More on Pre Fab Housing

I think I am a true convert to prefab living after viewing this.

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Prefab? FABULOUS

When architect Michelle Kaufmann and her husband set out to purchase an affordable green home, to no avail, they decided to build there own. Thus a new company was born out of a need for clean, affordable green living.

Prefab has never looked so good. Michelle Kaufmann's prefabricated homes are a far cry from what we are used to seeing. Her designs are unbelievably cool and modern and affordable. If you are a fan of Frank Gehry and Michael Graves, the influence may be present as Kaufmann previous architectural experience included working for both architects.

Kaufmann's designs bring modern, affordable sustainable living to a new generation of home buyers. The beauty of the design is in the eco-friendly materials used. What's more, Kaufmann makes a reasonable argument for prefab designs. She is quoted as saying, "In countries like Japan, many homes are factory made, resulting in 50 to 75 percent less waste than is generated by building the typical American House. When you think about custom homes built on site, it doesn't make any sense, it's like asking to have a car built in your driveway."

MK Lotus

There are six exclusive models from which to choose from. Home sizes range from a mere 725 square feet to 2,400 square feet.

Home costs typically start at $250 to $300 per square foot. Custom built homes start at $400 per square foot. Costs include all construction costs aside from the cost of the land. Typical construction time: 12-14 months.

Glide House

Sunset Breeze House

MK Hearth

Sidebreeze

MK Solaire

MK Loft

What's more, you can try before you buy. The Reid House, located at Lake Chelan as a vacation rental, and featured in "Sunset & Dwell" magazines, offers an opportunity to experience green living in a tranquil environment and modern prefab structure with luxurious amenities. Rates vary seasonally, from $175 per night to $300 per night.

Photos below from Reid House.

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New Year ~ New Vibe

A door knocker from Atlas Homewares.

Hello 2009!

What do you have to say for yourself?

2008 was in short, a sticky wicket of a year leaving most of us uncertain of a lot of things.

2009 is starting off lean but hopeful. I predict that more people will turn to cottage industries brought to life through the internet to bring in new forms of income. There are stories all around us of people who are reinventing themselves. I love that!

Here is one story that is close to my heart. The LA Times has a story that peaked my curiosity: An Eichler house in Granada Hills gets restored on a budget. I grew up near the Eichler's in Granada Hills and I remember the first time I fell in love with modern architecture and Eichler Living.

My 3rd grade friend Michelle S. lived in a Eichler Home on Jimeno Avenue in Granada Hills. Here is the thing: When you are a kid, everything seems so much bigger. I am sure now, if I go back the rooms would seem smaller and I probably would want to rip out all of the horrible remodeled kitchens and restore them to the purist form of the Eichler. But it was an impact on me nonetheless. It was then, stepping through for the first time to the inner courtyard, viewing with awe, from a third graders vantage point, the glistening floor to ceiling glass walled courtyard, that I knew I loved modern architecture. Putting together our homework projects in her Eichler home were good times. Her house was much different than my 1960's long and rambling ranch style home I lived in. It was then I developed a love of architecture and identifying period styles. It was the early 70's, still a fairly new neighborhood at the time, in the era of the Brady Bunch before they went into re-runs. Speaking of the Brady's, the Eichler's used a lot of Walnut paneling. I kind of felt like I was in Mike Brady's den.

Van Gogh elementary school was the brand new elementary school, also post modern in it's design, where all the neighborhood kids attended. As a kid, I had many great memories of the Eichler neighborhood: the slumber parties; the girl scout crafts we made at another school friend's Eichler house on Nanette Street; on Lisette Street where the very nice retired school teacher who's name I can't remember, but I will never forget that she taught us, the neighborhood kids, how to make s'mores on a bar-b-que from her Eichler backyard deck overlooking the Van Gogh playground. Halloween nights winding our way through the steep hills thoughout the whole neighborhood; This was a care-free time, when kids ran free in neighborhoods, played outside until the street lights went on at dusk. I lived around the corner from the elementary school and the Eichler neighborhood was above us in the hills, referered to as the Balboa Highlands, I remember looking up from my backyard, where I could see the Eichler Homes on the hill and looking at the lights coming on inside from these modern glass walled homes and wishing I lived there. I am sure today that the trees have grown tall, obscuring the views but my fondness for the Eichler has never left me.

