Download - 2011 Fall Home Improvement

Wednesday, September 28, 2011The Lynden Tribune & Ferndale Record present

A supplement of the Lynden Tribune and Ferndale Record

2011

Home ImprovementHome ImprovementFeaturing

Samuel’s Furniture sharestips on seasonal transitions .... C3

Rejuvenated Bryce Parkselling in north Lynden .......... C13

Fall

Wiersma

Schulz

FALL HOME IMPROVEMENTC2 Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011 | Ferndale Record

C3Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011 | Ferndale RecordFALL HOME IMPROVEMENT

Lou Kirkendall and Bob Dodge (upper photo) inspect the bottom of a chair made by the Amish. In all, 34 Amish craftsmen make furniture purchased by Samuel’s and they put their name on the bottom of every item made. Small decor touches (lower photos) can significantly change a room, Kirkendall said. — Ferndale Record | GLORIA DAWN IRWIN

By Gloria Dawn IrwinFor the Ferndale Record

FERNDALE — As the summer months give way to fall, our children head back to school, our activities move indoors and our minds turn to the com-ing holiday season. Preparing your home for guests and family can be an opportu-nity to reevaluate the look and feel of a particular room or your entire home, but updating aesthetics doesn’t necessarily mean an entire remodel. Bob Dodge, of Samuel’s Furniture in Ferndale, said shorter, darker days can change the look and feel of rooms in your once well-lit home, but simple changes such as such adding a floor lamp or a vi-brant area rug can help transition your home into the fall season.

Restyle your look Dodge said, that homeowners com-ing into Samuel’s are greeted by a sup-portive team of staff and interior design-ers who ask the right questions to help individuals achieve just the look they want. “The big question is, ‘what are you trying to achieve in this room?'” Dodge said. “We will focus on who is using the room and what the room is used for.” Samuel’s employee Lou Kirkendall has been the lead designer on over 800 homes in Washington and she said she always strives to give homeowners in-formed and detailed choices. “The whole experience boils down to communication,” Kirkendall said. “To understand what direction they want to go, I will ask them how many people they want to seat, what kind of woods and fabrics they like, and how far they want to expand on the idea.” Other things to consider include whether to purchase items from the showroom floor or to select a custom piece and planning for delivery and set-up to ensure the new look will be ready in time for that holiday party. According to Kirkendall, the first step is for homeowners to select a room, identify their needs for the space and have clear expectations for the end re-sult. “My job is to make it logical. If they need a wheelchair to go through the house, then I take that into consider-ation. If they have small children, dogs or cats, it all comes into play,” she said.

Changing trends Dodge said that for the past several, years dark, heavy furniture has been in style, but slowly that trend is reversing and lighter, airy colors are growing in popularity. About 90 percent of Samuel’s customers are interested in the North-

Samuel’s Furniture shares tips on seasonal transitions

west style, he said, which focuses on items that are comfortable, casual and rustic. Already this fall the cozy colors — shades of grays, linen tones and neu-trals — have emerged as popular. Current fabric trends center on linens, easy care fabrics and microfibers, said Kirkendall. Microfibers need to be thoroughly con-sidered because it can be a good choice for some and not for others, she said, de-pending on how many people are in the home and if there are small children or pets. “It’s all about neutral grays with a splash of red,” Kirkendall said. But more than going into a room and starting from scratch, Kirkendall said, good design is about taking what is already there and using it as part of the design such as coupling a simple line sofa with grandmother’s antiques.

“You would be surprised how a dif-ferent throw rug, matching pillows and a new painting can change the room,” Kirk-endall said. “You have a whole new room each season.”

Setting up the room Dodge said, that sometimes a spe-cial item may just be on the wrong wall or tucked away and a simple reorganiza-tion may be all a room needs to showcase a new design. Kirkendall said that after planning a room she will give the homeowner a diagram. Once the items are ready to be delivered, she will check the order to en-sure all the items are accounted for and that movers are aware of particular place-ments. “A room comes together perfectly when things are so many feet from some-thing else and the angle is just right,”

Kirkendall said.

Maintenance is year-round Dodge said maintaining home furni-ture and décor is a year-round task that, done routinely, will prolong the life of your look. “Wood is like the pores on your hand and you have to make sure to maintain it often,” Dodge said. The biggest challenge for both wood and fabric is dust, which has particles that can cut into surfaces both hard and soft. “Fabric will break down when dust par-ticles get in it and start cutting into it, so you need to vacuum your upholstery and clean your wood,” Dodge said. Samuel’s will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this October. For more infor-mation, contact Samuel’s Furniture at (360) 384-3388 or visit samuelsfurniture.com. The store is located at 1904 Main St., Ferndale.

