Dear Clients and Friends:  Just a quick summer flash – I’m sure all of you enjoy outdoor time, swimming, barbecue entertainment etc., and I hope that not too much time is spent sitting at computers and doing chores. This time, we’re bringing you news on fabulous countertops, an easy to learn home design software package to play around with, and some background on how loans are structured. Enjoy!


  Residence Redesigns
 

Our Topics are:
• Kitchen Countertops – What’s New
• Reading Corner: 3D Home Architect 5.0
• The Right Professional for the Right Job
• How to Choose your Hardwood Floor
• Loan Rates Based on Mind-Boggling Number of Criteria
• Labor Day Early Bird Special – Home Makeover Consultations 10% OFF
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In the world of granites, quartz, Corian, tile, and concrete … there’s a new kid on the block. Glass! Featured in many kitchen and bath magazines right now, it is definitely an unconventional choice – but full of potential to become the next big wave in contemporary design.

Glass countertops have been around for about 4 years. The manufacturing method is “thermoforming”, much like Corian (which can be molded into almost any shape). A Canada based company called Think Glass offers seven beautiful textures for an underlying pattern in the glass, and two colors (Aqua and Crystal). For total customization, any piece of art can be worked in under the glass countertop. Think Glass provides assistance and recommendations to local installers, and assures me that installation is no more difficult than your regular granite countertop.

Let’s get into some specific characteristics:
     - Transform your countertops into a piece of art by adding artistic rendering
     - The most hygienic countertop on the market
     - Highest density for surface (exceeding stone)
     - Maintenance free
     - Pricing comparable to quality granite countertops
     - Totally unique design with a distinct contemporary look
     - Dimensions: countertops up to 86x130” can be manufactured. Thickness 1.5”
     - Edges can be polished or textured
One downside: the cut-outs to be done for under mount sinks can be costly.

Think Glass also offers innovative glass creations for showers, doors, or furniture.

My research for local sources have only unearthed one company in the San Jose area. Original Glass unfortunately does not offer brochures, pictures, or online information. Their recommendation was to go to their store to check out their offering.

The Think Glass website is currently undergoing an overhaul to provide more specific information. (www.thinkglass.com)
Also featured in “Kitchen & Bath Ideas” July/August 2005 issue (Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Publications)

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For a change, a software program, and not reading material. You’ll love how intuitive and easy to learn this one is. No need for extensive computer knowledge, no need to buy a $1000 home design CAD package …. If you are planning an extension to your house, remodel a kitchen, or merely want to play around with furniture arrangements, this is your program. Great for kids, too!


Here’s what the Product Information promises:

Create, Expand or Remodel Your Dream House
The powerful all-in-one home design solution. Every great home begins with a great plan. Stop dreaming and start planning! 3D Home Architect 5 is the fast, easy way to transform your home design fantasies into detailed, contractor-ready plans. Start from scratch, use a sample plan, or recreate your existing home to begin a remodeling or addition project. It makes it easy to fine-tune your designs with powerful 2D and 3D editing, dynamic 3D navigation capabilities, an extensive library of customizable colors, textures, and furnishings, and more. Create yours quickly and easily with 3D Home Architect 5!

If you’d like to read more and see hardware requirements and ratings, click here:
http://www.cadinfo.net/editorial/3dhome.htm
Version 6 costs $80.00. Directly available from Broderbund at:
http://www.broderbund.com/jump.jsp?itemID=450&mainPID=450&itemType=PRODUCT
 

Remember the old proverb “The right tool for the right job”? Well, this goes for everything. Many of you are very crafty, talented, and ‘roll your sleeves up and get the job done’ kind of people, but let’s face it: Getting more than a small home repair job done is a major challenge! Who has time to actually cook Martha Stewart’s recipes and stencil the baby’s room? Who doesn’t have at least one project started in the garage that is begging to have the last 10% effort put in for completion?

Last time I looked on www.hgtv.com, I counted no less than 52 shows to pick from. Home improvement projects – you name it, it’s there. From “Design on a Dime”, to “House Hunters”, and “Rooms to Improve”, virtually any home design project you can imagine is aired on TV in great detail, and with wonderful creativity.

I love the HGTV shows, and many of our associates are frequently appearing on shows with home makeover successes throughout the U.S. The shows are designed to whet your appetite for new interiors, provide creative solutions to many challenges, and give abundant ideas for improvement. If this leave you with – “I’d love to make some changes to my interior but don’t know where to start?”, call in the professionals! Get online and find the most talented, accredited and service-oriented people in the field to get your project kick started!

http://www.weredesign.com/locate/california.htm
http://www.interiorredesigndirectory.com/locate/california.htm
http://www.hgtv.com/

In doing some research for flooring options, I came across a short but very educational article on the Mohawk website that I’d like to share. Mohawk sells floor covering and textiles for every room in the home and for every commercial application. Hardwood flooring, laminate flooring, ceramic tile flooring, stone and marble flooring.

