The National Association of the Remodeling Industry’s (NARI) Contractor of the Year (CotY) awards program identified the top remodelers in a variety of project categories, as well as revealed remodeling trends nationwide.
One of the noted trends was to reclaim, reuse and refurbish. Several CotY-winning projects mentioned reusing items in the home and/or installing reclaimed items. Christopher Risher, CR, of RisherMartin Renovations based in Austin, TX, has seen this trend, with 90 percent of his clients requesting reuse to some degree in remodeling projects. “I think people try to save as much as possible; they don’t want to replace everything,” said Risher.
Risher’s 2012 award-winning project in the Residential Addition $100,000 to $250,000 category featured reclaimed long-leaf pine flooring, which matched the addition to the original home’s flooring throughout. “We found the flooring through a salvage company in Dallas, and it took quite a bit of work to make it match the original,” said Risher. This included separating the damaged pieces, using twice as much wood filler to seal imperfections, sanding and staining.
John Albrecht, president of Albrecht Wood Interiors Inc., based in Centerville, OH, has had a similar experience with clients’ wanting their project to have that antique-look. As a custom cabinet-maker, Albrecht has noticed a trend toward the distressed wood interiors and away from the sleek, contemporary look.
“Old is new,” said Albrecht. “Clients are consistently asking me to repurpose an old piece of wood into something else or build something new and distress it to look old.” One of Albrecht’s clients scours flea markets, looking for just the right pieces for her home. Barn beams run across ceilings or are transformed into furniture, tree trunks become the base of desks and rail carts are made into coffee tables.
Additional trends noted include pocket doors, sunrooms, subway tile and spray foam insulation to help reduce energy costs in the long-run.
