Silbury Hill

Whether you have loads of money to spend on gorgeous custom draperies or are of the belief that custom window treatments are financially out of reach, there’s something you need to know – You most certainly can have a custom look for your windows. And you can do it on just about any budget. Read on to find out how.

Splurge Worthy Window Treatments – The Custom Option

The custom window treatments in this home, shown in a Veranda Magazine article, are a masterpiece worth every penny!

If you are willing and able to commission custom window treatments for your home, you’ll find that reputable businesses willing to craft them for you are in no short supply. Still, be prepared for sticker shock. According to online retailer, Prioritywindows.com, you can expect to pay anywhere from $150 to $300 per linear foot for simple draperies, or $200 to $450 per linear foot for valances, cornices or more complex /embellished draperies.

My mom has had very good experiences working with Ethan Allen to create custom window treatments for her home. Calico Corners, another well-known, national retailer, also has a good reputation for custom window treatments, custom furniture and bedding.

Still, many people prefer to work with smaller, independently owned businesses for their custom window treatments. If you live in Chester County, Pennsylvania, I highly recommend Chester County Curtains. Kelli and her mother Diana, who own the company, created our ruffled, linen slip covers for the dining room chairs. They also have a reputation for lovely window treatments. Here’s a link to their website: http://www.sewchicwindows.com

If you live in the Houston, TX area, Custom Creations by Monica, comes highly recommended by Cote de Texas blogger Joni Webb. Here’s a link to the Custom Creations by Monica website: http://www.creationsbymonica.net

Prices vary somewhat by geographic location and business, so it is best to ask a friend for a referral prior to contracting with an independently owned business or national retailer such as Calico Corners.

Custom Look-A-Likes for Less – The Semi-Custom Option

Semi-custom window treatements like these are gorgeous and can be purchased via The Curtain Exchange.

There are a slew of very reputable retailers out there that offer semi-custom window treatments and many of them are online. In fact, you can build your semi-custom window treatments right on their website.

While the cost for semi-custom treatments can’t be considered inexpensive, they are generally much less expensive than a full custom treatment option Cost depends on the material you select, window size and embellishments.

With semi-custom options, most online retailers offer customers basic window treatment types ranging from full length draperies to balloon shades and more. Once you select the type of treatment you’d like, you are given the opportunity to select the material and often times the opportunity to select an embellishment such as fringe. The only tricky part is that you also have to select the window size. This requires accurately measuring your windows. To make it easy, retailers offer instructions on how to take window measurements.

A few of my favorite semi-custom window treatment retailers include smith + noble and The Curtain Exchange.

If you live in the Philadelphia area, you can make an in-store visit to The Curtain Exchange located in Devon, PA. The phone number for the Devon store is (610) 765-1142. Unfortunately, The Curtain Exchange does not have a retail location in Houston, TX. The closest stores to Houston are located in Baton Rouge, LA or New Orleans, LA. It’s worth a visit if you are planning to be in the area.

Biggest Bang for Your Budget – Homemade Window Treatments

Rod pocket panels like these, available via Ballard Designs, are the easiest type of window treatment to sew for beginners!

Yes. Sewing your own window treatments might sound crazy. But for some people, people with experience sewing, it might just be the best option of all.

Here’s why: You’ll save a ton of money and you’ll have complete control over when the curtains are completed. Best yet, you have the ability to adjust the design as you move through the creation process should you later decide that you want to add fringe or prefer an inverted pleat to a rod pocket top.

For most of my childhood my mom designed and created her own custom window treatments. Because she had lots of experience sewing and because of her meticulous personality type, the draperies, balloon shades and jabots she crafted by hand always turned out beautifully! She was able to create a custom look herself and she was able to afford top-tier fabrics and embellishments because she cut out the cost of labor.

If you aren’t an expert at sewing, homemade window treatments are obviously not the best option for you. However, you may have a family member or friend who does have exceptional sewing skills and who would be willing to make your window treatments for you. If this is the case, take this opportunity to let this person create your window treatments. In fact, jump on the opportunity to assist with the project with the hopes that you’ll learn a bit about sewing along the way.

