Blog
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“Outgrowing” a home is a common motivation for remodeling it — especially as households expand with the addition of children or extended family members. When it comes to aging, however, the concept of outgrowing a home takes on an entirely new meaning — a reality that our clients Pete and Diane discovered with regard to…
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To appreciate the caliber of STRITE’s staff, just peruse the Team Bios on the “About STRITE” section of the company website. One member whose absence may be conspicuous to those who have some history with the company, however, is the man whose name it bears: Jim Strite. Jim’s absence from STRITE’s “active roster” should hardly…
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While people often think of home remodeling as synonymous with building an “addition,” there are a number of reasons it makes sense to remodel besides adding needed living space. Some of the most common reasons that we have seen in our 40 years of residential design and remodel experience are the following. Updating the Look…
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No other room in our homes combines functionality and esthetics in quite the same way as the kitchen. When both these elements need improving, it’s high time for a remodel. No one wants to fix pipes once a new kitchen is installed. Vision Our clients loved the setting and overall layout of their recently purchased…
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We’re going to let you in on a little secret regarding our ability to meet our scheduling deadlines. Sure, you probably think it has everything to do with experience and organizational skills — tempered with a healthy dose of realism — and those factors do come into significant play when we hand a client their…
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This master bathroom suffered from some bad feng shui. Fortunately, we’ve learned from years of experience that small changes can yield big results…if you know how to make them count. It’s a zen thing. Vision It was bad enough that this bathroom was cramped and dark. To make matters worse, it had doors that did…
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In some hopeful news for both homeowners and construction companies alike, Remodeling Magazine recently published its annual report on the cost versus value ratio for replacement and remodeling projects across the U.S. In a positive sign for the remodeling industry, the 2013 national average cost-value ratio rose to 60.6 percent, ending a six-year decline. The…
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Remodeling your home, whether we’re talking about updating the look of a guest bathroom or a second story addition, is a big decision…and quite possibly one of the biggest lifestyle investments you’ll make outside of the original purchase of your home. We naturally expect that our clients will have a lot of questions during the…
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Every now and then we confront the perception in our market that “STRITE is expensive.” Our usual reply is that we’re simply realistic. “Knowing our numbers” is more than just a point of professional pride at STRITE — it is part of the value we bring to our clients when we undertake a remodel project.…
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Whenever we consider a remodel project with a client, the discussion inevitably turns to the topic of “value.” Sure, the concept can seem a bit trite, if not hackneyed, but the first thing we try to do is to disassociate its definition from that of “cost.” The lowest bid on a remodel project is no…
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Recently, a client looked over our final invoice at the completion of a project and compared it to our original “description of work” (DOW). “I know you guys did a lot of additional stuff during this remodel. You should include those things in the invoice and show their value, even if you aren’t charging for…
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It would be wonderful if every room in our home could be devoted to one single purpose, but most of us need to take a more practical approach to efficient use of our living space. In the case of this addition remodel, our client chose to combine the part time function of guest room with…
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At Strite design + remodel, we believe that a hallmark of good design is finding simple solutions that yield big enhancements — both in the functionality of a living space as well as its esthetics. This bathroom remodel is a prime example of that philosophy. Vision With this bathroom remodel, our client was looking for…
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When you consider the number of businesses that participate, in some form or fashion, in the remodeling industry (well over half a million nationwide), it might come as some surprise that a company headquartered in Boise, Idaho could be among the top 500. Once again, however, two leading trade magazines, Qualified Remodeler and Remodeling, have…
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“Begin as you mean to continue” is a great philosophy for living in general. In remodeling, however, intentionality in execution begins with intentionality in design. In the case of some remodel projects, the number of options that face a designer require the kind of scrutiny that only 3D modeling can provide. Vision Our clients wanted…
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In thinking about the process of a home remodel, I’m reminded of an old blues song: “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” The inescapable fact of any significant home makeover is that in between the “before” and “after” is the rather messy “during.” Walls come down, soffits are demolished, plumbing…
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STRITE design + remodel has once again been ranked by the trade publication Qualified Remodeler as among the top 500 remodeling companies in the U.S. While this is a notable achievement in itself — especially considering that we operate in a much smaller market than most of the other companies in this prestigious ranking —…
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While residential design trends may not be as subject to the vagaries of fashion as hemlines, they do change. Consequently, what is esthetically pleasing today will probably appear “dated” in a couple of decades. As a remodeling company, the best we can do at chasing the ephemera of “timelessness” is to focus not just on…
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Have you ever wondered just how many ad campaigns and marketing slogans would be rendered mute if you struck the word “value” from the English lexicon? It’s a tantalizing concept, since it would require companies to be a bit more specific about just what their products and services contribute to the lives of their customers.…
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For those of you who were unable to attend this year’s Remodeled Homes Tour, we wanted to share the story behind the two projects we featured. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, we thought we’d save a whole lot of pages by simply putting together this five minute slideshow presentation. You’ll not only…