Top 5 Kitchen Trends for 2010

There is possibly no more important room in your house than the kitchen. The kitchen is the hub of activity, the source of sustenance, and the number one room a potential buyer will consider when choosing a new home. That is why designing the kitchen must be done with an eye to the current trends. Here are just a few of the trends we found for 2010.

• Kitchens are getting bigger. “It seems as though families are getting smaller and at the same ti me, kitchens are getting bigger. Designers are using industrial appliances, state-of-the-art cabinets and countertop materials, and including a kitchen island whenever possible.” (source: http://interiordec.about.com/od/kitchenislands/a/a_kitchenisland.htm)
• Kitchens are getting to be more earth-friendly. “Eco-friendly is all the rage these days, but most notably in the kitchen where a few small changes can make a significant impact. You can use inexpensive recycled or natural materials such as recycled glass counter tops or formaldehyde-free bamboo for work surfaces and flooring. Convenient built-in recycling centers and food composters can save space and make recycling simple. The overall idea is making the kitchen effortlessly eco-friendly so that being green isn’t a sacrifice, it’s just an easy part of your everyday life.” (source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Best-Kitchen-Trends-For-2010&id=3162648)
• Kitchens are focusing on being both convenient and multi-purpose. “This year’s kitchen features products that are…all about convenience-meets-multifunctionality.” (source: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,1637271,00.html) What does that mean? Well, “sinks with accessories, such as built-in preparation boards, colanders, and/or drain trays…storage that is both stylish and highly engineered…Cupboard inserts and custom storage areas with adjustable dividers and pull out baskets…appliances set on wheels or movable islands which allow you to easily rearrange the kitchen for convenient preparation, cleaning, and entertaining… which is not just multi-functional, but also kind of fun.” (source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Best-Kitchen-Trends-For-2010&id=3162648)
• Kitchens are becoming more colorful. Color trends change regularly, but the top color choices for kitchens include “Creamy Neutrals, Veiled Violets, A Gamut of Grays, Pale & Punchy Greens, Bold Turquoise” (source: http://www.kitchens.com//design/color/color-trends/color-trends-2010.aspx). Also consider that “Unexpected flashes of color and bold shapes are all the rage, and offer a nice juxtaposition to the earthy mellowness of the eco-friendly trend.” (source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Best-Kitchen-Trends-For-2010&id=3162648)
• Kitchens are becoming more high-tech. “Just like every other aspect of our lives, kitchens are featuring more technology than ever. A lot of this technology is focused on making the kitchen more enjoyable and adding a bit of the “wow” factor. From flat-screen televisions and computer-based entertainment systems to retracting ventilation hoods and gas burners, technology can make the kitchen more fun, convenient, and cool. The kitchen is both a social and functional space in the home. Small additions, like a small mobile device charging station, really illustrate this point. Imagine your family returning home in the evening, immediately plugging in their mobile devices, and congregating in the kitchen to catch up with each other.” (source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Best-Kitchen-Trends-For-2010&id=3162648)

Lake Travis View Highlights Jenkins Custom Homes In Recent Article

Jenkins Custom Homes is named ‘Custom Home Builder of the Year’

Jenkins Custom Homes proudly announced projected earnings in 2009 to exceed those of 2008. Another testament to the homebuilder’s steadfast success, even in the midst of a recession, was made at the Texas Association of Builders Star Awards, where Jenkins Custom Homes was named the 2009 Custom Home Builder of the Year for Texas.

The competition at the Star Awards this year was stiff, with many accomplished homebuilders vying for a chance at the prestigious award. “Our unique Lifestyle Analysis(c) program, an excellent website, and an amazing team were key to our success this year,” said Shan Jenkins, owner of Jenkins Custom Homes.

In addition to winning Custom Builder of the Year, Jenkins took home seven other Star awards, including Best Custom Home and Best Architectural Design. The homebuilder was also named Builder of the Year in 2006, placing it among an elite handful of custom builders in the state of Texas to win the award more than once.

The award goes to the Texas homebuilder who best displays excellence in areas such as design, construction, industry leadership, and community altruism. Jenkins demonstrates all the qualities the Texas Association of Builders seeks in industry and community involvement. Locally, Shan Jenkins serves as President of the Lakeway chapter of the Home Builders Association of Austin. Nationally, Jenkins serves as host to the Custom Builder’s Symposium tour, and is an active member of various homebuilder associations.

Bethany Jenkins, vice president of Jenkins Custom Homes, attributes Jenkins’ victory to community involvement. “We feel that the more you give to your community, the more you receive. The fact that we’ve had such a successful year is partly because we make getting involved a priority.”

