Raising the Bar (the Irish Way)
St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner! It’s the perfect opportunity to showcase a recent Home Comfort Company finished basement inspired by the rich warmth of an authentic Irish pub.
Our client, James H., was looking for additional room to entertain. Specifically, he wanted to transform his unfinished basement into a built-in bar with the welcoming ambiance of an authentic Irish pub.
James contacted Home Comfort Company through our website and requested a quote to finish his basement. After receiving our quote and initial consultation, he was confident Home Comfort Company could make his vision a reality.
After researching in detail the architecture and ambiance of Irish pubs (which naturally required visiting a number of favorites in the Madison area!) we submitted our plan to the client for approval and immediately began the project of transforming his basement.
In our next post we’ll show you some of the stunning detail in this beautiful project. Below is a sneak preview of a Before & After shot…
7 Places to Makeover a Room for Less
Gone are the days when she prefers to sit in the car while he runs in for power tools and lumber. Menards is getting in touch with its softer side so you can save big money without sacrificing style. Whether you’re looking for a dining room chandelier, cabinet hardware, kitchen rugs or a bathroom mirror, don’t be surprised when she says, “Let’s try Menards.” Ladies, this is one shopping trip you probably won’t have to twist his arm to take.
Recreation Destination: Your Basement!
Finishing your basement is one of the best ways to add value to your home. It typically returns around 70% of your original finishing investment. The basics – walls, floor and ceiling – are already in place, thus lowering your construction costs per square foot.
This week we’re focusing on one of my favorite reasons for finishing a basement…creating recreational space. With the beginning of cooler weather and football season, October seems like the perfect month to highlight the possibilities for enjoying a basement rec area. Here is a helpful list of questions to consider as you plan your basement finishing project:
-What is my budget? Know your budget from the beginning. Your basement finishing project will be far less stressful if you know exactly how much you have to spend and how you want to spend it.
-What do I want to do with my recreational space? Do you like hosting sports parties? Watching movies? Providing the teenagers with a safe place to hang? How about creating a custom work space for your hobby? Make a list of everything you would like your new rec area to accommodate and provide. Creating a list will help your professional contractor satisfy as many of your goals as possible.
-Do I want to include a bathroom? While bathrooms are especially handy if you plan to entertain in your basement, they also require some additional planning and cost. Weigh having a convenient loo against the added cost to determine whether you want to send your guests “Up the stairs, second door on the right!”.
In addition to these basic questions, a professional contractor will walk you through the other necessary considerations. Do you want a built-in bar for entertaining? Speakers for a home theater? Natural lighting for creative work? Contact Home Comfort Company today to find out how we can help you turn your unfinished basement into a recreation destination!
Home Comfort Company maximized natural and
artificial lighting possibilities for this finished basement.
Custom woodwork and tile by Home Comfort Company
adds a classic touch to this finished basement rec area.
The Secret to Saving with CFL Bulbs
Switching out your old incandescent bulbs for CFLs is yet another way we see green becoming mainstream.- Buy quality bulbs. Sometimes you really do get what you pay for and CFL bulbs are at the top of that list (right after diapers and dishwashers). The cheap ones are cheap for a reason. Usually the ballast – which is responsible for regulating the electricity that flows through the bulb – is inferior resulting in flickering, buzzing and an all-around shorter life. Go with Sylvania, Phillips or GE for tried-and-true brands.
- CFL bulbs perform best where they will be on for at least 15 minutes. Frequently switching the light on and off drastically shortens the life of a CFL bulb making it less than ideal for bathrooms, closets and motion-activated lamps.
- Choose the right kind of CFL. If someone complains that CFL bulbs made his dining room feel like a prison yard or turned his living room into a dingy cave, he probably chose the wrong bulb. Do a little research to find out which CFL is best for your fixture. Here’s an interactive resource to make things easier.
- Use CFL bulbs specifically made for ceiling fans in your fan light fixture. Regular CFLs can’t withstand the vibrations from the rotating fan blades and will fail early.
- Properly recycle the CFL bulb. CFLs require a small amount of mercury to function. Thus they must be recycled properly so they don’t end up in a landfill where the mercury can leach into the soil and contaminate the local groundwater and food chain. Find a recycling point in the Madison, WI area.
Photo courtesy of Digitalart
Welcome Home – Swan Creek
It’s no secret that Home Comfort Company is a fan of the Not So Big House philosophy. One of our recent custom homes in the Swan Creek neighborhood is a perfect example of fitting more possibility into less square footage. At an efficient 1850 finished square feet it boasts 4 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms and plenty of living space. Join us for a tour…
Welcome to the Swan Creek neighborhood located in Fitchburg, WI
Charming details lend a Cape Cod cottage feel
Open floor plan subtly divided by decorative pillars
Amish-made maple cabinets provide plenty of storage and work space in the kitchen
Two bedrooms on the main floor…
…can also function as an office or toy room!
