It’s all about the kitchen. They aren’t just for meal prep and storage, either. They’re for families. For gathering. For entertaining. For time spent together. These homeowners were lucky enough to spend their quarantine in a kitchen constructed for that very purpose. Once tucked away into the back corner of the 100-plus year old home, the kitchen is the new centerpiece of the home, opened up to a cozy living area filled with original woodwork and details.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

Architect: drawing dept

The cook now gets to be part of the action and the family gets to gather around an island so large that it seems unfair to call it an island. An island, by definition, is a piece of land surrounded by water, and is often thought to be isolated, separated from the mainland action, where space is at a premium. That’s why this structure is called The Continent.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

Architect: drawing dept

Once you see the details of this kitchen, you’ll want to swap out your kitchen island for a continent too. The Continent is the focal point not only of the kitchen, but of the living space of the home. It’s a place to dine. A place to sit and work (especially now). A place to gather. And it offers plenty of storage, too. The countertop has enough overhang to accommodate comfortable seating and underneath is a ton of hidden storage. Can your kitchen table do that?

With a palette of black and white, this kitchen is clean and bright. Upper cabinetry was eliminated to keep everything feeling open and airy. Plus, all that wall space gives the chance for this backsplash tile to make a statement. The geometric pattern of the tile is reminiscent of a modern Art Deco stye. The metallic black and brass light fixture only adds to that motif.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

Architect: drawing dept

We’d be remiss not to mention this open shelving, custom made for the space and mounted directly over the new black-framed window. This corner nook is the perfect place for some shelves and we love how the homeowner accessorized them with rose colored glasses. What a beautiful display of a collection that only adds to the Art Deco feel.

The countertops in this space are another element that add interest, while continuing with the neutral palette. White cabinetry is topped with a beautiful, black leathered granite. The Continent, on the other hand, has a base of grey cabinetry and is topped with a sparkly white quartz.

The Continent, however, has utility beyond seating and storage. It’s equipped with hidden outlets that appear at the touch of a button, convenient for cooking tools and charing a smart phone, but it also makes this surface turn—presto, change-o, into a conference table.

The sink, too, is worth mentioning. The elegantly-shaped brass faucet so beautifully coordinates with the lighting and cabinet hardware. The elongated, stainless steel sink is fitted with a removable cutting board, providing additional work space, and, in a pinch, to hide a stack of dirty dishes.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

Architect: drawing dept

A kitchen that was once an after thought, hidden in the back of this older home, is now the crown jewel, adding modern style with an Art Deco aesthetic. And following the pandemic trends in home design, this room serves many purposes: meal prep, family gathering, entertaining, and work. At a time where so many of us are spending more time in our own homes, a room like this is quite the antidote for quarantine living.

Has the extra time spent in your home revealed the need for a renovation? We’re just the people to call. Projects in the works now need some extra lead time for materials to be sourced and delivered, so now’s the time to get started for mid-year projects.

Quarantine caused a lot of us to change our plans. Working from home, stockpiling supplies, with frequent hand washing and face masks as the new norm, life looked a bit different. Without a commute to the office and free time spent at home, it was also a time for people to take up new hobbies. Some learned a new language. Some started baking bread. Some purged every closet and drawer.

And some people’s productivity put us all to shame. Like this homeowner, who designed and renovated an entire home. We were proud partners in the process and are still in awe of her style and design sense.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

The English Contractor team was originally tasked with a simple kitchen remodel and we were well into that project as the world slowed down. With proper precautions in place, we just kept going, until this house was entirely transformed. We’ll take you through this project in three parts over the next few weeks: kitchen, dining and living area; bathroom, and basement. Prepare to be inspired.

