Jill Simonds

As you may have learned during the custom home building process with us, your home’s cabinetry will be inspected one last time during your Homeowner Walk Though to confirm that it is in acceptable condition, that all hardware is installed, that doors are aligned, and that drawers open and close properly. We will remedy any issues that are noted during the Homeowner Walk Through.

Halvorson-Mason Oregon Coast Homes are built using reputable manufacturers and installers for the wood cabinetry featured in our homes. The brand we offer and the company that installs our cabinetry may change from time to time. All cabinetry will vary in design, wood, grain and color. The information we provide below and in our custom home care handbook is basic in nature and applies to wood cabinetry in general.

Use and Maintenance Suggestions 

Cleaning

Always read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions on any cleaning product you may consider using. Frequent use of any cleaning product may lead to a build up on the surface of the cabinetry, adversely affecting its appearance. Avoid washing cabinets with excessive amounts of water, detergents, or abrasives. Moisture can warp the wood or open the grain. Detergents or abrasives may damage the luster, appearance, and durability of the applied finish.

Door Hinges

A small amount of lubricant will generally improve hinge performance. Over time, hinges may need to be adjusted for doors to close properly. Most hinges are concealed and designed for ease of adjustment with a household screwdriver.

Drawers

If drawers do not open and close smoothly, the rollers may not be properly on track. These tracks are located on the sides or at the bottom of each drawer.

Fading

Both natural and artificial light can cause fading or discoloring of natural wood cabinetry. Controlling the amount of direct sunlight that strikes your cabinets may help to prevent fading.

Moisture

Oregon coast homes are prone to moisture and potential damage to cabinet surfaces and warping from operating appliances that generate large amounts of moisture (such as crock-pots, coffee makers, rice cookers, etc.) near wood cabinetry. When operating such appliances, place them in a location that is not directly under upper cabinets and allows the moisture to dissipate

Wood Grain

Variations in wood grain and color are characteristic in all wood or wood veneer selections and are to be expected. Wood is a product of nature, so it will have natural variations. These variations may include color, pattern, texture, density, and may affect the way different components accept the applied finish. Keep in mind that the wood used in the construction of your cabinetry probably came from more than one tree! These differences actually enhance the appearance and give your cabinetry its own unique character.

We call your attention to these characteristics, as the appearance of the wood cabinetry in your new Oregon Coast home may be different from what you have seen in a display, in a sample or in our model homes. Variations in wood grain, color and the manner in which wood cabinetry accepted the stain are specifically excluded in your warranty. These characteristics are not considered flaws in material or workmanship, are not defects indicating substandard product and cannot be considered reasons for replacement.

Choosing the right floor for your custom built home comes with options and decisions as plentiful as choosing paint colors or tile. There’s something to suit everyone’s taste and purpose and then some. In order to choose the right flooring for your home, you’ll need to consider a few things ahead of time: how the room is typically used along with your family’s lifestyle, and your priorities between ease of maintenance over aesthetics.

When considering the cost to build a house in Oregon, having durable floors that you love looking at and that fit your lifestyle needs for many years to come, needs to fit within the budget. It is possible to have flooring that fits your needs and your budget so it’s important to consider your lifestyle and consider all of the options while designing your Oregon custom built home. Each type of floor surface comes with its own individual advantages and disadvantages. Consider the following points and questions to help narrow your focus in the search for the perfect flooring for your Oregon custom built home.

Consider the Room

The function and location of the room should help determine the appropriate flooring material: you don’t want carpet in the kitchen or dining room due to the propensity for spilled foods and liquids. Additionally, spaces that adjoin entry doors from the outside are prone to seeing a lot more dirt and grit than an upstairs bedroom and are not as suitable for carpet. In contrast, a more subtle fact is that solid wood isn’t suitable for basements due to the moisture issues associated with below-grade rooms.

Consider Your Lifestyle
Do you have children or pets? Some of the laminate products might be better in the scenario with children where floors should be durable to withstand spills, running, or playing with toys. Laminate woods have factory-applied coatings that are designed to be very durable and scratch-resistant. The surface finish of a site-finished wood floor doesn’t have the same durability characteristics as those factory-finishes. Hard surfaces also work well for cleanup from pets that shed whereas carpeting might retain pet hair and dander. On the other hand claws can also scratch a wood floor. If you have big dogs with big claws, tile or wood/laminate flooring with the most durable surface finishes (like aluminum oxide) may be your best bet.

Consider Required Maintenance

Some flooring materials have higher maintenance needs than others if you want them to last and maintain their aesthetic appeal. Wood should be swept or vacuumed often to avoid the dulling and scratching that comes with ground-in dirt. Stone or tile is durable although their finish will eventually succumb to a lack of regular sweeping. For mudrooms or bathrooms with higher risk of standing water from time to time, consider materials like vinyl or tile that can better withstand water going unnoticed.

If at all possible, consider as many options and styles as you can with your Oregon custom homebuilders. Looking at pictures and reading about them is one thing but actually seeing them in person and standing on them can help solidify your decision. While floor shopping for custom built homes Oregon builders Halvorson-Mason provides expert advice when navigating the many decisions that come with selecting the right floors for your Oregon custom built home.

It’s difficult to know exactly where to start when you first decide to renovate or remodel your own home. If you’re embarking on home remodeling so you can stay in your home for a longer period of time without systems breaking down, your approach is different than if you’re renovating to get a higher price when you eventually sell. If it’s more cost effective for you to renovate your home than to build brand new, renovating with small projects is effective. You can assess prioritizing small projects: painting the house, inside and out, to give it a fresh feeling, replace the flooring, using wood if you can to add value, Re-landscape the front and back lawns for curb appeal, and installing new bathroom and kitchen hardware if a total renovation is out of your budget. Analyze your reasons, needs and how much money you have for the renovations before you put your plan into effect. If you’ve been thinking, “I would love to know how to remodel my own house”, check out these simple home remodeling tips for inspiration from trusted experts, Halvorson Contractors before you begin.

