Traditional Fabuwood Ivory Wellington Kitchen With A Contrasting Fabuwood Chocolate Maple Island.
Example of a classic galley eat-in kitchen design in New York with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, beige cabinets and stainless steel appliances

Located in, Summit Park, Park City UT lies one of the most efficient houses in the country. The Summit Haus – designed and built by Chris Price of PCD+B, is an exploration in design and construction of advanced high performance housing. Seeing a rising demand for sustainable housing along with rising Carbon emissions leading to global warming, this house strives to show that sensible, good design can create spaces adequate for today’s housing demands while adhering to strict standards. The house was designed to meet the very rigid Passiv House rating system – 90% more efficient than a typical home in the area. The house itself was intended to nestle neatly into the 45 degree sloped site and to take full advantage of the limited solar access and views. The views range from short, highly wooded views to a long corridor out towards the Uinta Mountain range towards the east. The house was designed and built based off Passiv Haus standards, and the framing and ventilation became critical elements to maintain such minimal energy requirements. Zola triple-pane, tilt-and-turn Thermo uPVC windows contribute substantially to the home’s energy efficiency, and takes advantage of the beautiful surrounding of the location, including forrest views from the deck off of the kitchen. Photographer: Douglas Burke

Interior Design and home furnishings by Laura Sirpilla Bosworth, Laura of Pembroke, Inc Lighting and home furnishings available through Laura of Pembroke, 330-477-4455 or visit www.lauraofpembroke.com for details

George Oakley
Contemporary exterior home idea in Salt Lake City

Traditional kitchen remodeling in Burbank with white shaker cabinets, farm sink and granite tops
Example of a mid-sized classic u-shaped porcelain tile enclosed kitchen design in Los Angeles with a farmhouse sink, white cabinets, granite countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, blue walls and no island

Inspiration for a large transitional master gray tile and glass tile ceramic tile, white floor, double-sink and wainscoting freestanding bathtub remodel in San Francisco with flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, white walls, an undermount sink, marble countertops, a hinged shower door, white countertops and a built-in vanity

Huge traditional beige two-story mixed siding house exterior idea in New York with a gambrel roof and a shingle roof

See what our client say about working with us: I started my search for a contractor about a year before I hired Paul to do a kitchen and bathroom renovation. This was my first time at the bat, and I really had no idea what to expect. I had many contractor proposals that swung wildly in price but for some reason I never felt inclined to hire any of the guys I met with. I happened to be looking at Houzz one day and came across Paul’s company and he had very good reviews. I gave him a call and he came to my apartment quickly. I liked him immediately when we met. I thought it was strange that he asked me for my budget and how much I wanted to spend but in hindsight, providing that information allowed Paul to come back to me with a very detailed proposal based on my budget. I soon realized that the lower proposals I had did not include many of the budget items that would be necessary to complete the job. Paul laid out the pricing and provided a very reasonable “allowance” based on your measurements for tile, toilet, sinks, etc. It is up to you to stay within that allowance. Another reason I hired Paul was because of his design skills. Paul met me in the at tile stores several times and helped guide me in choosing tile and a style for the bathroom that really looks beautiful. I fought him a little but in the end, was glad I went with his recommendations. He also uses a kitchen cabinet maker so all the cabinets are custom to what you want. Paul also has a great customer website that allows you to see all the expenses, make choices, and easily communicate with him. If you are planning to do a renovation, I think it helps to plan for the worst and hope for the best. I live in a co-op and we had a couple of little glitches and Paul was always quick to resolve issues as they arose. He was extremely responsive and really cared about the work and doing a good job. I would definitely hire Paul again if I needed a contractor.

Dusk in the forest.
Mid-sized contemporary multicolored two-story house exterior idea in Seattle with a shed roof and a metal roof

1423 Valley Crest Drive At Best Homes, we have a wide variety of floorplans available with customizable options throughout your dream home. We don’t, and won’t, take short cuts in our construction process, nor will we substitute lesser materials and labor costs to compete with lower priced builders. Our pricing is simply based on a percentage over the cost of construction. Our customers appreciate our transparent, no non-sense approach to helping them find the right design and amenity level to fit their desired price point. Stock plans or custom designs, your lot or ours, building with Best Custom Homes is a choice you’ll be glad you made.

At Best Homes, we have a wide variety of floorplans available with customizable options throughout your dream home. We don’t, and won’t, take short cuts in our construction process, nor will we substitute lesser materials and labor costs to compete with lower priced builders. Our pricing is simply based on a percentage over the cost of construction. Our customers appreciate our transparent, no non-sense approach to helping them find the right design and amenity level to fit their desired price point. Stock plans or custom designs, your lot or ours, building with Best Custom Homes is a choice you’ll be glad you made.

