Year-Round Sunroom Oasis

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Love the outdoors but not the North Carolina humidity? If so, then adding a sunroom to your home will be perfect!

Decor

When furnishing your sunroom keep in mind that the sun will be beaming down on your brand new furniture. This can result in your furniture being damaged. To avoid this, consider purchasing outdoor furniture which is designed to better withstand the effects of the sun.

Climate

Contrary to popular belief, sunrooms can be used year-round. During the colder seasons, you can use any type of portable electric heating device to keep the room nice and warm.

Personalize It

Whether it is vaulting the ceilings in your new space or adding custom curtains, don’t be shy about sprucing it up! After all, you are going to be spending lots of time in this room.

Use of Space

Whether you use the sunroom as a book nook, a TV room or your second living room, it is sure to become the favorite room in your home!

Contact CQC Home today and let’s explore the many options for designing the perfect sunroom for your home.

Epic Backyard Cookout and Party Decks

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It’s about that time of the year when we start throwing epic backyard parties and cookouts again. But before you do any party throwing, you’ll need one important thing — a deck! Instead of having your guests sit or stand on the grass, have them sit on the beautiful outdoor furniture you purchased for your brand new deck. Here are some tips to consider than can help CQC Home create the perfect deck for you:

  • Have an idea of how you’ll want your deck to built. Do you want your new deck attached to your door? Or do you want your deck to be freestanding (built separately from your house wall), or have you considered having a second-story deck?
  • Providing us with plans/blueprints can give us something to build off of, no pun intended.
  • To make your deck the talk of the town, add screening to protect you and your guests from pesky insects and other outdoor elements.

CQC Home will make sure your deck is built to local codes and will have the correct permits, so call us today!

Farmhouse Kitchen Sinks

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Farmhouse sinks are an amazing way to add a sort of rustic charm to any kitchen.

  • Farmhouse sinks are deeper than typical stainless steel undermount or topmount sinks. This makes washing larger pots, bowls and cookware easier. There are also two different options when it comes to sectioning off your sink. You can have one large bowl, or two large bowls that are sectioned off.
  • White farmhouse sinks are typically made from fire clay, porcelain or stainless steel. Fireclay is more durable and easier to clean than porcelain, but definitely more expensive. The cost effective alternative would be to choose stainless steel. This option puts a modern twist on the traditional, country-styled sink.
  • Do keep in mind that this is not only a large sink on top. It will limit your storage space below the sink as well, so having extra storage space in another area of your kitchen would be ideal.
  • The average width of a farmhouse sink is twenty to thirty-six inches.

Let CQC Home help you add a little southern charm to your kitchen by installing one of these fashionable, yet functional sinks!

Ferguson Spotlight: Kitchen

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Ferguson Bath, Kitchen, and Lightening Gallery is the place to get the newest, and most ground breaking products and features. Quite naturally, we at CQC Home have joined forces with them, making our selection process and jobs so much easier with the outstanding products available for our clients. Over the next few weeks, I will highlight some of the Ferguson products we are noticing in our kitchen and bathroom renovations and remodels.

Strive Collection Smart Divide Double Bowl Kitchen Sink; 32″ X 18-5/16″ ; Undermount with Strainer are beneficial and beautiful, so it is no wonder we are installing so many of these sinks. One of the appealing factors is the Smart Divide lower bowl that boosts versatility and workspace. The sound-absorption technology called SilentShield gives a quieter performance. A rear drain enhances storage underneath the sink. And who doesn’t appreciate a sink bridge utility shelf with a dishcloth bar and bottom sink rack? These are included! Why not include the Pro 750 Evolution Food Waste Disposer in your new kitchen, which is a perfect space-saving garbage disposal that is 40% quieter than standard disposers. There are five-star reviews everywhere for this particular disposer, all mentioning the extreme power it possesses. Round off your kitchen sink with an Essa Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet. This well built faucet gives you up to five million uses. Pull-down sprayer faucets are popular, yet consumers often hesitate on selecting them since they tend to dangle over time. Delta has solved that with MagnaTite, a magnet embedded in the spout which pulls the wand accurately into place every time!

Contact us at CQC Home, where we create upscale, functional and exquisite kitchens!

Appliance Lifts Make Cooking and Baking a Breeze

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Stand mixers are exceptionally useful in the kitchen. But how often have you given it a second thought when you remembered how much of a hassle it is to pull out your mixer? (Not to mention how heavy and how much space these heavy duty appliances take up.)

Good news! There’s a mechanically-balanced contraption that makes getting your stand mixer out a breeze. An appliance lift easily raises your mixer out of a base cabinet, locking it into place while you perform your culinary magic! When you’re done, tuck it away in a snap and that’s all there is to it.

An adjustable spring-tension mechanism helps ease the effort of lifting and lowering your stand mixer. Built-in shock dampers allow for a smooth movement when going up or down. And mixer lifts can accommodate different weights ranges — up to 20 pounds, 20 to 30 pounds, and even 30 to 60 pounds.

The inventor clearly kept design flexibility in mind. An otherwise bulky and heavy mixer now becomes an incognito fixture that can be whipped up or out of the way in a jiffy. It can be attached to any custom-made shelf and therefore fit all cabinet sizes allowing for a perfect match to your countertop or interior cabinet.

Contact the pros at CQC Home today and see how we can help transform your kitchen with thoughtful and beautiful design touches that help make cooking a delight.

