As we move into the Memorial Day weekend, homeowners will be looking at their ‘to-do’ lists and deciding what projects to tackle.  For the professional remodelers, like Blackdog Builders,  this weekend will provide a short respite before they crank up their own projects.  Blackdog Builders primary focus is residential remodeling.  For the past 24 years,  David & Brenda Bryan and the Blackdog design team have remained true to their vision of becoming a world class remodeling company.  One of the key members of the Blackdog Builders’ team is Interior Designer, Jane Face.  After heading up her own kitchen & bath consulting business, Jane settled in with Blackdog in November of 2010.  We had an opportunity to get Jane’s take on the current remodeling environment and Blackdog’s place in that environment.

As an interior designer, what drew you to work in the home building industry? I love the process of putting together the pieces and parts of a project – watching the smallest of details makes a big impact.

How does Blackdog help their clients reach their goals? Listening is the biggest part of the design process and I believe it is essential to a great finished project.

What are some of your favorite product lines? We use a lot of Kohler products and I think that some of the new products they’ve introduced are very innovative.  My favorite faucet line is Rohl/Perrin and Rowe – so special. I’d have to select Miele appliances as my favorite appliance manufacturer – they make a killer espresso machine.

What kind of role does the showroom play in your design process? Our showroom plays a very important role.  It’s where our clients make all their selections, but more importantly. it is where the design goes from 3D computer images to real materials that they can touch and feel.

How do you interact with the showroom representatives? We periodically have reps come to our monthly sales meeting and show the “latest and greatest”.

It’s been a long four years in the home building industry, what kind of projects are homeowners taking on? We are getting a nice mix of projects right now – people are starting to think about projects that they have been putting off for the last couple of years.  Size of project has definitely increased.

How does Blackdog view the future in the home building industry, with regards to style, trends and innovations? For style – most clients still lean toward clean lines.  The painted kitchen is still very popular and spa like bathrooms are also a big request.  There are many new products out there that allow clients with even a small space to get that spa-like bath experience.    Green building products continues to be popular to some – but an increase in LED lighting has been our biggest request for a way to update their project.

What advice would you have for somebody, who wants to work in the home building industry? Follow your dream – it’s a great industry.

Note: Blackdog Builders was the winner of the Ultimate Bath Showroom’s 1st Design Contest last fall.  View this video to learn more about Blackdog.

Visit our YouTube channel to see more videos.

Every spring,  the kitchen & bath industry gathers in an American city and shows off its new wares.  This year’s event took place in the beautiful city of New Orleans, also known as ‘The Big Easy.’   Although, New Orleans is known for Mardi Gras, creole food, jazz music and the French Quarter,  it is also famous for its abundance of architectural styles that clearly reflect the city’s historical roots and multicultural heritage.

Old World Charm - New Orlean's French Quarter

Some of the trends that evolved out of the show were touchless faucets, metal(knobs & pulls) and gray & neutral colors.

Touchless Faucets

Moen's MotionSense™ responds in an instant. A simple hand movement triggers the flow of water, delivering exceptional day-to-day convenience in the kitchen.

Brizo's SmartTouch® Technology touch faucet does nothing less than change the way you interact with water. Simply touch anywhere on the faucet body or handle to turn on or off the water.

Kohler's Sensate touchless faucet frees your hands so you can speed through cooking and cleanup tasks while enjoying a cleaner, more hygienic kitchen environment. Sensate's intuitive Response™ technology is in tune with your every move: a simple wave of your hand--or an object such as a pan or utensil--turns it on or off.

Metal (Knobs & Pulls)

Atlas Homeware's elegant new champagne finish

The Dierdra collection from Berenson Hardware has subtle lines and a rounded profile. The limited ornamentation keeps the focus on the simplicity and elegance of this design. Pulls are available in 96mm center to center and are accompanied by a complimenting knob. The Dierdra collection is available in 6 finishes: Verona Bronze, Oil Rubbed Bronze, Polished Nickel, Brushed Nickel, Weathered Nickel, and Pink.

Vicenza Design introduced it's Fleur de Lis 100% lead free pewter knobs & pulls at 2013 KBIS. Perfect for the New Orlean's French Quarter.

Top Knobs, known for their exceptional kitchen and bath cabinet hardware, expands their popular Stainless Steel Collection with 16 new Modern Metro and Euro knobs/pulls. Sleek, sharp and created from the highest-grade stainless steel, the patterns bring additional variety to this high performance kitchen hardware – inspired by European design trends.

