7 Projects for Spring Cleaning From Grand Banks Building Products

Warmer weather has arrived, and we are not mad about it. Now that daylight savings has given us our evening sunshine back, it’s time to start cleaning out our closets. And disinfecting them. This is the opportunity to tackle all the projects we’ve been putting off. 

Spring Cleaning comes as a response to the shift in seasons. As we begin to put away the heavy layers of winter and break out the spring/summer wardrobe, we start to reorganize our closets and our shelves. We start to evaluate the shape of our homes and how they fared through the dark and cold winter months.

Spring signals more than just cleaning out your closet, it’s a time for new growth and rebirth. Spring Cleaning is a time to look around you house and decide what you can work on, what you can improve. Even if you aren’t making any big renovations, fix up the small things that are going to make the precious few summer months that much more enjoyable can make a big impact.

1. WINDOW SCREENS

There are few things as good as the feeling of open windows in the summertime. Opening your windows can transform your home into big, bright, good-for-the-soul spaces.  Screens can make all the difference. However, they have a bad habit of being damaged by branches, pets, people and any number of things. This year, while you’re taking out the storm windows and putting the screens in, take a good look at them and see if any of them need replacing. You may even want to consider using a product like ScreenEze to upgrade your porch to the screened in porch you’ve been dreaming of. 

2.   SCREEN DOORS

Many screen doors double as storm doors in the winter. As we transition from glass to screen, it is important to inspect your doors and see if the weatherstripping has been damaged or they need to be replaced. If you have pets that are continuously scratching the door or ripping the screen, think of replacing yours with one that allows your pets in or out on demand.  You may also consider a door that’s solid on the bottom to prevent future pet damage.

3. INSULATION

It’s not just for the cold winter months. If you’ve skipped the insulation step last winter or just saran wrapped your windows, consider fixing your drafty areas. This can help keep your home at a comfortable temperature when things really start to heat up outside. If your windows aren’t shutting tight, considerreplacing the hardware. Remember: AC bills can be just as bad as heating bills. Proper insulation is the gift that keeps on giving. Done right, it will help lower your heating/cooling bills for years to come and keep you comfortable at the same time.

4.  DECKING

Decks, patios, porches or outside sitting areas can often be damaged in winter storms. With 3 big Nor’ Easters in March alone, it’s a good idea to inspect yours for damage. Check for any broken railings, boards or stones before the prime outside entertainment months hit. Take into account the finish on your deck and consider adding a coat of paint or stain. It won’t just make your deck look better, it adds another layer of protection and will help you get more life out of it. Don’t miss out on any of the sunshine because you were procrastinating your outdoor projects.

5. PATIO FURNITURE

Did you leave it outside this winter? We’ve all been there, maybe you even did it on purpose because you are ready for an upgrade. No judgement, just be sure you have a comfortable place to sit when the time comes.

6. OUTDOOR SHOWER

Is it a luxury? Yes. However before you write this glorious feature out of your life, look around. It can be quite possible with a small bit of fencing and water spigot. Creating a simple enclosure can allow you to hang a sun shower up and avoid the extra plumbing. Just imagine your house as a sand and mud-free zone before you close the door on your outdoor shower dreams. A few pavers and small bit of fencing can make all the difference. Be creative and enjoy it!

7. OUTDOOR FIREPLACE

They are not just for keeping cozy in the cold months. Get yourself an outdoor chiminea or standing fireplace if you don’t already have one. A fire is a great place to gather, can take off a summer chill and is great for roasting marshmallows or even searing a steak. Go ahead, everyone deserves a bit of luxury.

The possibilities are exciting, but be careful not to overwhelm yourself. For a really effective Spring Cleaning this year, make a list and prioritize your projects. Deciding what is important to you and your home can make projects feel more manageable. If you are feeling like you don’t have the time or budget to make big changes right now, don’t despair. Making small changes can often do a lot for your space, and don’t be afraid to get creative. Tackle your Spring Cleaning improvements around the home and enjoy the golden sunshine in months ahead.

MONICA BANKS

Designing a HGTV Farmhouse Fixer Home

Designing a home is always a challenge. And when you’re doing it on TV there are some extra pressures on top of the million little details. It makes the challenge all the more exciting. While a lot of the process is similar to designing for regular clients, there is one huge difference. The homeowner isn’t involved in most of the decisions.