Jenkins Custom Homes has been building luxury custom homes in Austin and surrounding areas for more than 15 years. Jenkins’ unique Lifestyle Analysis(c) program sets the homebuilder apart from its competition, and guarantees any project to be within 5% of the original design cost. With over 100 homes constructed, totaling more than $50 million, Jenkins has a solid track record that is now uniquely recognized through the award of Custom Builder of the Year.

Source: http://laketravisview.com/2009/12/11/jenkins-custom-homes-is-named-%E2%80%98custom-home-builder-of-the-year%E2%80%99/

The Skinny On Energy Efficiency

Google's PowerMeter

When faced with building a new home, you may be surprised at the number of options available for lowering your energy consumption, and thus, your utility bills. However, some ideas are better than others, and a good rule of thumb, according to Bethany Jenkins, Vice-President of Jenkins Custom Homes, is to evaluate the product and choose those with a 2-4 year payback. One of the benefits of building a new home – as opposed to purchasing an existing – is the flexibility you have in design. Here are some of our favorite ways to control energy costs:

1. Start with a great design. Your home’s orientation on the lot, as well as the location of windows and doors, can take into consideration cross-ventilation and the direction of the sun in both winter and summer months.
   
2. Have a carefully planned “thermal envelope”. The thermal envelope is a technical term for the insulation in your home. Think of it like a thermos – the quality of the insulation is what determines how hot or cold your liquid inside remains. The same is true of your home. Putting your money into a high-density foam insulation and highly efficient windows will keep your home warmer or cooler, therefore reducing the number of times the A/C or heater has to cycle on and off.
   
3. Require high-performance mechanical systems (heating and cooling systems, hot water heaters), as well as appliances.
   
4. Employee technology when cost-effective (occupancy sensors for lights, A/C & heater, for instance).
5. Carefully placed trees can shade your house from cold winds or the summer heat, and drought resistant landscaping will lower your water usage.  A good landscape architect can design your green space with eye toward lowering your energy costs.
   

International Builder’s Show

This year at the International Builder’s Show, we took our entire team.  It was so fun to attend seminars, walk the booths, and see the sights of Las Vegas together!  We truly enjoy being together and have such admiration and respect for each other.  I know we all feel enthusiastic about what we learned and are excited to bring it back and apply it.

One of the more interesting booths this year was the Kohler booth, not because of the plumbing fixtures, although they were great as always.  However, the real attraction for me this year was “Ed”, the guy from Extreme Home Makeovers…well, not him personally…rather, what he was showing.  It was a backup whole-home generator.  The best part about this generator is that they have partnered up with the company that manufactures the electrical panel to create a generator-ready electrical panel for very little additional cost.  What this means for you and me is that we can build our custom home with this panel and then decide later (if and when electrical shortages occur) to add the generator.  Adding a generator used to be an extremely costly proposition.  This makes it possible to prepare for it but not invest in it until it’s really needed or desired.

Stay tuned for more posts to come on the International Builder’s Show.  We learned so much this year that I will have to break it down into smaller posts.

About the Author:  Bethany Jenkins is Vice President of Jenkins Custom Homes and married to the owner, Shan Jenkins.  To read more about Bethany, check out her bio page here.

The Refrigerator Dilemma

Sometimes the simplest solutions can be the most effective.  For instance, very few people have adequate space in their fridge.  Most have to do the refrigerator dance.  You know the moves – the taller stuff on top, move the shorter stuff to the lower shelves, so on and so forth.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have PLENTY of space in your fridge?

No, I’m not here to tell you about the wonders of some new appliance on the market.  Instead, I want to highlight a design solution one of our readers implemented.

In this case, the homeowner had a laundry room just down from the kitchen with space for a freezer.  So when her refrigerator needed to be replaced, she chose to replace it with a full-sized fridge.  That’s right – this entire appliance is ALL REFRIGERATOR, ALL THE TIME!!!  No more refrigerator shuffle, just space and more space.

The idea for an all-refrigerator unit was started by commercial kitchens.  They have always been available from high end appliance manufacturers such as Subzero and Thermador.  Now, however, if you go to sears.com, you will see a large variety of manufacturers from Whirlpool to Frigidaire offering them.

The thinking for this homeowner was the infrequency with which she accessed her freezer.  Why waste precious kitchen space with freezer, when what she really needed was a bigger fridge?  Problem solved – and the only money spent was the cost of the refrigerator, which was going to be spent on a new appliance anyway.