Fall is the time to cozy up


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That first chilly autumn morning is the perfect reminder that when winter arrives it can be sudden, possibly leaving homeowners unprepared for the plumb-ing problems associated with cold weath-er. The number of frozen pipe claims nearly tripled nationally from 2008 to 2009, to more than 26,000 claims. This hassle and extra expense is easily prevent-ed with a couple hours of weekend chores or a quick call to your local plumber. People in northern states should take preventive action to protect their plumb-ing systems by late October. Failure to prepare early might prove costly when pipes freeze. These 10 tips could save you a bundle and are worth heeding between raking leaves and carving pumpkins: • Disconnect outside water hoses. If left connected during freezing tem-peratures, water in hoses will freeze and expand, causing connecting faucets and pipes to freeze and break. • Inspect outside faucets. If dripping or leaking, make the necessary repairs or call a plumber before a freeze. • If your home is equipped with in-terior shut-off valves leading to outside faucets, close them and drain water from the pipes. • Cover outside faucets using an inex-

pensive faucet insulation kit. • Insulate pipes in unheated areas. Apply heat tape or thermostat-controlled heat cables around exposed pipes. • Make sure your furnace is set no lower than 55 degrees during the winter to prevent pipes from freezing. Note that when pipes freeze, water pressure builds, causing cracks no matter whether the pipe is made of plastic, copper or steel. Even a tiny crack can unleash 250 gallons of wa-ter in a single day. • Your water heater works harder dur-ing winter months. Drain corrosion-caus-ing sediment from the tank, which reduc-es energy efficiency if it’s not removed. • Set water heater thermostat to 120 F for optimum performance without risk of scalding. • Clear any leaves and debris from roof gutters and downspouts to ensure proper drainage throughout the winter season. • Inspect and clean sump pit. Remove any rocks and debris from pit, then dump a bucket of water into the sump pit to test the pump. If it turns on and pumps water out and then turns itself off, it is operating properly. Visit www.RotoRooter.com/plumb-ing-basics to view an instructional video on winter plumbing preparation and what to do in the event that a pipe does burst.


See WIERSMA on C6

LYNDEN — Wes and Erin Wiersma aren’t too con-cerned about what their new Lynden home looks like from the outside. Don’t get them wrong, they did what they could to make it inviting, but it was the space — maximized open space — on the inside that held the couple’s focus. Not only did the Wiersmas tuck a 2,100-square-foot home onto a cul-de-sac lot many thought “unbuildable” because of how narrow it was, but they also eked out use-ful space throughout the two-story home fit exactly to their liking. And now they wouldn’t change a thing about what they did — certainly a dream scenario. Wes, owner of Wiersma Construction Inc., was the builder of the home and with multiple projects already in his portfolio, the Lynden couple had a well-thought-out starting point before they sat down to draw out the plans for a home they planned to live in (and not just build for someone else). “We learned along the way how we wanted to mix the space,” Wes said. “I wouldn’t change a thing.” The home feels bigger than it is — not that 2,100 square feet is intrinsically small — and that is largely due

Lynden home gets wise with space, opening up a variety of possibilities

Ultimate comfortto the customized open space that hits you from the front door. Due to the tight footprint at the front of the trian-gle-shaped lot, the Wiersmas were locked into a certain look up front. But they did dress it up with stylized garage doors, fashionable lighting, concrete pavers on the walk-way and rock on the front of the home. “We came to the realization that the front was going to look a certain way,” Wes said. “We were okay with the outside. It is inside where we wanted it to pop. We don’t live in the driveway. We live in here.” So pop it does. Right away, the home takes a typical size and gives it a more custom, open feel by tying together the great room, dining room and kitchen all in one. “We wanted something very warm and cozy,” Erin said. “We have two kids and a dog, so it had to be family friendly and we wanted people to come in, put their feet up and relax.” The great room includes a stone fireplace in the cor-ner, eagerly giving off a comfortable atmosphere. From

Story by Tim Newcomb Photos by Mark Reimers

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Wiersma: Fireplace key to easy atmosphereContinued from C5

See ROOMS on C8

the entry, visitors can see through the great room into the side-by-side dining room and kitchen, with massive 20-foot distressed fir posts and beams as the bar-rier between. With dark stained four-inch red oak floor tying from the entry all the way past the carpeted great room to the dining and kitchen, the beams — distressed by roll-ing them through the cul-de-sac street out front and mangled with rocks and ham-mers — were also stained dark to set off the open space. “We were going for a rustic flair,” Wes said. “We tried it in a previous home and it worked really well, so we incorporated it.” Large, black bolts add to the look. And a small version of the beam serves as a fireplace mantel, tying in the look not only from the great room to the kitchen, but also outside, where more beams — al-though not distressed — play prominently on both the front and back porches. If the open space serves as the stage, the kitchen is the star. The dark stain (do you see the trend here?) on the knotty alder cabinets plays against the artistic oversized island, clad in a glazed white finish. Offsetting the colors of the cabinets from Riverside Cabinets and the island of-fered a chance to give a custom look with-out costing tons of extra money. “It makes it different than the average kitchen,” Erin said. “The island looks like a piece of fur-niture.” Wes said, “The little stuff can set it apart.” The Wiersmas selected “moving stone” granite, highlighted with dark gray, a style of granite that looks as though it “has a story with character.” That granite plays throughout the house, as the couple utilized every part of the two slabs. Erin said the design of the kitch-en centers around the oversized island (about seven by three-and-half feet), a place where the family spends most of its time. From there, the space proves func-tional, including tucking in a pantry in the corner to break up the all-cabinet look and wedging an office nook off to the far side. With so much located in what seems like one space, the family stays together for a variety of the daily activities. But the entire house isn’t just the main open space. Off the kitchen, and tying to the two-car garage, is the oversized laundry room, which gives the family a chance to hang coats and sit down to take off dirty shoes. Erin said a lot of thought actually went into that room and, just like the rest


The wide-open great room/dining room/kitchen concept, as seen on the facing page, pulls visitors into the Wiersma home immediately. The kitchen prominently features an oversized island (above middle), while the distressed beams with metal work separating the dining area from the great room add rustic intrigue. The bonus room, top right, is situated about the garage, the master bath uses unconventional cabinets and mirrors to give a personalized touch and a mirror in the great room appears to open the space. The front of the house, left, serves merely as the springboard to the “cozy” interior.