Home Remodel Tips for Inspiration
Begin gathering images and ideas for inspiration: like building an inspiration board on Pinterest, collecting images by searching for your ideal design styles, and gathering ideas online or in magazines to get a feel for what you want in your home. Both Pinterest and Houzz are great starting places when searching for inspiration and nailing down your style.

Home Remodeling Tips for Layout
Think deeply about your family and your unique needs. If you have young children, that lends itself to adopting more of an open floor plan. If you’re an empty nester, you may want to transform a spare bedroom into a workout room or an office. It all depends on your season of life—that is the biggest thing to take into consideration when drawing up a floor plan.

Home Remodeling Tips for Organization
A great way to stay organized is to create intentional spaces for toys, craft supplies, and odds and ends. Storage space is often an undervalued part of a home, but adequate storage can make every room feel more peaceful and beautiful simply by removing clutter and freeing up visual space. Consider unique pieces of furniture and home goods that offer a lot of practical organizational space. If you don’t have room for a piece of furniture, use unique baskets, bins, and crates that help organize items and keep them out of eyes view when they’re not in use. Look for practical pieces that tell a story and fit your style.

For larger projects and home upgrades that are better left to a contractor and professional (think plumbing, electrical, etc.), the proper planning and a knowledgeable contractor can leave you assured of a job well done at a reasonable cost. Remember that home improvement or remodeling can be a fun experience for both you and your family. You should always choose a home contractor you feel most comfortable working with. The experts at Halvorson-Mason would love to hear about your home renovation needs, reach out to us for your home renovation / remodeling needs.

Selecting the right custom home builder in Oregon for your custom home is one of the most important decisions you can make. Building a custom home is a huge investment in time and resources, and there is only one chance to get it right. When it comes to the amount of time and money required throughout the entire process, make sure the builder you are working with appreciates that as much as you do and works to make you happy.

There are many important factors to remember when selecting one among the home builders in Oregon. Consider these steps in the selection process to ensure you begin this important process with a builder that is a good fit for you and building the home of your dreams.

Meet the Builder in Person – You are going to be spending many months ahead working with your builder. Meeting potential builders in person is the best way to ensure personalities are compatible when it comes to working through such a long-term and large project together. Chances are, if you get bad feelings in your initial meetings, those feelings are going to come back with a vengeance as work goes on. It is important to take personality into account when making such a big decision. You want to work with a builder you feel comfortable with and who answers all of your questions and concerns. Builders and contractors are very busy people, but they should be responsive and make themselves available to their clients.

Review Their Portfolio – It is more than OK to be meticulous and particular. Make sure to vet the builder’s portfolio of previous custom home builds for quality and style that ideally matches your own. A builder whose entire portfolio consists of contemporary homes may not be the best fit for that highly traditional home you seek – and vice-versa. While many builders have expertise in a variety of design styles and architectural details, in general, look for a builder whose work includes at least some examples of the style of home you want. Look at the builder’s portfolio from every angle, including touring the homes in person. Nothing substitutes a tour by a builder, whether it be furnished and decorated model home that’s open to the public or scheduled by appointment. In either case, pay careful attention to the look, feel and quality of the home and ask all of the questions you can. A good custom home builder will welcome your questions and concerns to put you at ease.

Evaluate Their Reputation and Experience – There are multiple websites and consumer advocacy groups that will allow you to thoroughly vet your potential custom home builder in Oregon before committing to one. Sites like the Oregon Home Builders Association as well as city-specific government sites can be resourceful guides on business practices and reputation. Aside from testimonials provided on the builder’s site, research all other available resources online for reviews and testimonials as well to ensure a reputable builder is the one you choose. Reaching out to the builder for a list of contractors and other companies they work with is another great way of accessing references that the builder may not have otherwise provided when asked specifically for references.

Remembering these few key points when considering custom home builders in Oregon, you’ll be well on your way to selecting a good builder who’s a good fit for you, your needs, and the new home you’ll build together.

As you consider new custom built homes for the sake of energy efficiency, it’s important to know what makes a new home more efficient compared to buying or remodeling an older home and what options are available for making an existing home meet newer standards in efficiency.

What Makes a New Home More Efficient?

Electricity and natural gas were at one point more affordable than they are today and it was also more affordable to build a home without much insulation. Windows used to be single-pane and have aluminum frames that conducted heat and cold into the house. Since utilities weren’t as expensive fifteen years ago, homebuyers didn’t insist on energy efficiency and building authorities didn’t require it.

Size of the home is also a large contributing factor in efficiency. The Energy Information Administration recently published a study showing that modern homes are 30% larger than those built before 2000, but they use just about 2% more energy. New homes typically tend to be larger than those built fifteen or more years ago. That means they will require more energy to heat, cool and light. The cost associated with high cost of utilities means new homebuyers have demanded energy-efficiency upgrades to new homes.

Whether you’re looking at options and designs for energy efficient custom built homes or planning to remodel your existing home, it’s important to consider investing in efficiency for long-term cost savings and sustainability of your home. Choosing options that ensure an efficient home will save energy and money, and you will be able to live more comfortably in a durable house because of it. The planning process is a good time to look into a renewable energy system that can provide electricity, water heating, or space heating and cooling.

If you’re planning to design and build a new home or remodel your current home for energy efficiency, and would like to learn more about how new-home construction is energy efficient and about the energy upgrades some of the best home builders in Oregon include in their custom-built houses, contact the builders at Halvorson-Mason and we will happily discuss energy efficiency with you.