What is a ‘Green Home?’ 

A green home is one that meets high levels of energy efficiency and water efficiency, and its design has been reviewed against criteria which range from site utilization and landscaping to the selection of materials, finishes, appliances and lighting.  Most standards focus on new homes, but renovated homes can qualify as well.

Why would someone want a ‘Green Home?’ 

• Lower operational costs resulting from the energy and water efficiency aspects of the design.
• Tax incentives and rebates offered by electrical utility companies, government agencies and other organizations.
• Increased health and comfort from the features that control humidity, reduce chemical exposures and improve air exchange and filtration.
• Recognition that the home has been reviewed and meets specific criteria.
• Higher re-sale value.

What are the basic criteria for a ‘Green Home’?

The Criteria vary slightly from program to program but the key areas include:

• Lot design, preparation and development
• Resource efficiency
• Energy efficiency
• Water efficiency
• Indoor air quality
• Operation, maintenance and homeowner education

Environmental Programs

Environmental Stewardship Program (ESP) is a voluntary program for kitchen cabinet manufactures to demonstrate that their products and manufacturing processes are based on practices and materials that benefit both the environment and the well being of society. 

California Air Resources Board (CARB) Rule on Composite Wood Panels is an air quality regulation which seeks to control the emissions of formaldehyde from composite wood panels and products with such panels sold in the State of California.  It covers plywood, particleboard & MDF.  The rule is effective 1/1/2009, but phases all the various board products in a 4 year time frame.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and NAHB Green Home Building Guidelines are voluntary programs which sets out criteria defining what a ‘green home’ is.  Builders submit their design for review, and if it earns a certain level of qualifying points it is awarded a certification plaque for display.

What role do cabinets play in a green home?

Although cabinetry isn’t a primary source for earning points under most environmental programs, your cabinet manufacturer should focus on doing the right thing for the environment.  In the overall qualification program, cabinets play a very minor roll in determining a home’s ‘green’ status.  The primary aspects that cabinets can help earn points on are in terms of construction materials and impact on indoor air quality.

Stock cabinets are constructed prior to purchase. The manufacturer does not build them to your unique specifications, so all sizes meet industry standards. Stock cabinetry widths begin at 9 inches and increase in 3" increments to 48".

Formerly known basic cabinetry, stock cabinets no longer offer only the bare minimum. While prices largely remain tailored for the budget-conscious, stock manufacturers now provide luxurious options previously exclusive to custom cabinets.

About HomeCrest Cabinetry

For over three decades, HomeCrest has manufactured quality cabinetry at affordable prices. Their main production facility is located in north central Indiana. Their selection of cabinetry styles, wood species, finishes, decorative glazes and hardware is among the widest in the industry. In fact, they offer over 300 style and finish combinations.

Custom Choice Cabinetry. Unlike other manufacturers, HomeCrest doesn't limit you to "off the rack" cabinetry styles. Their Custom Choice options let you modify existing some cabinets to fit many non-standard applications. You can even create unique, one-of-a-kind cabinets and accessories all your own - without the cost of custom cabinets! HomeCrest cabinets are usually available within four weeks of being ordered.

Woods offered by HomeCrest are cherry, maple, hickory, and oak. Another offering by HomeCrest are Thermofoils and melamines. They are materials made of natural wood fibers permanently pressure-bonded to rugged vinyl overlays, are an attractive, low-maintenance alternative to hardwoods. Bright, cheerful and resistant to stains and scratches, thermofoils and melamines combine practical everyday durability with smart elegance.

Drawer & Cabinet Construction

HomeCrest hardwood door frames are made from solid 3/4" - thick wood with door stiles and mortise-and-tenon rails. Raised panel doors use 1/2" - or 9/16" - thick solid wood center panels, while veneered doors use 3/16" - or 7/16" - thick veneered center panels.

3/8" Sta-Beam, 1/2" Plywood
End Panels

1/2" & 3/8" Reinforced
Plywood Toe Kick, 3/8" Plywood
Hanging Rail

3/4" Plywood Shelf, 1/2" & 3/8" Plywood
Back/Top/Bottom Panel

Drawer Boxes are rated at 100 lbs. capacity. Choose from maintenance-free 1/2" laminated drawers; or 3/4" dovetailed solid wood deluxe drawers with SofTouch™ full-access under-mount drawer guides.