Rooms: A reason for the details Continued from C6

of the home, storage is tucked anywhere possible, including underneath the stair-way that works as a perfect home for the family dog. And on the other side of the kitchen, nestled in the back of the house, is the master bedroom. In the construction business, the couple often places masters on the main floor for the resale appeal. While the room itself holds nothing extravagant, Wes created an architectural piece by completely adorning the far wall, which can also be seen from the great room, with an antique-stained hemlock. The half-inch by six-inch hemlock boards were stained dark and then sanded down to give an antique finish, offering a stylish twist on four walls of sheetrock. As expected, the master bathroom has a walk-in shower and two sinks on top of tile. Erin used a furniture-looking cabinet instead of a traditional cupboard system and opted for framed mirrors on the wall, a stylized step up from a simple slab of glass. “I think it adds a lot of character,” she said. Wes said they really tried, with the help of JWR Design, to keep the home

Above: Making use of every possible cranny in the design, the Wiersmas added a closet — complete with a play-sized door that can eventually be removed for a full-size version — in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Right: Clockwise, from top left: A look from the play room above the garage; the master bedroom, with plenty of natural light; the handmade antique hemlock wall that gives personality to the master bedroom; the second upstairs bedroom; and extra space aplenty in the bonus room. — Lynden Tribune | MARK REIMERS

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See OUTDOORS on C10

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looking like a rambler from the outside, not a two-story house. So they worked in-side the trusses for the second story, add-ing in two bedrooms, a bathroom and a bonus room above the garage. “If you are buying trusses to put on the garage, sometimes just a couple hun-dred bucks more gives you a full bonus room,” Wes said about finishing out that space as a play room for their two young children. In keeping with the theme of finding space wherever he could, Wes saw an op-portunity to build into wasted space in one of the bedrooms, creating a “secret room” with a mini-door (which is framed for a full-size door in case the family wants to make a switch later on). The Wiersmas knew what they were getting into on the inside, having dis-sected every decision from the start to create what they knew they wanted, but they have been most pleasantly surprised by the outside ever since moving into the house in May. While the backyard opens onto a somewhat busy Benson Road, the west-facing yard also affords views of pasture land and stellar sunsets. The south-facing yard also gets drenched in sunshine. To maximize entertaining space out-side — and spill out from the dining room — a small porch that houses the barbecue gives way to a simple concrete patio be-fore joining the fenced-in yard. Pairing the patio with a fire pit pro-vides plenty of chances to enjoy the out-side entertaining space in a variety of ways, from barbecues to playing on the grass to s’mores over the fire. “We finally got the outdoor space that


Outdoors: Playhouse is ideal kids space Continued from C9

The Wiersma outdoor space offers a variety of functions, including entertaining space on the patio, a fire pit and a kids’ dream playhouse. — Lynden Tribune | MARK REIMERS

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had been years in the making,” Wes said. And the kids have what they want outside too, with a complete playhouse. It helps to have your dad as a builder, as Wes even had the playhouse fitted with electricity (it houses the sprinkler system panel), sheetrock, siding and a real roof, giving the kids a mini-version of the fam-ily home. Wes built a utility shed into the side of the house, a chance for him to shift outdoor equipment out of sight. Erin said the playhouse allows her to let the kids loose with play dough and paint without her needing to worry about the home’s interior. And while the outdoor space has proven the most surprising success, the Wiersmas knew from the start that maxi-mizing the space inside would prove most enjoyable. “There is nothing we would change,” Wes said. “It’s great.” Email Tim Newcomb at [email protected].


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Houses are taking shape at a brisk pace in Bryce Park, a 64-unit retirement community off Aaron Drive in Lynden. Everkept Construction is the builder, Windermere the selling agency. — Lynden Tribune | CALVIN BRATT

Calvin BrattTribune editor

LYNDEN — The houses are popping up in Bryce Park, in case you haven’t checked lately. From its launch in 2008, the 55-and-over housing community in north Lynden is definitely in a fresh surge. Building crews are working at various stages on many houses, while a Wind-ermere Real Estate team of four is busy hosting open houses and selling. “We’re trying to get this project up and off the ground and running,” said Jeff Baker, one of the specialists with Windermere. Overall, an “active adult” neigh-borhood of 64 dwellings is mapped out. Close to half of the 40 single-fam-ily houses encircling the plat have been built, while in the center will be 24 units in six quads in proximity to a park and clubhouse. The plat off Aaron Drive between Vinup and Line roads found new own-ership this summer, and along with the building and sales push has come the addition of lifestyle services supporting a retirement population. WORC Senior Lifestyle Services is able to assist with house cleaning, meal preparation, errands and shopping, transportation, even pet care and relo-cation services. Bryce Park will coordinate activities and amenities through a clubhouse set-ting to insure a community that fosters social, physical and emotional well-be-ing, touts a new ad — and Baker said the clubhouse is due to break ground shortly and may be completed by January. The Lynden site is modeled after the Correll Commons retirement com-munity in Ferndale, offering both inde-pendent and assisted-living accommo-dations, with the idea of giving residents “peace of mind that they can stay in their home as long as they want.” Cathryn Carpenter, services admin-istrator, said this is all really a niche be-tween independent living and some lev-el of assistance. Residents who are fully active may not need or want the help at first, but they may later on, she said. It’s the person’s choice whether she wants to clean floors anymore or he wants to do yard maintenance — “addi-tional services can be added as needed,” Carpenter said. “Most people are still extremely ac-tive these days,” she said. “I’m pretty