You might describe the house in its “before” state as a scoop of vanilla ice cream. In a dish. No cone. No whipped cream. Certainly no rainbow sprinkles or a cherry on top. It looked just fine. It was in good working order. But when you have a vision and a team with a talent, a scoop of vanilla ice cream is not for you.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

The new space is a vision to behold, in each and every corner. Gone is the small breakfast bar in favor of a wide opening into the newly repainted dining room. Hughes of pale blue and brass accents repeat throughout the home. These are at the same cabinets, repurposed with a coat of light blue paint and door knobs and pulls from Restoration Hardware.

Photo : Ross Van Pelt

This cozy kitchen once had a second opening into the hallway. In the reconfiguration, that doorway was closed off in favor of some contiguous counter space, a luxurious marble. The backsplash is marble, too, adding a layer of richness. New new range is from Samsung, topped with a custom wood ventilation hood. The dishwasher and refrigerator were reused in the remodel.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

A door once separated the kitchen from a steps leading to a back door and the home’s basement. With the door now gone, the kitchen is washed with light and the basement seems less like a basement and fully integrated into the flow of the home. The existing flooring remains, with the kitchen floor patched where cabinets were removed and reconfigured.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

The new sink is an elegant white porcelain, sourced from Wayfair. It’s paired with a Kohler deck-mounted, bridge kitchen sink faucet with level handles and side spray in a polished nickel. Here you get a close up of the marble counter and backsplash. Under cabinet lighting is paired with a flush mount from Circa Lighting to further brighten this rejuvenated kitchen.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

The kitchen flows into this elegant dining space. The blue hues from the kitchen repeat here, thanks to a gorgeous Sisal wallpaper from Schumacher. The texture and color add to the richness of this space. The ceiling was painted in an Alabaster semi-gloss with matching crown molding. The floor trim was installed and painted in Stonybrook from Benjamin Moore, an unexpected detail that adds to the elegance of the room.

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

The dining room opens up to this beautiful living space. We can’t take much credit for this room, beyond some paint and crown molding, but we wanted you to see the new flow of this home, made possible both through the kitchen reconfiguration and the home owner’s sense of style. If she ever decides to open up her own design business, we want you to remember that you learned about her from us!

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The front of the house came together so beautifully that we all just kept on going. The project was small enough that only one or two (socially distanced) team members were ever on site at a time. Quarantine has added on some delays to product sourcing, but luck was on our side when it came to ordering. So we kept on going. There’s more to come and you won’t want to miss how this whole home remodel came together.

In the meantime, if you’re inspired to start renovating your own home, send us a message today. Many suppliers are still experiencing product delays from the shut down this spring, so extra advance planning is necessary to keep projects moving smoothly. We’ll walk you through the process, every step of the way.

Remember our bathroom remodel with the beautiful blue accent tile with walls painted a serene blue to match? Our work with this homeowner went far beyond a bathroom renovation. These clients also worked with The English Contractor team to turn their existing family room into a new dining room. And then we added a completely new addition to the home to create a beautiful space for this family to spend time together.

And who wouldn’t want to spend time here? The kitchen now opens up to the family room, with a bar that not only provides a great space for a quick breakfast but also is the perfect serving spot for drinks and snacks when entertaining. A natural extension of the kitchen, we know this family room will be the place to be during a party.

 This addition is large enough to accommodate a comfortable seating area. New windows, from the Marvin Integrity line, offer plenty of natural light, but as evening approaches, the room is illuminated by recessed lighting. The space was completed with French doors, also from Marvin Integrity, provided, along with the windows, by Marsh Building Products

 Our carpenters outdid themselves with the beautiful fireplace surround, offering niches for family photos, books and accessories, as well as pull out drawers for some extra storage. What’s more, these built ins offer extra seating, too, with window seats that offer a cozy nook to sit with a book.

 A gas fireplace provides both atmosphere and warmth. This beautiful focal piece is accented by stone and a stained wood mantle. The English Contractor team completed this space with gorgeous wood flooring, stained to match the mantle. 

The special details our team added to the space are almost too many to count. Are you looking to add some upgrades to your home? Give us a call and let’s talk.

