Since most of us may only choose and work with an architect once in our lives the process of choosing an architect may seem overwhelming for some. What are the important considerations to keep in mind when selecting an architect and how does one begin the process? Following are some guidelines to follow when embarking on a search for an Architect that may be helpful to your efforts.

First, decide if you need an architect and what we mean by that is, does the size and scope of your project justify the professional services of an architectural firm. Consider these points when making that decision:

Hiring an Architect might be a good idea:

* When building an Addition: architectural professionals can blend existing spaces to new ones, research setbacks, and usher your project through any architectural board reviews.

* When a Professional opinion counts: When you are needing space in an area that doesn’t appear to have any options to add space, adding energy saving alternatives to your current layout, making changes to a stock floor plan, or style adjustments to your home’s exterior

Hiring an Architect is not really necessary for:

* Small projects like adding, fixtures, cabinets, flooring, or any combination of the above do not require the use of an architect and can be planned by the homeowner

Prepare ahead of time before contacting any architects to arrange an interview. You should prepare for those upcoming meetings by knowing what you want the architect to design and being able to communicate your vision in both words and pictures. Whether you have to draw a sketch of what you like or better yet, you have photos of other similar structures to what you ultimately want, you need to have something tangible for the architect to begin with. Some architects also suggest clients bring to the first meeting pictures of things they don’t like. This allows an architect to zero in on a tighter focus of what the client truly wants and also allows both clients and architect to determine more accurately if the clients needs mesh well with the architects design style and capabilities.

To find an architect in your area, visit the planning department in your community for a list of architects who have worked on residential projects in your community. Alternatively, visit the website of the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects and you can find your local chapter by starting with the national organization at www.aia.org

Us folks out west have spent the past two weeks getting doused with showers from the mini El Nino storms the weather “experts” say we’re getting. This past week here in our State of Arizona we have had storm after storm dumping much needed rain down on our city, streets, lawns, and yards. We love the rain but those of us who take care of the yards at our homes know that with the rains comes a yard full of weeds almost immediately.

Gardening experts agree that pulling the weeds entirely is the best way to rid your yard of the pesky visitors completely. Be sure when pulling the weed to spray a weed killing agent in the area where the weed has been removed. Early in the springtime is also a great time to spray areas prone to getting weeds with a pre-emergent herbicide in order to stop them from developing.

We pulled most of the large weeds in our yard this weekend and sprayed the smaller ones along with areas in our yard that we know are prone to the un-wanted visitors rearing their heads. We followed the advice of our local gardening experts who advise that spraying weeds in a yard on a calm sunny day following a rain is a perfect time to act since the weeds are clean and well-watered. In this case the weeds will often die faster.

So for those out west where spring appears to be upon us it is time to get ahead of the game and rid your yard of these pesky plant critters. Good Luck!

While there are new homes being built all over the US everyday, the typical American house is still about thirty-four years old. What type of condition that house is in depends on the owners and how well they maintained the residence over the years. Many things can and will go wrong with a home through the years and there are certain items a homeowner can look out for depending on the age of your particular home.

In the initial years most major repairs or flaws resulting from potential construction errors will surface and will show themselves as needing repair. The exterior paint job will probably need to be re-done in the first four or five years since builder grade paint is often thinner than paint sold at home improvement and home & garden centers. And the heating and cooling system, also known as the HVAC system should be inspected and serviced in years four to seven to have any heat pumps and air conditioning compressors recharged.

In years eight to fifteen in the typical home, items that had been maintained on a regular basis in earlier years will now be starting to wear out and need replacement. Depending on their frequency of use the dishwasher, disposal, and laundry equipment may be worn out and need replacement. Water heater elements usually fail after eight years too, and tanks rust out in about 12 to 14 years even if they are drained of sediment on an annual basis.

The years 15 through 25 are a critical period because most key components must be replaced during this timeframe. Keep note any unwary buyer of a 15 – 25 year old house can be hit with a series of large replacement expenses. This means that homes in years 25 to 30 are usually enjoying a second prime period in their useful lives because all of the key components have been replaced and (somewhat) recently installed.