Lifestyle services support 55-and-over population; Ferndale’s Correll Commons is the model

proud of what we’re offering. We think we’re going to bring a very nice element to Lynden.” With Correll Commons’ 56 units now close to built out and occupied, Senior Lifestyle Services is in place there and the amenities will also come to the Garden Green condos soon to be started by developer WORC on Depot Road in Lynden, she said. WORC stands for Whatcom Op-portunities Regional Center, started in Bellingham in 2006. It is part of an im-migrant investor pilot program allowed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and is developing units of re-tirement residences, its website states. The company president is K. David An-dersson, an immigration attorney. The builder for the balance of Bryce Park is Everkept Construction, a compa-ny formed in 2010 by Bud Ammons, Alex Wynstra and Tim Wiersma, according to its website. At least four floor plans ranging from 1,375 to 1,950 square feet are avail-able, Baker said. One, called Waldon and 1,732 in footage, offers three bedrooms and two and a half baths (master on main floor), hardwood floors, a front of-fice and a two-car garage. Prices start at just under $260,000. The quad units — just one model has been built so far — will be slightly smaller, but offer all the same sup-port services, Baker said. Prices start at $235,000. The whole goal is residential design and support services “so people can stay at home longer,” he said. Email Calvin Bratt at [email protected].

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It’s a common question. If my con-sumption of water remains constant or even goes down because of conservation, why does my rate go up? Unfortunately for consumers, there is no simple answer. A number of factors contribute to fluc-tuating water bills. The primary reasons include the need to repair and/or replace aging water system infrastructure (the tens of thousands of miles of pipes buried underground) and stricter environmental regulations. These factors are coupled with decreases in federal and state funding. While substantial federal support had been available for water and wastewater infrastructure in the past, this support has dropped significantly. This leaves the costs associated with maintaining and expand-ing drinking water systems to the utilities and their ratepayers. Water utilities and their customers face an enormous price to replace old pipes, many of which are at least 50 years old. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates the cost to replace old water distribution systems nationwide to be $400 billion over the next 20 years. At present, the U.S. loses nearly two trillion gallons of clean water annually, at a

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Home lighting more efficient than everCompact fluorescent bulbs can help save energy As the days turn cooler, you’ll be look-ing for easy ways to use less energy and save money. Here are some ideas from the American Lighting Association.

Replace bulbs with CFLs Switch out incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent versions. “A compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) can provide the same amount of light as an incandescent by using only one-quarter of the electricity,” explains Joe Rey-Barreau, education consultant for the ALA and an associate professor at the University of Kentucky’s School of Interior Design. “One of the great myths regarding lighting today is that the federal govern-ment is ‘banning’ incandescent lighting,” Rey-Barreau said. “This is false. Incandes-cent lighting is not being banned. The new legislation is only affecting the standard 100-watt incandescent bulb, which will no longer be sold beginning in 2012. How-

See LIGHTING on C16


Winterize your home by sealing off heat leaks

Random air infiltration through gaps and cracks accounts for 25 to 40 percent of the energy loss in most residential structures. — Courtesy photo

You may not want to think about it, but winter will be here again before we know it. Of course, that means it’s time to turn the heat back on, which can be a strain on your home energy budget. “Older windows are a common culprit of air leakage in the home, but today’s re-placement options have insulating values that are moving closer and closer to the insulating value of a wall,” said Chris Pick-ering, vice president of marketing for Ply Gem Windows. “If your home has original windows, having new energy-efficient ones installed can make a significant difference in comfort, while also saving energy.” For instance, installing highly insulat-ing R-5 windows in a replacement project previously would have been cost-prohibi-tive to most consumers. With new glass technologies now available, windows that achieve R-5 performance (U-value of 0.22 or lower) have become much more afford-able. “Air leakage through holes, gaps, and cracks is another one of the biggest causes of home heating and cooling loss,” said Mike Kontranowski, strategic marketing manager for Dow Building Solutions. “It accounts for a significant amount of the energy used in most homes, with older homes being especially vulnerable to air leaks.” According to the U.S. Department of Energy, random air infiltration through gaps and cracks accounts for 25 to 40 per-cent of the energy loss in most residential structures. Wouldn’t it be great to save on energy and improve comfort in your home, not only this winter, but for many to come? In fact, you can save energy while the weather is still warm because most of the same things you do to seal your home and save heat in winter can also help keep your air conditioning inside during the hot months. To help control air leakage through gaps and cracks larger than two inches, such as where the wall sets on the sub-floor, where pipes and wires go through wall plates, and holes that lead into attics and crawlspaces, products are made by Dow and other companies.