1/2" Laminated

3/4" Deluxe

3/4" Deluxe SofTouch™

Base Cabinets Shelves and trays are available in laminated wood. Trays, available in optional solid wood with deluxe drawers, glide smoothly on epoxy-coated guides.

Adjustable Shelf

Adj. Shelf and
Sliding Tray

Two Sliding Trays

End Panels consist of unfinished plywood, finished plywood or decorative end panels for cabinets. HomeCrest end panels are designed to resist moisture and damage from household chemicals.

Laminated

Plywood Unfinished

Plywood Finished

Decorative

Toe Boards Choose from laminated or wood veneer overlays.

Laminated

Wood

Another great option offered by HomeCrest is having an ‘all wood box’.

To view all of your cabinet options, please visit; http://www.homecrestcab.com/products/options/

Flexibility is the name of the game when it comes to semi-custom cabinets. A step up from stock cabinetry, semi-custom cabinets typically come in 3" increments but have the ability to incorporate certain custom features, such as modified depths and modified widths. Semi-custom cabinets have a wider range of door, finish, and wood selections than stock cabinets.

Kitchen Emporium offers two beautiful lines of semi-custom cabinetry. Dynasty by Omega and Shiloh. Our Dynasty semi-custom and Omega Custom lines have the ability to blend together with ease, giving you that stunning kitchen without breaking the bank. Because they offer matching door styles and finishes in both lines, we are able to integrate a few custom pieces without paying for full custom throughout. It’s a value that you can’t find with any other brand. Shiloh cabinetry comes with a 3 year limited warranty on its stained cabinets, 2 year warranty on painted cabinets and all Omega cabinets have a limited lifetime warranty.

Both Dynasty and Shiloh are all wood cabinetry made from the highest quality materials and with superior construction methods.

Dynasty cabinets are available in Alder, Cherry, Maple, Oak, Pecan, Quatersawn Oak, Rustic Alder, Rustic Oak, and Rustic Pecan. Dynasty offers many opaque finishes for an additional 15% up charge.
Available in Maple,
Oak and MDF

Dynasty offers many types of glazes to suit your budget and your personal style. Whether a crevice-only or an all-over glaze, each is hand-applied artistically for a one of a kind look. For a more in-depth description, please visit; http://www.omegacab.com/glazes.asp

Shiloh Cabinetry offers oak, hickory, maple and cherry. In addition to those four wood species, they offer thermafoil doors and drawer fronts on painted maple face frames. The same all-plywood box construction applies to their thermafoil products as well. Painted Finishes are available in 13 base colors on oak or maple. All 13 finishes are also available with any of their six glaze colors. In addition, you can choose from wear, distress or sand-through as special finish techniques to be added to your favorite color.

Within the limits of sound construction, the sky’s the limit when it comes to the design and style possibilities of custom cabinetry. There tend to be two kinds of custom cabinets: those made by a custom manufacturer and those made by a local “custom” woodworking shop.

Here at Kitchen Emporium, we specialize in Traditional, face frame cabinets with full overlay doors offered by Omega. Omega Cabinetry was ranked #1 by Consumer Report August 2004 as the best cabinet available.

Since 1977, Omega Cabinetry has grown from meager beginnings in a small barn in the rural community of Washburn, Iowa to a leading manufacturer of all-wood cabinetry. Located in Waterloo, Iowa, in the heart of the Midwest, Omega Cabinetry boasts over 600,000 square feet of state-of-the-art production space on almost 60 acres and more than 1,400 well trained and hard-working associates.

The basic building blocks of the Omega Cabinetry products are select hardwoods and veneers. Cabinets are available in Alder, Cherry, Maple, Oak, Pecan, Quatersawn Oak, Rustic Alder, Rustic Oak, Rustic Pecan, Red Birch, and Walnut.

Doors manufactured within Omega Cabinetry are under strict tolerances for humidification that reduce tendencies for warpage and shrinkage. All raised and reversed raised panel doors are joined by tongue and groove, and miter doors are joined by finger joint and dowel method.

