Colonial Voc
Posted in Uncategorized on 04/29/2004 05:33 pm by admin
Colonial Voc
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US $14.00
Time to Remodel Your Kitchen - Watch for The Signs!
Many homeowners are understandably a little leery about taking the plunge and commissioning a kitchen remodel, not just because of the expense but all that probable hassle as well. Choosing a contractor; dealing with strangers tramping through the house for a month; living off McDonalds because the oven is being replaced and so on.
However there are many kitchens that are crying out for a serious facelift and their owner occupants just can't seem to see it; is yours one of them? Here are a few of the signs that it really is time to take a deep breath and call in the kitchen remodeling cavalry:
- Your drapes match your tablecloths perfectly, and they both look like you stole them from the local Pizza Hut.
- The colony of ants that have invaded and infiltrated your wooden countertops are making more noise recently. That's because they are planning to go to war with the rats that live in your kitchen cupboards and all those preparations are a bit loud.
- Your garbage disposal starts a food fight with you, and wins.
- Your refrigerator has two temperature settings – frozen solid and room temperature – and pouring the milk for your coffee is a new adventure every morning.
- Your ninety year old granny compliments your modern appliances but everyone else just sniggers behind their hand.
- You notice that the kitchens in many of the seventies sitcoms might possibly have been filmed in yours.
- One of your vinyl floor tiles cracks and when you go to the local home store to try and locate a suitable replacement the clerk tells you that that particular line was discontinued before he was born.
All joking aside, kitchen remodeling is just not as painful as you might imagine. Even if you have managed to convince yourself that those 1970s wall colors are retro rather than just horribly outdated, the paint still probably contains lead (not a good thing) and those old kitchen cabinets have been emitting VOCs (nasty things) into the air for years, which may explain why you seem to get a headache every time you enter the kitchen to cook. Those old appliances that you have hung onto because they still "work"? They are gobbling up far more electricity than one of their new Energy Star rated counterparts would.
Finding a good kitchen remodeling contractor to help you drag your kitchen into the 21st century will take a little effort on your part but there are plenty of places you can turn to for help. One word of warning though, if you are remodeling a kitchen in a home that was built prior to 1978. Since April of this year the EPA has required that any contractor who works in homes like these has to be Lead Safe Certified. This is a certification issued by the EPA themselves and firms and individuals that have been granted the green seal of approval have completed training courses to ensure they know how to work safely in areas where the still may be lead paint, asbestos or other harmful substances.
About the Author
Ursula K Rose
Renovation Experts USA
You can find lots of helpful information about finding a suitable home renovation contractor at Renovation Experts
and read our Home Renovation with Renovation Experts blog,which is updated several times a week with helpful home renovation articles.