If you are interested in learning how to sew, national retailer Jo-Ann Fabrics, offers sewing classes for children and adults. Here’s a link with more details: http://www.joann.com/storeevents/?_requestid=64146

If none of the above options will work for you, there are a number of retailers that offer very nice “off the rack” window treatments. Here’s a list of my favorite retailers for ready-made windows:

Ballard Designs

Ballard Designs offers a very nice selection of ready made window treatments. There are lots of color and specialty fabric options. Click here to view their window treatments: http://www.ballarddesigns.com/panels-draperies/window-treatments/

Country Curtains

Country Curtains is an excellent source for ready made window treatments. They have a very nice selection of panels, and one of the better selections I’ve come across for ready made fabric shades and valances. Check out their bedding coordinates, which include matching window treatments. Here’s a link to Country Curtain’s website: http://www.countrycurtains.com

Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn is a pretty safe bet for just about anything, in my opinion. They offer a really nice selection of drapes including outdoor drapes. Pottery Barn Kids offers an adorable selection of window covering for a child’s bedroom. Here’s a link to Pottery Barn’s window coverings page: http://www.potterybarn.com/shop/rugs-windows/window-coverings-by-style/?cm_type=gnav

Here’s a link to Pottery Barn Kids window coverings: http://www.potterybarnkids.com/shop/kids/window-coverings/?cm_type=gnav

The sheer volume of flooring choices on the market these days makes my head spin. It’s not just a simple question of wood versus tile versus carpeting. If you are in the process of remodeling or building a new home, chances are you are overwhelmed by the countless number choices in just a single product category. Visit any flooring store and you’ll see what I mean.

While flooring can certainly be removed and replaced, it’s often no easy or inexpensive task. It’s no wonder that the issue of ceramic versus porcelain tile keeps us up at night.

For my own therapeutic benefit and hopefully yours, I have done some extensive research on various flooring options and have developed a few opinions which are outlaid below. Read on to learn about haute flooring options for your home. This is a long post, so skip to the headings that interest you most for a quicker read.

Wood Flooring & Wood Stair Treads

I love the hardwood floors!

Wood Floors

Wood flooring is hot right now. The look is truly timeless and genuine hardwood flooring is quite durable. Here in the Philadelphia suburbs, it’s not uncommon to find colonials built in the early 1900s with their original hardwood floors, demonstrating that wood does have longevity. Still, many homeowners find it cost prohibitive with the average cost being between $8 and $12 a square foot for materials, installation and site finishing. The price skyrockets further for handscraped hardwood and also for environmentally sustainable reclaimed wood planks.

When planning for a hardwood floor installation, keep in mind that additional costs associated with the installation may include removal of old flooring, installation in an odd-shaped room or installation on a step. In addition to the actual hardwood cost, you’ll need to purchase quarter round molding, which adds a finishing touch to the area where the floor meets the baseboard.

Be aware also that different types of wood, and the quality of the wood product you’re considering, will hold up differently over time. This can be the case with engineered hardwood flooring especially, although flooring manufacturers are now producing durable, high-quality engineered hardwood options. Unfortunately, most of the higher quality engineered hardwood products I’ve seen costs just as much or more than some of the lower end, genuine hardwood products.

Bottom line – Keep an eye out for the durability rating provided by manufactures for insight into how long and how well the wood you’re considering will stand the test of time. If you plan to be in your home for a long time, genuine hardwood flooring that can be refinished years down the road may be preferred to engineered hardwood.

Wood Tread Stairs

If you are thinking about replacing your carpeted stairs with wood treads or plan to add a wood tread staircase as a “builder’s upgrade” in a new home, be prepared for sticker shock. Yes, wood tread stairs are expensive! I have been told the high price tag for wood treads is primarily due to the labor involved in the installation. For tips on how to affordably replace carpeted treads for wood treads, click here: http://www.ehow.com/info_12182596_average-cost-installing-oak-stair-treads.html

Hardwood Flooring Pros: Easy Maintenance; Value; Style-Versatility (Traditional to Modern)

Hardwood Flooring Cons: Cost; Needs Occasional Refinishing; Noisy; Not always appropriate for rooms prone to dampness such as a finished basement

Summary: My personal opinion is that wood flooring is worth the money, but that might be because I simply adore the way it looks and have had a good experience with it.

We have genuine hardwood floors throughout the first floor, upstairs hallway and a wood tread staircase without a runner. We added two-thirds of the hardwood after we moved into the home, and actually found that it was less expensive than adding it as a “builder’s upgrade” prior to the construction process.

Both the stairs and the floors are an absolute breeze to maintain and they always look clean. Dirty foot prints wipe up easily with a wet cloth. I have no qualms about recommending hardwood flooring, even in a kitchen.

If I had it to do all over again (and as a matter of fact I do) I would opt for as much hardwood as I could afford and would also go with the wood tread staircase upgrade. I can’t imagine the mess it would be to have a carpeted set of stairs torn out and replaced with hardwood –ugh!

