The Evolution of Laundry Rooms: Function, Design and Future
The laundry room has seen significant changes over the years. What used to be a spot that was shut away and ignored until it was time for chores is now a multifunctional space designed to be both beautiful and efficient.
According to the National Association of Home Builder’s 2019 edition of the What Home Buyers Really Want report, an overwhelming 91 percent of all buyers want a laundry room included in their home – more than any other home or community feature. Of those, 54 percent consider it to be essential. It is the highest-ranking feature in the category, and 37 percent rank them desirable.
5 Organizational Tricks to Make Your Pantry Less Cluttered
Here are five tips for maximizing space and keeping your pantry organized.
- Think Vertically. Add hooks and a shower caddy to the inside of your door to hang items. Hang oven mitts on the hooks, and store onions and potatoes in the caddy racks.
- Use Clear Bins. It’s much easier to stay organized when you can see items. Use one clear bin to hold packets, such as taco seasoning or gravy mixes, and others to keep snacks organized.
- Use Clear, Stackable Storage Containers. Transfer nuts, granola and other items into clear mason jars, and use stackable plastic bins to store flour, rice, breadcrumbs and cacao powder.
- Use Crates with Wheels. If your pantry has “dead space” between the floor and the lowest shelf, a wooden crate with wheels gains you some additional storage. This is the perfect solution for those “buy in bulk” items or your reusable grocery bags.
- Add a Lazy Susan. If the corner of your cupboard is a black hole, add a lazy Susan. Not only does it maximize this area, it also keeps all items visible and accessible.
How to Measure Your Space for a Washer Dryer Pair
Before you buy your new washer and dryer, be sure it will fit your space. Taking accurate measurements of your hook-up location will ensure quick and efficient delivery and installation.
Step 1: Measure the space.
Measure the height (top to bottom), width (side to side) and depth (front to back) of your space.
If purchasing front-load machines with pedestals, make sure you include the pedestals in your height measurement.
Exploring the Spacious Kitchen Pantry
The kitchen pantry: This once hidden, forgotten space now plays a significant role in today’s kitchen design and functionality. Pantries come in all shapes and sizes — from small closets with just a few shelves to large, complimentary rooms that house floor-to-ceiling shelves, countertops and cupboards.
Project Spotlight: Bringing New Life to an Older Home
Mark and Diana loved their home – the location, the quiet street, the school district – but were feeling the need for more space for their family and for entertaining. They wanted to bring new life into an older home. A larger, more efficient kitchen and a spacious family room were the main features they desired since most of their family time was spent in those two rooms. Updating the exterior and giving the home a fresh, modern look was also important to them.
The home featured a kitchen and family room in the rear of the house. A 23’ x 23’ family room addition was built behind the existing family room. The new family room features a 14’ high coffered ceiling, an abundance of windows, and a floor to ceiling fireplace, giving it an open expansive feel. The existing family room is now an eating area off the kitchen. Mark and Diana decided to keep the fireplace in that area, giving it a warm, cozy feel. They had seen pictures of bookshelves they liked, and Skip duplicated that look by building custom cabinetry on either side of the fireplace. By reworking a wall connected to an adjacent mudroom, they were able to enlarge the size of the kitchen. The stunning new kitchen features two islands, a double wall oven and a built-in-refrigerator cabinet. Displaying white, gray and stained cabinets, and light champagne fixtures and hardware, this kitchen speaks genuine elegance.
Last, but not least, Mark and Diana wanted the exterior of their home to feel as elegant and updated as the interior of their home. The brick was painted gray, and a new front door, columns and light fixtures were added. The existing roof over the porch was replaced with a standing seam roof, and new shrubbery replaced the large, overgrown plants.
The homeowners are thrilled with the results of their renovation project. They love how the first-floor flows with the kitchen and new family room. The new cabinetry, trim work, flooring, stair railing and coffered ceiling turned out exactly as they had envisioned.
“We appreciated all the time and effort that the Metzler team put into helping us renovate our home, including the design, feel, layout, and the small details,” said Mark and Diana. “Tim and Janet were very helpful with design ideas, and Mike did a great job managing the project. We appreciated all the communication from Metzler’s to make everything go as smoothly as possible!”
