Thermador Adventures in Scottsdale

Our latest Builder20 meeting was held in Scottsdale, AZ (thus, my previous post about visiting the Frank Lloyd Wright Center).  We have been meeting with our Builder20 group twice a year for over 5 years, and it is always a great time where we work strategically “on” the business instead of just “in” the business.  This time, we held the meetings in the award-winning Thermador training center and showroom.  I must say, this place was awesome and put every meeting room we have ever used in the past to shame!

One of the nights, we had an interactive dinner, where we all cooked various dishes in the showroom on Thermador appliances.  This was really fun and allowed us to learn first-hand about the appliances.  The most amazing feature we saw, in my opinion, was the infrared sensor on the cooktops.  This bad boy senses the temperature inside the dish and KEEPS IT FROM BURNING!  Ah, hello, why haven’t we always had this awesome feature?!!!  As newlyweds, that could have saved us LOTS of money in ruined dinners.  There were many other great features, and we were duly impressed.  Here is what Thermador says about their “Sensor Dome” technology and how it is used in conjunction with their induction cooktop (also available in the electric cooktop):

“Thermador Induction can fry with the industry’s most powerful heating element, or simmer precisely for long periods of time. Thermador’s patented Sensor Dome technology brings the pan to the perfect temperature and utilizes infrared sensor technology to monitor the temperature inside the pan, cycling on and off to maintain the precise temperature. Sensor Dome allows Thermador Induction to simmer without scorching, boil without boiling over, and deep fry without burning.”  (Read more)

Incidentally, Thermador recently announced that they are closing this facility, and that is unfortunate.  We wish everyone could see it!

The Importance of Using Tested Materials

Recently, Fox News reported on a study conducted by the Institute of Medicine that points to the importance of using tested materials in residential construction.  In fact, it really could be extrapolated to an underlying problem, the lack of residential building licensing (at least in Texas), but that’s an article for another day.

In the document recently released by the Institute of Medicine, studies showed that in an attempt to “weatherize” a building, other problems – such as dampness which allows mold to grow, or infectious agents and pests to thrive – can occur. In other words, the indoor environment can be affected in a harmful way. According to the report, “Even with the best intentions, indoor environmental quality issues may emerge with interventions that have not been sufficiently well screened for their effects on occupant safety and health.” However, many residential products don’t get tested thoroughly until they have been on the market for a while.  Even if it has been tested in a lab, there is no substitute for testing in the field.  There are several reasons for this:

• The home is a system, made up of many products that work together to create a liveable environment.  There are a number of different approaches to providing the best indoor air quality, for instance.  The traditional method was to create positive air pressure and “push” air out through the relatively porous walls, allowing plenty of fresh air to come in through those same walls.  With less porous materials being used inside the exterior wall cavities, now fresh air must sometimes be introduced artificially through the HVAC system.  The question arises here, have all the potential options for materials been tested together to ensure that humidity is not somehow trapped inside the home?  That is an important question.

• Time-tested materials have been thoroughly field tested.  For example:  While watching “This Old House” several years ago, we noticed that when they peel back the Fiber board and reveal 100-year-old framing material, it looks practically brand new.  That is a fairly convincing testament to this material.  To change to a newer material, one would need fairly convincing data that the new material will hold up as well as this one.

Although there is no cause for alarm, this article does point out an important consideration in how residential builders must approach the abundant choices we make each and every day.  Each product must be thoroughly reviewed to ensure all the proper testing has been done, as well as how it tested in relation to the other products going into the home.  This is a good reminder that we in this industry must always remember that we serve families first.  Let’s face it, there will be children living in most of our homes.  There is, in my opinion, no more important job on the planet than doing our absolute best to ensure those families breath clean, fresh air.

Schlage LiNK Brings Smart Phone Technology To Your Home

Lately, it seems like all the talk is about Smart Phones, but did you know it is possible to lock and unlock your home’s front door using your Smart Phone? And you can do it from anywhere you can access the internet! This is certainly nothing new, as we have been installing these systems in our custom homes for a number of years. However, several well-known companies have brought a subset of this great technology to the broader market, making it accessible to everyone. Among these is the Schlage LiNK line of products. More than just a door handle, the Schlage products combine internet access with a wireless entry to create a door that can be unlocked from anywhere you access the internet.

From the company’s website comes this description:

Schlage LiNK Starter Kit includes everything you need to create your own remote access solution. Installation and set up are simple, you’ll be up and running quickly. Creates a Z-Wave® wireless network within your home that connects the Schlage Wireless Keypad Lock to the internet through the secure Schlage Bridge. Web-based access means greater peace of mind, no matter where you travel. Confirm the status of your Wireless Keypad Lock from anywhere with any Internet-enabled computer and most Internet-enabled cell phones. Requires monthly fee for remote access capabilities. Available in three finishes: Bright Brass, Satin Nickel, and Aged Bronze.

