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5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying New Cabinets

Are you in the market for new kitchen or bathroom cabinets? If you’ve already started your search, you’ve probably figured out that buying cabinets can be much more involved than you originally thought. There are so many options when it comes to details like style, size, color, and add-ons. If you haven’t started shopping for your new cabinets yet, pour yourself a cup of coffee, get comfortable, and put your thinking cap on, because we have the perfect checklist of things to consider before you buy new cabinets.

What’s my budget?

First and foremost, figure out how much you want to spend on new cabinets. This will help narrow down the options pretty quickly. Cabinets can account for about half of the budget for a kitchen or bathroom remodel. Decide how much you can afford to spend on your remodel and understand that up to 50% will be eaten up by purchasing and installing new cabinets.

How many cabinets do I need for my space?

You can figure this out by measuring the area where your new cabinets will live. Sure, a professional can take official measurements later, but it’s good to arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible before going to the cabinet shop or home improvement store. Having preliminary measurements on hand will assist the pros in helping you design your new space.

What type of cabinets do I want?

We’re not talking about design just yet. That comes later. First, ask yourself if you want to buy stock, semi-custom, or custom cabinets.

• Stock cabinets are the most budget-friendly. These are mass produced in a factory and sold in modular units. They’re usually made from materials like particleboard. The drawback to buying stock cabinets is that options like style, shape, and color are pretty limited.
• Semi-custom cabinets are generally stock cabinets with extra options available. Basic sizes and finishes still apply, but other options are available. Some dimensions can be changed, and you have more options for design and storage.
• Custom cabinets are the most expensive, but they’re built to your exact specifications. Options are pretty much unlimited as far as style, finish, and add-ons.

What options do I want to add on?

You’ll only need to make this decision if you go with semi-custom or custom cabinets. Things like pull-out shelves and bins, lazy Susans, vertical dividers, built-in cutlery organization, and wine racks are great to have, but make sure they’re within your budget.

What’s my design style?

Cabinets set the tone for the entire kitchen or bathroom. Think about the overall look you desire. Do you want traditional or modern cabinets? Flat front or shaker? Do you like natural wood finishes, colored laminate, or something ultra modern like aluminum or glass?

Once you have the answers to these five questions, you’ll have a good general idea of what you’re looking for and how much you’re willing to spend. Bring that info with you when you start shopping for your new cabinets, and the pros will be able to help you narrow down your options much more easily.

How-To Tuesday: Get Started With Spring Cleaning

With the Charleston weather warming up (off and on, that is) and pollen falling everywhere, it’s time to start thinking about spring cleaning. Spring signifies a renewal in nature and makes everything feel fresh and new, so we love giving our homes a little boost to help them feel fresh and new too. Here’s how to get started.

Get Motivated

Take a walk around your house and take note of what needs to be done. Make a list of projects both big and small. Imagine how you want things to look. Visualization is a great motivator, so sit down and browse Pinterest or flip through catalogs for ideas. Remember to be realistic with your goals. You don’t want to overwhelm yourself before you even get started!

Enlist the Family’s Help

Get the whole family involved. If you have small children, give them little jobs like putting toys away. You might be surprised at how much the little ones are actually eager to help clean. If your kids are older, give them some incentive for helping. One good idea is to make a chore chart that lists monetary values for each chore—amounts are totally up to you. The kids can choose what they want to do and earn a little pocket money. Make a new tradition of taking the kids’ gently used clothes and toys to an orphanage or women’s shelter and instilling great values early on. As a treat for letting go of all of that stuff, maybe allow everyone to choose a new toy or item of clothing.

Do a Purge

Grab a box or a large trash bag and do a sweep of each room. Get rid of any items that you don’t use or love anymore. Toss old paperwork, expired coupons, and junk mail. Go through the fridge and pantry and throw away any foods that are past their prime. Use this time to purge only; don’t get sidetracked with organizing just yet. If you have more than one box or bag’s worth of stuff to purge, set out multiple boxes in each room and mark them with labels like “donate,” “trash,” and “put away.”

Clean First

Once everything’s purged and put away, it’s time to start cleaning. Gather your cleaning supplies and then follow the “top to bottom” rule. Dust ceiling fans and trimwork, clear any cobwebs from corners and ceilings. Move on to the “middle” of the space by vacuuming and polishing furniture, washing windows, wiping down counters and cabinets, etc. Finally, clean the baseboards and then vacuum the rugs and sweep and mop the floors.

Start Organizing

Now that everything’s sparkly clean, it’ll be much easier to put things back where they belong. If you’re still motivated from cleaning day, you can start this right after, or you can take a rest and save organizing for another day. Just don’t forget to get back to it! It doesn’t have to be done all at once. Tackle one room or storage bin at a time if you feel overwhelmed.

Treat Yourself!

Every time you finish a task, reward yourself with a little treat. Take a bath, eat a piece of chocolate, have a coffee break, or just sit down and read for a bit. Designate a bigger reward for when everything is done (a spa day, a shopping trip, or maybe even a nice spring break vacay), and you’ll have something to look forward to as you work.