Benefits of Plantation Shutters Plantation shutters offer advantages and benefits to homeowners over other window coverings including: • A permanent addition to a house: While they don't add much to the sale price and don't guarantee a return on investment, the curb appeal helps the house sell faster. The permanency of plantation shutters allows them to be included in appraisals. • Versatility: Many have the ability to open only halfway if desired. If you want to let in all the light, plantation shutters swing away from the window to grant an unobstructed view. • Insulation: When all louvers are closed, a good insulating barrier is created, trapping unwanted temperatures and saving you money on your energy bill. • Easy maintenance: With wide louvers, a simple wipe-down is often all that's needed. Vinyl shutters can be taken off their hinges and sprayed off for a major cleaning. • Elegance: The classic, yet modern look conveys a permanency like no other window dressing can. Whether painted or natural wood, they all have a look that says; welcome home. Wood vs. Faux Wood It's not hard to argue that natural wood is more appealing than vinyl or PVC. However, "faux wood," as it's sometimes called, has some advantages: • Price -- Faux wood shutters are often lower in price than real wood. • Weight -- Because some shutters are made "hollow core" (as opposed to vinyl-wrapped medium density fiberboard, MDF), they can be significantly lighter. • Moisture Resistance -- If you live in an area with high humidity, hollow faux wood or aluminum core will resist expanding and sagging. (MDF core louvers will tend to expand and crack as the material swells with moisture.) Natural wood is the choice for those who have a very healthy budget or for whom a specific appearance is a must. Among the advantages are: • Size -- Because wood plantation shutters are made of hardwood, they can be quite a bit larger than plastic or vinyl. Vinyl shutters larger than 29 inches may be prone to sag, so they need divider rails or other supports which can destroy the traditional look of a plantation shutter. • Natural -- While vinyl or plastic shutters can be painted to match any color scheme, the natural shades and finishes of the various species of wood have something for every look. • Classic -- While many plastic shutters can be made to look like real wood, the faux wood finishes can vary significantly depending on manufacturer and model. Up close, it can be easy to tell they're plastic. The warmth of natural wood is a classic feel that's impossible to beat. Popular Plantation Shutter Brands When you go to purchase your plantation shutters, brands names may offer a good representation of high-, mid-, and low-cost range of what's available. Which one you choose depends on your budget and your tastes. Hunter-Douglas and Norman Shutters produce three lines of plantation shutters in both real wood and faux wood styles. A higher-end product, Hunter-Douglas may be worth the cost for beauty and quality of workmanship. The Window Outfitters and Sunland produce a mid-cost line of shutters. The mid-range pricing may be for those who are balancing aesthetics with a budget. National franchise and or box stores may not offer an in-house expert or designer. Look to local companies that specialize in plantation shutters looking online may offer a low-cost brand for budget-minded DIYers. Available in both faux and real wood, the affordability combines with the visual appeal to make this a very popular choice for plantation shutters. Regardless of which line you go with, be sure to ask about frames. Generally all manufactures offer frame choices and may add to the cost, but they add an unsurpassed beauty and warmth to a room with plantation shutters. Plantation shutters look like similar to wooden blinds, but there are significant differences. Blinds are often narrow, made of aluminum or vinyl, and the slats tilt based on a gear and pulley mechanism and they hang in the window with cords. By contrast, plantation shutters have wide compound louvers that fit into a frame and are controlled by way of a wooden rod running up the middle. When not needed, they can be manufactured to swing back onto the wall. Options to are available to build a more contemporary look with a larger view with a “hidden tilt” feature. Cost of Plantation Shutters Nationally, the cost of plantation shutters, depending on their size and the material, whether or not they are custom arches and colors or stains, may vary. Most manufacturers want their shutters to be professionally installed to keep the warranty intact which is a benefit to the customer in the long run. They will usually have a limited lifetime warranty. Cost of Installation Costs for having plantation shutters installed by a contractor are a bit more predictable. Contractors who have installed plantation shutters before can quickly get accurate measurements and suggest which materials would work best in different rooms. For example, while natural wood may look beautiful in your living room, it might not be so practical in a bathroom where moisture will cause the wood to warp. The size, material, and quality of the shutter will have a significant effect on the cost. Contractors usually go through a shutter supplier and can get various sizes that are not normally available at home improvement stores. Hiring a professional team of knowledgeable suppliers and installers is a good choice. Here are some sample prices of the shutters most contractors use for standard-sized windows: In general, plantation shutters should cost approximately $20 to $26 per square foot. Labor costs depend on factors such as the contractor's workload, remoteness of the location, environment, and the contractor's overhead. Labor generally runs about $100 per hour and will be added to the shutter cost. • 16x20 -- Faux wood $120. Real wood $156 • 24x50 -- Faux wood $160. Real wood $208 • 36x54 -- Faux wood $270. Real wood $351 • 36x60 -- Faux wood $300 Real wood $390 • 42x72 -- Faux wood $420. Real wood $546 • 48x82 -- Faux wood $550. Real wood $715 DIY Plantation shutters can be purchased and installed by the homeowners. How much they cost will depend on size and material. Faux wood shutter’s cost depends on size and wooden shutter’s cost will depend on size and whether or not they are painted or stained. • Natural wood is $90-$600 depending on size. Many companies offer standard stained selection but custom color matching may be available from $175 -$250. • Faux wood will be from $120-$500. • Additional tools include: Hang Strips $4-$15 and about $4 for mounting hardware. Locks or closures can cost up to $15 for each shutter. Finally, if you order them online, you can expect to pay $30-$70 shipping per shutter or per set of shutters per window depending on the supplier. Keep in mind that even if you're handy with tools, installing shutters can be time-consuming if you've never done it before there is defiantly a learning curve.

