Painting over stained, varnished kitchen cabinets is one of the best-value upgrades in a home — you keep the boxes, skip the demolition, and get a kitchen that looks new. But anyone who has tried painting over varnish knows it doesn’t just work. There are two methods we trust. Here’s how each works, what goes
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 »
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 »
The owner had just bought this Oakland duplex when he found a water leak under the slab foundation. Tracking it down and repairing it came at great expense, and by the time the remodel started, a lot of money had already gone into the building. Every remaining decision had to keep costs down without cutting