For more information on wood flooring, preview the following article from About.com: http://interiordec.about.com/od/hardwoodfloors/a/hardwoodfloorsF.htm

If you live in the Chester County, Pennsylvania area, I highly recommend Bob Wagner’s Flooring in Frazer, PA. Read more about our experience with Bob Wagner’s here: https://silburyhillhome.wordpress.com/2011/11/10/our-five-favorite-contractors-in-chester-county-pa/

Tile Flooring: Ceramic, Porcelain, Travertine & More

Tile floors look gogeous in more than just kitchens and bathrooms. (Images Credit: davidcpeterson Southwestern Decorating)

As a life-long resident of Pennsylvania, I’ve had a lot more exposure to wood floors and carpeting than I have tile (of any variety). Sure you’ll find tile in kitchens and bathrooms up here in the North, but rarely do you see tile sprawling from the foyer into the living room and dining room and onwards through the family room.

I must admit that it was hard to wrap my head around the idea of tile in a family room, not that I disliked the look, it just seemed so cold. Having visited one of the hottest cities in the country, and our soon-to-be new home, Houston, TX, I can see why “cold” might not be such a bad thing.

If you live in a hot climate, or even if you simply love the way tile flooring looks, you’ll find that there are plenty of tile options to consider. Choices begin with ceramic tile and porcelain and also include marble and travertine. And of course there is Saltillo tile, a type of terra-cotta tile that originates in Mexico. In the right atmosphere, Saltillo tile makes me dizzy with excitement with its gorgeous, rustic appearance.

There’s a lot more to consider with tile than there is with hardwood or carpeting. With tile, it’s not just a matter of material or quality. Tile comes in a wide range of sizes and of course it can be laid in a diagonal or augmented with mosaic designs….for a price.

Because I can go on for days about tile, I’ve tried to summarize the pros and cons and average cost of various types of tile below.

Ceramic Tile

The cost to install a ceramic tile floor can vary greatly depending on your geographic location, the quality of the ceramic tile and the pattern in which the tile is laid. Costs go up also if you choose to incorporate a mosaic design.

According to www.ehow.com, the average cost for ceramic tile installation is $6 to $8 per square foot. With that said, you’ll need to add the $6 to $8 dollar installation cost to the actual per square foot cost of tile, which can range from$1 to $20 per square foot. Thus, the cost per square foot for tile installation can be as low as $7 per square foot or as high as $28 per square foot.

Certainly you can find someone who will install your tile for a lower square foot cost. However, since tile is difficult and costly to remove, it might be best to work with an installer whose premium price comes with years of experience and a solid track record. And don’t forget to make sure the installer and/or flooring company is licensed and insured.

Before jumping into a contract with a flooring company or installer, talk to friends for contractor referrals and cost information. Also, shop bids from various contractors and flooring stores. Negotiating the price is always worth a shot.

Ceramic Tile Pros: Long-lasting when installed properly; Durable, Low-maintenance, Stands-up to high traffic

Ceramic Tile Cons: Difficult to Install without experience; May chip or crack due to impact, Feels cool to the touch (Better for hot geographic locations); Hard/unforgiving surface (if you drop a fragile item on ceramic, it’s definitely going to break)

Summary: On a personal note, I love the look of wood. However, given that our next home will be in a hot climate, I will not be opposed to a house with ceramic tile flooring throughout the first floor. This is common in Houston, TX. I particularly like the way it looks when laid on a diagonal.

Porcelain Tile

Porcelain tile is considered to be a small step-up from ceramic tile even though both are composed of clay. It’s just that porcelain is made of compressed clay dust, so it is more dense and less absorbent. Porcelain tends to cost just $1 to $2 more than the same caliber of ceramic tile. Installation costs for ceramic and porcelain tile are usually identical since they are installed exactly the same way.

Porcelain Tile Pros: Minimal absorption of dirt; Maintains color (if not chipped); Easy day-to-day cleaning and maintenance

Porcelain Tile Cons: Many of porcelain tiles on the market are glazed. If they crack or chip, the color in the chipped area will not be the same as the glazed surface; Hard/unforgiving surface; Cool surface

Summary: My parents, who live in Pittsburgh, PA, recently had porcelain tiles installed in their kitchen and they look gorgeous! The tile they chose is designed to resemble slate. My mom loves the floor and finds it to be very easy to keep clean and she says it appears to be durable. Her tile is cool under your feet and the cats hate it in the winter.