Fast forward to today, it's great to see an Eichler home restored. Thanks to the LA Times, we get to see a story of an Eichler tastefully restored on a budget and even greater story of watching one person transform her love for modern design into a viable business. Click on the link to Cindy Epping's web based mid century modern furniture store, and see how she has parlayed her hunting and gathering into a phenomenal website for period furnishings, www.onestopmodern.com.
Bravo Cindy! Ingenuity is the mother of invention.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the LA Times Story.
All photos by (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times).

A detail of the casework: a fresh new look that preserves the period vibe.

Epping updated her kitchen, trying to preserve the original ambiance while adding modern touches such as the new faucet for the original avocado-green sink. The cabinets were sanded and restained.

Carpet tiles from www.flor.com form a rug in the kitchen.

A pair of Bertoia wire chairs from the 1960s take their place in Epping's atrium.

A little color in the living room: an orange-stiched ottoman from
Urban Outfitters and a blanket from Anthropologie.
Like many Eichler homes, the entrance to Epping's house is an atrium. She cleaned up the space, keeping the slat roof (not original to the design) but replacing the plants and adding a simple Primelite lamp.

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Throw out what you know about the kitchen window

Feel constrained by your kitchen window? Lack of privacy? Do you have a sun baked kitchen in summer? Have a less than attractive view of your neighbor? Tired of conventional kitchen plans? Challenge yourself to think with a new view. You could pick up better storage, more task lighting, increased energy efficient windows, and a better view.

Start by throwing out what you know about your kitchen window. The sink does not need to be centered at the middle of the window. Once you allow yourself to throw convention "out the window", a whole new window of possibilities for a better kitchen plan can be yours for the asking.

Here are some fabulous kitchens presented by Remodeling Magazine, one of my favorite trade publications. Follow the hyperlink to the article by Nina Patel, Back Lighting: narrow backsplash windows bring natural light to the kitchen while maintaining privacy.

And by the way, enjoy the view!

John Rogers, Rogers & Labarthe Architects

Both photos above and below: Phil Rossington, Rossington Architecture

Phil Rossington, Rossington Architecture

Alison Rainey, Merz Project

Both pictures: exterior and interior shots.
Iris Harrell, Harrell Remodeling

Click HERE to be directed to the slide show that provides written commentary by either the responsible architect, designer or builder on the project. Once there, click on the slide commentary to be directed to each company web site.

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ASID tactics leaves acid after taste for designers

AN ARGUMENT WHEN LEGISLATION BECOMES TOO MUCH.
Can you guess which of the four designs shown below became a criminal act, the GUILTY design firm slapped with a court order to cease and desist and faces criminal penalties and fines for design work?

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, a world class luxury resort, recently refurbished the Forum Tower Suites.

Atlantis Phase III, The Cove Tower, Paradise Island, The Bahamas

The Ritz-Carlton Millenia, Singapore

Hotel Grande Bretagne, Athens Greece

The answer is none. These beautifully appointed and awe inspiring public facilities are the work of internationally known hospitality design firm of Hirsch Bedner Associates.

And yet, by designing equaling thrilling spaces in Florida and the same design firm faces criminal charges. Yes, criminal charges and fines for practicing design. And so it goes the highly acclaimed firm, Hirsch Bedner Associates, joins the growing list of design firms and other notable national designers, namely Kelly Wearstler from Los Angeles, hired to redesign the Tides Hotel in Florida; and Juan Montoya of New York, named to Architectural Digest's Top 100 Designers list, all who have been accused of designing without a certificate in the state of Florida, subject to criminal charges and fines.

Is it possible the building inspectors in Las Vegas, Singapore, Athens, the Bahamas were remiss in approving these stunning places? Were engineers, fire inspectors, architects, construction contractors, plumbers, electricians, city planners completely ignorant? Absolutely not. Designed and built according to local enforceable building codes in place, without which a project will not be issued building permits and a certificate of occupancy. Space planning and specifying materials must meet local fire, electrical, plumbing and municipal building codes without which a project will not pass inspection. This is to say that there is REGULATION in place for commercial and residential building projects by states and local municipalities.

Is this the effort of the state of Florida trying to protect the public's health and safety? Is this to say that Florida's existing codes are not adequate protection to ensure the health and safety of it's citizens? One must read the comments at Cote De Texas: ASID an agency out of control and http://brentwilliams.wordpress.com/ for further comment on Florida's ASID's heavy handed legislation.

