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Hope everyone had a great Christmas and Hanukkah. It's that time of year again where we all think of our 2025 New Year's resolutions: our dreams, goals or whatever we want to accomplish this year. As you plan on your personal growth, go ahead and add in some things that you want to improve around your home.
Here are my 2025 Home Improvement Resolutions: 1.) Get all new appliances. I noticed when I moved into my house a few years ago, my appliances were older and would have to get replaced soon. As 4 years approach, I feel this is the year that I should start to replace them little by little. My dishwasher completely broke and will not turn on anymore so that will be the first to fix. 2.) Rip out all my carpet and replace with LVP. The carpet was never in the best condition when I moved in and after having dogs live here, it's only gotten worse. I know replacing the worn carpet with luxury vinyl planking will make my house feel much nicer as well as add to it's value. 3.) My house was built in the 1980s so it has popcorn ceilings, unfortunately. During last year, there was a strip that fell down in my laundry room. I have also noticed other areas where the popcorn is starting to detach from the wall in strips and I am sure it will also come crashing down sometime this year. 4.) I would love to paint each room a different color. My family room came with a lovely olive/baby puke green on the walls which I want to cover up with a light blue color. It always was my dream as a child to paitn every room a different color and make it fun and bright. 5.) Replace the kitchen sink faucet. My kitchen faucet has never had good pressure. I thought originally it was the house water pressure, but realized later on that it is only kitchen sink. 6.) The disposal never worked when I moved in but I did buy a new one. I just never replaced it. This year is the year I finally have it replaced so I can use the disposal again. I hope to achieve at least half of these this year. Your home improvement resolutions can be as little as replacing a faucet or as big as a remodel/addition. Whatever you feel or want to look into, please give us a call and we can talk more about your ideas and how to turn them into reality this year! From our family to yours, hope you have a wonderful and blessed New Years!
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We wanted to take the time to wish all of our clients a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah. We are so blessed to have all of you in our lives, and we could not keep our doors open without you. Hopefully, everyone is spending the holidays with their loved ones close by. As you are hanging out with family today, look around your house and make notes of what you want to see differently for next year's Christmas or Hanukkah. Maybe a larger living room window for that picture-perfect Christmas tree look, or a large mantle to accommodate all your stockings or your menorah. Whatever you want to change in your home, we can help. Warmest Wishes, All of us at Qualtire  Happy Halloween to all our wonderful clients. Hope you have a wonderful, safe night trick r treatin' or handing out candy!  When planning on remodeling your kitchen or bathroom, there are several different choices for countertops. Each have their pros and cons . Here is a list of 6 different types of countertops used.
Cultured Marble – This is fabricated using marble dust and resin to resemble marble. This is ideal for bathroom countertops. It can be customized from the color, to the size, and to the number of sinks. This does not need to be sealed but can easily be scratched. This is a budget-friendly option for people. Marble – It is a natural stone that is quarried from the earth. It is usually very porous and can easily be scratched or chipped. It needs to be sealed when installed, then about every 6 months after that, depending on usage. I do not recommend this for a kitchen countertop. I made the mistake and used this as my countertop in my kitchen. I had to be extremely careful when putting things on it, because it was super easy to scratch, chip and crack. I would recommend this as a bathroom countertop or backsplash. Solid Surface – This is fabricated using different minerals and resin. You can get this in a variety of colors and designs. This is ideal for someone who wants a certain color that is harder to get in a natural stone. It can also be cheaper than granite, marble or quartz. I would recommend this for any countertops or backsplash. Heat can be an issue with this, and you should place a trivet down when placing a hot object or it can bubble and scorch. Granite – This is made from cutting natural stone into slabs. This is harder than marble and less likely to scratch. This is a natural stone that can withstand high heat, but it could still cause it to crack so be careful. Granite is porous and needs to be sealed when first installed, then resealed after that depending on usage. Quartz – This is engineered stone using loose quartz, resins, and pigments. This is harder than granite, but not as hard as natural quartzite. Quartz can withstand heat, but because it still has resin in it, it may warp or melt in heat higher than 300 degrees. You do not need to seal it because it is nonporous and does not soak up liquids, but it still can stain. Quartzite – This is a naturally occurring metamorphic rock. This stone is mined and cut into slabs. This is harder than granite and can withstand heat very well. It must be sealed during installation and resealed every 6 months, depending on usage. Quartzite will usually be higher in price than granite. Pumpkin spiced things have arrived which means Fall is here. This is a gentle reminder that if you are wanting to have a picture-perfect home for the holidays, now is the time to get started. Rip out that outdated carpet and install new luxury vinyl plank flooring, or remove all the old built-in cabinets with that laminate countertop and replace with fresh new cabinets with granite tops. We can make your dream home into a reality. Home projects can take 2-6 weeks depending on what you are wanting to have done. Doing it now gives us time to get it all done right before the festivities begin. Annette has a wonderful talent for finding the right fixture or slab to fit your vision in your price range. Make sure to call us today to get your vision started!