Before adding the new porcelain tile, my parents had to have the old ceramic tile removed. The installers also had to add a new subfloor prior to even laying the new tiles. This increased the total installation cost. The whole process took about a week and a half and the project left lots of dust. It was a bit agonizing for my mom because she likes things to be neat and organized. She described the project as “organized chaos”. It doesn’t sound fun, but the end result was a beautiful new floor.

Travertine Tile

Gorgeous, gorgeous – I love the look of travertine. The backsplash in our kitchen is travertine and I adore the rustic look. Still, this amount of loveliness comes with a pretty high price tag. According to www.ehow.com, natural stone, including travertine will cost $7 to $20 per square foot for the material itself and an additional $4.00 to $8.50 per square foot for installation. Again, cost varies greatly by geographic region, but on average you are looking at a price tag of anywhere from $11 to $29 per square foot for materials and installation.

Travertine Tile Pros: Easy to find matching replacement tile if needed because it is natural as opposed to man made; Tends to be a durable surface for high traffic areas; Beautiful

Travertine Tile Cons: Cost prohibitive; Travertine in high-traffic areas may require regular maintenance; Travertine tiles may become etched if they come into contact with acidic liquids like vinegar or orange juice -thus, proper sealant is a must.

Summary: I adore travertine! I love its rustic, natural appearance. Our backsplash in the kitchen is composed of travertine tiles, and I love, love, love it. With that said, I am fairly certain that we won’t be installing travertine floors in the next home any time soon. Travertine is seriously very expensive, which we painfully learned when we did the kitchen backsplash. The material itself is more expensive and the installation cost is way more expensive that ceramic tile. Unless by some miracle travertine goes down in price or is significantly less expensive in Texas, we most likely will not have the option of travertine floors at any point in the foreseeable future.

Other Tile & Hard Surface Flooring Options

Two other tile flooring options that may be particularly appealing to those living in hot climates are Saltillo tiles (which I mentioned above) and stained concrete floors.

Saltillo tiles are particularly beautiful in a Mediterranean style home and are more common in the Southwest and even southern California. Here’s a link to a company in Fort Worth, TX, who offers Saltillo tile: http://fortworthbrickandtile.com/saltillo_tile_facts.htm

Stained Concrete, I’m guessing, would only work in a finished basement for homes with a basement foundation or on the first floor of a home with a slab foundation. Stained concrete can actually be a very affordable option and it is super durable. I am beginning to see it more and more in upscale restaurants here in the Northeast. Here’s a link to a company based in Houston, TX, who offer stained concrete: http://www.staintexas.com/stained_polished_concrete_houston/Stained_Concrete_Houston_Polishing_Floor.html

Carpeting: So Many Splurge & Steal Options

Seagrass, as shown here, is available for wall to wall installation or as a custom cut area rug.

Carpeting is kind of an easy choice despite the fact that there are so many styles and carpet materials to choose from these days. Your budget will dictate, for the most part, what quality, composition and in some cases, even the style you choose. There are lots of eco-friendly carpet options these days that are better for the environment and some are even said to be better for you health-wise. Rather than get into the nitty-gritty on the different types of carpet fibers and the various carpet loops and cuts that create a carpet’s texture, I will refer you to a Carpet Buying Guide here: www.hometips.com: http://www.hometips.com/buying-guides/carpeting-types.html

According to www.ehow.com, a nylon cut pile is the most commonly selected carpet for residential use. On average, a nylon cut pile carpet costs $2.44 per square foot. Polyester carpeting averages $1.50 per square foot and wool carpeting is typically $5 per square foot.

Carpeting Pros: Cost-efficient for homeowners; Soft & Warm under foot, Reduces noise; Style Versatility

Carpeting Cons: Can be high maintenance; Collects moisture; Bad for Allergy Sufferers

Keep in mind that in addition to selecting a good quality carpet, you’ll also want to select a good quality carpet pad. Carpet pads make all the difference in how a carpet performs over time. Here’s a link to more information on carpet pads: http://www.ehow.com/list_5811577_carpet-pad-types_-advantages-disadvantages.html

Summary: I really prefer carpeting in places like bedrooms and game rooms. Not only does carpet give a room a cozy feel, it seems to me that it’s very practical in rooms where children might play or where blankets and pillows may pile up on the floor. I can see how a wood or tile floor might transfer dust or dirt onto bedding.

