“Remodel Our Existing Home Or Move To A New Home?”

by Diane Plesset | Jun 3, 2019 | Additions and New Homes, Building and Remodeling Plans, Contractors, Design Professionals, Home Remodeling, Remodeling Budget

"Remodel Our Existing Home, or Move To A New Home?" Remodel? --OR-- New? "Do we stay and remodel our home, or move to a new home?" This question has come up many times in my career, and I've lived it personally. The answer is difficult, because it depends on...

Kitchen Remodeling Codes

by Diane Plesset | Mar 25, 2019 | Accessibility, Function, Safety, Sustainability, Technology, Additions, Bathrooms, Kitchens, New Homes, Appliances and Plumbing, Building and Remodeling Plans, Cabinets, Case Studies, Countertops

Function and Safety Are #1! While working with a young couple, a serious issue arose about code compliance. During our first meeting, I was told that the entire extended family enjoys working in the kitchen together. As a designer, I immediately consider what this...

A Bright New Kitchen For Grandparents

by Diane Plesset | Mar 22, 2019 | Accessibility, Function, Safety, Sustainability, Technology, Appliances and Plumbing, Building and Remodeling Plans, Cabinets, Countertops, Lighting and Electrical, Tile

Homeowners, who are grandparents, love to entertain their family and friends. They especially love to take care of their grandchildren. Although the kitchen had an upscale remodeling by previous owners, many things about the kitchen didn't fit my clients' needs. Main...

Remodeling A 1970s Home For Special Needs

by Diane Plesset | Mar 22, 2019 | Accessibility, Function, Safety, Sustainability, Technology, Additions, Bathrooms, Kitchens, New Homes, Appliances and Plumbing, Building and Remodeling Plans, Cabinets, Case Studies, Colors and Decorating, Countertops, Flooring, Lighting and Electrical, Remodeling Budget, Tile

A family of six lived in a 1970s home that needed major remodeling, Here are the challenges and solutions that would transform the home totally: Challenges and Solutions #1: The youngest son has muscular dystrophy and cannot get to the large basement playroom without...

Whole-House Remodeling Project

by Diane Plesset | Mar 22, 2019 | Accessibility, Function, Safety, Sustainability, Technology, Additions, Bathrooms, Kitchens, New Homes, Case Studies, Contractors, Designers, Plans, Products, Styles and Trends

Homeowners' Wishes Become My Goals My clients were a couple who bought a new home in the location they wanted. They knew the whole house needed remodeling. Their blended family includes six adult children. They wanted to achieve a large addition for a dining room,...

Remodeled Kitchen For Empty-Nester Foodies

by Diane Plesset | Mar 22, 2019 | Additions, Bathrooms, Kitchens, New Homes, Case Studies, Contractors, Designers, Plans, Products, Styles and Trends

With their children enjoying successful careers after college, this couple could finally invest money in the remodeled kitchen they’ve wanted for a long time. The wife is a superior cook with a great sense of humor. While we worked together, I'd refer to her as an...

Remodeled Home For A Single Man

by Diane Plesset | Mar 22, 2019 | Bathrooms and Kitchens, Accessibility, Function, Safety, Sustainability, Technology, Additions and New Homes, Appliances and Plumbing, Building and Remodeling Plans, Cabinets, Colors and Decorating, Countertops, Flooring, Lighting and Electrical, Tile

My client, a retired California contractor, bought this 1970s rental home at the base of Mt. Hood because he loves outdoor activities with his two dogs. His #1 priority was to make the home brighter and more cheerful, while updating everything. What follows is a...

Accessory Dwelling Unit For Parents

by Diane Plesset | Feb 25, 2019 | Bathrooms and Kitchens, Accessibility, Function, Safety, Sustainability, Technology, Additions and New Homes, Appliances and Plumbing, Building and Remodeling Plans, Cabinets, Colors and Decorating, Countertops, Flooring, Lighting and Electrical, Tile

Accessory Dwelling Units Can Provide Good Quality of Life Sisters in Dundee, Oregon contacted me because I'm a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist, although they didn't know what a C.A.P.S. designer normally does to improve the quality of life for residents. I learned...

Thanksgiving Prayer and Blessings

by Diane Plesset | Nov 26, 2015 | Archive

Thanksgiving week, 1974. It was the Monday before Thanksgiving. I had made the choice to move from Portland to San Francisco right after Labor Day, to start a new chapter of my life. It didn't take long to become acquainted with people at work, at my new...

Contractors Want Respect (Just Like You!)

by Diane Plesset | Nov 1, 2015 | Archive, Contractors

Contractors , Communication and Respect Part 1 contained information about how to find your contractor. Now we're going to discuss what happens next. First Meeting and Follow-up Meetings with contractors should include the major decision-maker(s) when the...