15% of the value of your home is a good mark. This allows for some upward movement to include some wish list items without overspending. It also allows for some downward movement without the fear of spending too little and wasting your money on insignificant or low value improvements.

Creating your budget is the very first step you should take when starting your kitchen or bath remodeling project. This information will help streamline your decisions by focusing your cabinetry, appliance, plumbing, flooring, countertops and construction work on products and choices that fit your budget. If you’re not sure what selections are appropriate for you budget visit your local kitchen and bath designer and ask them for assistance in making selections that are appropriate for your budget. Yes, this means you will need to share your budget number with the designer. It is difficult for a designer to provide you with the best service if they do not know this important piece of information.

By using the Superior Woodcraft blog you can also help narrow down your selections by using the reference library that contains links to many kitchen and bath products. This is a great resource that can help save you time. Completing this first step of your kitchen remodeling project will eliminate wasted time and reduce frustration levels created by evaluating inappropriate selections. Determining your budget will help create a more streamlined and enjoyable process.

Example: Your home value is $500,000 and the average home in your neighborhood is same. Your budget range should be between $50,000 and $100,000. Strike your budget at $75,000.

After determining your budget visit with your local kitchen and bath designer to start with the next steps.

Visit the Superior Woodcraft blog in future for more tips on kitchen and bath renovations.

Superior Woodcraft is a local custom cabinet maker from Doylestown, Pa - the heart of Bucks County.

Photos: Award winning kitchen remodel -
NARI CotY Award

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Superior Woodcraft, Inc.

Superior Woodcraft Blog

Beautiful Design, Outstanding Workmanship

  

Another review from Doylestown.

Great experience all around. Marcy made great suggestions that made my original ideas even better. She was very knowledgeable and very professional. The workmanship and installation were so good that other contractors (general contractor, tile installer) were very impressed. Superior has a reputation for being expensive, but the price was surprisingly competitive. They are definitely worth putting on your short list of cabinet people to talk to about your project. Their location (down the street from me) was also a plus.

   -   The Doylestonian

Thanks Doylestonian. Your feedback is important to us and helps us better serve our clients.

Read more reviews and testimonials for Superior Woodcraft at Kudzu, Houzz and Google.

Superior Woodcraft is a local custom cabinet maker from Doylestown, Pa - the heart of Bucks County.



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Superior Woodcraft, Inc.
Superior Woodcraft Blog

JUST FINISHED OUR SECOND KITCHEN RENOVATION

     

When Superior Woodcraft works with a client for the first time it is seldom the last time.  During the 43 years that Superior Woodcraft has been providing its clients with custom made cabinetry for their homes a number of clients have become family.  Many clients have commissioned Superior Woodcraft for multiple cabinetry projects over the years.  Additionally, Superior Woodcraft has completed work for many extended family members and for multiple generations as well.  It is rewarding to be trusted and valued by these families.  We look forward to completing work for the next generation as well.

Here is what one local Doylestown family has to say about their Second Superior Woodcraft Kitchen Renovation....

Dec 8, 2010

Just finished our second kitchen renovation both done by Superior Woodcraft and we couldn't be happier. They were with us from the earliest stages with the architect and their attention to detail was outstanding. Marcy did a fantastic job helping us translate the vision we had in our heads into our dream kitchen. Their installers were absolutely fantastic as well. Simply the best!
 
Doylestown Family 

  Thank you Doylestown Family.  We always enjoy working with you.
    The Superior Woodcraft Team
  
Become part of the Superior Woodcraft family and consider making Superior Woodcraft your family tradition.  We value and appreciate the trust and confidence you place in Superior Woodcraft.

Read more Superior Woodcraft Reviews and Testimonials.

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Superior Woodcraft, Inc.
Superior Woodcraft Blog

60 Bragg Hill is Taking Form

   

On November 23rd the homeowners of 60 Bragg Hill opened their construction site for a living classroom. The seminar series is titled, Sustainable Home – Building in the Real World. This series will allow guests to get a firsthand look at building a sustainable home. The first seminar of the series was, “Demystifying Concrete Form Design and Construction”, which was sponsored by Foam Form Technologies, LLC.

Foam Form Technologies and the crew from MW Thompson Builders, Inc. provided background information about building with concrete forms and provided a working demonstration of constructing an actual wall of the future 60 Bragg Hill Home. Matthew Moger provided detailed explanations of why he selected insulated concrete form construction for this particular home. Moger also provided some insights into designing with concrete.

  

This was a very exciting and educational opportunity for all of the guests. It is not every day that you have all of these professionals assembled onsite to discuss designing and building with insulated concrete forms. Our thanks go to Foam Form Technologies, Mark Thompson and his crew for allowing us to disrupt his building schedule and to the homeowners of 60 Bragg Hill.     

Source:

Superior Woodcraft, Inc.

Superior Woodcraft Blog