Other ideas: add insulation, wrap water pipes, and clean ducts and gutters of debris

OTHER PROJECTS In addition to sealing your home’s cracks, gaps and window openings, there are many other projects to consider for winterizing your home. Pickering offers some additional tips to prepare your home for the cold weather and beyond. • Add insulation to your attic to reduce heat loss and drafts. • Install glass doors on fireplaces to re-duce drafts and make sure your damper is working properly. • Clean vents, air ducts and replace fil-ters to promote air flow and ease the strain on your heating and cooling system.

• Clean out gutters, and if needed, have professional gutter protection in-stalled to reduce the possibilities of ice damming. If melting ice is unable to drain due to debris buildup, it could seep into the walls and ceilings of your home. Also watch out for autumn leaf buildup in gut-ters and down spouts. • Drain a few gallons from your water heater to remove sediment and help it op-erate more efficiently. • Upgrade to low-maintenance insu-lated vinyl siding to efficiently minimize air leakage, especially between wall studs. • Wrap your hot water pipes in insula-

tion pre-formed for that purpose to reduce heat loss and lessen the workload on your water heater. Because each home differs in the products that will work best to maximize energy efficiency in the winter and year-round, Pickering recommends having an energy audit to decide which winterizing projects are best for your home. Speak with representatives from your local utility company to set up an audit appointment for your house, or look for home energy performance contractors who can provide specific recommendations and perform any recommended improvements.

WHATCOM — The Building Industry Association of Whatcom County invites the public to participate in its fall 2011 classes. All sessions are held at the BIAWC offices, 1650 Baker Creek Place in Bellingham (across the street from the animal shelter in the Irongate industrial area). These two are coming up: • Certified Erosion and Sediment Control Lead train-ing, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 18-19, and CESCL Re-Certification, Oct. 20. If a project disturbs more than an acre of land or is in a subdivision, you probably need a Construction Stormwater General Permit. All such sites now require a Certified Ero-sion and Sediment Control Lead on-call or on-site to in-spect, install and manage stormwater controls. These courses are designed for residential builders, but can be taken by others. For BIAWC members, the cost of the main course is $250; for non-members, $325. The recertifi-

cation course is $175 for members, $250 for non-members. • Built Green Washington’s Green Building for Building Professionals course, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 27-28. Learn how green homes provide buyers with lower en-ergy costs and higher value. Cover strategies for incorporat-ing green-building principles into homes without driving up the cost of construction. Techniques will be discussed for competitively differentiating your home products with increased indoor environmental quality and energy and re-source efficiency. This will be taught by Built Green Washington presi-dent Ted Clifton of LaConner. The cost is $300 for BIAWC and Built Green members, $350 for non-members. To register, make checks payable and return to: Build-ing Industry Association of Washington, P.O. Box 1909, Olympia, WA 98507; call 360-352-7800; or see the website at www.biaw.com.

Courses offered locally on erosion/ sediment control, green building

‘Zone heating’ lets you focus on the rooms you use most

With a vent-free unit, you don’t have to tear out walls As Old Man Winter makes his mighty push, 79 per-cent of Americans expect to pay the same or more to heat their homes compared to last winter, according to a recent survey by the Vent-Free Gas Products Alliance, a section of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrig-eration Institute. To save money on those heating bills, though, home owners can take steps now to stay warmer and more

See HEAT on C24


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ever, an incandescent bulb that uses only 72 watts will replace it. This new bulb uses halogen incandescent technology to pro-duce a more efficient incandescent bulb.”

Install ceiling fans Install a ceiling fan in frequently oc-cupied rooms. Ceiling fans use a fraction of the electricity of an AC unit. Therefore, the thermostat can be raised six degrees — say, to 78 degrees — and make a room feel as comfortable as if the ambient tem-perature were really 72 degrees.

Use lighting controls Lighting controls are an excellent op-tion for saving energy. It is not necessary to invest in a comprehensive control system where the entire house is rewired. There are simple and less-expensive methods for controlling light to save energy, such as motion sensors, photocells that operate according to light levels, timers and dim-mers. Thanks to breaking technology, light-ing has become more efficient than ever before. Visit an ALA-member lighting showroom to receive professional tips on saving energy. To find a local ALA-member showroom, go to www.americanlightin-gassoc.com.

Continued from C14

Lighting: more options than ever

Faucets can be a focal point of the room Do you tend toward traditional de-signs, but like the convenience of modern technology? If so, you’re not alone. Keep your kitchen pretty and polished with these items that pack a modern punch ... but only on the inside. “Our research shows that a tradi-tional style of decorating is still the most popular in the U.S.,” said Judy Riley, vice president of design for Moen. “However, modern styles are running a close sec-ond, especially in the kitchen. So, many consumers are finding the perfect com-promise — by utilizing traditional look-ing products that offer modern conve-niences.” Fortunately, manufacturers of kitch-en products are closely monitoring con-sumer preferences, and now offer several product options — across many catego-ries — that combine modern amenities with traditional charm.