Two spacious bedrooms on the second floor…
…including a skylight and added study/office space.
Two full baths with lots of counter space
Rec/office area in the basement with doors leading to storage and laundry space
Whether you’re looking for bedroom, office, nursery, storage, hobby or recreational space, this cozy cottage home provides lots of options. It’s Energy Star Certified to assure low energy bills and is located less than a block from a neighborhood park. It is versatile, efficient and charming. Thank you for joining us on our tour. We hope you can see for yourself why we love this Not So Big House and everything it offers!
Welcome Home – Oak Meadow
One of our latest custom homes built in Fitchburg’s Oak Meadow neighborhood has 3272 sq. ft. of finished living space. We hosted an Open House here during the recent Madison Parade of Homes. Many guests touring the Capitol Heights parade homes in Fitchburg visited us and commented on the efficient use of space and beautiful details throughout the home. Check out some of our favorite features:
Welcome to Sawtooth Dr. in Fitchburg!
Downstairs features an open floor plan with a vaulted ceiling in the family room.
The focal point is an inviting fireplace…
…with a striking combination of natural stone and brick.
Tray ceiling in the master bedroom adds architectural interest and ambiance.
Natural light from obscured glass highlights tile work in the master bath.
Close up of color, shapes and texture.
Handy built-in cabinets in the finished basement.
Guests also commented on the hand-scraped acacia wood floors and amish made cabinets in the kitchen, office, bathrooms and basement. The insulated 4+ car garage has plenty of room for an indoor workshop, the basement is wired for 5.1 surround sound, AND it’s incredibly energy efficient. The crowning touch is the 13 acre park next door…but we can hardly take credit for that, right? Thank you for visiting!
5 Things We Love About the Not-So-Big House
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “Not-So-Big House”?
While a Not-So-Big House might be small or affordable, it’s much more than that. The Not-So-Big House is actually a design philosophy – a revolution, really. It teaches that your home should be the best (rather than the biggest) that you can afford. Here are five things WE as Madison area custom home builders love about the Not-So-Big House and use regularly when designing our floor plans:
1. Bigger is not necessarily better. We emphasize lifestyle over square footage and a sense of home over sheer size. A house that is beautiful and that inspires you is more delightful than one that is merely “big”.
2. Allow your budget and your lifestyle to inspire you. What is your daily life like? What do you value? What sort of design would simplify or complement your way of life? Once you identify what you want for your home, you can take the money you have available and make it work for you in the most powerful way possible.
3. Build a little smaller so you have a budget for the details. Again, Not-So-Big doesn’t necessarily mean small. Usually it means utilizing space and flow so your home is about a third smaller than you thought it needed to be. Use the money you would have spent on unnecessary square footage and use it to create handy, exceptional or just plain beautiful details in your home.
4. Build smart. Use storage, lighting, color, furniture arrangement, built-ins and the floor plan itself to make a smaller home fit your needs. Create adaptable spaces that are useful for a variety of functions. Avoid duplicating functions that you’ve already covered elsewhere in your floor plan.
5. Create a home with care, quality and craftsmanship. A well-thought out home with a floor plan that inspires and complements your lifestyle will be appreciated for generations.
Next time we’ll show you how we applied these Not-So-Big design inspirations in two of our recent custom home projects. Visit us again soon!
Dream Big…or Not-So-Big
Dream homes are certainly not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. They are a custom work of art that reflects the owner’s lifestyle. What speaks to you? Maybe it’s a spacious house with room to spread out or entertain. Perhaps it’s a charming cottage with inviting personality.
Whatever your dream home looks like, Home Comfort Company can help you create it. We are emerging as one of the most trusted custom home builders in the greater Madison area. Over the next few weeks, we’ll give you an inside peek at two of our custom homes in Fitchburg, WI. You’ll see that we truly are Madison’s expert custom home builders…regardless of whether you’re dreaming big or not-so-big!
This cottage style custom home by Home Comfort Company
located near Madison, WI is 1850 sq. ft.and Energy Star Certified.
This custom home by Home Comfort Company in Fitchburg, WI
is 3272 sq. ft. with a spacious, open floor plan.
Seven Home Remodeling Mistakes
1. Sloth- An unrealistic budget
- Unexpected problems that add thousands of dollars to the original cost.
- A contractor who does poor work and leaves you in the lurch.
- Expensive changes you make in the middle of the project.
If you’re thinking about a home improvement project, we would like to help! Contact us to discuss your project and get a free estimate from the experts at Home Comfort Company.
Photo courtesy of Ponsulak
The House That Home Comfort Built
Want a feel for the new home construction process? Check out this 3 minute video showing the process from start to finish.
This home was built in the Madison, WI area and completed by Home Comfort Company in July 2010. A big thank you to our clients, Mike & Cathy, for allowing us to document the construction of their beautiful home…right down to the gorgeous double rainbow!