Homes over thirty years old will have components that have been replaced on such a varied time schedule that it is hard to determine with any accuracy when or if one item or another may fail soon. The recommendation for homes over thirty years in age is to maintain a regular maintenance schedule as much as possible and stay on top of the major components of your home.

Thank you to Lew Sichelman and the Los Angeles Times for much of the information contained in this post.

We have been getting a lot of questions lately about how to install our un-glazed Hexagon Porcelain tiles so we thought we would cover some of the basic installation tips right here in our Blog.

When installing any un-glazed tile the installer must first consider the fact that he or she needs to protect the surface of the tile from exposure to any of the installation materials that may come in contact with the tile surface during the installation process. Because of this, the surface of any un-glazed tiles must be sealed prior to installation to guard against any installation products ruining the surface.

If the installer is confident that no mortar will get on the surface of the tiles during installation then the surface protection step can be completed after installing the tiles with the adhesive. If there is any possibility of the mortar making it’s way on to the tiles then it is best to seal the tiles prior to installing them with adhesive and of course prior to grouting.

When installing our porcelain Hexagon tiles we recommend laying the material out on the floor and running a coat of clear, penetrating sealer made for ceramic tile grout over the tiles using a roller brush and making sure that the sealer goes on even and consistent. Let the sealer dry on the Hexagon tiles before proceeding to the next step in your installation.

Making cuts to the porcelain Hexagon tiles can best be achieved using Tile Nippers designed for use with porcelain tiles. The Hexagon tiles are NOT designed to be cut on a wet saw because the water on the saw will dissolve the mesh after continuous exposure to water.

Follow these tips for an error free installation and please send us any photos of your new Hexagon tile floor once your job is done.

Last week we talked about a product we stumbled upon for installing tile without using mortar. Well now it seems that everybody is on the bandwagon and there is another product called SimpleMat available at Home Depot that claims to do the same thing.

According to the SimpleMat website, “SimpleMat is a double sided, adhesive mat specifically designed for bonding tile to countertops or backsplashes. The back of the mat has a flat adhesive which bonds to the backsplash wall or countertop. The front side has a raised adhesive which bonds to tile or stone. SimpleMat replaces traditional thin-set mortar or mastic adhesive.”

Again, if the product works as advertised then this is a great product for the homeowner and do-it-yourselfer. You will still need to grout any project where SimpleMat is used but tiling a backsplash or countertop will be in the realm of possibility for many more folks with a product, or shall we say, products like this on the market.

Tax time a cometh so start getting any paperwork together for any qualifying energy efficient home improvements you might have made in 2009 on your primary residence. Improvements such as solar, geothermal, and many windows and doors qualify under the guidelines set forth by the government early in 2009.

Paperwork most often required is your receipt or purchase contract, the sticker or paperwork that shows the energy efficiency rating for the product you purchased to ensure that the product meets the governments minimum standards, and any other supporting documentation you may have so there is no reason the government can deny your claim to any credit or deduction.

Start gathering paperwork now so you are not scrambling as April 15th approaches.

Now where did we leave off? Since you had a couple of days to digest the first part of our list here we go with the second half.

Fixtures and Faucets: for $100 - $200 a new matching faucet can make a big decorative difference in a kitchen or bathroom. Manufacturers are now putting out designer style faucets for very competitive prices which can be found at some of the big box retailers or even online. Upgrade that old chrome looking metal faucet to a brushed nickel or satin finish faucet. That coupled with a coat of paint and a new glass tile backsplash and for a small $$$ investment and a couple weekends of your time you can have a whole new kitchen or bath.

Lighting: in this category you can spend as little or as much as you feel comfortable. There are very stylish fixtures that can be had for as little as $60 at some retailers. Or, you can purchase a unique designer lighting piece for several thousand dollars at some of the boutique home stores. We would recommend a higher skill level to do this sort of work since knowledge of electrical basics comes in to play here.

