Tips Archives - Page 4 of 8 - McDonald Contracting

Blog, Tips

The Process Behind a Kitchen Reno

4Aug2021

Are you thinking about adding on an addition, renovating your basement, or perhaps designing a whole new kitchen? Whatever the project is, you’re probably wondering what the process is. How long will it take? What happens next? We work with homeowners weekly, walking them through the ins and outs of their project timeline. So we thought we would share an example of the process behind renovating a kitchen to help give you a better grasp of the project timeline.

Here is an example of the timeline behind a kitchen renovation –

The process behind renovating a kitchen:
- Homeowner and owner Ed meet to do a walkthrough of the project
- The budget and contract is agreed on
- The first step is to finalize the project design and drawings
  - Our team works alongside designers, homeowners, and the project manager to develop drawings
  - In some projects we don’t work with designers, depends on the budget.
- We schedule the demolition crew, arrange for dumpsters and pull the right permits
- Demo is completed
- Framers to build the space out
- Rough plumbing completed
- Rough electrical work completed
  - Did you know we have our own team of electricians over at McDonald Electric?
- Schedule all inspections for the electrical and plumbing work
- Walls are insulated
- Framing inspection is completed
- The team closes up walls
- Walls are primed
- New flooring is installed
- Cabinets are installed
- Countertops are put in
- All tile work is completed, such as the backsplash
- Hardware, appliances, and faucets are installed
- The floors get sanded and stained (if hardwood floors)
- The final painting is completed
- The electricians and plumbers do their final work, such as installing light fixtures
- All final inspections are done

We hope you find this helpful! Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions!

Blog, Tips

Preventing Ice Dams

14Jan2021

Although New England winters bring many opportunities for fun, they also can create challenging and costly situations… especially for homeowners. One winter struggle that we deal with quite frequently here at Mcdonald Contracting is ice dams.

What are ice dams? Ice dams form on a roof when heat escapes and melts the snow; when the melted snow refreezes, it creates a blockage at the end of the roof that interferes with draining. This causes the water to leak under the roofing, which leads to costly interior damage.

So how can you protect and prevent your home from ice dams? The first thing that you need to know is that ice dams are not roofing problems but air-sealing problems.

Here are 5 tips to help solve and prevent ice dam issues –

1. Seal any air leaks: Grab some canned spray foam or sealant and fill any gap, crack, or hole. Look for gaps around lights, ceiling-mounted electrical boxes, and vent pipes.

2. Install heated cables: These are a great option if you use them before a storm or a spout of bad weather. To install, you clip the cables in a zig-zag pattern along the roofline. The heated cables melt the snow at the edge of the roof before the dams have the chance to form.

3. Keep your roof clean: Investing in a roof rake (which resembles a long-handled shovel) is a great solution to preventing ice dams. You simply pull off the snow with the rake to avoid the buildup of snow and ice.

4. Add insulation: As we know, ice dams are caused by air-sealing issues; adding more insulation to areas that the leakage occurs in will keep the heat where it belongs!

5. Cap the hatch: If you have an unsealed attic hatch, this can create a huge opening for heat to leak out. To prevent any heat from coming out, cover the hatch with weatherstripped caps.

If you are dealing with ice dams this winter or worried about them in the future, we can help! If you haven’t had to deal with them yet, you may want to consider taking the correct measures to prevent any future damage.

Blog, Tips

5 Design Tips for Renovating Your Home by Red Door DesignWorks

22Sep2017

We’re so thrilled to partner with Red Door DesignWorks on this blog post. This talented team is located out of Arlington, MA and specializes in home staging, renovation assistance and interior design. We worked with them on an attic renovation last year and are excited to share their design tips with you. Enjoy… These ladies know what they’re talking about! Often times, homeowners start to consider furnishing and styling their newly renovated space once construction is complete. We are here today to say: HOLD UP… Thinking about decorating AFTER you renovate is too late!

1. Plan Around Your Must-Haves
Your renovation should perfectly accommodate both your lifestyle and your favorite personal belongings. Do you have a huge piece of art that you want to feature? Do you have a long dresser you love and want to keep? You will need designated walls for all these items.

On the functional side, there are many seemingly mundane but vital considerations. Here’s one we have encountered over and over again—now that I’ve renovated my bathroom with amazing tile, windows and huge countertop… Where am I going to hang my towels?! Don’t forget to plan for a spot for your towel bar.

2. Reveal Special Features in Advance
Help out your contractor by alerting him or her about ALL the special features you hope to have in your space. By learning about those right up front, your contractor will be able to better plan and guide the team—special features like heated floors, a wall-mounted toilet, and a sink in your kitchen island, can affect the structural build, electrical and plumbing.

3. Mind the Schedule
Renovations move quickly. It’s a great idea to stay in close touch with your contractor about the schedule. This gives you the opportunity to make mindful choices around paint, finishes, tile, lighting and more. Making long-term decisions about these elements under a time crunch is not the best way to design a space that you will love for the duration.

4. Link Your Renovation with Your Existing Space
Renovated spaces should dovetail well with existing spaces… Be mindful of finish selections (don’t select all brass fixtures if the rest of your house is brushed nickel) and paint colors (don’t paint a room red if the rest of your palette is blue and green). By artfully handling your new space, the transition from original rooms to renovated one can be seamless.

5. Reserve Money for Furnishings
Sadly, once your space has been beautifully renovated, existing pieces often no longer fit the bill. If at all possible, try to set aside a small portion of your renovation budget for purchasing new items. We always recommend a minimum of $3K to $5K held in reserve for furnishings.

If provisioning with new items isn’t an option, we counsel clients to consider every accessory, piece of art and furniture in the house up for grabs in the new space. Think of it as a house-wide redesign, and don’t be afraid to move everything into a new location. We often find during the course of such a redesign that our clients already have everything they need to make it work.

Now go out there and have some fun designing your renovation!

Contact us if you need help with your home or business designs and decorations.

– Allison & Andrea

About Red Door DesignWorks: We are a Boston-area firm specializing in Home Staging, Renovation Assistance and Interior Decor. We love color, mixing styles and bringing our artistry to living and working environments. Collaborating with our clients to express their distinct personality is our greatest joy.

Contact us today!