“You may think that spring showers bring May flowers. But in this case, spring showers brought us very happy homeowners.”

Don’t you love those beautiful spring mornings? The ones where you wake up to beautiful sunshine. Flowers are in bloom. The birds are singing. The kind of morning where you just can’t wait to leap out of bed and greet the day? 

 For some lucky homeowners, with a creative vision all their own, that’s every morning, every season of the year.

 The English Contractor was contacted by these Milford homeowners to remodel their bathroom, after we’d successfully worked with them to create an outdoor room, that you can see here. Of course, one of our most frequent requests is to help refresh and renew a bathroom. But this one was special and our task was specific: remodel this bathroom to make it modern and new while paying homage to the legacy of their historic home. 

 If you’ve ever lived in a historic home, you know you are much more than a homeowner. You are a steward of a domicile that was home to many families before you. And, thanks to your caretaking, will likely hold many other families under its roof for decades to come. A house like this has a personality, even a spirit, all its own. Your job is to keep this home a representation of the time period in which it was built, while gently and carefully welcoming the modern era in. 

 We wax poetic, but it’s true. 

 Take a look at these photos and see for yourself. This free-standing soaker tub with elegant claw feet is reminiscent of another era. The original home likely had a bathtub just like this. It makes a statement. It screams personality, acting as a piece of furniture in this perfect nook. The deck mounted faucet with cross hatch handles screams vintage, while at the same time gleaming shiny and new. Both the bathtub and the faucet are from our friends at Signature Hardware.

 We’re so in love with the tile floor from Ann Sacks, a chevron pattern given a new look with an elegant curve from the Benton Mosaic collection. The shades of gray add some interest to the area and are a beautiful, modern juxtaposition against the stately, vintage-look bathtub.   

 But let’s talk about that shower. The subway tile here, with grey grout, adds a nice, neutral backdrop for the rest of the space. Three recessed shelves add plenty of storage. It’s the brass shower fixtures that really makes this space sing. We love it when the most functional item is also beautifully decorative.

And when we say sing, we mean sing like the birds on that cheerful wallpaper. Talk about bringing the outside in. So many of our homeowners have embraced the “everything old is new again” wallpaper trend. We particularly like this one, selected by these clients. It’s so cheerful and happy, a modernized toile that once again takes a vintage space and makes it more current, with a slight nod to the home’s heritage. The stained-glass window is the icing on the cake, letting in plenty of natural light while beautifully reflecting the design of this space, both inside and out.

This sweet pedestal sink is just so perfect for this space, with the brass faucet with cross hatch handles reflecting this mix of new and old, both from Kohler. The white chair rail and detailed paneling lend a crisp and clean feel to the space. And isn’t that just how a new bathroom should feel.

Is your bathroom ready for a transformation? We’d love to tell you more about this project, as well as some of our other recent bathroom remodels that you can preview here and here. Give us a call. We’d love to show off our latest work—and talk about how we can help you.

Your home is likely your biggest investment. And it’s not a one-time cost, either. It’s one that requires maintenance and upkeep as well. As a homeowner, this is an exciting time. Inspiration and ideas exist every step of the way, thanks websites like Pinterest and Houzz and networks like HGTV and DIY. 

 We’re inundated with step-by-step demonstrations of home improvement projects. We’re taking it all in, right along with you. We take learning about the latest trends one step further, as we partner with different suppliers to continue our education on best practices for products and installation throughout the home. Our certifications and training help us provide you with a renovation that is managed efficiently with masterful craftsmanship and expertise. We’re respectful of our clients’ budgets, too, and are skilled at providing advice on when to splurge and where to save. 

