2010 Kitchen and Bath Design Trends

Before you start a kitchen or bath renovation, consider these top design trends for 2010, according to the National Kitchen and Bath Association.

The most popular kitchen design style is traditional, followed by contemporary, while the Shaker style is showing a strong resurgence.  White and off-white shades are popular for kitchens, while beige and bone are more popular for bathrooms.

Cherry and maple wood cabinets are the most popular choices for kitchens, while alder is gaining popularity. The most common finishes are medium natural, dark natural, glazed, and white painted.

Mortgage Loans that Help with Renovations

Home renovations can be a little daunting, but financing them doesn’t need to be.  Homebuyers considering a fixer-upper and homeowners thinking about doing major rehab work might want to consider an FHA 203K loan.

Often called rehab or renovation loans, 203K loans differ from traditional mortgage loans.  Buyers who want to purchase a home in need of repair usually have to secure a loan to buy the property, get additional financing to complete the renovation and then get a permanent mortgage to pay off the interim loans.  FHA 203K loans are made based on the ‘after-repair’ value and include an escrow account, in which the money is dispersed in draws as the necessary renovations are being completed.

Experience The Bricks of Historic Roswell

The Bricks were built by the Roswell Manufacturing Company in 1840.  The Bricks were two apartment buildings that originally housed cotton mill workers and their families until the 1950’s.  The Brick’s could quite possibly be the oldest standing apartment buildings in the United States.  If only walls could talk, these buildings had also been used as a hospital for Union soldiers and also a library at one time. The two buildings contained a total of ten apartments and from the 1950’s to the mid 1970’s; they were intermittently used for both residential and business space. The structures were renovated in early 1980’s and again more extensively in 1990.  The buildings were once the home of the Roswell Founders Club, a private club that accommodated special events, until the owner decided to sell in 2004.  In 2005, a trio of developers took over and began the tedious task of renovating this historic property into gorgeous modern row houses with all the newest conveniences, including elevators in each unit.  Wanting to maintain the historical integrity of the buildings, they went to great lengths to use recycled materials such as old tin roof shingles for kitchen backsplashes and the old heart of pine floors were used to construct the doors.