Interested in a Butcher Block Top?

Ever had a real butcher block? Ever wanted one? Find out why they're great and how to care for them... here!

How to Clean and Care for Your Butcher Block

Houzz- Kitchen, Bathroom and More »

Home Designs and Pictures- For Example:

Laundry Room Ideas · Bathroom Ideas · Home Office Ideas · Staircase Ideas · Landscaping Ideas · Basement Ideas · Wine Cellar Ideas ·

Love in the Paint Aisle

Laurie strolled into the home improvement store with her bag slung over her shoulder, the sun in her hair, and paint on her mind.

“I’ll meet you back here.”  Her husband, Steve, grabbed a cart and disappeared.

It was almost Valentine’s Day.  Paper hearts, emblazoned with power drills—a modern day Cupid’s arrow—twisted lazily from strings taped to the ceiling, and cheap chocolate hearts screamed male desperation from the end cap of every register.

"Aisle seven," said the wholesome looking lad with the apron…and aisle seven it was.

Row after row of colors beckoned in waves of gradient hues.  Laurie’s fingers traipsed across the smooth little papers, loitering at the blues, lingering when they shifted to green.  She pushed her hair back behind her ear and checked for any watching clerks.  She knew they were free, but still…

Alone in the aisle, her teeth worrying her bottom lip, she grasped three strips of promise and pressed them deep into her bag.  She would add them to her collection at home.

They’d been talking about remodeling the master bath for years.  Laurie thought longingly about the jetted tubs just a few aisles away.  Their bath was a conglomeration of the 1970’s gold and a late 1980’s peach remodel gone wrong.  But they were waiting for now.  Laurie sighed, maybe next year the bathroom would get tackled.

Finished with his shopping, Steve watched his wife from the end of the aisle.  She was pocketing far too many paint samples—they were free, but he was pretty sure they hadn’t planned on her level of enthusiasm.  She was completely engrossed in a color pamphlet, gazing longingly pictures of modern day bathrooms, when a fellow brother in pain walked by, nodding sympathetically.

Steve ducked back around to the next aisle and shot off a text message to his buddy Abe at Degnan Design Builders.   

“Are you ready to go?”  Laurie surprised him.

“Sure am.  Did you get the colors you think you’ll like?”

“Yep.”  She patted her swollen bag.

“Know what?  Let’s take a look at the tubs while we’re here.”

Laurie shot him a surprised look.  Steve ignored it, relishing the idea of catching her off guard.

Still watching him, she looped her arm through his as they walked past the cash registers on the way to the plumbing department.

Steve smiled to himself, thinking about all the poor guys out there who would be grabbing the last minute waxy chocolate hearts on Valentine’s Day.  This year he’d get her exactly what she wanted: a new bathroom, with a new tub to sit in while she thumbed through the constantly growing stack of color brochures...planning what to do with the kitchen.

The e-card picture created by Grzegorz Łobiński for the EcardSphere project. 

Big or Small Projects

Wish for Santa

Last month we received a call from a DeForest home daycare provider who suffered an overnight kitchen fire. The disaster not only closed their business, but also made their home unlivable. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

We began working immediately to return their home and business to normal.

First, we assessed the damage. We found black walls and ceilings, ashes and dirt everywhere, destroyed appliances, and ruined cabinetry. The acrid smell of smoke permeated the house. A thorough clean-up job, new cabinets, new appliances, as wells as a lot of other work was needed to make this house a home again.

Although a fire right before the holidays seems to be doubly tragic, it provided a window when the kids were home for the Holiday break. This allowed Anthony to begin the task of lead safe demolition as soon as A & J Restoration Services finished cleaning. With the lead safe work out of the way, Cheryl of CB Custom Painting quickly sealed the newly clean walls, effectively erasing any residual smoke odors. New cabinets and appliances went on order and the kids were able to come back to their home away from home.

Although Anthony works diligently on all of his jobs, this one was special, as this smoke damaged home is the home of his children’s daycare provider.

Imagine our surprise when the next week we read this in the DeForest Times Tribune:

Dominic, Anthony’s son, had a special wish for Santa. We find it heartwarming that Santa is using Dominic’s dad to make the wish come true.