Posts Tagged ‘Choosing Quality’

Dream ADU Project

Master Vanity in Easy to Clean Glass

Master Vanity in Easy to Clean Glass

We get to work on all kinds of projects. We love them all, big and small, but this one is pretty special. The homeowners created this incredible executive rental for very discerning renters. EVERYTHING is done well. There were no corners cut. Note the vanity above, it’s from Keuco and made in Germany with an easy to clean truffle glass front. There is also a storage tower for linens, etc. The medicine cabinet is Sidler and made in Switzerland. There are lights in the medicine cabinet and electricity inside it to keep razors, toothbrushes, etc. plugged in.

The linen tower has a mirror front, the bathroom has a marble pony wall and shower

The linen tower has a mirror front, the bathroom has a marble pony wall and shower

The light is even brighter when the medicine cabinet is opened

The light is even brighter when the medicine cabinet is opened

There is thoughtful storage inside the vanity for smaller items

There is thoughtful storage inside the vanity for smaller items

This faucet by Aquabrass is SO SEXY! Made in Italy and screaming to be touched

This faucet by Aquabrass is SO SEXY! Made in Italy and screaming to be touched

The Handshower is on a bar

The Handshower is on a bar

Close up of the modern handshower

Close up of the modern handshower

The Shower is Thermostatically controlled so temperature and flow can be VERY exact

The Shower is Thermostatically controlled so temperature and flow can be VERY exact

Images from the Loft Space

Images from the Loft Space


Loft

Loft

Interior Laundry Room featuring stackable washer/dryer

Interior Laundry Room featuring stackable washer/dryer

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The closets are built for organization. Note the solid wood doors

The closets are built for organization. Note the solid wood doors

Look at the incredible grain of the hand-hewn living room counter.

Look at the incredible grain of the hand-hewn living room counter.

This is what that gorgeous wood sits atop

This is what that gorgeous wood sits atop

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Living Room Fireplace waiting for your TV

Living Room Fireplace waiting for the TV

Kitchen Pics, Swiss Faucet, Incredible Countertop

Kitchen Pics, Swiss Faucet, Incredible Countertop

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Buying Your New Faucets – Avoid Plastic

It’s pretty. It’s expensive. You want it. STOP!!

Before you buy your new faucets or shower fixtures, you need to make sure that they are going to be easy to care for and that they will last. This means that they need to be made by a reputable manufacturer. Buy your faucet from a FAUCET MANUFACTURER, not a furniture manufacturer or a lighting manufacturer or a pillow company. You want your faucet to be made by a faucet specialty company, not a company who outsources their manufacturing because it will be difficult to get parts later. And some of the biggest names that we’ve known all of our lives are no longer that great. Many of them have allowed poor manufacturing in order to hit a price point while guaranteeing profit. I’m not going to name names. Sorry.

But…make sure your product is made of brass or stainless steel. (Yes, several big names actually make PLASTIC FAUCETS!!) Make sure the cartridges are not plastic. (with the exception of mixing cartridges for single handle shower valves and kitchen faucets.) If your faucet has a hot handle and a separate cold handle, the cartridge beneath that handle should be brass or stainless steel, NOT nylon. Several good brands of shower valves and kitchen faucets do have quality ceramic discs encased in plastic cartridges but you need to know what the good brands are. And how will you know this? Ideally, you would walk into my showroom and I would show you. But, if that is impossible, you can either call the company or buy the faucet and take it apart. If you find nylon or plastic cartridges, TAKE IT BACK!! If the part where the handle attaches is plastic, don’t buy it. It will wear out very quickly. It’s going to give you problems and you’ll spend way more time repairing this faucet (or paying $$a plumber to fix it) than you would one that may cost more but be made of more durable materials. Many less expensive faucets are built with planned obsolescence in mind. This means the faucets were built to hit that magical price point but the manufacturer never planned to support it. There are no repair parts. There is no customer service number (or no one will ever answer it). No outside representative has been paid to help us help you. We try to NOT sell brands like this. Expect to pay about $300 to $350 for a high quality entry level kitchen faucet in chrome.

And make sure it has a lifetime warranty. Ask how warranty issues are handled. Ask about the experience the showroom has had dealing with warranty issues. We have seen many less expensive brands enter the market, offer a lifetime warranty, and then be out of business in just a few years which makes the lifetime warranty useless. If you just love the faucet and have to have it even though the warranty radar has been beeping, perhaps you can order your first set of replacement cartridges at the same time you buy your faucet. This will carry you through your first repair.

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