Photo by Jared Kuzia

When Jonathan Knight and Kristina Crestin came to us with the opportunity to work on an HGTV kitchen, we were thrilled. It’s been a really exciting opportunity. Kristina and Jon had such a great vision and the way they brought these homes to life was really unique and special to the homeowners. As professionals, this is what we do, and there is no better feeling than when a design comes together. Being able to create a home for someone that brightens their life is an incredibly special opportunity. I think that’s why so many people love to watch it come together on HGTV.

Photo by Jared Kuzia

After meeting with the homeowner and finding out a bit about her, Kristina set off on her way to create the space. Baking was a driving force in this kitchen. That’s where she generated a lot of her joy. And Kristina wanted to create a bright space that reflected that joy. Color was a really important element. However, it wasn’t until she came across the perfect wallpaper that it all came together.

“Every design has to start somewhere. Jon and I were having a hard time finding out where exactly the story of this home started. But when we saw that wallpaper we immediately knew. And everything started to come together after that.” Kristina said.

Photo by Jared Kuzia

Once Kristina had her vision, she gave us a basic layout and told us what her priorities were. From there, our designer Leah Bonarrigo was able to find the right pieces to bring her vision into reality. She was able to use her product knowledge to connect all the dots. 

Photo by Jared Kuzia

Part of that vision, included creating a pantry separate from the pantry. It’s not a large space, so it felt counterintuitive at first. Kristina knew that she would be able to create more usable space, and keep an intimate feel in the kitchen by doing so. She was right. 

Photo by Jared Kuzia

Color was a huge part of this design theme. We needed to go with a custom color for the kitchen cabinetry to make it all work. Being able to do that with Medallion Cabinetry made all the difference on this project. Time and budget constraints are huge on a project like this, and the custom painted finish really tied all the elements together.

MONICA BANKS

How to Choose Your Kitchen Hardware From Grand Banks Building Products

Whether you are looking for a quick refresh, or starting from scratch, choosing your hardware can help you complete the look in your kitchen. With so many decisions to be made, there is a tendency to overlook the hardware decision. But it’s an opportunity to make a big impression. Sometimes, it’s the small details that make the biggest difference. Like most of the decisions in your kitchen, there are no right and wrong answers. The best answer is the one that feels right to you, the one you feel completes the space in the best way for you and your family.

Here’s a step by step guide to get there.

STEP 1: KNOBS OR PULLS

The first choice you have is knobs or pulls. You can go with all knobs, all pulls, or a mixture of both. Knobs have a smaller profile, and can be used on either doors or drawers. They can also be easier to install since they only require one screw to attach it. Pulls are larger than knobs and might provide an easier grip. While they tend to have a larger profile than knobs, they still come in all shapes and sizes, so you can get a minimalist look. Their linear shape works well with drawers, but can also be applied to doors. Pulls come in a variety of shapes, but generally boil down to either a handle or a cup. 

KNOBS

PULLS

KNOBS + PULLS

Whether you choose a knob, pull or mixture of both, take into consideration how it feels in your hand. Pulls can be either a handle or a cup. Make sure that you can fit your hand in and around it. You don’t want to have it all installed and realize it’s something that just doesn’t fit well in your hand. 

STEP 2: FIND YOUR STYLE

You don’t need to choose an exact piece here, but decide which style you like best, one that suits your kitchen and your home. There are an infinite number of hardware options, so it’s important to go into this decision with a direction. To best find what you like, platforms like Pinterest can be really helpful. Find a few kitchens you love and look for what the similarities and styles are.

STEP 3: CHOOSE YOUR FINISH

Hardware can make the biggest impression when it adds an element of contrast or color to the room. Look at your larger color themes. What color are you cabinets, appliances, and fixtures? Take the ‘temperature’ of a space. Are you using warmer soft traditional tones? Or are you tending towards a cool modern and contemporary feel?

Don’t be afraid to mix your metals here. While going with one finish can tie a room together, picking 2 or more can help make an impression and add variety and depth to your design. Again, there are no wrong answers, only what you like.

STEP 4: SIZE IT UP

Choosing the right size for your cabinetry is important. In general, pulls should be approximately ⅓ the size of the cabinet door or drawer width.

Small Drawers that are 12” or less often work best with a pull that is 3” to 4” long or a knob that is 1” in diameter.

Medium Drawers that are between 12” to 30” work well with a pull that is between 4” to 8” long or a knob that is between 1” to 1.5” in diameter

Large Drawers that are 30” to 48″will require a pull that is longer than 8″ or a knob that is 1″ in diameter or greater. Using two pulls or knobs for a large drawer can be a great option.