Hardware Resources, a leading manufacturer of decorative and functional kitchen and bath cabinet elements, launches the stunning new Annadale and Aberdeen collections by Jeffrey Alexander. Inspired by textile fashion, the masculine and beautifully designed hardware brings elegance and sophistication into the kitchen. Reminiscent of cuff links, the contemporary cup pulls are a first for the Jeffrey Alexander line.

Prodigy…. a compelling collection from OMNIA that marks a new era in their nearly fifty year legacy of manufacturing elegant, high-quality door hardware FORGED from solid brass.

Gray & Neutral Colors

Wellborn Cabinetry's new Shades of Grey color palate

All Sagehill Designs bath vanity collections feature ample storage and practical function. The Toby Collection is no exception to this rule.

Nature as artwork is the overall theme of six new Wilsonart® HD® High Definition® Laminate designs.

We would like to congratulate two of our manufacturers for taking the ‘Best of Kitchen- Gold Award (ROHL, LLC) and the ‘Best of Bath -Gold Award (The Kohler Company).

Best of Kitchen – Gold

ROHL Shaws 30″ Bowed Apron Front Fireclay Sink with Lavastone Countertop

Best of Bath – Gold Award

Kohler Moxie Showerhead + Wireless Speaker

Come and see one of these award winners in one of our beautiful showrooms.

It would seem that Americans are drinking more water these days than soda.  When I heard this, it stuck me as odd, because I figured that water has always held the top spot.  Apparently not, but whether we are drinking it or using it for other purposes, the combination of one atom oxygen bound to two atoms of hydrogen is the life blood of humankind.  Our body is made up of approximately 72% water and the Earth’s surface is roughly 70% water covered, so one could derive that water is in abundance.  There is some truth to this, but not all water is consumable, in fact,  less than 1% is available for human use, so we must take efforts to conserve it.

Along those efforts, the Environmental Protection Agency’s, Office of Wastewater Management developed a partnership program called WaterSense to help increase awareness of water conservation and work with key utilities, manufacturers and retailers to enhance the market for water efficient products and services.

Click on image for more facts on WaterSense

Many of these partners have come from the bath & plumbing industry.  WaterSense partners are ambassadors spreading the water-efficiency message. Partners help educate the public while transforming the marketplace to include WaterSense labeled products, new homes, and certification programs.

By signing a partnership agreement, partners agree to:

• Promote the value of water efficiency and WaterSense labeled products, new homes, and programs.
• Adhere to the Program Guidelines and the Program Mark Guidelines.
• Feature WaterSense on websites and related promotional materials.
• Abide by the general terms and disclaimers outlined on the partnership agreement.

At The Granite Group/The Ultimate Bath Showroom, we are proud of our manufacturers, who have taken up this important cause.  Companies like Gerber, Kallista, Kohler, Rohl, Symmons, Grohe, Delta and Moen.  Let’s take a look at some of the WaterSense products that you can see in our showrooms.

Kohler

Purist® Purist faucets and accessories combine simple, architectural forms with sensual design lines. Featuring this modern, minimalist style, this Purist bathroom sink faucet has a single handle with a creative upward curve at the end.

Wellworth® Classic This water-saving version of the industry-leading Wellworth toilet brings graceful, streamlined design to the bath. At 1.28 gallons per flush, this high-efficiency toilet conserves up to 16,500 gallons of water per year, compared to a 3.5-gallon toilet, without sacrificing performance. An elongated seat offers extra comfort.

The Moxie showerhead holds a portable wireless speaker that pairs wirelessly with Bluetooth®-enabled devices to deliver high-quality audio to your shower. The speaker docks directly into the showerhead, so your music is closer than ever when showering. While it plays your favorite sounds, this revolutionary showerhead generates a full-coverage, revitalizing spray of water for a sensory experience like no other.

Kallista

Minimal Traditional design, with a conservative, straightforward silhouette, squared spout and understated flared base and bonnet and low flow laminar stream (1.5 gpm flow rate) provides water saving option.

