Home Renovation Sources - Naples, FL

Happy holiday weekend. I'm sure most of you are out and about and I will be soon, too. It has been great to learn, through emails, that many of you live in or visit the Naples area! 

I wanted to share my home renovation resources with you. These companies have provided me with excellent customer service, and I would definitely do business with them, again. 

Pool Company

:

Jeff Wilson Pool Service

- By far, the most honest pool company in this area. For the record, they were the fourth company to come out and see my job....company 1, never sent the quote...company 2, thought they were building a new pool (or at least we could have on that quote)...company 3, tried to sell me equipment I did not need. 

Kitchen Cabinets:

Smart Buy Kitchens

- Ask for Jack or Jason, and tell them I sent you. They are fed up with me :). All joking aside, their prices are excellent and their service is fantastic. They never rush you and keep designing...until. If you happen to be there through lunch time, they will treat you to one of those green passion smoothies from Panera. Dollar averaging, that's an expensive drink ;).

Quartzite/Marble/Granite Slabs:

-

Davinci Granite

- Ask for Marco. Searching for

the perfect stone

was like binge watching House of Cards......I just couldn't stop until it was over. Marco and I drove to several

undercover

non-retail stone yards. Interacting with the cast of characters at each yard reminded me of New Jersey. 

Tile - I purchased tile from multiple sources. I could write a book about the process of how tile is imported into Florida and channels through the customs department in Miami. This process can take up to ten weeks. Start the tile search, early. 

Naples Tile

- Ask for Melony. Excellent source for floor tile.

Angela's Marble & Tile

- Ask for Olga. A great place to source tile you found online. Olga is a machine at locating your tile and dealing with the Miami brokers. 

De Marco Tile Distributor

- Ask for Stuart. He definitely hates me, and I did buy tile from him. Apparently, you are not supposed to request a shipment quote directly from the Italian salesmen, that are representing the line you are interested in, while they are making a sales call to the store. Who knew?

Tile Outlets of America

- Huge selection and excellent prices. Be prepared to spend quite a bit of time walking up and down each isle. There is a lot to see. 

I hope you find these sources helpful. I'll update this list, as I go...or when I remember. 

See you at Starbucks in

Waterside

. 

House Update

Happy May! By now, everyone should be having spectacular weather. May is a great time to be in Naples. All of the snowbirds are heading home, traffic is light, and you don't need restaurant reservations on a Saturday night.

Things are moving very slowly on my home renovation project. I need to have our window replacement plan approved by an engineer before we can move forward. Florida has a law about replacing more than 25% of your windows....don't quote me...but they need to have impact resistant glass, or hurricane shutters installed over them. I will be installing impact resistant glass windows. I weighted the convenience of not having to apply the shutters ever time there was a need with the fact that nobody in this house would actually do it. Decision made.

Another decision that needs to be made is the wall tile combination for the kids bathroom. I can't decide between beveled subway or flat subway?

Thoughts?

I think this will be my new (to me) kitchen/dining table. I found it in Palm Beach and am smitten with it. 

I need permission from the homeowners' association that resides over the furniture in this soon-to-be renovated party room. I hope they say yes. 

I'm off to hunt for countertops. I think I'm leaning toward quartzite. Of course that's subject to change like everything else around here. 

 

My Future Master Bath

It's Monday, so it must be time for a house update. I am posting the updates whenever I have something to share....and it happens to be Monday...I'm not committing to a schedule. 

I spent the weekend obsessing over sconces. I will be having four sconces flanking the two mirrors in my future master bath. 

Mark Williams Design

CW Design

JCA Architects

I know two of the images only have 3 sconces...it's late and I'm tired. I've been looking for a prom dress in-between all of this.  

I find the entire subject of a master bath, an interesting one. It is a place for luxury, for sure, but who will actually see it? Other than us? Reminding myself of this, while I shop, helps me keep things in perspective. There will definitely be some splurges in here, but also some cost saving items, too. 

Case in point....reasonably priced sconces. 

1

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2

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3

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4

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5

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6

I decided to go with number 3. Hopefully, by the time it arrives, I will have more progress. Here's how the bathroom looks today. 

Eight weeks until move in.....ready or not!

House Update

My

future home

looks like a bomb hit it. Construction is moving along, and important decisions are being made somewhat on the fly. Let me walk you through it. 

When you first walked in the door, you were looking at a wall that was the kitchen (behind it) on the left, and living room on the right. 

One structural engineer consultation, and the wall was removed. So much better.

Scaffolding to reroute a/c and electrical.