Toilets: although used everyday in a typical home most folks don’t ordinarily think of the toilet as a decorative piece in the home to enhance and improve. However, with a new emphasis on helping the environment try splurging a little on an eco friendly low flush model that is a worthwhile investment for any home. Energy saving and efficiency are the motivating factors here and the investment should be no more than $500 - $600 for toilet and installation if plumbing is not your strong suit.

Landscaping: often overlooked especially in colder climes around the country but a big factor in improving your homes curb appeal is exterior landscaping. Often just a few strategically located colorful flowers are all that is needed to make a major visual improvement to a home’s exterior. The investment for flowers and top soil as needed should cost no more than $100 for a small size garden area.

Front door hardware and mailbox cleansing: again focusing on exterior curb appeal homeowners should clean up and improve their front door area of the home. Cleaning, repairing, or replacing the door hardware and or knocker is at the top of the list followed by cleaning and/or repairing the mailbox, cleaning the house number, and replacing any front door area lighting that may be present. All of the above maintenance and repair work should be done to the front door area at least once per year or as needed in order to maintain the first area your visitors and guests see when they approach your home. The $$$ investment for clean up work is minimal but the payoff is tremendous if only for the visual impact such work has on your home.

Get out this weekend and get started if the weather is appropriate where you live. Summer will be here before you know it and you want to be finished and done before the first invite goes out for the family summer BBQ.

Tough times call for tough choices and smart decisions. With so many of us “nesting” more and spending a larger portion of our free time at home, creating a space where you are comfortable and where you want to be takes on a greater level of importance. There are many upgrades one can make to their homes but which ones are the lowest cost yet provide the biggest bang for the buck often is a tricky decision to make.

Here are a few tips from our seasoned staff to guide you in the right direction. Most of the suggestions can be completed on a budget of $1,000 or less and can be done as a DIY project.

Paint: painting the exterior of a home is a wonderful improvement to make once every eight to ten years but generally requires more cost and expertise to take on a project of this magnitude. For our upgrades we focus on interior rooms of a home which are easy for a homeowner to complete themselves. Focus on the kitchen, bathrooms, master bedroom, and family room as the first rooms on your list to upgrade with a coat of paint. Painting a kitchen, bathroom, or normal size bedroom can cost no more than $300 - $400 in materials if you plan to do the work yourself.

Tile the Backsplash: there is no better room in the home than the kitchen or the bathroom to spend your upgrade dollars. Add glass mosaic tile to your kitchen backsplash or timeless subway tile and the room will be absolutely transformed. The kitchen is the area where we spend much of our “gathering” time and our family time so this is a wise choice and can be accomplished for $250 - $500 if done as a DIY project

Re-face the Cabinets: another wise move if needed and as long as the existing cabinetry is solid and in good shape structurally. Refinishing, painting, or refacing can add a whole new dimension to a kitchen beyond just decorative. Homeowners will need some intermediate maintenance and repair skills if they are to take on this sort of project. But if you have the ability the materials should cost no more than $400 - $500 to complete this job.

Add Cabinet Hardware: this may or may not be needed but if there is no hardware yet on the cabinets and you have years of finger prints on the door corners then it is time to invest in a set of hardware for your cabinets. Depending on the size of your kitchen and the number of pieces needed, this project can still be done for less than $500 since there are nice cabinet knobs available for less than $10.

Re-Caulk and re-finish the Tub area: depending on how old your home is and how well the bath area has been maintained you may want to consider refinishing your tub rather than replacing it. Refinishing a tub is much less expensive and offers remarkable results. Cleaning and re-caulking the bath area should be done every five years to keep this area maintained and looking new. Caulking is easy to do with a little bit of work going a long way.

Check back with us again on Friday of this week for the second five items on our list of low cost upgrades that can make a difference.

There are so many different grout color choices available that it is hard to choose one from another. So what is one to do? This question has no easy answer nor does it have a right or a wrong answer. Whichever direction you ultimately choose will certainly have an impact on your tile project, but rest assured that with a little thought and proper planning your tile project will come out fabulous.