If Hirsch Bedner Associates obtains the certificate to practice design in the State of Florida, will this ensure that the public is safer than it was without the certificate?

In the 30 years that ASID has been pushing for regulation, no evidence has been presented that the unregulated practice of interior design places the public in any form of jeopardy.

See Probable Cause Panel Meeting at Florida's, BOARD OF ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN (click link to view the design firms in the thousands who have been accused of designing without a certificate). How much is this costing the citizens of Florida?

Here is the Hirsch Bedner Associates citation below:

Hirsch Bedner & Associates

Howard Pharr

Case No. 2007-068978

Probable cause was found that Hirsch Bedner & Associates of Atlanta, Georgia, is not licensed to practice interior design in Florida and contracted to provide interior design services on a commercial project. Further, Hirsch Bedner & Associates is offering these services without a certificate of authorization. An Administrative Complaint seeking fines will be filed and a Notice and Order to Cease and Desist will be issued.

American Society of Interior Designers, ASID, is hard at work to legislate their competitors out of business in the name of protecting the publics’ health, safety and welfare. ASID’s attempt to install Design Practice Acts in every state stands to create design cartels through a single-entry method into interior design. According to ASID’s own website, they retain a staff of full time attorneys and three lobbyists registered with the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. ^{Source: http://www.asid.org/legislation/.}

ASID is up against a fight. When the goal of a few is to dominate the profession of the majority with anti-competitive and anti-consumer legislation, even ASID’s cadre of attorneys will not be able to counter the growing opposition. The public and several organizations who oppose anti-American, anti-freedom design cartels refuse to be silent and will oppose the legislation at every turn.

The National Kitchen and Bath Association, NKBA, has many concerns about these attempts to co-opt the interior design market.

“While interior designers are deserving of respect for their role in the design process, special legislative consideration is not warranted based on an objective review of the facts. In truth, these bills protect the economic interests of a few within the interior design community and in no way promote or advance any rational, justifiable or necessary public policy. As such, NKBA joins with the vast majority of the design community in opposing these unjustifiable attempts to monopolize the interior design profession.” Ed Nagorski, General Counsel, NKBA

^{Source: http://www.kbbonline.com/kbb/magazine/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003806153}

As the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies put it, there is "no evidence of physical or financial harm being caused to . . . consumers by the unregulated practice of interior designers."

In vetoing interior design legislation last May, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels explained that the "principal effect" of the law would have been "to restrain competition and limit new entrants into the occupation." Mr. Daniels noted that interior designers were "hardly the only profession" seeking government protection from potential competitors.

^{Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120701341410579079.html?mod=djemITP}

Institute for Justice’s communications team provided key support, this time by bringing ASID’s cartel’s nationwide efforts to the attention of nationally syndicated columnist George F. Will, who wrote a devastating column about it entitled “Wallpapering with Red Tape.” The column left quite an impression on our friends in the resistance and even more importantly on our opponents, who were still reeling from IJ-backed battles in New Hampshire (where Clark testified against practice legislation in March) and in New Mexico.

^{Source: http://www.ij.org/publications/liberty/2007/16_3_07_c.html}

Additional Opponents to Interior Design Legislation includes:
BSA (Boston Society of Architects)

NKBA (National Kitchen & Bath Association)

RAM (Retailers Association of Massachusetts)

NFIB (National Federation of Independent Businesses)

Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts

Massachusetts Building Inspectors

IJ (The Institute For Justice)

Live Free and Design

Massachusetts Fire Chiefs oppose Interior Design Legislation

^{http://www.interiordesignfreedom.org/pdf/fire_chiefs.pdf}

Massachusetts Building Inspectors Oppose Interior Design Legislation

^{http://www.interiordesignfreedom.org/pdf/bldg_inspectors.pdf}

More cases against this legislation can be found at http://www.interiordesignfreedom.org/

http://www.reason.org/ps361.pdf

http://www.azidalert.org/

http://interiordesignbusiness.net/category/careers-and-job-outlook/

WHO OPPOSES SB 1312? (California’s Practice Act that failed to pass in the Senate)
The opponents of this bill are

CLCID

NKBA

IDS

IFDA

IDPC (Interior Design Protection Council)

AIA

CAB (California Architects Board)

CALBO (California Building Officials)

Los Rios Community College District

WHFA (Western Home Furnishings Association)

Lumber Association of California

NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry)

AIBD (American Institute of Building Designers),

The Home Depot

California Retailers Association, and several others.