 However, there are some costs that are unavoidable when planning a home renovation. In fact, it is more expensive to remodel an existing home then it is to build one new. A home remodel goes beyond picking out appliances and final finishes. We love showing off our latest projects. Gorgeous millwork. Shiny new appliances. Beautiful, custom details. But what these photos don’t show is all the behind-the-scenes work. There are other important cost considerations when planning a remodel or renovation of any size and scope. Read on to see if you’re ready for a major renovation in your home.

Demolition Day!

Pick your favorite home improvement show, and they all have a fun montage of demolition scenes. Most major home remodeling projects require some type of demolition, from flooring and cabinetry to walls and ceilings. It may seem like any homeowner can just take a sledge hammer to their space to save costs. Yet this stage isn’t quite the fun and games we see on TV. Demolition has to be done skillfully and carefully to avoid damage, which can add up to substantial costs.

Coping with Construction.

We’re neat freaks by nature, and even as hard as we try, the job site can be messy. And noisy. Any major renovation comes with some disruption to your daily routine. Projects can be completed more quickly in a new build than in an occupied home. We work hard to take the steps to minimize the disruption to your life, taking the time to clean up each day when our work is done. However, dust, tools and disruption of water and electrical service are all to be expected with any major renovation.

Demo Detective Work.

We’re home contractors. We’re remodeling experts. But did you know we’re also detectives. We have a pretty good idea what’s behind your walls, but the only way to know for sure is to carefully do a little demo. Cost and approach of a project sometimes has to be modified while we’re in process, depending on what surprises are lurking behind your walls, floors and ceilings. We’ll keep you apprised every step of the way to manage this process, but discoveries beneath the surface can add to the total cost of a project. 

Behind the Scenes.

A kitchen or bathroom renovation often requires just as much behind the scenes as it does for the final finishes. Pipes and wires are what keep these spaces running. It is much easier to plumb or wire a new build before the drywall has been added. Changes to plumbing, electric, or HVAC in an existing home are slightly more complicated and require a bit more in terms of budget.

Balancing Act.

A home renovation is one-part construction and one-part logistics. Especially when you consider the scale of projects like a full kitchen remodel or a new addition, there are many moving parts and pieces, including different specialized trades people who have specific tasks to perform at precise times during the project timeline. In addition, projects require the incredible amounts of products, from the behind-the-scenes elements for electricity, plumbing and structure of the project, as well as appliances, fixtures and all the finishing touches. Sourcing all of these products includes soliciting pricing, communications to confirm product type and coordination of delivery. On top of all of that is project oversight and price management. The project managers at The English Contractors are skilled at taking care of these logistics behind the scene. They make it look easy, but many of our clients are surprised to learn that a remodel of an existing kitchen takes just about as much time and energy as totally building a new home. 

Let’s Get Started.

Are you ready to renovate? Reach out to the team at The English Contractor and we’ll partner with you to walk you through the process of what these details will look like in your own home. Each and every project is different. Our team will provide you with the guidance you need to add custom details that will truly make your home your own. Contact us today.

When touring the HGTV home, many people ask us specifics about the finishes and furniture. From working on the project from the beginning to end, we can answer a lot of these questions. When it comes to the nuts and bolts of the HGTV Urban Oasis home, we can take a lot of credit for the craftsmanship of the project. But our job was really to bring the vision of the designer, Brian Patrick Flynn, to life.  And while our project managers receiving training from all different suppliers—from Subzero, Wolf and Cove to Marvin Windows—and have exquisite taste to match, our job is to our job is to listen carefully and lend our expertise to give structure to a designer’s or home owner’s plans. 

That’s the beauty of working on a team of contractor, architect and designer. All of us have the goal of ultimately making the homeowner’s dream come true. As contractors who specialize in high end home renovations, we are constantly exposed to best practices in kitchen and bathroom finishes. We can make recommendations on a counter surface—marble, granite, soapstone, or butcher block—depending on your kitchen use. We’re up to date on the latest technology in the loo—from electronically controlled showers to touchless toilets. By attending trade shows and training, we know what’s coming down the pike. So it’s not all about swinging a hammer. We can certainly work with you and your designer to help you build your dream home—from the studs down to the paint.