There generally are two schools of thought in choosing grout colors and either one has its pros and cons. When choosing grout one can either select a grout which BLENDS in with the tile or you can select a grout which contrasts with the tile. Selecting a grout color that blends in with the tile is probably more common and in our opinion does a better job at spotlighting the tile and the beauty in the material which you selected. After all, you probably spent months comparing tile samples from different manufacturers so why not choose a grout color that spotlights the tile rather than the grout. Selecting a grout color that blends in with the tile also allows the eye to see the tiled area as one continuous space rather than a checkerboard of individual tiles.

That being said, there are instances where choosing a contrasting grout color might be a wise choice to bring in a unique look to the tiled area. For example, when working with a black and white retro area in order to match other décor in the room it might be a nice idea to use dark or even black grout together with a white tile. In cases like this is where a contrasting grout color would be a wise choice.

When selecting a grout color, get “grout sticks” from your local tile retailer or home improvement center and bring these to your home to put the grout samples next to your tile right in the area or space to be tiled. Doing so will give you a clear picture of what the grout and tile will look like in the room under the lighting that will be there when the project is done.

From time to time we sit down and talk with local professionals in our area about issues relating to your home. We recently spent some time talking with Jennifer Ponzo of Hunt Real Estate in Chandler, Arizona about what fixes homeowners should undertake before selling their home in order to provide the biggest impact at the lowest cost. Below are some suggestions from Jennifer that apply to any homeowner in any market.

1 No doubt, curb appeal counts. Clean, Power wash, Paint and do whatever it takes to make a strong first impression and make prospective buyers want to see beyond your front door. Clean up the front and backyards and plant new flowers to add color whenever possible. Clean the front entry area and remove any chipped paint from around and above the door. This means cleaning the door itself including the hardware and polishing the house number. Add a flower pot or antique bench to your entryway to add a visual clue for potential buyers to remember your house from the next one.

2. Painting is everything. A fresh coat of paint to select areas of the house is an inexpensive and easy item to tackle on the to-do list. Get rid of the maroon accent wall that looked great with your furniture but will be an eyesore when the seller’s furniture is gone. Stick to calming and welcoming neutral colors that will draw a buyer in and will coordinate with most any furnishings.

3. Caulking is easy. A potential buyer hates to see old and dirty caulking in the shower since it might be a sign of mold and other problems lurking behind the shower walls. A tube of caulk is less than $5 at most home centers and a clean coat of caulk in the right areas will do wonders to add sparkle to what may have been a dingy shower.

4. Clutter be gone. This one always amazes me. We are all busy and counters are a great area to accumulate “stuff” from our hectic lives. When you are trying to sell your home however get rid of the clutter on the kitchen and bathroom counters to start. Follow that by removing most of your personal photos and any unnecessary furnishings. Buyers want to see themselves living in your home and this is hard to do and it makes a home appear smaller when your things are cluttering and taking over the home.

5. Upgrade the Kitchen and Bathroom. These are the make or break rooms for any home and this is especially true in this tough home sales market. Depending on your budget there are multiple things a homeowner can do to make high impact improvements to the Kitchen and the Bath. Upgrade the drawer pulls as a start and continue with the faucets if the budget allows it. Tiling a backsplash or a bathroom vanity area is an inexpensive and effective means to add an impressive design upgrade to the kitchen or bathroom area.

6. Fix stains and remove odors. Have the carpets or tile cleaned if it has been awhile since you last did this. If there are stains caused by water damage then don’t try to cover them, take the time to make the necessary repairs since most home inspectors will find the problem. Smoke or Pet odors turn off buyers instantly and are normally grounds to ask for a drastically lower price on a property if a buyer remains interested at all. Perform the work necessary to remove smoke or pet odors before placing a home on the market.

7. Update any old or outdated window treatments. Buyers want light and views, not dated, fancy drapes that darken. To reduce light and add privacy, consider energy efficient shades and blinds.

8. Hire a home inspector. Be proactive to eliminate any potential problems once under contract. Hire a home inspector to identify and fix any problems before you list the home and keep all receipts to prove that the work has been done. Home owners will feel safe and comfortable to buy a home from such responsible homeowners whose goal is to turn over a turn-key and maintenance free (at least in the beginning) home.