The California Council for Interior Design Certification, CCIDC, issued a statement against a practice act in California.

“It is the opinion of the CCIDC board that this bill does nothing to improve the current certification program in California other than create a parallel registration program that is under the control of the state government and paid for at taxpayer's expense.”
^{Source: http://www.ccidc.org/eNews/sb_1312.html}

ASID contends that interior designers are asking to be allowed to practice their profession through means of a practice act. ASID would like to convince the public that a practice act is a necessary means to protect the publics’ health, safety and welfare.

The Practice Act does nothing to further the protection of public health, safety and welfare. It is merely another layer of legislation. The increased costs will be passed onto the consumer.

If there is any issue of placing the public in harm’s way, it is the interior designers who strive to be interior architects, without having received the proper education or experience.

According to the article in Interior Sources, May 2008, ASID Update: A Goal of Licensure, Not Limitation by ASID President Rita Carson Guest, FASID, ASID’s argument in favor of legislation is a moot point by the author’s own admission.

The author states: “…we are asking to be allowed to practice our profession.” To those who say to us, "Why do you need a law for interior designers?" we say, interior design is already regulated de facto. The law is there to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public, and we support that. But those laws are preventing interior designers from fully practicing their profession. We simply want states to grant interior design professionals who meet the necessary qualifications to be permitted to offer their services. We want to loosen the restriction on interior design professionals, not add a new one.”

What double talk is this? No one is preventing interior designers from fully practicing. What law is Mrs. Carson Guest referring to that is preventing interior designers from practicing their profession?

The only limitation is ASID’s legislative lobbying efforts to limit other designers from practicing. Look at the witch hunt ongoing in Florida. Currently, three states have practice acts in place –Louisiana, Washington, DC and Florida. Alabama’s Supreme Court ordered a stay against the practice act, which deemed it unconstitutional. In California, we’ve succeeded in fighting back the lobby’s efforts in the Senate. Senate Bill 1312 was struck down because it did not garner enough support in the Senate to consider the bill.

The practice act legislation is a circular argument and flawed. CIRCULAR: 1) By admitting there are laws in place that protect the health, safety and welfare of the public is an admission that a practice act is redundant to existing codes. FLAW: 2) No one is preventing designers from practicing their profession. Yet, the ASID proponents of the practice act, by asking for permission to practice by passing the NCIDQ exam will limit who can take the exam. In California, The NCIDQ exam does not test for knowledge of California Codes and Regulations as provided by current state law.

ASID's Practice Act is anti-competitive and anti-consumer.

The legislative proposals advocated by a small handful of designers which would create a restrictive practice act to control who may provide interior design services and discriminate against thousands of existing interior designers and students who are currently enrolled in college interior design programs and will not be able to become licensed under such proposals.

In California, several qualified Kitchen designers I know, some who hold CMKBD status, would have to go back to school to earn the right to take the NCIDQ Exam, find work (which could be hard to find), as an intern under a Certified Interior Designer to earn work experience credit. Currently, previous work experience for a Kitchen and Bath design firm does not count. This may proof wholly ineffective for a Kitchen and Bath designer who would have to work for a commercial designer that specifies system interiors for offices. How does this push for regulation protect the health, safety and welfare of the public ? It only serves to devastate the earning potential of a qualified designer who must go back to college and take a pay cut to work as an intern to sit for the expensive NCIDQ exam. NCIDQ, which has a historically low pass rate of arond 40%, is not the standard for minimum competency. It is just one of several exams that are equally valid, and arguably, the NCIDQ is not even the best.

Few designers even bother to take the NCIDQ exam because it is generally considered irrelevant by designers and more importantly, by their clients. Perhaps this lack of initiative is the true reason for trying to legislate what should continue to be a voluntary certification process.