The Citizen collection features clean lines unencumbered by ornament combined with fundamental form for today's bathroom with 1.28 gallons per flush

The Inigo collection is rich in layered, intricate detail and the intrinsic beauty prevalent in Mediterranean design with 2.5 gallons per minute flow rate

The week of March 18-24, 2013 is ‘Fix a Leak Week.’ Check all of your fixtures to see that they are working properly or visit our showrooms to learn more about WaterSense.

Every once in a while,  we like to step aside from our bath and plumbing world and explore those artisans, who are creating beautiful pieces for the home that don’t necessarily have anything to do with the bathroom or the kitchen.  Since New Hampshire is the ‘Live Free or Die’ State, let’s focus our attention on those artisans, who represent General John Stark’s famous motto.

Let’s begin with a furniture maker, who’s heritage can be traced back to an English silversmith, who started the Towle hollowware.  Douglas Richard Dimes established D.R. Dimes & Company in 1964 to create museum quality reproductions of Early American furniture.  The current president, Douglas P. Dimes continues to carry on this Northwood company’s tradition.

D.R. Dimes Country Server

D.R. Dimes 72" Guilford Cupboard

D. R. Dimes Classic Windsor Chair

Being a big fan of the quality woodworking, let’s explore another New Hampshire custom woodworker, Philip Eisenmann from Eisenmann Woodworking.  Eisenmann Woodworking specializes in traditionally inspired Early American Furniture with an emphasis on Shaker, Country Formal, and Primitives.  Construction methods are traditional joinery, with mortise and tenon frames and doors, dovetailed drawers, and hand selected hardwoods.

Tiger Maple Cupboard

Porringer Table

Of course, if custom cabinetry doesn’t get mention in conjunction with woodworking,  this would be a disservice to all woodworking craftsmen.  Piscataqua Design, a company founded by Matthew Wajda & Bruce Eaton take great care in selecting their materials for outstanding figure, grain pattern, density and structural purposes. As graduates of the Furniture and Cabinet Making Program at the North Bennet Street School in Boston, they bring an excellence to the craft of cabinet making.

Piscataqua Design Cabinetmakers

One of my favorite artisan in the Granite State is David Pellerin, the founder of Indikoi Sinks.  I had a chance to visit David and his wife and business partner, Brandi a few years back and was impressed at their humble operations.  David makes his own porcelain, throws all of the sinks and creates the beautiful pigments that when fired give his sinks their amazing finishes.

Indikoi Sinks Modern Series

Indikoi Sinks Soho Series

Another artisan, who works with clay, is Robert Rossel, the founder of Symmetry Tile Works.  Tiles from Symmetry Tile Works are made from stoneware clay which is mixed at the studio and extruded from our custom built tile extruder. All designs are created by hand using natural found objects such as seashells, plant life and barn wood, or with hand cast or hand carved replicas. High fire glazes are applied by hand. The surface of the glazed tiles are treated with recycled glass prior to the firing.

Symmetry Tile Works

Custom Mural from Symmetry Tile Works

In order to see these beautiful textures and colors, a room needs well appointed lighting and The Copper House from Epsom is crafting exquisite copper & brass lighting fixtures.  Here is a couple examples of their fixtures.

The Copper House - Onion Light Wall Lantern

The Copper House - Mission Pyramid Hanging Light

The Copper House - Bathroom Wall Lamp

As a New Englander, who has spent a fair amount of time in classic farmhouses,  you learn to appreciate the braided rug.  These functional rugs come in an abundance of colors and sizes.  Jan and Wayne Jurta have maintained the family tradition of manufacturing braided rugs in Tilton.  Their ingenuity has revitalized the classic heirlooms.

One of the best things about exploring the works of artisans is that you come across something that makes you say, “That’s cool.”  Nathan Macomber Glass Studio provide me that response.

Thank you to those artisans, who work their craft daily and provide us beautiful hand made products.  Your inspiring pieces add character to our homes.

There’s more than one way to tap into clean, renewable, free energy from the sun.  You can install a photovoltaic, or PV system, where solar panels convert the sun’s rays into electricity.  But you could also choose a straightforward, efficient, and cheaper solar option: solar thermal water heating.

A solar thermal system simply uses solar collectors to capture the sun’s energy, in order to heat water, another fluid, or air.  Collectors can be either “evacuated tubes” or “flat plate” collectors; in either case, the heart of a solar thermal collector is an absorber that converts the sun’s energy into heat.  The heat is then transferred by circulating the water, glycol (a non-toxic fluid found in antifreeze), or sometimes air to another location, where it is either stored or used immediately.