STEP 5: MAKE YOUR CHOICE

By this step, you should know if you want pulls or knobs, what style, finish and relative size you’re looking for. So it’s time to make your choice. Once you know what your looking for it’s easier to find. This is not to say you won’t come across a piece of hardware that you weren’t expecting, but you absolutely have to have it. Sometimes, you can do all the work to narrow your choices and end up with something completely different. It can be hard to accept but that’s just the way the process goes. Sometimes, the work you do leads you in a completely different direction than you planned. 

To look at hardware samples for inspiration and to narrow down your choices, you can make an appointment in our Showroom. We have an abundance of hardware for you to see and feel, and know what right for your home. 

MONICA BANKS

Earn $100 Towards Your Next Replacement Windows

Do you have a replacement window project coming up? We can help, and save you money at the same time.

Replacement Windows can be a great, budget-friendly solution for a lot of projects. Join us for our webinar and receive a $100 credit towards your next Marvin purchase and competitive pricing for your next project. We’ll have our own Brian Consolazio, along with Chuck McCarthy of Marvin to break down the Marvin Replacement Window.

Whether you’ve never installed a window, or you’ve done it a thousand times, we’ll break down the process and explore some of the features that set the Marvin Replacement window apart from the competition. We’re hosting a live Webinar, Thursday, March 18 showing you the one Marvin solution and we’ll have a live demonstration of how to install Replacement Windows. Brian & Chuck will walk us through the process and answer any questions you might have.

Sign up Here

A New Home

Building a new home is a big endeavor. It’s full of excitement and brimming with new opportunity but it can be overwhelming. Creating a new home comes with a thousand you choices about things you might never have thought about before. For most if not all of these choices, there will be no ‘one right answer.’ 

Our homes are a reflection of the people who live in them, it’s subjective, and it can sometimes be hard to make such unique and personal choices.  With so many beautiful options for a home, it can be really hard to choose just one. Many of our friends and extended family will have thoughts and opinions, that are wonderful, but might not necessarily lead to the best space for you. 

Nestled high on a hill in West Gloucester, this home is surrounded by views of the Ipswich Bay and Gloucester, a true 360° of beauty. Sitting in the living room with a hot cup of coffee and good book, gather with your friends and family, there can be few better places to sit and watch the world go by. But creating this space is unique to this family. Creating your space to sit with a hot cup of coffee and a good book, to gather with your friends and family or to just sit and watch the world go by, will look different. But it will be no less perfect. 

The kitchen uses maple cabinetry from Medallion, with a Smoke finish on the base cabinets and White Icing painted finish on the wall cabinets. The contrasting colors create a perfect canvas for the tile backsplash and pops of color to make it home.The quartz counters were bought in slabs and placed throughout the home.

A new home is a clean slate and new construction means this is the first family to put their mark of history here. It comes with all the excitement and challenges of a new home, with the seemingly endless amount of decision. From hardware to countertops to finish and decor, nobody said building a home from scratch would be easy. Yet the rewards are priceless.

This home was built with a large kitchen in mind of their family and entertaining guests. The large island allows hosts to remain part of the action while preparing their food or drinks of choice. The island is big enough to house the standard kitchen sink and a prep sink, which helps separate the mess from the vegetable you’re preparing for dinner. Ample storage space allows for clear countertops, keeping the space simple and clean.

Home has a different meaning for all of us, so every home looks different. The most important thing to remember whenever you are building a new home or renovating a space, is that it’s yours. And the only ‘right’ choice to make is to choose the styles and designs that are best for you and your family. 

MONICA BANKS

We’re on HGTV’s Farmhouse Fixer!

Farmhouse Fixer on HGTV

When it’s time to look for new windows, one of the first questions we’ll ask you is: are you looking for New Construction or Replacement Windows? And often times that question can be confusing. Sam & John are here to break down the differences, and help find out if Replacement Windows are right for your project. 

We’ve been hard at work behind the scenes, and we are beyond excited to finally be able to tell you about it. This past year, we had the opportunity to work with Jonathan Knight, of New Kids on the Block and local interior designer Kristina Crestin on the new HGTV show Farmhouse Fixer.

Their job was to restore farmhouses to their former glory, for the families that live in them, and to keep their charm and character in the neighborhood. It’s usually easier to tear down these homes than to renovate them, but it’s worth the challenge.

“Restoring the American farmhouse is not just a hobby for me—it’s my passion, my obsession and I’ve been doing it for more than 25 years,” said Jonathan. “It’s so easy to just go knock down an old house. It’s way harder to renovate them so that families can enjoy them for years to come. That’s the reason this work is so worth it” Knight said.