Your Front Door: A Home’s Great First Impression
There’s a saying “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” That saying certainly holds true when it comes to the front door on your home. Your front door will give visitors a good idea of what they can expect when they enter your home. Besides being a visual statement, it can add curb appeal and value to your home.
There are a number of factors to consider when choosing a front door. There are solid wood doors and fiberglass doors, and both types can be either stained or painted. Doors come in an endless number of styles with various panel shapes and sizes. Glass panels and sidelight doors are popular choices because they allow natural light into the home. And last, but not least, choosing your door’s decorative hardware wisely will put the finishing touch on the entrance to your home.
There’s no better time to upgrade your front door and improve the look of your home. With more options than ever to choose from, you can add immediate value and beauty to your home. Take a look at the variety of doors a few of our recent customers have chosen.
How Secure Is Your Garage Door?
When you close your overhead garage door, do you assume that your home is secure? For the most part, it probably is, but there are a few ways crooks can still get through. Consider these measures to make sure your home is locked tight:
Look at the service door. The service door, or side door on your garage, is often one of the easiest points of entry for a burglar. Make sure the door has a deadbolt and a heavy-duty strike plate, as should all exterior doors in your home.
Install a garage door sensor. Sometimes your garage door security is compromised simply because someone forgot to close the door. This is where a sensor and monitor come in. Attach the sensor to the garage door and then place the monitor somewhere inside your house. If the garage door is open, the monitor will let you know.
Remove clickers from your vehicle. If you park a vehicle in the driveway, make sure you do not leave your garage door remotes in your vehicles (e.g., on the visor or center console). A thief can break into your car for entry into your house. Opt for a key-ring remote, which you can find online by typing in your garage door brand followed by “remote.”
Use an old-fashioned lock. If you are going to be away from your home for an extended period of time, you may want to lock your garage door track. Simply drill a hole in your garage door track just above one of the rollers and fasten a padlock through the hole. Even if a robber can fish the garage door lock open from the outside, he will not be able to actually roll up the door.
Install a smart home door opener. These high-tech garage door openers come with built-in security features such as monitors and lighting controls – all connected to your smartphone. This means that from anywhere, you can make sure your garage door is closed and your home is secure.
Source: The Family Handyman, Garage Security Tips
Smart Kitchen Technology
If you are thinking about renovating your kitchen, one consideration you’ll have is whether to replace your old appliances with new ones. If it’s been a few years since you’ve gone appliance shopping, be prepared to be amazed at what’s available today.
New kitchen technology comes in both high-tech and low-tech options, but the one thing they all have in common is that they make working in the kitchen much easier and more enjoyable.
Smart Kitchen Technology:
Ovens
Ovens are getting quite sophisticated. Some are “two ovens in one,” where dishes can be cooked at two different temperatures simultaneously. Others are a combination of convection heating with a burst from microwave elements to cook foods faster. Some steam foods, which is particularly helpful for those cooks who want to retain vitamins and nutrients that would be lost with other cooking methods. And some are WiFi capable, allowing you to control your oven with your smartphone.
Cooktops
Induction cooktops – short for “electromagnetic induction” – have grown in popularity because they appeal to those who want a flat ceramic cooking surface (for ease in cleanup), speed in cooking and improved safety. Induction cooktops require a special pot where the bottom of the pan is magnetic, and once the burner is turned on, a magnetic field of energy is created. This heats the pan and cooks the food without the actual burner becoming warm.[1]
Samsung recently introduced a smart induction range top where their Virtual Flame™ is simply an array of blue LED lights that give the visual of gas cooking (pictured above). Their latest induction range tops also offer WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. Learn more >>>
Refrigerators
Smart refrigerators are perhaps the most recognized advancement in the field of smart home appliances because TV commercials are abundant. Here are a few of the fun new smart features you can find incorporated into the latest fridges:
- Cameras are mounted inside so when you are grocery shopping, you can use the app to see if you have all of the ingredients.
- Refrigerators tell you when a product has reached its expiration date.