Are you ready to tackle a major renovation? The team at The English Contractor is here and ready to help. Let’s connect to discuss your plans. We’d love to be part of your dream team to make the magic happen.

It is time to refresh your master bathroom? Is your hall bathroom looking a little dated? Does your powder room need a little love? It may be time to talk to The English Contractor about a bathroom remodel.  According to Zillow, a bathroom remodel can add to overall value of a home. Just replacing the fixtures, toilet and upgrading the vanity can result in a $1.71 increase in home value for every $1.00 spent on the project. Even if you have no immediate plans to move, an updated bathroom can improve utility bills with more water-efficient shower heads, faucets and toilets, can add more space for organization and can just make you feel good by incorporating some up-to-date style into your space. Before you start dreaming about a new bathroom, here are some considerations to keep in mind.

What’s Your Motivation?

There are many reasons why a homeowner starts to plan remodeling a bathroom. Are you planning a move? Does the space need to be more functional? Are you hoping to make your space bigger? Are there accessibility issues that must be addressed for those with limited mobility? Or is it just time for a change? These are questions that can help guide your selections and the scope of the project. If you’re planning a quick remodel as part of the process to prepare your home for sale, you might just want to consider quickly switching out more decorative items. Adding square footage to your space might require moving around plumbing, which will require more time and money. Share your overall plans for your lifestyle and the home with us and The English Contractor project management team can help guide you through the process. 

Beer Budget, Champagne Taste?

The English Contractor team always suggests starting with a budget number in mind. Even in a small space, all the choices you need to make can quickly add up. We suggest looking back to your overall goals to help you set your budget and prioritize the space. If improved organization is your goal, you might want to consider spending more to add in a closet or a new spacious vanity. Is the overall aesthetic driving your overhaul? Then maybe your splurge is in the details, like upgraded tile or stylish new hardware. Are you trying to enlarge or move the space? You may need to save budget money for some of the behind-the-scenes work, like moving plumbing. Renovating a bathroom is not an inexpensive proposition, but The English Contractor team will work with you to help you make sure you’re spending your money wisely. 

You’ve Got Style.

No matter your motivation for a bathroom remodel, you need to take your own personal style into account. Bathrooms are no different than any other room in your home and you’ll have lots of different elements to think about that will add to your overall aesthetic. This is a time to start thinking about colors. Do you go for a spa like neutral or a bold pop of color? Are you looking for industrial chic or modern farmhouse? Choices of vanity, shower, tub, tile and even mirrors and towel racks are décor elements as much as they are functional pieces of your bath.

New Additions.

There are lots of trends to take to consider when remodeling a bathroom. Frameless showers doors, hidden drains, exposed shower plumbing, threshold free showers and freestanding are all new trends in bathroom design. Do you want to incorporate any of these concepts into your space? Time to start browsing pictures to see which new trends match your overall aesthetic and plans for the space. 

Form and Function.

Take a look at how you’re currently using the space. Does your bathtub go unused? Maybe it’s time for a bathroom renovation that deletes the tub and includes an oversized shower. Are you feeling crowded in the morning? Maybe it’s time to consider a double vanity? Do you have stuff everywhere? How about included more storage in your newly designed space? Is this a place for kids? Let’s take a look at some indestructible options. Are you constantly tripping over piles of dirty clothes? How about included space for a laundry hamper? Let us know about any current issues with your space and we can help you solve them!

What’s Next?

The English Contractor is here to help you create a space that is both useful and beautiful. We’ll walk you through the entire process, from aesthetic appeal to functionality. A bathroom remodel is a big undertaking and requires a big investment of both time and money. Our expertise will guide you through the process, leaving you with a space that you will love. Do you need inspiration? Visit our Pinterest page to see some of our latest projects. Ready to get the process started? Drop us a line today!