Drawer fronts are solid hardwood, or MDF if opaque, and are attached to the drawer box with wood screws. Drawer boxes are constructed of closed grain wood machined to 5/8” thickness and joined at all four corners with a dovetail joint.

Drawer Guides used are totally concealed tandem full extension undermount self-closing guides. These guides feature a 100-lb weight capacity and an easy release feature. These guides also carry a life time warranty.

Frames are constructed of solid 3/4” thick wood and joined by dowel pins or hardened steel screws. Frames are joined to the cabinets sides by a tongue and groove method that eliminates any nail holes in the face frame.

Tops and Floors of cabinets are 1/2” plywood with hardwood veneers on both sides. Tops and floors are dadoed into the cabinet sides and secured by glue and metal.

Cabinet sides are 3/4” plywood or MDO (Medium Density Overlay) with select hardwood veneers. All finished sides will match the face frame and door species. All interiors are birch or maple and are stained and finished to the same exacting standards as the exteriors of the cabinet. Cabinet backs are 1/4” plywood which is secured to the sides by means of a rabbet joint and metal fasteners.

Shelves are 3/4” thick plywood that is veneered on both sides with select birch or maple veneer and banded on the front edge with a 1/4” solid hardwood band. All shelves are fully adjustable unless otherwise noted. Solid hardwood shelves may be ordered for an additional charge.

Omega Cabinets offers a diverse palette of over 50 standard finishes. These include stains, opaque finishes, frosts, glazes, distressed, and two-tone effects. Omega will also work with you to develop a custom finish.

OMEGA CUSTOM ONLY FINISHES

Baroque –
The overall effect of this artistic finish is that of a much-loved family heirloom. Similar to Renaissance but in a golden hue, Baroque features slight tonal variations, pad staining, dents, rasping, chiseling, an abundance of worm holes and other special effects.

Vintage Clear –
Vintage Clear is a lighter touch if distressing with only sand-over and sand-through only. All special effects are applied by hand for a randomness that replicates the natural wearing of wood through the years.

Cappuccino –
Cappuccino is available on maple opaque finishes and features a brown toned glaze that will slightly tint the base color, making the finish appear slightly darker. Like Hazelnut, Cappuccino is an artistic quality finish, making each door its own work of art. The unique profiling of each door style allows for a different degree of glaze hang-up.

Hazelnut –
Hazelnut is a dynamic dark brown brushed glaze, which is perfect for an entire project, spectacular island, or a stand-alone furniture piece. Its artistic quality and unique profiling of each door style allows for a different degree of glaze hang-up, making each door its own work of art.

Renaissance –
Renaissance combines distressing and hand-applied shading for a magnificent artistic effect. The combination of the cherry wood in conjunction with the pad stain, wiping stain, dry brush stain, and speckling gives each piece a uniqueness all it own, showcasing the beauty of each door. Because of the complexity of this finish, slight tonal variations should be expected. Among the special effects used to achieve this look are: medium dents, rasping, chisel marks, and an abundance of worm holes.

From the select materials used to build the cabinetry to the multi-step finish processes applied to each component, Omega Cabinetry's quality is unparalleled. Backed by the most comprehensive warranty in the industry, depth and breadth of product offerings, there's no question that kitchen solutions from Omega are the best value around.

Here is a typical time line of a kitchen remodel by Kitchen Emporium

Week 1

Day 1- Tear out old cabinets, countertops, and appliances. Dispose of all debris.

Day 2- Remove walls, add walls, general carpentry

Day 3- Electrical rough in. Add, remove or change any electrical. Most jobs require 1 day.

Day 4- Relocate any plumbing if needed.

Day 5- Plaster work. Make all wall and ceiling repairs. Usually requires a return trip to touch up.

Week 2

Day 1-5- Cabinets are installed. Some kitchens will be quicker than others depending upon the size of the kitchen.

Day 3,4 or 5- Measure for countertops.

Week 3

Floor installation may be installed at this time.

Week 4

Countertops may be installed this week. During extremely busy times, they may take another week. Once installed, we will schedule the electrician and plumber to connect all plumbing and electrical fixtures.