Faucets with added function In one year alone, the average con-sumer washes 11,680 dishes. That’s quite a bit of time spent in and around the sink. So why not make the faucet the focal point of your kitchen? Fortunately, you can do so with style and state-of-the-art technology. While classic, elegant styling show on the outside, it’s the advanced tech-nology on the inside that makes the new Brantford high-arc pulldown faucet from Moen stand apart from the rest. This tra-ditionally designed faucet is the first to offer the new Reflex pulldown system with easy movement and secure docking to keep the spray wand in place. In fact, Reflex makes Moen pulldown faucets at least 40 percent easier to extend than any other pulldown system, all while offering warm, traditional charm to your kitchen. Another hidden benefit in the Brant-ford faucet is its consumer-preferred, multi-function pulldown spray wand. This unique feature has a button, con-cealed on the backside of the wand, which allows users to switch between several water-flow patterns, including aerated spray, stream or Moen’s unique pause button.

Discreet dishwashers Ask any homeowner, and prob-ably the most coveted appliance in their kitchen is the dishwasher. This modern marvel of machinery whisks crumbs and coffee stains from plates and cups in an instant, leaving a bevy of sparkling clean dishes in its wake. But while dishwashers are well loved, they shouldn’t necessarily be the focal point of a kitchen. An integrated or “hidden” dishwash-er is one that is camouflaged with a front panel that matches the existing kitchen surfaces or cabinetry — from wood grain panels to stainless steel and painted wood. Even the handle will often be iden-tical to the cupboard and drawer handles on either side of it.

Subtle storage With so many items to store in such a small space, how can you utilize modern storage solutions without overwhelming your traditionally styled kitchen? Look no further than functional pullout pan-tries, pegged drawer dish organizers and more. These innovative storage devices make the most of cramped cabinetry with slide-out storage, adjustable shelves and pegs that can be customized to fit the

dishes or pots and pans in your pantry or kitchen drawers. Long gone are the days when you had to sacrifice style to allow for modern conveniences. Today’s product designers have a keen eye on consumer behaviors in and around the home — especially the kitchen — to ensure that you truly can have it all, even if you want to keep it a bit hidden.

Keep classic kitchen look with modern convenience

Modern function can be combined with a classic look in kitchen design in a way that suits many homeowners today. — Courtesy photo


Ferndale family sought personalized spacesStory by Tim Newcomb Photos by Mark Reimers

See SCHULZ on C18

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FERNDALE — All roof. That is how Randy Schulz describes big blocky houses. So, he scrapped plans to drop an over-sized box on his more than one acre site off Grandview Road north of Ferndale and opted instead to go with something that had personality, plus plenty of functional space for a family of five. In stepped Lynden designer Craig Tel-genhoff of CLT Architectural Design/Build, who came up with a 3,000-square-foot farmhouse design, complete with three distinct wings all connected by light-in-fused breezeways in a design intended to look as if it evolved over time.

“We knew we wanted something dif-ferent,” Randy said about his and wife Mi-chelle’s hope for the new house, which they moved into in July and are still putting the finishing touches on. “We didn’t want one giant roof. We wanted to break it up.” While the finished size ended up being bigger than they originally planned, all the space in the home serves both the couple and their three active teenagers well. And by being willing to spread out, Telgenhoff said, the family takes advantage

Deconstructing the big box


Schulz: 'Movement' key to building's successContinued from C17

of the landscape. “The driving success is the building’s movement and distinct nodes within the building,” he said. “This house seeks to bring the outside in by allowing itself to move. It is such a shame to drop a box in the middle of a field.” Telgenhoff also wanted the house to fit in with the feel of the area, which is filled with silos and barns. So he created the wings and breezeways to give the house the appearance of being constructed over time, with additions. The main section of the house contains the dominating great room with kitchen and space for dining and an office enclave. At the front door, the home has a large entryway, something the Schulzes wanted so guests feel welcome when they enter (instead of cramped as they had in their

old split-level home). Stained concrete floors run through-out the house, covering radiant-floor heat-ing installed by Andgar Corporation, with the help of Randy, who works there (“Why pay the money for hardwood when you can just stain the concrete and get the du-rability?” he explains.) Not only did Randy help install the heating system, but he lent a hand on other aspects of the project to help defray expenses. The dark floors match with the dark al-der cabinets and black granite that domi-nates the kitchen. To counteract the darkness, clear fir beams give the space both a light and Northwest feel. Upon entering the home, a dining area — unfinished as of yet — lies open to the entry and an office enclave tucks behind a wall on the other side, but is still open to-ward the great room.

Behind the only main wall in the large portion of the house sits a kitchen that spills directly into the great room, taking the open concept to heart. The five-stool granite bar on an over-sized island containing a cooktop really straddles the line between kitchen and great room, which has vaulted window-filled ceilings opening onto views of fields nearby and Mount Baker beyond. With the dining and office ceiling at a regular height, the Schulzes have finished off the space above and put a window over-looking the main great room space. As of now, there is no stair access to the space, but they may put that in instead of the din-ing room table. With a large buffet cabinet feature to the side of the kitchen, the Schulz family has no real need for a formal dining area anyway. All the cabinets and storage in the kitchen, along with the ample counter

space, give Michelle the chance to store and entertain. “I’ve never been able to entertain be-fore and having space for everybody is a big deal,” she said. “I’m even starting to like cooking.” That buffet also sits beneath a pass-through window to the deck outside, a fun feature that has already been used plenty. A short breezeway — flooded with natural light from the windows — leads to the master bedroom wing, complete with its own patio toward the outside and a master bathroom. Randy said the couple went mainly with stock finishes — the granite is stock, the tile is off the shelf, etc. — to keep costs down, but the soaker tub was a splurge Mi-chelle has enjoyed. While no door yet separates the room from the breezeway, that is still coming, Randy promises Michelle, and possibly in