Stylishly Mismatched Cabinets

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As a mom of a teenage daughter, I have to keep up with so many trends. One I have quickly learned of is the art of mismatching. My stylish daughter can somehow make a powder blue sock on one foot and a tangerine orange sock on the other look good! I no longer think twice in the morning when I can’t find a matching black sock! This is also true for your kitchen. I know you are saying to yourself, I’ll believe it when I see it! This beautiful modern farmhouse kitchen we designed really sells the trend of mismatching. Especially for those who ordinarily go for the classic look.

Cabinets

The beautiful upper cabinets are bronze stained, while the base cabinets are a light gray with a brush stroke finish. Look how the dark cabinets make the light ones look fresh and crisp. The handles have been left matching, so that there is still an element of visual cohesion and aesthetic appeal.

Countertops

The black walnut butcher block island contrasts against the ocean shell countertops selected for the perimeter, adding a bold look that really appeals to me.

Storage

The pull out shelves and spice racks implemented in this feature-packed kitchen helps keep the clutter at bay.

I hope I’ve made you a believer in mismatching! The distinct ​contrast adds lovely depth to ​your overall scheme, no matter what style of kitchen you are having us create for you!

2017 Electrical Fixtures: USB Wall Charger Plate Covers

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Looking for ways to declutter? Installing a USB wall plate is a swanky feature that can help you do just that. This small electrical fixture provides additional plug-in features while removing the need for multiple adapters dangling off your wall. If you are like me and have multiple devices, from cellphones, to iPads, laptops and Kindles, this is music to your ears! These outlets will also help eliminate the many power strips that may be cluttering your floor space, as well.

USB PostSeveral of these state of the art outlets even have an energy efficient feature. Electricity is regulated by sensors to output only the energy needed for the specific device that is plugged in. Also, spring-loaded safety shutters helps prevent any harm to the little ones with exploring hands or by incorrectly trying to plug in the wrong device. These safety shutters also eliminate wasted standby power when nothing is plugged in. A night light is not standard, but can be found on some of the USB wall plates.

Our craftsmen are skilled in installing these wall plates and can inform you of any rewiring that may be needed. A deeper space is required to install these wall plates that may not be present in some older homes, but a benefit is that you will have a smoother finish against the wall. (Older model wall plates tend to stick out a bit further.) Let us know your interest in these during your walk-through and we can check to see if this is an option for your home and have this quick update modernize your home.

Sliding Barn Doors for Added Charm, Functionality and Value

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Craftsmen meets farmhouse design. Sliding barn doors are being displayed in homes more and more, both for their distinctive look as well as their functionality.

a-master-bathroom-thats-rustic-modern-and-warm-8272Based on a two year study, research showed that keywords like “barn door” highly affected the sale of a home — selling as many as fifty-seven days faster and at a higher price point. You get added character in your home and money back. What beats that?

Let’s explore the functionality of installing a barn door. When you have a bi-fold door that swings open inside your space, it reduces your available space. With barn doors installed, you instantly gain more available space since the door glides open, parallel with the wall. Instead of doing a “door waltz”, you now have the luxury of walking in a room and having instant gratification!

See how one of our recent clients added a contemporary yet rustic feel to their home by having us install a sliding barn door for his bathroom entryway.

Why Install a Nest Learning Thermostat

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There’s an app for any and everything, nowadays. And the Nest Learning Thermostat is definitely a leader of the pack. Here are some of the futuristic features this innovative thermostat puts at your fingertips.

cqchome-durham-4737Energy Tracker

This thermostat is the definition of app savvy! Simply download the Nest app to see how much energy you use and why. Out and about on a blistering hot day or super chilly night? Change your home temperature from the car on your way back home. How cool is that?

Senses

The Nest Learning Thermostat is always aware. It even senses when you enter the room and instantly lights up to inform you of the time, room temperature and even the weather.

Auto Schedule

It also learns what temperature you like in your room — or rooms! Within a week’s time, it programs itself to be at your ideal temp comfort level.

Techy

Connect your thermostat to Wi-Fi and have the luxury of controlling the temperature at your fingertips — from your phone, laptop or tablet.

Home/Away Assistance

Always helping to conserve energy, a leaf icon appears when you’ve chosen a temperature that saves energy.

Have us install one of these ground breaking thermostats in one or all of your rooms. Beware of showcasing one of them in the kid’s rooms, though. They may be all to happy to continuously test out the new “toy”.

Freestanding Tubs: A Showcase in Style and Versatility

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While some say freestanding bathtubs look like they come from a previous era, they certainly are making a comeback! Here are a few reasons why love for freestanding tubs seems to be overflowing, and are being installed in all styles of bathrooms and homes:

Space Saver • Taking up less room than showers, freestanding tubs help achieve a more open-feeling bathroom space.

freestanding-bathtub-4926Versatility • Freestanding tubs come in a wide variety of materials, finishes, shapes and sizes, and can help transform any space. Their placement is versatile, as well. You can place yours in the middle of the bathroom, next to a wall or anywhere you have space.

Added Value • Such a powerful piece will surely add value to your home, whether you are remodeling before placing your home on the market or plan on moving in the future.

Showcase Your Tile • Opt for a freestanding tub with legs to make your tile choice pop! The uninterrupted stretch of tile creates extra dimension and pizazz.

I hope this has ignited your creativity and helped you brainstorm your upcoming bathroom renovation or remodel! And don’t think your space is too minuscule to integrate one of these beauties, either. Call us today and see how any bathroom can be turned into your own personal resort.

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