Watching the disaster of Florida’s practice act, it is inconceivable to grasp the millions of dollars lost and construction projects halted as alternate design firms must be selected who are certified to practice in Florida. This is anti-business. It is the industry at large that depends on the work from design firms. The consumer is affected with this anti-competitive and anti-consumer practice act. The draconian Practice Act in Florida is nothing less than outrageous. ASID is most definitely an agency out of control. This is a situation that calls to mind the poem “First they came…" by Pastor Martin Niemöller about the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group.

Fortunately Americans don't take kindly to injustice. Grass roots efforts have been effective in fighting back legislation in California, Texas and Arizona. More work needs to be done to overturn this Draconian law in Florida and prevent laws from passing in New York.

The ASID Practice Act legislation is too broad. The CKD and CBD exams are not considered a legitimate substitute, despite the fact that these are the prevailing standards of kitchen and bath design expertise.

“The definition of "interior designers" is very broad based,” contends Ed Nagorsky, general counsel for the NKBA. “It encompasses all aesthetics of room design – from painting to hanging artwork. The mandate from the ASID is to obtain a practice act with a very broad definition, so as to require that all who practice within the design trades must take their exams and attend schools of their choosing.” Reference: Kitchen and Bath Design News, May 07.

WHAT IS A PRACTICE ACT?

Obtaining a license would require a designer to take the NCIDQ exam and study at institutions mandated by ASID and other allied organizations.

In California, SB1312 Practice Act would discriminate against many current professional interior designers by requiring licensing through an out of state organization that will not recognize our qualifications. This bill would not protect the consumer and adds an unjustified layer of bureaucracy to the already overburdened state budget.

California's SB1312 Practice Act will raise exam and licensing cost which will result in higher prices passed on to the consumer. It will only add additional cost to the services that an interior designer provides making it more exclusive and out of reach for many consumers.

California's Senate Bill 1312 has no provision for a registered interior designer to submit plans to local building officials and state agencies. It will not add any protection to the consumer.

California's SB 1312 will exclude many designers from becoming registered because of hard-to-meet requirements. Further, it will “criminalize” certain acts. Section 5751 states any person who violates any provisions of the law, is subject to severe penalties; guilty of a misdemeanor, and fines up to $10,000.

Section 5800 of the Business and Professions Code already establishes the Certified Interior Designer Law and the California Council for Interior Design Certification (CCIDC). California certification already requires an interior designer to follow a “Code of Ethics” and pass an exam covering California Codes and Regulations (CCRE) to become a Certified Interior Designer.

To become registered, Senate Bill 1312 requires an interior designer to pass an exam (called the NCIDQ exam) given by a private organization based in Washington D.C. This is an expensive exam over which California has no control. Senate Bill 1312 says prior experience will qualify a designer to become registered but the NCIDQ exam ignores experience in the profession to even qualify to take the exam.

If you can’t take the exam, you can’t become registered. The NCIDQ exam also does not test for knowledge of California Codes and Regulations as provided by current state law.

The impact of such a law would have far reaching consequences on the design community. This sort of regulation law would put many thousands of designers, decorators, contractors and retailers out of business without any demonstrable showing of harm to the public from the failure to license the interior design profession.

LEGISLATION IN CALIFORNIA. SENATE BILL 1312

In California, we've succeeded in fighting back the lobby's efforts in the Senate. As we suspected, the interior design lobby has not given up on their quest to limit interior design services to only a handful of designers who support their efforts and can pass the self-imposed requirements for licensure in the State of California. Designers and business owners oppose the “gut and amend” tactics to revive SB1312 and will continue to oppose it as it may be reviewed in the Business and Professions Committee.

Would consumers be affected by regulation of interior design?

Yes -- and in an extremely negative way. The Federal Trade Commission concluded that regulation would result in fewer choices and increased costs to the consumer. Regulation would take away consumers' freedom to choose a designer based on their needs. Currently, consumers have many avenues to determine the qualifications of interior designers -- portfolios, websites, resumes, interviews, private certification programs such as NKBA-CKD and CBD, CQRID, NCIDQ, and state code exams. The public does not lack the ability to make informed choices and regulation would take this choice away from consumers and put it in the hands of the government.