- Models allow different compartments to be set at different temperatures.
- Samsung has created a refrigerator that has an interactive panel on the outside of the door that becomes your family’s “command center.” It features calendars, message boards, a grocery list, photo sharing features and more. Learn more >>>
- GE has created a fridge with a built-in Keurig Brewing System with voice-control assistance. Learn more >>>
Dishwashers
Many manufacturers have integrated smart technology into their dishwashers, too. Most smart dishwashers allow you to start the dishwasher remotely, monitor cycle times/status, lock and unlock controls and even tell you if your rinse agent is low – all through a smartphone app.
Bosch created the PerfectDry dishwasher that uses natural Zeolith drying technology that absorbs the humidity so your dishes come out dry – even your pesky plastic ones. Learn more >>>
Microwaves
Like ovens, microwaves have come a long way since their introduction. We’ve already seen transformations in where the microwave is located in the kitchen – including over-the-range, countertop, and built-in models, as well as microwave/oven combos.
Some of today’s microwaves can steam food or make food crispy with a combination convection oven, like the Breville Quick Touch™ series (pictured here). Additionally, microwaves are becoming smarter, and many come with hundreds of recipes and can weigh the dish it’s heating, taking the guesswork out of cooking time.
A final thought: While smart technology is fun, it can also increase the cost of an appliance. Keep in mind what features you’ll actually use for each appliance. If you are in the market for a new appliance, we don’t recommend that you shop based on smart features alone, but they could help you choose between two similar models.
*Photos used in this article are from the manufacturers.
Samsung Induction Cooktop Source: https://www.samsung.com/us/home-appliances/cooktops-and-hoods/induction-cooktops/30–built-in-induction-cooktop-with-flex-cookzone–nz30k7880ug-aa/
Breville Microwave Source: https://www.breville.com/us-encollections/microwave-ovens/products/the-quick-touch-crisp?variant=33986810193
Project Spotlight: Award-Winning Parade of Homes in Willow Bend Farm
Our 2019 Parade of Homes entry exceeded our expectations this year! This home won every award in its category – Best Exterior, Best Interior Design, Best Kitchen, Best Bath, Best Decorated and Best of Show. We are also delighted that this home was awarded Honorable Mention for the Fulton Award. This award, named after Fulton Bank who sponsors the event, is given to the home with the highest overall score.
Located in the Willow Bend Farm Community just south of Lancaster, this single-family home combined industrial and farmhouse accents. Many custom touches were added throughout the home, and they were designed and built by Skip Butler – a longtime employee of Metzler Home Builders. These unique additions made it a stunning one-of-a-kind home.
The foyer featured a transom window in the hallway leading into the main living area, giving it a light, airy feel. The powder room off the foyer boasted a custom wood top and vessel bowl, shiplap on the walls and a black decorative mirror to match the faucet.
The kitchen showcased beautiful gray cabinets with a white quartz countertop and subway tile. Floating shelves on either side of the range, glass wall cabinets and a farm sink gave this kitchen a charming farmhouse feel. A favorite feature of many was the spacious pantry with a sliding barn door.
A gorgeous fireplace was the focal point of the family room. With stone surrounding the fireplace, a custom mantel, columns and shiplap were all added to enhance the beauty.
A unique feature of our Parade Home was two tables provided by YZ Lancaster. The dining table and the coffee table, both live-edge and custom-crafted specifically for our home, brought an extra element of beauty to the décor.
A spacious master suite provided a retreat for relaxing and winding down at the end of a busy day. A soaking tub and tile shower were included in the master bath.
Last, but not least, we went outside the box with an industrial-style finished basement that we staged as a game room. The exposed ceiling joists were painted black to further enhance the industrial “vibe” of the space, We had never finished a basement before for a Parade home, but with the walk-out doors to a lower level patio, it was the perfect set-up to do so. And finishing off this area provided 700 extra square feet of living space.
We are truly grateful to the Building Industry Association of Lancaster County for organizing this event each year. We have participated in the Parade of Homes every year since 1993, and we find it’s the perfect way to showcase our talent and our product!