See PLANS on C20

C17 photo: Exterior space is melded together in the design of the Schulz home. C18: With views aplenty, a vaulted ceiling and extra windows help bring the fields — and Mount Baker, in the distance — inside the home. C19: The “breezeway” con-cept, above, helps give the house an interesting design and offers an opportunity for more light. Also the open great room/kitchen concepts keeps the family close; the kitchen ties to the deck with a pass-through window above the buffet; light fir beams offset the darkness of the floors and cabinets; and ample windows help re-mind visitors of the beauty on the outside of the home too.the form of an old barn door. Heading a different direction from the main hub of the great room, a longer breezeway skirts past the deck area — the main outdoor living space — and opens up to the kids’ wing, which then ends up wrap-ping the outdoor space with house on three sides. “By allowing the building to stretch out through the use of the breezeways, it allowed the building to embrace the land-scape and capture outdoor rooms,” Telgen-hoff said. “Those outdoor rooms become harbors from extreme weather conditions. I used the building to provide protection.” The kids’ wing is another harbor, of sorts. A small bonus room has two small bedrooms directly off of it and a third just

steps from it, giving each of the three teen-agers their own distinct space. It is there the kids watch television, play Wii and create their own environment. “It is nice that everyone has their own space, but they tend to migrate to their own space,” Randy said. “I hope to pull every-one back into the living room (with some finishing features).” Michelle said, “I wanted the kids to have their own space. That is a big deal. But I wanted a gathering place too.” To help give a sense of ownership, all the kids collaborated on decorations and furniture, designing it all themselves, hence

Courtesy photo | CLT DESIGN AND BUILD


Plans: Ideas still evolving inside and outContinued from C19

The creation of three distinct wings for the home helps make it look as if it was added on to over time. The only open breezeway on the property connect the house to the three-car garage. Some of the exterior landscaping is still a work in progress, but the main outdoor space can get more continual use, as it is shel-tered from the elements by the home’s design. — Lynden Tribune | MARK REIMERS

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the feeling of a college dorm. Two bedrooms, for the couple’s two daughters, share a jack-and-jill bath. Along the breezeway — with so much light it doesn’t feel at all like a hallway — is an open pantry with a mountain of cabinet space (Michelle said she can actually shop at Costco now that she has storage) and a three-quarter bath, which also serves the third bedroom. Before opening to the kids’ space, a laundry room leads to the breezeway for the garage, almost a fourth wing to the house. Randy wanted the three-car garage to stand alone, whereas Michelle wanted it attached, so the covered breezeway was not only a compromise, but it fit with the theme of the design. The exterior remains a work in prog-ress, even with the front portion of the house now fully landscaped. While there are hopes and dreams of volleyball courts, hot tubs and oversized fire pits, those re-main on the drawing board at this point. The Schulz family did utilize the exper-tise of the Ferndale High School landscap-ing class, which designed and installed the look at the front of the house, to get them started. Throughout the process, the Schulzes wanted to be practical too, saving money on finishes, opting for a high-efficiency new heat-pump system powered by elec-tricity, using blowing-blanket insulation to better fill cavities and planning for the pos-sibility of adding solar panels in the future. And while the Schulz family still has plans for their space to evolve beyond what it is now, the look that it has already evolved to rings true. It is so much more than a big box. It fits the quiet landscape. And it fits the family. Email Tim Newcomb at [email protected].

Courtesy photo | CLT DESIGN AND BUILD


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Wallpaper is still a great option for home beauty Many selections are easy to install and maintain

Wallpaper has improved in all areas over the years. Today’s high-performance, easy-hang wallpaper is easy to hang and remove. — Courtesy Photo

Wallpaper can be a beautiful addition to the home, but some common miscon-ceptions deter people from buying the product. Before purchasing wallpaper, consider the following information from the Wallcoverings Association: MYTH 1: Wallpaper is not a good choice for kitchens and baths. The truth: Kitchens are in fact ideal places to decorate with wall coverings. They look great, and the protective coat-ing on most wallpapers makes them wash-able; many are even scrubbable, so main-tenance is a snap. Because today’s wallpapers can mim-ic any surface — tile, stone, metal — and are designed to coordinate with cabinetry and appliances, they’re an affordable way to update a kitchen. Wallpaper is the best way to spruce up guest bathrooms where there’s no shower, and even in bathrooms with a tub or shower, most wallpapers work well. Just use the proper adhesive ac-cording to the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure it stays put. MYTH 2: Wallpaper is a hassle to hang and remove. The truth: Today’s high-performance, easy-hang wallpaper (many known as “non-wovens”) are easy to hang and re-move — a great alternative to ordinary paint. Installation is quick and requires less patching and sanding, fewer coats

and less waiting time between steps than paint. When it’s time to redecorate, most wallpapers come off easily. MYTH 3: You get tired of wallpaper very quickly. The truth: People are often so pleased with their selection that, on average, they keep the same pattern up for many years (paint has about a three-year life span). And there’s a vast selection, whether you want to highlight one wall with an atten-tion-getting wallpaper or give an entire room a beautiful look. MYTH 4: Wallpaper is a big commit-ment. The truth: If you fear commitment, self-adhesive temporary wall décor prod-ucts are great options. These peel-and-stick products can be mixed, matched and layered, and they’re repositionable and removable, therefore perfect for rentals or dorm rooms. Nor is wallpaper off-limits if you live in a rental. Many lease agreements stipulate that walls must be in move-in condition when the lease is up. Fortunately, today’s easy-hang wallpapers may protect walls from everyday scratches and gouges, so landlords will likely grant permission. No special removal tools are required; simply tug at a corner, and entire sheets are down in minutes without marring walls.