“With a little basic understanding about the different types of wood floors you can be better prepared and more confident in your selection. Wood floors are produced in both solid and engineered planks and strips and come in a wide variety of wood species. To help determine which type of floor will work best for your situation depends upon the location within your home and the type of subfloor.

Solid Wood Floors
Solid wood floors are one solid piece of wood and are generally 3/4" thick. Mohawk Solid Hardwood Floors are produced from the finest American and Canadian hardwoods including red & white oak, ash, American cherry, hickory and maple, and are available in several widths. Because solid hardwood floors are more susceptible to moisture than engineered wood floors they should only be installed above grade over approved wooden subfloors and must be nailed-down. Solid wood floors can generally be recoated and refinished several times.

Engineered Wood Floors
These floors are produced by laminating several hardwood plies together to form the planks. Most engineered floors can be glued-down, stapled-down or floated over a variety of subfloors including wood, dry concrete slabs and some types of existing flooring. Engineered hardwood floors have cross-ply construction which reduces the expansion/contraction of planks caused by variations in humidity and allows these floors to be installed anywhere in the home. Mohawk Engineered Hardwood Floors come in a wide variety of widths, thicknesses and colors in both North American and Exotic hardwoods.

Exotic Wood Species
Today wood flooring is also offered in a variety of hardwood species that are not found in North America. Mohawk Engineered Hardwood Flooring Collections include some of the finest exotic hardwoods from all over the world. These floors offer many unique and visually striking appearances that are distinctly different from the North American hardwoods.

Prefinished versus Unfinished
Unfinished floors require several days to install, stain and finish the flooring. Prefinished floors are less messy and can be installed and completed the same day. A factory-applied finish like Mohawk's exclusive Crystalshield finish with aluminum oxide is extremely durable and could not be duplicated with a job-site finish.

Where is the room?
Knowing where the floor will be installed is essential. Before choosing a floor determine if the room is above, on or below ground level. Mohawk Engineered Hardwood Floors can be used in most areas in the home including rooms below, on or above ground level. Solid wood floors are recommended for above ground-level installations and must be nailed-down to a wood subfloor. These floors perform better in humidity-controlled environments.

Is your sub floor concrete or a type of wood substrate? Engineered floors are ideal for concrete slabs. For remodel projects you may want to consider Mohawk Engineered Hardwood floors that can be floated directly over the existing floor which eliminates the mess and additional costs of tearing out the old floor.”

More information can be found at:
http://www.mohawk-flooring.com/
http://www.woodfloors.org/consumer/faq.aspx

Copyright © 2005 Mohawk Industries. All rights reserved.
 

By Julianne Tjan, DACOR

How is your rate determined? The process is based on a myriad of criteria, with that criteria varying from lender to lender. For example, the pricing for a 30-year fixed-rate loan from just one lender can come in at some 80 different prices, depending on such factors as the lock period and cost of rebates!

And lenders may offer as many as 10 different interest rates ranging in increments as small as 0.125 percent. Each interest rate will bear a different price.

Different lenders offer better programs for certain scenarios than others. For example, if you’re financing a non-owner-occupied property, you’ll incur an additional fee. And some lenders fees will be higher than others.

Our job is to sift through the lender lists of surcharges and price adjustments, and then determine which lender offers the best rate relative to your specific transaction.

Here are some of the factors that alone or in combination may affect the interest rate and the price of your loan:

    • Rate lock period (15, 30, 45 and 60 days).
    • Amount of the loan.
    • Ratio of the loan to the property value.
    • Your credit score. Our report generates three scores and most lenders go by
       the middle score.
    • Occupancy: owner-occupied, second home, or investment property.
    • Single detached home vs. multiple dwelling.
    • Single family residence or townhouse-style condominium vs. high-rise condo
      (some lenders will place a surcharge on the latter).
    • Purpose: Purchase, straight refinance or cash-out refinance.

You’re probably beginning to get the idea that you can’t contact just one lender and expect to get the best loan. Some lenders won’t even write loans on certain types of transactions. Thus, Dacor will compare 30 or more lenders, each with a myriad of rate offerings, to get the best pricing possible for your particular transaction.

If you want more information about pricing or about how the loan process works in general, please call Julianne Tjan, Your “Personal Loan Consultant” at 650-642-6200.

Julianne Tjan
Loan Consultant
650-642-6200
 

Skip the Sales! Transform your home into a showplace without the expense of new furnishings!

For 2 weeks only, we offer a 10% discount in celebration of Labor Day!

Based on our 90-Minute Staging Consultation, the Instant Home Makeover Session provides ideas for furniture rearrangements, art displays, accessorizing, and much more in a single session. You give us the tour - we surprise you with ideas and creativity, address color issues, and recommend future investments. Teaching you how to “see” your own interior is followed by a to-do list that includes every detail of what's been discussed.

Get your house ready for Labor Day, but do it at your own speed!

Visit http://www.residenceredesigns.com, or call 650/345-7412 to book your consultation.

Offer valid from August 15 through August 26 only. Book early to reserve your slot.