There are lots of patterned carpets that offer a more formal carpeted look and you can dress up your wall to wall carpeting with a large area rug like we did in our mater bedroom.

If cost isn’t an issue for you, you’ll find that there are lots of higher-end wool and sisal carpet options that will dress-up a room. One of my favorite vendors is Karastan, who offers both area rugs and wall to wall carpeting. Many of the wall to wall carpet samples you see on the Karastan website can be custom cut and purchased as an area rug. Here’s a look a link to the Karastan website: http://www.karastan.com/Carpets.aspx?id=105

Here’s a link to one Karastan carpet I absolutely adore: http://www.karastan.com/carpetdetail.aspx?id=129&carpetID=68&lookupID=8&source=pattern&startIndex=0&manufacturername=Tan%20Check&s7ID=41215_29461

Seagrass Rugs & Wall to Wall Seagrass

I simply can’t blog about carpeting without mentioning an up and coming flooring material – Seagrass. You either love it or hate it. I personally can’t get enough of it!

Prior to installing the rest of the hardwood floors on our first floor in 2010, I thought long and hard about installing wall to wall seagrass. The flooring sales representative I spoke with thought I was insane and spent about a half hour talking me out of it. He couldn’t understand why I wanted wall to wall seagrass. I couldn’t understand why his store sold wall to wall seagrass, if it was such a bad idea. Had this sales representative not been reading Veranda magazine or Traditional home? Seagrass was everywhere I told him. Nonetheless, I let go of my seagrass dreams and installed matching hardwood flooring. The compromise was that I added seagrass area rugs over the hardwood.

Seagrass Flooring Pros: Affordable, Trendy, Environmentally Sustainable

Seagrass Flooring Cons: Not suitable for damp areas, Available in natural wheat-like colors only

Summary: Seagrass flooring is super trendy right now. Of course it may go out of style as quickly as carpeted bathroom floors, but it’s worth considering if you truly love it. The up side of seagrass is that it can be very affordable and it is an environmentally sustainable material. The downside is that it doesn’t feel great under your feet and I can see how it would be difficult to remove ground-in dirt stains.

If you are interested in wall to wall seagrass, don’t be surprised if your flooring sales representative attempts to talk you out of it. I have read countless stories on blogs and forums of how flooring sales reps discourage the purchase of seagrass. It’s kind of like a weird conspiracy against seagrass- just joking.

If you are interested in seagrass, click on the following link to the Cote de Texas blog to see real life photos of custom cut seagrass and seagrass as a runner on a wood tread staircase: http://cotedetexas.blogspot.com/2009/06/bennison-house.html

We purchased our seagrass area rugs from www.naturalarearugs.com, which I learned about via a favorable mention on a Washington Post design blog. I can highly recommend this company. The rug quality was excellent and the company was a breeze to deal with in terms of accurate payment processing and delivery. Plus, I found the rug to be quite affordable.

My only note to you on seagrass is this: seagrass, regardless of where you purchase it, has a bit of a smell for a couple of days after it is unwrapped and placed on the floor. The smell our rugs gave off disappeared by day 3.

Haute Flooring Tips

*If you are building a new home, over estimate your flooring allowance. We thought we had a substantial reserve built into the options agreement for the flooring upgrades. However, when we went to actually pick out the flooring options and saw what was standard, we ended up spending way more. We left the flooring selections appointment with a bill for $8,000 above and beyond what we had on reserve for the flooring allowance. Since this wasn’t factored into the sales agreement, we had to pay cash directly to the flooring company. Ugh! I’ll never do that again! Estimate high too for your kitchen allowance. I won’t even get into the kitchen extras in this post.

*If you are remodeling a home and are on a tight budget, ask if the vendor sells remnants. This is extra material, usually in a smaller quantity, that is left over from previous projects. The discount on remnants can be huge.

*Always make sue your installer and the flooring company is fully licensed and insured.

*Look for discount flooring via online suppliers. They often have deeper discounts than privately owned flooring stores. Check www.angieslist.com before you buy or take a referral from a fiend to make sure online vendors as well as local installers and flooring stores are respectable and fair to their customers.

*If you are doing a large or whole house remodel, consider paying to become a member of Direct Buy (www.directbuy.com). The membership is pricey, but you have access to some major deals…especially if you are doing a lot of renovating and need lots of materials. Our cousins did a whole home remodel and used Direct Buy. They raved about the service and the product offerings. I must say, their house looks gorgeous and all of the building supplies they used were very high-end. They felt the Direct Buy membership was worthwhile for them….. given the whole house renovation.