References:
SB Senate Bill1312
Kitchen and Bath Design News : The Right to Practice. May 2007
http://www.ccidc.org/eNews/sb_1312.html

BOARD OF ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN

http://www.kbbonline.com/kbb/magazine/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003806153

Interior Sources, May 2008, ASID Update: A Goal of Licensure, Not Limitation

Cote De Texas: ASID an agency out of control
http://brentwilliams.wordpress.com/
http://www.interiordesignfreedom.org/
http://www.reason.org/ps361.pdf
http://www.azidalert.org/
http://www.interiordesignfreedom.org/pdf/fire_chiefs.pdf
http://interiordesignbusiness.net/category/careers-and-job-outlook/
^{http://www.interiordesignfreedom.org/pdf/bldg_inspectors.pdf}
http://www.ij.org/publications/liberty/2007/16_3_07_c.html

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Learning From Others Mistakes

I must give a nod to The Kitchen Designer, Susan Serra, for her masterful opinion in her blog dated 04/06/08, Lessons Learned from New York Times "Dream House Diaries". Susan Serra's 14 points are a primer for anyone planning a home renovation project.

A builder who assumes the cabinets are to be built around a predetermined plumbing and mechanical plan means someone put some thought in planning the kitchen, you would think so. But to read in the "Dream House Diaries" that the builder suggested to leave the kitchen planning till the point where the floors are down is nothing but a** backwards. It indicates the builder is interested in a cabinet order taker to come in later to get it in and get it done. This causes a huge disservice to the homeowner who is intent on a "Dream Kitchen for their Dream Home".

Whether building from the ground up or renovating an existing home, the mechanical locations for plumbing & gas lines, go hand in hand with planning the kitchen. Also, the placement or relocation of windows and doors is a critical stage in planning the kitchen. The design of the cabinetry, the doors and windows and the appliances must all be factored in at the beginning of the project, not the middle and not after drywall is up. For the do-it yourself crowd, I admire your fortitude to handle the project yourself, but it would not hurt to get a second opinion from a kitchen designer before ordering your cabinets. See the article link by one homeowner, "Did I get it right".

You can't leave planning the kitchen foot print to chance, thinking or hoping that the architect or builder is intent on the specifics, making sure the appliances and cabinets will fit. As much as we hope to see standards in the appliance industry, there are no "standards" when it comes to appliances. See an analytical point by point appliance comparison at the Kitchen-Exchange by Peggy Deras, Comment on Arrol Gellner's Appliance Advice. A builder that allows a variance of (+ or -) 6" can cheat the space with over sized cabinets and therefore cheat you by not allowing for the trash base or a proper bank of drawers or a lazy susan or a larger refrigerator. Kitchen Designers are not order takers. Planning the flow of space around appliances, cooking and clean up zones requires specialized training. A kitchen or bath designer will factor the dimensions of a space down the to the 1/8" inch and provide the builder a detailed plan ready for installation.

As Susan Serra stated in her article, the other problem by not planning the kitchen in the beginning creates a problem of cabinet size continuity. Wall cabinets with different door widths creates disharmony. Anybody with a tape measure can fill a wall with stock cabinets and fillers. To me, this is a waste of space and a waste of money when the design is washed down to nothing more than a bunch of boxes on the wall when the home owner's intent was a dream kitchen. Please refer to Peggy Deras excellent commentary Choosing a Residential Remodeling Architect.

The next factor the client has to be ready for is patience in planning. Don't rush into signing a contract until you have thoroughly interviewed the candidates. Take time to interview the architect, the builder, and the designer. If you fail to plan, plan to fail. Signing a contract with a professional who starts promising he or she will throw in free enticements or prices "good today only" are red flags. See NKBA for more advice on hiring a Kitchen and Bath designer. Go to NARI and AIA to find professional Contractors and Architects in your area. Check the BBB Reports to see if the business is in good standing. As a professional, I am so frustrated when I see a client taken in by the lowest bid, and outright lies about materials. To have a client compare my all plywood cabinet construction backed by a lifetime warranty against a 45# particle board box with a 5 year warranty and be taken in by lies by the "cabinet order taker" who says they are the same quality really frustrates me. My recommendation for homeowners is to be patient in the process of finding selections. As one homeowner said, she hoped she could just breeze right through this. This is not the same as ordering take out food. Patience is required.

No one can discount the value of the Builder, an Architect and Designer; each professional has the task at hand to provide the client a beautiful project. While a builders' interest is to get the project built on time and on budget, there is no fault in that. But, a quality builder will recommend you start working with a Kitchen and Bath specialist from the beginning so that the client can achieve their Dream Home.

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