Unlike PV, solar thermal technology won’t power your whole home; but it will provide for nearly all of your hot water needs throughout the year.  It will also only cost you a fraction of the price of a PV system – as little as $6,000 – and will pay itself off in less time – about 6 years on average.  Not to mention that once installed, a solar thermal system emits no toxins or CO2, does not rely on fossil fuels, and brings our society one small step closer to energy independence and a true, active environmental awareness.

A single gas- or oil-fired water heater contributes about 2 tons of CO2 to the atmosphere annually.  The average electric water heater creates about 8 tons of CO2 in a year, or about double the amount of an average car.  In total, residential hot water heating in the US creates about 148 million metric tons of CO2 every year – or about the same as 22 million cars!  Solar thermal is an environmentally friendly, fossil-fuel-free, and carbon-free alternative to conventional hot water heating systems.

Solar thermal hot water heating is a fairly straightforward system.  A flat-plate collector or evacuated-tube collector is mounted on a rooftop, facing south, angled to catch as much direct sunlight as possible and to avoid all sources of shade.  Most often, in the case of a flat-plate collector, the sun heats coils of copper pipe inside the collector, which transfer the heat to a non-toxic propylene glycol liquid as it slowly moves through the collector.  When the liquid is hot enough, it flows down into the household hot water tank, and transfers the heat to the water via a coiled heat exchanger, before then circulating back up the collectors.  The glycol never comes in contact with the domestic hot water.  Valves in the system prevent the glycol from superheating, and by its chemical nature it won’t freeze, and therefore won’t damage the components of the solar collector.  The collectors can heat hot water even with very little sun, and the hot water tank can store hot water for days; even so, every solar thermal system is designed with a back-up heat source just in case, so there won’t be any surprise cold showers.

Solar thermal technology has been around for centuries, although modern improvements have made systems much more efficient than in the past.  Back in 1897 when heating water with coal was becoming too expensive in much of the US, Clarence Kemp designed “Kemp’s water heaters”, a solar-heated water system which for a time was used by more than one-third of Pasadena, CA residents.  Currently the US is lagging behind other countries in utilizing solar thermal systems.  In places like Israel, fully dependent on imported fuels to power the country, solar thermal hot water systems are found on 90% of residential buildings.  Operating at an average annual efficiency of 50%, these systems save residents about 2000 kWh in yearly electricity costs.  Cyprus leads Europe in solar thermal, with systems installed in 88% of homes.  Cyprus is followed by Greece with 65% coverage, and then Austria with 15%.  The governments of all of these countries point to the economic, political, as well as ecological benefits of using solar thermal on a massive scale.

Solar thermal systems are one of the smartest investments in solar energy.  Here in New England, the average home uses 17% of its energy on water heating alone; a properly installed solar thermal system will take care of up to 100% of a home’s summertime hot water, up to 70% of wintertime hot water, or about 55-85% of a home’s year-round hot water needs.  A new system will last anywhere from 15 to 40 years; but with the energy savings it brings, it will have paid itself off in only about 6 years.  Maintenance costs are low: the system should be checked just once a year, and if a system uses glycol, it may have to be replaced just once every 3 to 10 years.

Professional solar thermal installers know how to make sure that a solar thermal system suits a family.  In general, 20 square feet of solar collector surface area is needed for the first two people in a home, with 8 square feet for each additional person in sunny zones, or 12-14 square feet for each additional person in the northern US.  For every square foot of solar collector surface area, a household will need at least 1.5 gallons of storage capacity.  Collectors and tanks are designed with these ratios in mind.  Installers should also provide free solar thermal site assessments, helping consumers to understand the full benefits of a solar thermal system before making a decision.

SOURCES:

US Energy Information Administration
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/steo/pub/contents.html

The Alternative Energy Store
http://www.altenergystore.com/

DSIRE
http://www.dsireusa.org/

Sunnovations
http://www.sunnovations.com/

EERE
http://www.eere.energy.gov/

NESEA
http://www.nesea.org/

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Renewable Energy for Your Home
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Renewable-Energy/dp/1592579175

Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Facts%20About%20Israel/Science%20-%20Technology/Solar%20Energy%20in%20Israel

Justice for Cyprus
http://news.pseka.net/index.php?module=article&id=8451