Who wouldn’t like to save money on utility bills this winter? But have you ever considered some of the more common en-ergy-efficient home improvements — like insulating your hot water heater or replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluores-cents — and thought “dullsville”?

Several cost-saving home improvements can also be funSkylights and a fireplace can increase efficiency

Sometimes the act of saving money just isn’t fun enough on its own. Fortunately, you can make home improvements that will trim your utility bills and boost your home’s ap-peal at the same time. Here are four fun home improvements that are surprisingly energy efficient as well: 1. Buy a new dishwasher or clothes washer. Older appliances were not only built to be less energy efficient, they can lose what little efficiency they had as they age. If your appliances are more than 10 years old, they likely use more energy and water than newer models, especially new models that are En-ergy Star-qualified. Dishwashers purchased before 1994 use an additional 10 gallons or more of water per cycle than a new model, according to Ener-gyStar.gov. And if you don’t have a dishwash-er at all, don’t think of buying one as just a luxury. Energy Star says you’ll save 5,000 gal-lons of water and knock $40 per year off your utility bills if you give up washing dishes by hand — not to mention 230 hours of your time. 2. Beautify your bathroom. Kitchens and baths sell homes, but they’re also the rooms where the most water

gets used and wasted. Old fixtures and fau-cets are among the top water-wasting cul-prits in a home. You can conserve water by turning off the tap when you brush your teeth, but that water savings goes down the drain if the toilet runs constantly when you leave the room. Replacing leaky fixtures can reap signifi-cant water savings. Energy Star says a leaky faucet can waste gallons of water. You can also conserve water by install-ing a low-flow showerhead, which can save you as much as 5 gallons of water during a 10-minute shower. Many manufacturers now offer stylish, water-efficient faucets and showerheads. 3. Let the sun shine in. A venting skylight is a fun way to fill your home with nourishing natural light and pas-sive ventilation, but did you know it’s also energy efficient? Installing a venting skylight can help you lower your electric bill by re-ducing your dependency on artificial light and electric fans. Natural light has been tied to a host of health benefits, including improving mood. A skylight not only enhances the energy ef-ficiency of your home, but it adds decorating flair and could make you feel better about

living there. A skylight is also relatively low-cost when it comes to “luxury” home improve-ments. You can get an Energy Star-qualified “No Leak Skylight” from Velux for about $1,000 per unit for a remote-controlled elec-tric venting model that closes automatically should it rain. Log on to www.veluxusa.com to find a local installer for a customized cost estimate. 4. Install a fireplace. Zone heating the areas of your home where you spend the most time can reduce your home heating bill by 20 to 40 percent, according to the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association. Installing an energy-efficient fireplace or a stove is a great appealing way to zone heat the rooms you use the most. What’s more, this type of heating can be “greener,” if you use renewable fuels like cord wood, pellets or other plant-derived materials in your high-efficiency stove or fireplace. As for the fun quotient, it’s hard to top a fireplace for a home improvement that adds warmth and appeal to a room. Saving money can be doubly exciting when you opt for energy-efficient home im-provements that also enhance enjoyment of your home.


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Schulz Home Contractors

comfortable this winter. For example, caulking and extra insulation are relatively inexpensive and easy projects that will pay dividends all winter. Another way to cut home heating bills 20 to 35 percent is by installing a vent-free gas fireplace or heater in the room you use most.

According to Sue Walker, chairwoman of the AHRI’s Vent-Free Gas Products Alli-ance Section, this “zone heating” strategy allows you to turn down the central fur-nace and take advantage of the inherent efficiency of supplemental vent-free gas heating. “For every dollar you spend on gas us-ing a vent-free appliance, you get 99 cents worth of heat in your living space, as these

products are 99 percent efficient,” said Walker. Vent-free gas products have been around for more than 30 years. “With more than 20 million units installed in homes, they are time tested for savings and safe-ty,” according to Walker. Because a vent-free gas heating sys-tem does not require tearing out walls to run vent pipe, professional installation is surprisingly inexpensive, fast and cost-ef-fective. For a home with an existing wood-burning fireplace, converting it to a vent-

free gas log set or insert turns a messy, in-efficient system into a clean, hassle-free, highly economical heat source. Environ-mentally friendly vent-free appliances are heated with natural gas or propane, among the cleanest of all fossil fuels according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Both gases are domestically abundant and are secure sources of energy. “Clean-burning fuel and super effi-cient operation — that makes vent-free a truly green heat source,” said Walker. For more information, visit ventfree.org.

Heat: many simple fixesContinued from C15

Download - 2011 Fall Home Improvement

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