Classic homes Is more than just a name for our company………..it is the way we view our home building mission. In today’s age when sub-contractors and vendors are no longer skilled “journeymen”, we strive to build homes of lasting value—to build “Classics”. It is difficult to balance quality with cost and time of construction to create homes that meet out homeowner’s dreams, timeline, and budget. To quote, Brent Hull, historical millwork expert, in his book, Building a Timeless House in an Instant Age, “the houses we build define us as a country and by abandoning quality in favor or the instant home, we are becoming a culture that has no ability to gauge beauty or value”.
In all our homes, even the more modest ones, we try to include value in materials, millwork, and style. The Kitchen cabinetry is where the millwork can most often shine. Here we can include custom cabinet touches along with more cost-effective manufactured cabinets to add value and style. Luckily today, the kitchen can fashionably be called the “hearth room”. It has become an integral part of the living space——-to harken back to pioneer times. It is truly “the heart of the home” just like it was for our grandmothers.
Since the kitchen is so open to the living area, a most important space to include is the “Pantry” or its more, old fashioned name, the “larder”, popular in today’s home plan vocabulary. This space is big in new home designs because we need a place to keep all the “not so pretty stuff”—ingredients and utensils to create delicious meals as well as a place to hide the “not so beautiful” things that sometimes happen in the kitchen. A Butler’s Pantry is an even better addition when it is possible to be included in the space and budget. We have built them with not only additional sinks but additional dishwashers and refrigerators or freezers as well.
Stone is still the favorite countertop material. You can’t beat it for timeless beauty, functionality, and value. There’s a laminate that closely mimics the look of granite—sometimes the choice for laundry rooms as a cost saving. There’s natural granite, many colors of which are now considered to be competitively priced—all the way to very exotic colors and quartz stones. And today there are even man-made stone countertop materials that include crushed quartz particles and resins. These give a wider range of color choices and advertise to be less porous and easier to maintain even if they are more expensive than the natural granite.
Susan White, contractor and founder of Classic Homes as well as interior designer and founder of Classic Interiors, who is furnishing the showcase home, is a gourmet cook who lives by the slogan that the kitchen is the heart of the home. Watch for her recipes throughout upcoming blogs.