This is were the important decisions need to made. My architect recommended that we reframe the ceiling so that there will be symmetry in the new living room (on the left). That would require the ceiling near the front door (skylight) to be lowered to an eight foot height, and made flat. I love the feeling of vaulted ceilings when I enter the front door. 

The temporary sink is approximately the center of my new kitchen. As you can see, the highest point in the existing ceiling won't be centered.....do I care? Will it bother me? Do I really want to lower it?

Like most design decisions, I turned to the internet for inspiration. All I needed were a few great images with off-centered ceilings to confirm keeping it this way. You cannot believe how difficult it was to find rooms....of any kind.....as in.....impossible. And then, I realized I was spelling asymmetrical wrong. Two 'M's' in symmetrical? Since when? 

Source

Kim E. Courtney

Via

Feldman Architects

I think I'm going to keep the taller ceiling and live with the asymmetry. What would you do?

My Next Project....Our Home

Hello, and happy 2015! I love the start of a new year, and it helps when the weather is 80 degrees. When we last parted, I told you that we purchased a home....and here it is. 

There are windows behind those overgrown hedges, on the right. These are the images that came with the home. I have plenty more to

bore

entertain you with, as this project unfolds. 

There are tall ceilings in most of the rooms. Of course the carpeting will not be staying. There is also a shutter theme throughout the house. 

I'm not sure what will become of the dining room?...more shutters.

The current family room opens to the kitchen and breakfast area. You can't tell from this picture, but there is a pretty yard area beyond that solid wall?!

The home was built in the 80's, and I don't think it was updated since that time. 

I am in the process of confirming a contract with an architect, and we both agree that the kitchen needs to move....or at least be reconfigured. Do you like the tile? That layer was applied on top of the original tile. No extra charge for the second layer :).

More carpeting....bye, bye. 

I would love to have the ceilings in the kids rooms raised. 

High ceilings and plenty of room in the master bedroom. Shutters, shutters, shutters???

No words....sledge hammer, stat.

Even the pool needs some TLC. I do love the shape of it. 

Are you familiar with a pool cage? It's the screen system that encloses the pool. There are pros and cons to the enclosure.....I'm not sure how this area will unfold. 

There are plans that need to be drawn, permits to be filed, and lots of work to be done. I'm excited and a little bit nervous about this huge undertaking. Naples, is in a hurricane zone, and this home has no protection. Yikes! I'll be sharing the entire process with you. I hope you stick around for the next chapter in my life. 

I would love to hear your thoughts on what you would do with this home. 

Naples Real Estate for Me?

I was trying really hard for today to be about our new home. Although we are getting close to some housing news, I am not able to confirm or deny my own gossip about finding a house. The truth is, the seller's son is being a real jerk a worthy adversary in our negotiations. It is taking more than a village to make this happen. It is taking the best team in real estate. 

I thought I would share with you some pictures of a stunning beach house that I can't afford. It's always free to look and dream. This home is one of the many listings my real estate agent, Michael Lawler, has on his site. 

A couple of months ago, I decided to take my own advice, and work with the number one agent in the area. You may remember when I featured this property, or a different version of this one.

I approached Michael and his team to take me on as a client. Can you imagine how I came across in person after unsuccessfully hunting for real estate in Naples for over a year? Not to mention the fact that they sell luxury real estate....and , well....I was trying really hard to find one level above a teardown property. Did I mention I was also trying to get on a GREAT street? Oh, and I could quote sale prices based on square footage value for every home I rejected. I was fun. 

Maybe he was too afraid to say "no"? From the moment I became a client, things started happening, fast. The very first home he showed me, became a strong contender. Unfortunately, that one was too much of a project. 

I worked closely with everyone on his team. They were amazing, heard what I was saying, and kept going....until. I almost settled on a property that was not where I really wanted to live. After visiting it three times, I just couldn't do it. The next day, a home on one of my favorite streets, came on the market. We were all over it, and within 48 hours, had it locked up. 

Since there are still some issues to be worked out, and it's never really over until closing, I won't be sharing pictures, just yet. 

Now, can we talk about the Charles Edwards lanterns in the photo below?! They remind me of the lanterns in my former dining room......that moved with me! Note to self, design a room and ceiling treatment around two pagoda lanterns. 

All Images Courtesy of Michael Lawler Real Estate

You can see more of this amazing beach house, here. And if you like looking at this type of real estate eye candy, Michael is now on Instagram! 

Happy Birthday to my Father-In-Law! He would hate it if I told you his age. Love ya!