For the past 18 years, Graham Builders, Hawaii’s premier design-plus build company, has helped thousands of homeowners through its free monthly educational seminars. Unlike other seminars, Graham Builders’ goal is to educate homeowners with information on how to start a home construction project and provide its expertise to those who want to modify their current home.
Since its inception, more than 5,000 Hawaii homeowners have attended Graham Builders’ “Building Your Home for Life” seminar. A Hawaii Kai couple, for example, found out about the seminar when they visited the Graham Builders booth at the Building Industry Association’s Home Building and Remodeling Show in August 2009.
“We found the seminar to be very informative and the presentation regarding the home renovation process made a lot of sense to us,” said the homeowners. “Everyone at Graham Builders appeared to be solid, knowledgeable and trustworthy people. That is why we decided to go with Graham Builders for our renovation project. We were so impressed with Graham Builders that we did not meet with any other home construction company.”
The couple’s home was built in 1980 and although they did renovate the kitchen when they moved in 15 years ago, they decided it was time to reconfigure the kitchen, renovate both bathrooms and change the windows to ventilate the home better.
“Our goal with the kitchen was to design it so that it provided the homeowners with good work flow to allow multiple individuals to work in the kitchen at once without feeling cramped, especially during the holidays,” said Evan Fujimoto, Graham Builders president. “We removed the old peninsula and replaced it with an island, which really opened up the kitchen. We also upgraded the cabinets, countertops, lighting and flooring.”
An added benefit was that Graham Builders was able to use tiles that were leftover from the previous renovation for the stove’s grease guard, which resulted in a beautiful accent for the kitchen.
The bathrooms were redesigned mainly for accessibility. In the guest bathroom, a door that separated the shower area from the rest of the bathroom was removed, allowing Graham Builders to install a large shower stall. The cabinets were raised off the floor making cleaning a simpler task.
“The master bath was completely redesigned for accessibility, better ventilation and lighting,” said Keith Kilburn, Graham Builders Design Department manager. “Removing the existing shower stall allowed for more cabinets and countertops. The large, unusable soaking tub was changed to a large roll-in shower stall, and the water closet is now fully accessible. New windows bring in air, light and a spectacular view.”
The fixed transom windows in the main living area were replaced with operable ones. “This cross-ventilation will definitely keep the home cooler,” says Kilburn.
“We were delighted with the renovation,” said the homeowners. “The quality of work was excellent. It turned out as well if not better than we had envisioned. When our friends and family ask about our new kitchen and baths, we give them Graham Builders’ name.”
Homeowners interested in learning more about the latest trends in design and renovation should attend Graham Builders’ upcoming “Building Your Home for Life” seminar this Saturday, May 21, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Honolulu Country Club. The seminar is free, but reservations are required.
For a full schedule of 2011 seminars or to register, visit www.graham-builders .com or call 593-2808.
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