Water Heater Tips: Conserve Energy and Save Money

Remember when buying a water heater was sort of…uncomplicated? Now the options are plentiful, with electric, natural gas, oil, propane, tankless, and solar models available in all types, shapes, and sizes. No matter what type of water heater you have, there are lots of ways to save both energy and money. Let’s take a look at a few.

Insulate Your Water Heater

Even if your water heater isn’t actively working to bring you hot water, it’s still storing that hot water until you need it. If the walls of the tank aren’t insulated well enough, it can lose some of that heat. Covering it with a special water heater blanket or jacket can help reduce that heat loss by 25%-45% and can save 7%-16% annually on your water heating bill.

Reduce Hot Water Demand

This isn’t necessarily a matter of taking shorter, cooler showers. There are lots of possible culprits of water waste. Check your water heater for leaks. If it’s leaking, it’ll need to be replaced. Check for and repair any leaky faucets, which can wastes gallons of water a month. Update your shower head. Shower heads manufactured before 1992 can use up to 6 to 10 gallons per minute. Switching to a low flow shower head is a quick and easy way to save hot water and money. Upgrade to Energy Star appliances like dishwashers and clothes washers.

Lower the Temperature

Bumping the temperature on your water heater down just a tad can add up to some pretty good savings. Lower it to about 120ºF as a start. For every 10ºF reduction you make, you can save about 3%-5% on water heating costs.

Insulate Water Pipes

You don’t need to insulate every single foot of hot water piping throughout the house. We’re just talking about the first five to ten feet from the water heater. Spend as little as $10 on materials for this easy project, and save about 3%-4% annually. Find simple instructions for insulating hot water pipes here.

Purchase an Upgrade

If your water heater is more than ten years old, it’s probably not too efficient anymore. If it hasn’t already started to give you problems, it will soon. Time for an upgrade! Tankless water heaters, also known as on-demand water heaters, don’t store hot water, which means they don’t have any standby heat loss like a traditional water heater might. Instead, they heat water whenever you need it and remain inactive when hot water isn’t being used. There are a lot of factors to take into consideration when deciding to purchase a tankless water heater, so do your research first.

Friday Five // March 9th, 2018

Each Friday, Johnson & Wilson Real Estate Company is proud to present the Friday Five, a roundup of five events happening throughout the Lowcountry over the weekend. There’s always fun to be had in Charleston and its surrounding areas! Attend a St. Patrick’s Day block party, learn about “rebel girls”, help clean up the marsh, and more. Whatever you choose to do, our staff and agents wish you a very safe and happy weekend!

Want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day two weekends in a row? You’re in luck! The 15th annual St. Paddy’s Day Block Party and Parade will take place this Saturday in Park Circle. Start the day with a parade at noon, then make your way to the block party on East Montague between Virginia Avenue and Jenkins Avenue. Enjoy live music on three stages; food and frosty beverages from local vendors and food trucks; arts and crafts vendors; a kids’ zone with inflatables, face painting, and other hands-on activities; and mechanical bull riding for the adventurous at heart!

March is Women’s History Month, and the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry is observing it with a Rebel Girls Celebration on Saturday from 9am to 11am. Inspired by the book Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, which reinvents fairy tales and inspires girls and boys with the stories of 100 extraordinary women, from Elizabeth I to Serena Williams. Bring the kids to meet some of the Rebel Girls from the book (including Frieda Khalo and Julia Child) as well as a few of Charleston’s own Rebel Girls like Joan Robinson Berry from Boeing South Carolina, Chef Lauren from WildFlour Pastry, local architects from Liollio Architecture, The Lowcountry Highrollers and more.

If you’re interested in helping to keep the Lowcountry beautiful, join the Charleston Waterkeeper, Keep Charleston Beautiful, Lowcountry Land Trust, Frothy Beard Brewing Company, and Lowcountry Marsh Sweepers as they team up for the Ashley River Marsh Sweep at Northbridge Park on Sunday from 10am until 12pm. Wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty and close-toed shoes or boots. Cleanup materials will be provided. After the cleanup, head over to Frothy Beard Brewing Company, which will donate a portion of each pint sold to support efforts to protect, preserve, and beautiful the Lowcountry.

It’s Second Sunday on King Street again this weekend! Spend your Sunday afternoon on America’s most unique “main street,” enjoying the sights, sounds, tastes, and shopping of King Street. From 1pm until 5pm, King Street will be closed to vehicle traffic so locals and tourists alike can stroll the street and check out the many dining and shopping options. Make sure to stop by Kittsona King St. for a dog Adoption Meet and Greet, hosted by Sinbad-Sadie Second Chance Rescue. Download the voucher for two hours of free parking here.

Also on Sunday, the Homeless to Hope Fund and Solutions for the Greater Good will host the Homeless to Hope Benefit Concert at the Gaillard Center. Join Charlton Singleton, Quiana Parler, Heather Rice, Lowcountry Voices, and Mayor John Tecklenburg for an evening of inspirational performances to help alleviate homelessness and increase affordable housing. The concert is coordinated by the Mayors' Commission on Homelessness and Affordable Housing in collaboration with the Mayors from Charleston, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Summerville. 100% of proceeds support the Homeless to Hope Fund.