From the Desk of Yeheskel Sharbani

Hello to Our Community & Friends:

Spring has arrived in it's wonderful glory. This month's painting depicts the Roman Goddess of flowers & springtime. In Feng Shui, Spring is the season of renewal. May 10th is our Free Interactive & Fun Workshop - "Feng Shui your Home for Health & Happiness" held in our Manhasset showroom. Please call to RSVP.

This month's newsletter talks about "Quantifying Lifestyle Renovations" - what to consider when making decisions on how to create new spaces in your home. How much or how little should you spend? Should you stay with the same footprint or create the inner space for the lifestyle you desire? The newsletter begins after "Ask the Sharbanis"

We have two questions this month.

ASK THE SHARBANIS

1. How difficult is it to move plumbing in the kitchen when I want to move the sink to another location? 

Answer: Plumbing in a kitchen is generally easy to relocate, provided a kitchen renovation is done properly. However, in an apartment with concrete floor it can be done only if the plumbing remains on the same wall. Then it can be relocated.  

2. What flooring is more desirable with clients - wood or tile/marble?

Answer: Wood flooring vs. tiles or porcelains. It depends on the design  & type of kitchen cabinet to be installed. Generally & lately the fashion tends to go for wood flooring. Wood flooring is easy on your feet, can be refinished & renewed to look new often. That is all it needs - a buff & reapplied finish coat. Tiles are harder on the feet. However, sometimes it fits the overall look better than wood.   

Send your questions to: karen@elitekb.com                                                                                                                                                    Until next month.....                                                                                                                                                                                             Sincerely,                                                                                                                                                                                                             Yeheskel Sharbani

Elite Kitchen & Bath & Express Contracting - 983 Northern Blvd, Manhasset, NY 11030   516-365-0595                                                  2016 National Designer of the Year - Interior Design Society                                                                                                                 2015/2014 THREE TIME GOLD AWARD WINNERS - NARI COTY Contractor of the Year Award Design & Build                                                                                                                               

Quantifying Lifestyle Renovations

This month, we are discussing our experience in the following areas:

• Consider the Neighborhood & Home Value
• Appreciate Family Demographics & Lifestyle
• It's all about Timing

Consider the Neighborhood Value

Have you known neighbors who want to spend outside their typical neighborhood budget? Too much or too little? We can be assured Rupert Murdoch bought Jerry Hall a diamond not a cubic zirconia set in steel. The same concept applies to homes in upscale neighborhoods. Cubic Zirconia - like renovations can be a mistake.

So how often do you meet with a Gold Coast resident wanting the grade of materials or renovation shortcuts that makes sense in a mid-level home? What they don't realize is a low end renovation on a valuable home not only lowers the value of their home, it is much harder to sell when they need to.  

Imagine a home in Upper Brookville fitted with low-mid grade cabinets surrounding their $25,000 appliance package. Picture a Levitown home with custom cabinetry surrounding a $25,000 appliance package. Do these scenarios sound familiar?

Yet how often do people cheapen their home & lifestyle with inferior products? They spend more on their depreciating Mercedes than their entire kitchen renovation. Compromising on materials such as cabinetry or desirable renovations that improve their lifestyle don't make sense in the long run.

According to a U.S. News & World Report article in their Money Section, "As a general rule, look to spend about 25 percent of the home’s value for a new kitchen and 12 percent to 15 percent for an updated bathroom" says David Pekel, president and CEO of Pekel Construction in Milwaukee and a master certified remodeler. Luxury homes in Milwaukee run in the $1 million + range.

Home staging has become popular to sell homes. But if the kitchen is outdated or low grade, no home staging will help.

Keeping to the neighborhood style is also important. Putting an ultramodern kitchen into a 100-year-old Tudor home isn’t typically the way to go. It can detract from the value. A new space should be designed to be congruous with the rest of the house’s architecture and improve the clients home life.  

As a standard practice, we voice our opinion about what we feel will give our client the home lifestyle they want as well as resale value appeal. Of course, it is the client's choice but we feel it is our obligation as experts in the field to let them know our thoughts.  What do you think?

Appreciate Family Demographics & Lifestyle

As you know, your family dynamic is a major influence in your remodel. We cater to clients in each group including young families, families who entertain often, multi-generational families, empty nesters, newlyweds as well as singles. The amount of money you invest in your renovation depends on what experience you desire at home.

We found Universal Design becoming an important strategy for more and more families. With the aging demographic as well as more people entertaining family and friends in all age groups, we have made it a priority to review universal specifics in all of our design work.  Lighting, counter & cabinet heights, walkways, special accessories and color are main considerations. The young & the old benefit from these distinct design elements.

Open floor layouts have been one of our top requests for all demographics. This style adds value to the client's home life and to the value of their home. The difference in family interaction is phenomenal!  

Home entertaining continues to grow in importance in our area. We have also had an overwhelming amount of requests to enlarge the kitchen. So many people want an island and are willing to take space from another room to get it. They express their desire to have seating and ample counter space to cook and entertain.

As engineers, contractors & designers, we are able to figure out how to give the client what they want.

It's all about Timing

When planning for a kitchen or other major remodel, you should decide how long you plan to live in your home from the time of the remodel. If you plan to sell your home shortly after the remodel, you shouldn't spend additional money unless necessary to sell the house. The rule of thumb is you should spend between 5 and 15 percent on a kitchen remodel if you plan on selling soon. This is the ideal range for homeowners to spend and expect to recoup during a resale.

If you plan to remain in your home for years after the remodel, then please contemplate investing in the finer grade of cabinetry, counter-tops, appliances, and renovations such as additions or open layout construction. You will enjoy the higher grade renovation for years to come.  

When our client decides they are staying in their home indefinitely, there is no point in spending time & money on a kitchen or bath remodel and only making small changes. These are major renovations that no-one wants to deal with again for the next 15-25 years. You need finishes that will last and remain beautiful long term.

What do you think?