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Of all the rooms in a home, the kitchen is where home buyers place the highest priority in terms of functionality, streamlined design, and where they are most likely to choose top-of-the line materials. According a recent Realtor.com report, homes that include a "killer kitchen” sell 8% faster than similar-sized homes in the same area. Because the kitchen has emerged as a key player in home sales, it offers a distinct opportunity for builders to stand out from the competition by replacing conventional materials—such as granite, marble, or tile—with decorative concrete. In addition to its natural virtues of durability, sustainability, and ease...

Vinyl is one the most popular flooring options available. If you’ve used it before, or experienced it in another home or office then you already know why. For those reading and don’t already know; vinyl is readily effective in a variety of options, it resists water, wears well and doesn’t tire over time. More importantly, it’s much easier to install yourself than carpet and any sort of wood flooring. Take a dive into this article to discover a how-to guide and some helpful tips on how to install vinyl flooring in your home. Proper vinyl installation starts with careful planning...

Most kitchens are woefully underlit. Lighting is often an afterthought, yet even when it’s carefully planned, designers and lighting experts often don’t agree on which lamps work best in particular fixtures and where those fixtures should be located. In what follows, I’ll look at factors such as the number of fixtures and the type of lamps (bulbs) used, but I’m particularly interested in the size and location of recessed can lights. I’ve written about this before (see “The Right Way to Light a Kitchen"), but I recently measured comparative light levels on actual jobsites, and the data backs up my...

Aside from equipment breakdowns, few phrases are more likely to provoke a kitchen or bath remodel than the phrase “this looks dated.” Styles and tastes evolve constantly. So, to help keep you up to date, here are six trends to consider incorporating when your clients say they want a fresh look. Blue Cabinets Color blocking—pairing opposites on the color wheel to make complementary color combinations—is common in fashion design. Now the practice is making its way to the home design space in the form of colored cabinets. Several Design Award submissions incorporated bold-colored cabinets. Sharp blues were a common color used...

As unusually cold weather plagues large parts of the country, homeowners from South Carolina to Michigan (and even Texas) are worried about frozen, busted pipes flooding their homes, causing thousand of dollars of damage. “Water damage from busted, frozen pipes can be devastating in more ways than just the flooding,” says Jeff Dudan, CEO and founder of North Carolina-based remediation company AdvantaClean. “There can be structural damage, plus an immediate potential for deadly mold. A crack in a pipe no longer than the cuticle on your ring finger can dump hundreds of gallons of water into a home, creating more than one disaster.” Home...