This Emeryville kitchen was getting a new backsplash, and the first step was taking out the old one. The existing backsplash was tile, which had to be demolished. Removing old tile from drywall almost always takes some of the wall’s paper face with it, so once the tile was off, the wall was patched and
Fast home upgrades Ten upgrades that add the most, done in days, not months. Some of the best improvements to a home don’t take a remodel. We put together the ten upgrades that add the most appeal for the time and money, each one typically done in a few days or less. We keep wait
Fast Home Upgrades That Add Greatly To The Value Of Your Home Read More »
In our opinion, molding ranks fifth among whole-home improvements for cost versus value, behind 1) landscaping and yard, 2) interior paint, 3) exterior paint, and 4) flooring. Doors and lighting round out six and seven. After that come the usual big-ticket items: kitchens, decks, bathrooms. They add considerable value in dollars, but not as a
Emerald Hills, Window Casing, Jambs, Sills, Heads, November, 2018 Read More »
The goal for this Inner Sunset kitchen was to brighten the room. The counters went from dark granite to soapstone, and the cabinets were slated to be painted white. The project was eventually scaled back, and our part became the piece that sets the tone: a brick backsplash. Real brick, sliced thin This isn’t imitation
This is the same Inner Sunset home as the reclaimed-brick backsplash. It’s a $2.5 million multi-story townhouse in San Francisco’s fog belt, where moisture is a fact of life. The exterior trim was in disrepair and water-damaged, and the damage had never been given a chance to dry out. How it got this way The
Exterior Trim Water Damage Repairs, Inner Sunset, San Francisco, 2018 Read More »
Full disclosure: this was my mother’s house in Surfside Beach, South Carolina. It was a gift, done on a micro-budget. It was also familiar ground. I first painted this house in 1999, in my twenties, though by then I’d been doing construction work since I was 14, growing up with a contractor for a stepfather.