At Best Homes, we have a wide variety of floorplans available with customizable options throughout your dream home. We don’t, and won’t, take short cuts in our construction process, nor will we substitute lesser materials and labor costs to compete with lower priced builders. Our pricing is simply based on a percentage over the cost of construction. Our customers appreciate our transparent, no non-sense approach to helping them find the right design and amenity level to fit their desired price point. Stock plans or custom designs, your lot or ours, building with Best Custom Homes is a choice you’ll be glad you made.

At Best Homes, we have a wide variety of floorplans available with customizable options throughout your dream home. We don’t, and won’t, take short cuts in our construction process, nor will we substitute lesser materials and labor costs to compete with lower priced builders. Our pricing is simply based on a percentage over the cost of construction. Our customers appreciate our transparent, no non-sense approach to helping them find the right design and amenity level to fit their desired price point. Stock plans or custom designs, your lot or ours, building with Best Custom Homes is a choice you’ll be glad you made.

At Best Homes, we have a wide variety of floorplans available with customizable options throughout your dream home. We don’t, and won’t, take short cuts in our construction process, nor will we substitute lesser materials and labor costs to compete with lower priced builders. Our pricing is simply based on a percentage over the cost of construction. Our customers appreciate our transparent, no non-sense approach to helping them find the right design and amenity level to fit their desired price point. Stock plans or custom designs, your lot or ours, building with Best Custom Homes is a choice you’ll be glad you made.

Of course, he credits IKD’s certified designers for guidance during the process as well as his own research. “We used design Web sites like HOUZZ to help inform our decision about using IKD, for tips about installation techniques, and for suggestions about how to overcome installation challenges. HOUZZ was the most regular online resource we used throughout our design and installation process,” he says. Notably, Adam did not set a budget. Rather, he did calculations during the planning stages to know what price range he was comfortable with for his IKEA purchases. “We even went up a level on our cabinets when saw the first revision of our design from IKD. The change was financially feasible for us and we were happy with the final estimate on our design. When we ended up purchasing our cabinets, the estimate and final cost were very close to each other,” he says. Rounding out the product lineup are an IKEA NUTID microwave; Samsung stainless steel appliances; luxury vinyl flooring (that was installed ahead of the kitchen) and granite countertops from a local third-party, non-IKEA affiliated vendor. “We did not hire a cabinet installer and I proudly state that we did it ourselves” he concludes. For Adam, the previous kitchen was drab, outdated and completely inefficient with narrow passageways around the refrigerator and previous island. Therefore, he discovered that IKEA cabinetry was ideal from a style and budget standpoint for his kitchen remodel. “We were impressed with the quality of the cabinets at the price point. We were also able to plan well in advance of IKEA’s Spring kitchen sale to enable us to purchase our cabinets at a lower price point,” he says. To that end, the IKEA BODBYN Off White cabinetry runs along the upper perimeter of the kitchen, from the Samsung refrigerator, over the stainless steel stove and above the sink and granite countertops.

Interior Design and home furnishings by Laura Sirpilla Bosworth, Laura of Pembroke, Inc Lighting and home furnishings available through Laura of Pembroke, 330-477-4455 or visit www.lauraofpembroke.com for details

At Best Homes, we have a wide variety of floorplans available with customizable options throughout your dream home. We don’t, and won’t, take short cuts in our construction process, nor will we substitute lesser materials and labor costs to compete with lower priced builders. Our pricing is simply based on a percentage over the cost of construction. Our customers appreciate our transparent, no non-sense approach to helping them find the right design and amenity level to fit their desired price point. Stock plans or custom designs, your lot or ours, building with Best Custom Homes is a choice you’ll be glad you made.

Photo: Sharyn Cairns
Inspiration for a contemporary light wood floor and beige floor great room remodel in Melbourne with brown walls