The applications of such a product are endless. Have a rental property across town or out of town that needs to be open for showing at a certain time? Unlock it from your iPhone. Have someone coming to clean your house at the same time each week? Program your door to be unlocked at that time each week. The keyless entry will allow you to assign different codes so that you can also see exactly what time your child got home from school or what time the door lock was accessed – and by whom. You can even set it up to send you a text message anytime the lock is accessed.

But the lock is not the only thing you can access with the LiNK bridge. This wireless system can be extended to include your thermostat, your lights and even a camera wireless camera. With all that power at your fingertips, you will be able to:

* Remotely control and monitor your home’s heating and cooling
* Let your kids in when they forget their key
* Check on your pet while you’re away with live video
* Check to see if you locked your door while you’re away from home
* Turn your lights on before you arrive home
* Schedule your Z-Wave enabled lights to turn on and off while you’re on vacation

In today’s mobile society, this one system meets many practical needs. The only drawback that we could find is its lack of expandability. For instance, if you wanted to add motion sensors or whole house audio, this functionality is not offered by the system. So, you would need to go with a more comprehensive system such as the Crestron system we install in many of our homes. However, if you’re looking for a relatively inexpensive solution for a rental property or older second home, this might just fit the bill. In the interest of full disclosure, there is a monthly subscriber fee. However, $8.99 a month or $99 a year seems like a small price to pay for this technology.

Wine Room Considerations

Bethany Jenkins, Vice-President of Jenkins Custom Homes, in her article on wine rooms writes, “Whether you are a wine enthusiast or a novice, a custom-built wine room is the hot trend in custom home design, especially where luxury reigns. A good wine cellar creates an opportunity for great wine for a lifetime. It can also add value for purposes of resale of the home…All fine wine collections require the same basic care: climate, humidity, and light control systems to protect and preserve delicate vintages. Vapor-tight doors and easy access are also top priorities. Proper storage makes financial sense and allows wines to be purchased when they are released, at the time they are most available and lower in price.”

So when planning your wine room, keep these three elements in mind: light, humidity and temperature of the room.

Light

This one is simple: “UV light can break down the protiens [sic] in the wine. It’s best to store wine in the dark” (source: newcellars.com). The bottom line is to keep your wine out of direct light. A flush-mounted fixture with a frosted cover can easily achieve this, but other options include rope lighting that is hidden up in the molding or even a smaller chandelier with low wattage bulbs.

Humidity

Storing wines in a highly humid environment is important because it keeps the cork from shrinking and allowing for the degradation of the wine. However, high humidity also increases the possibility of water vapor damage. According to AskTheBuilder.com’s Tim Carter, “The wine rooms love relative humidity levels of 55 – 75% relative humidity. That is frighteningly high humidity. If that water vapor escapes from the wine room somehow, it can condense on cooler surfaces in a heartbeat.”

Humidity needs to be high in the room, but also contained in the space. Installing a good vapor barrier is the key. This is the point at which a good builder becomes critical. A builder who is both knowledgeable about your climate and the problems that such high humidity can cause to the rest of your house, will prove invaluable.

Temperature

According to Carter, “the temperature of the space is supposed to be 55-58F.” Jenkins writes that, “The bigger the cellar, the harder it is to control temperature and humidity”. However, it is a critical component. The temperature of the room will determine how well your best wines age. The site, newcellars.com, says that “Wine is constantly growing, never static. The best wines are aged slowly and stored properly in a cool dark damp area…Extreme fluctuations in temperature can cause premature aging or deposits.” There are many systems available to help maintain this constant temperature, some of which have an alarm that sounds if the temperature exceeds the range specified. Which system works best for your space is a decision best made with the help of an experienced builder.

Jenkins writes that “Wine rooms can be designed to fit most budgets and can be built to a variety of sizes and styles. If you are designing a new home or updating an existing one, a wine room can add value and style for the simplest of homes to the very elite. Approximately 75% of the homes built by Texas’ Custom Builder of the Year, Jenkins Custom Homes, contain wine rooms.”

Once you know these basics and have a knowledgeable builder, then all that’s left to decide is how far you are willing to go in your wine room design.

“The Bathroom Is The New Den”

Or so claims Christopher Solomon of MSN Real Estate. “More and more, people are going to the bathroom to relax and even luxuriate after a day in the rush-rush world, say home remodelers and designers. Homeowners are upgrading the rooms — outfitting them with everything from soaking tubs to heated floors — to make themselves comfortable. But peace and quiet aren’t the only motivating factors. An upgraded bathroom helps sell a home and can be a good investment.”