This month your kids went back to school. This means you have extra time to get things done. Take this opportunity to finally make changes to your home.
It can be a small change such as a new light fixture, or it could be a large remodel. I would start a list of ideas that you want done to your home and prioritize them. That way you can get organized and not get overwhelmed. Starting a home project can get overwhelming very quickly, which can end up not finishing the project at all. We don’t want that to happen. I know the holidays are around the corner so you might have perfect timing to get a project done right before. If you have an idea of what you want done, but you don’t know how to make it happen or need help to expand the idea, please contact us and ask for Annette. Annette has exquisite taste in design, and she has been in the business for decades. She always knows the latest trends in tile or finishes and can definitely turn your dream project into a reality. No project is too small for us, so let's get started! Planning is the key when it comes to remodeling your home. Sometimes we get carried away with excitement because we have an idea to make our home better that we jump all over the place.
When picking out new things, you should to take in consideration if it’s in town or has to be shipped, if it’s in stock or if it’s backordered. This can make the project take longer than expected. When you have a detailed plan, you will have a better idea of how long everything takes. If you keep changing your idea as you work through your project, you’re never going to get it completed. This may cause frustration for yourself or others who are helping you. I have seen plenty of people’s homes where they started a home remodel project, got part of it done, then stopped because they were frustrated. Another frustrating thing is unexpected prices. You should always do your research when working on a new project and how much it will cost you. It would be a shame to get started and demo everything, then realize that it costs too much so you have to stop. Shop around to get an idea of what things cost and compare different items. If you are going to hire others to do the project, you will want to set aside extra money for the labor as well. If you have an idea that you want to make happen, we can work with you and plan everything out. We can make sure the products that you want are in stock and we will give you a timeline and updates throughout the remodel. Planning will help you save money, time and frustration. We specialize in kitchen and bathroom remodeling in all of Greater Phoenix including Avondale, Cave Creek, Chandler, Glendale, Gilbert, Guadalupe, Litchfield Park, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sun City, Surprise, & Tempe. We all have seen outlets before and know how to use them, but did you know there are different ones geared for certain things?
The most common outlets in a house are either the 2 or 3-pronged outlets. These are for everyday things such as tvs, fans, lights, etc. The 2-prong outlet does not have a grounded connection, while the 3-pronged outlet does. This helps prevent electric shock from loose wiring. These are the standard 15A, 120 volt outlets. The next ones that you will find in your house are either 20A, 125/250 volt outlets. These are recommended for larger appliances such as dishwasher, washing machines to electric ovens and dryers. The larger 250-volt outlets do require special breakers, which we can come out and install to your main breaker. The most important outlets I believe are GFCI outlets. These are found in newer homes in kitchens and bathrooms, or where there is water close by. These specific outlets have 2 buttons in the middle that say “test” and “reset”. These will track the current flow and trip upon sending a spike or leap in the current. This will cut off the power immediately to that outlet which will lessen the damage. For example, if you drop a hair dryer in the sink with running water, it will kill the outlet. This will save you from severe electrical damage. Today’s regulations require GFCI switches in the kitchen, laundry room and bathroom. I would also advise to check your outlets throughout the house to make sure they are all in working condition. This can make sure you don’t have any outlets that have fried or damaged, which can result in an electrical fire later on. Over time, they may get loose, which causes the plugs to not fit securely. Please give us a call and we can have a technician come out and check your outlets and electrical panel to make sure it’s in working condition. We celebrated Craig's 30th year here at Qualtire Plumbing & Construction. He is the 3rd longest employee here and we are so blessed to have him all these years! When your toilet stops working or your faucet doesn’t want to turn off, we immediately think we need to replace the entire thing. This can get costly, but there may be a cheaper solution. Most people don’t realize that companies have a lifetime limited warranty on their products. We can come out, look at the broken fixture, pull it apart, and see what needs to be replaced. Most of the time, we can replace just a simple part for a fraction of the price of replacing the entire fixture.
We will always try and fix the plumbing fixture first rather than replacing the entire thing. Unfortunately, not everything can be fixed. For instance, some companies might have discontinued that product, or they might have gone out of business entirely. In those cases, you would need to replace the entire product. We can help you pick out a new one that is similar to the current one you have, or you can go out and find something completely different and we can install it for you. Whatever the issue is, we can definitely help you get that taken care of. Please let us know and we can schedule Craig to come out. |
AuthorAndrew is the son of the owners. He has worked for them throughout his life starting at the age of 14 as a laborer. He now manages the website and blog. Archives
October 2024
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