Renovating homes can often be harder than building new ones. There are always challenges and unexpected surprises that arise throughout the process. These farmhouses are no different. And while Jon & Kristina knew which direction they wanted to go in, they still needed some help bringing that vision to life, and that’s why they came to us.

When Jon and Kristina came into our showroom to pick out some materials, they had a good idea of what they were looking for, but they still needed to make some choices. Kristina had a specific idea for the kitchen and pantry cabinetry, but was having a hard time finding the right way to create it. Working within the constraints of time and a tight budget, they were challenged with the task of providing something that felt custom but wouldn’t cost a fortune.

“It’s so great to have a place I can go to, with a plethora of samples for me to choose from. And I love that it’s a local business! When I have all my ideas running around in my head, I can go to the showroom and see what my choices are and pick out the colors to bring my idea to life. Once I do that, I can move forward with the project. Having all those products and samples available helps me make the choice, and then move on to the next one. Because there are so many choices!” Crestin said.

Our showroom is a place full of inspiration and possibility. Our spaces were designed for you to come in and get the feel of the product and what it will look like in your home. As great as the internet is, there are some things it just can’t do, and what products feel like is one of them. When Jon & Kristina came in for their design meeting, they were able to see their visions for Farmhouse Fixer come to life as the pieces fell into place. We have 4 meeting spaces designed so all of our clients can have that same opportunity. By providing you the experience of how these windows operate, you can better understand how it will transform you home.

MONICA BANKS

How Replacement Windows Improve Energy Efficiency

How Replacement Windows Improve Energy Efficiency The transfer of unwanted warm and cool air from your home adds hundreds of dollars to energy bills every year. Replacing windows can be a cost-effective way to prevent this air loss and save on your overall energy bill.  See More

CONCERNS WITH SINGLE PANE WINDOWS

With it being the middle of the coldest months of the year it’s important to consider sealing windows for winterweather to better keep your home warm and cozy without running up your heating costs. If you are not ready to replace them, there are a few steps you can take. The first is ensuring that the windows have properly working locks that will form a seal to block airflow. This also protects air from sneaking through microscopic gaps during wind storms.

CAULKING AROUND WINDOW TRIM

Trim frames a window and gives it depth, but gaps in the exterior window trim can be costing you when it comes to air loss. Caulk is quite inexpensive and will help quickly seal any gaps that are leading to air loss. Each window frame should be fully solid, so if there are any gaps or worn caulking, tend to it as soon as possible. First, remove the interior trim and then seal the space behind it with a weatherproof, tight seal.

WEATHERSTRIPPING

Weatherstripping comes in various materials such as foam, vinyl, and metal and will block drafts on your windows. Many homeowners opt for weatherproofing their windows if they notice drafts around the windows, gaps around the trim, or that insects are making their way in.

WINDOW TREATMENTS

Cellular or honeycomb treatments can create insulation that prevents the transfer of heat, saving you money on your heating bill.

ADD STORM WINDOWS

Storm windows can be mounted on existing windows to prevent heat loss, and they will also soundproof the home. These windows are also more durable and will not require a lot of maintenance.

Replacing your single pane windows will undoubtedly save money on your energy bill. Older windows with aluminum frames are quite weak and allow heat transfer, so just switching the material to vinyl or fiberglass will help you start saving immediately. Switching from a single pane to a double or even three-pane window will also help, as a single pane doesn’t provide quite enough protection against the elements. More modern energy-efficient windows will also have an inert gas in between panes that will minimize air loss even further. When you are ready to upgrade, it will also save you money in the long run if you make sure to hire a professional team who knows what they’re doing rather than trying to replace them yourself or purchase from a company that outsources installation. This will ensure that your investment pays off in the long run.Matt Lee is the owner of the Innovative Building Materials blog and a content writer for the building materials industry. He is focused on helping fellow homeowners, contractors, and architects discover materials and methods of construction that save money, improve energy efficiency, and increase property value.

Check Out Our New Website!

New Website!!!Have you come to see us lately? In addition to all of the exciting changes at Crafts Road, we have launched a new website! Visit us online and check out all of our departments. In addition to Windows, Doors, and Cabinetry Design, we offer a beautiful Showroom,  Architectural Services, Commercial Services, and European Windows.  See More

WINDOWS

Open up and bring more light into your home.SEE MORE

DOORS

How you move around your home matters, make sure your doors are the best of form & function.SEE MORERE

SEARCH CENTER

We do the research so you don’t have to. Product information, warranties, and how-to’s organized in one place. RESEARCH

SHOP ONLINE

Browse our products online. Email our team with any questions or buy online. SHOP NOW