Week 5

Day 1- Install tile back splash

Day 2- Make any adjustments to cabinets, countertops, plaster touch up and paint touch up.

Week 6

Finish anything that did not get done in week 5.

The above time line is very typical of a kitchen remodel by Kitchen Emporium, however there are situations that cannot be planned for and will be the cause for deviation from the schedule. We will do all within our power to adhere to this schedule, but please do not refer to this schedule as the exact schedule for your kitchen remodel. We will do our best to give you your new kitchen in the shortest amount of time without sacrificing the quality of work.

The Council of Better Business Bureaus reports that home improvements rank first in nationwide inquiries and fourth in complaints. There are many reliable contractors, of course, but it takes time to find one that is right for you. These guidelines can help:

In the beginning. Don’t be fooled by credentials. Being a ‘licensed’ contractor may mean only that a person has paid a $50 fee required by the city, though some areas may have more stringent regulations. The only way to judge a contractor is to get objective references and to look at their work. Ask to see references, then ask each home-owner about the contractors working style: Did they keep them informed of delays or hitches? Did they listen to their questions and suggestions? Above all, ask about the attention to detail and the commitment to finishing the work.

When you meet with the contractor ask: “How many projects are you working on now”? It’s a good sign if they are in demand, but make sure that they are not overbooked and continually behind schedule. Also ask: “Who handles problems and complaints”? If it’s a foreman on the job, a secretary in the office, or the contractor themselves, it’s always good to know. Don’t be pressured. The hurry-up contractor who insists, “If you don’t decide immediately, I won’t be able to get to your job for six months”, should be scratched from your list.

Making the choice. When you have narrowed the field to at least two possibilities, insist on a written quote. If a contractor says he works only on a ‘time and materials’ or ‘cost-plus’ basis, disqualify him. You could run the risk of writing checks until the cows come home.

One of the most common mistakes people make is being charmed by the lowest estimate. If the price sounds too good to be true, you’re probably not going to get full value. You will most likely get the best results with one of the middle estimates. If the contractor you’re most comfortable with is ten or fifteen percent over your budget, ask if they will redesign the job without sacrificing the quality. Chances are, you and the contractor can probably come to an agreement.

Reaching an agreement. For even the smallest job, the only acceptable contract in one that’s on paper. If you don’t understand something in the contract, ask that it be explained. A contract should cover work and materials and the cost or pay schedule. All the materials should be spelled out. For instance, ‘granite counter’ is unacceptable. ‘Uba Tuba Granite with 4” splash and Full Bullnose edge’ may be wordier, but it’s understood by everyone.

Before the first nail is hammered, be certain you contractor has liability and workers comp insurance. If a worker is injured on your property, your homeowner’s policy probably won’t cover him, and you could be liable. Also make sure that your remodeler obtains necessary building permits.

Remember that the toughest thing for the contractor to specify is job completion. The wrong materials might be shipped, something might be back ordered, and you never know what you are going to find when you demolish a plaster wall or take down a soffit over the wall cabinets. It’s always safe to say that the job will take longer that you predict.

Pay periods. Down payments vary with each company. Make sure it’s clearly stated on the contract and that you are fully aware of the payment schedule. At Kitchen Emporium we require a 50% deposit to order materials, a 25% payment upon delivery of cabinets, and the remaining 25% amount upon completion of work.

Remember that a remolding job can be an emotional, as well as financial investment. Once the workers have gone, you and your family must live with the job they did. For that reason alone, it’s well worth taking the time to find a contractor who’s truly proud of their work- and who wants you to feel the same way and is not afraid to give you all the references you want. And those that operate without a physical street address with an office and showroom can be the quickest to leave town.

Moldings and trim can serve as decoration for your cabinetry. They also can hide joints or finish the transition between the cabinets and the ceiling and floor.

More traditional and formal styles of cabinetry typically call for more elaborate detailing.

Transitional or eclectic looks might use smaller crown moldings, smooth pilasters, or different types of foot moldings such as the pedestal or bun.

 
Pilasters, turnings, fluted fillers in addition to moldings are a great way to spice up a small or simple kitchen.