Experts agree. “One way to ‘get away,’ and at the same time enhance a home’s value is to turn the bathroom into an in-home retreat. In fact, making the bathroom a place of retreat is one of today’s most popular home remodeling projects, according to Homestore.com, as homeowners look for relief from hectic lifestyles and choose to spend more time at home.” This makes sense to anyone who reads the news. “As the country faces tough times, homeowners are focusing their spending on the home to make it a secure, comfortable environment according to a Unity Marketing study” (source: ABathroomGuide.com). “‘Homeowners want a beautiful, relaxing space they can call their own,’ says Gary Uhl, director of industrial design for American Standard, the world’s leading plumbing products manufacturer and distributor. ‘To make the bathroom a personal retreat, homeowners are expanding the size of bathrooms and adding whirlpools and more decorative fixtures.’”

Whether you are designing your dream home or remodeling your bath, here are some things to keep in mind.

Add More Color

“‘The bathroom is becoming more of a centerpiece in the home with design trends ranging from the bold and colorful to the simple and elegant,’ says Jim Krengel, one of the first certified bathroom designers…’Adding a little color to a bathroom is as easy as a hand-painted sink or a new paint color to the walls…The latest color trends are running the gamut. Natural colors are the most versatile, but designers are incorporating some bolder colors such as red and blue as well as deep forest and emerald green and terra cotta and rust. These colors are used in everything from the paint to the sink to decorative tiles’” (source: ABathroomGuide.com). Designer Allison Bergamo agrees: “I’d like to see people embrace more color in their living spaces. It’s so easy and relatively inexpensive to try a new paint color or bring in pillows, area rugs, artwork, etc.”

The Unique Sink (And Tub. And Shower.)

In a recent episode of This Old House, Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey and host Kevin O’Connor found that innovation is the name of the game in bathroom trends, and that is especially true where the fixtures are concerned. On tap (pun intended) for 2010 include “vessel sinks with water-spouting faucet inside of wall…Ceiling-mounted faucet provides unique way to fill bathtub…and Bath lavs come in wide variety including, traditional farmhouse sinks to contemporary clear-glass vessel sinks.”

Gary Uhl agrees. “Another hot trend in fixtures is above-counter sinks that serve as a sink as well as displayed art.” From floating sinks to vessel sinks, to every kind of faucet imaginable, the sink has become more of a centerpiece to the bathroom than just a place to wash hands.

Take, for example, the showerhead faucet. After a recent trip to Sushi Wabi in Chicago, The Bathonista reported that “After using it, I can’t say a showerhead is any more functional than a normal sink faucet, but if you’re going for style points, or “I have to have something totally different than all of my friends” points, this is something to consider.”

Heat It Up

“‘The big thing in bathrooms is steam,’ says [Richard Landon, of Richard Landon Design in Bellevue, Wash.] ‘People are discovering how wonderful it is to come home at the end of the day and de-stress.’” In fact, according to This Old House, “An integrated, multipurpose shower stall contains showerhead, handheld sprayer, adjustable body sprays, aroma-therapy system and steam heads.”

Beyond the sauna/shower, direct-vent fireplaces are all the rage in larger bathrooms, providing not just ambiance but added warmth (source: This Old House).

And finally, radiant heating under the floor is now “…creeping its way towards becoming a necessity” according to Erin Loechner. “Although radiant heating is a high cost up front (expect to pay between $15 and $20 per square foot), the benefit of floor heating extends beyond warm toes to economic benefits. Once floor tiles heat up, they continue emitting heat long after the radiant elements have shut off.” According to Christopher Solomon, “Companies such as Nuheat sell a mesh that is placed under the tiles when they’re set, and then is connected to a thermostat on the wall. ‘It’s not thousands of dollars. A bathroom could be just hundreds,’ (depending on the market) says [Sandy Hayes, a kitchen and bath designer in Portland, Ore.].

Luxury Trends

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There has been plenty of airtime given to the topic of the economy in recent years – and for good reason. Data indicates that “Workers in the lowest income decile [10%] faced a Great Depression type unemployment rate of nearly 31%” (source: Sum). But has the recession hit everyone equally? Not according to Northeastern University’s Center for Labor Market Studies.

In fact, unemployment among those in the top 10% income group (individuals earning more than $150,000 per year) was only 3.2% in the fourth quarter of 2009 (source: Sum). This means that “There was no labor market recession for America’s affluent” (source: Sum). Due to this phenomenon, many high end services and businesses continue to make sales because the wealthy are still actively buying.

For instance, “The more accessible labels [like Coach] have proved vulnerable, while the higher-end and classic brands, like Hermès, are still flourishing (indeed, Hermès reported an 8.5 percent rise in revenue for 2009)…today’s luxury brands must offer lasting value and/or real exclusivity— Hermès doesn’t need to court the masses, who are still pinching pennies. Luxury is making its way back to the high-end consumer.” (source: Miranda)