Accessory Dwelling Units Are Having Their Day
Do you worry about an elderly parent living on his or her own? Do you have a child who has graduated from college but doesn’t have the financial means to rent an apartment in your community? The solution in cases like these might be an accessory dwelling unit (ADU). The Commonwealth of Massachusetts defines an […]
Bringing Cutting-Edge Tech to the Bathroom
Alison Stanley is a senior sales executive who has been with Kohler for 15 years. She recently spoke with us about some of the latest plumbing technology in the bathroom. Custom: What’s new in bathroom plumbing technology at Kohler? Alison: We’re always trying to stay at the forefront of trends and innovation. With our […]
Transforming a Basement
For some lucky homeowners, their basement offers hidden potential to be converted into prime living space. One such homeowner is Arlington resident, Janet Fidelman who recently worked with the Custom Contracting team to transform an unfinished basement into multiple finished rooms that expanded her home. We wrote about Janet’s kitchen remodel in our previous blog, […]
Revisiting a Kitchen Remodel
In 2009, Arlington resident Janet Fidelman was ready to remodel her cramped kitchen. She had originally purchased the home in 1979, and, all those years later, had decided that it was time for a major update. Janet said, “The kitchen was always big enough, it was just really inefficient.” After hearing about Custom Contracting from […]
The SMART Kitchen
Technology has transformed the kitchen in recent years. Housewives of the 50s and 60s may have trouble recognizing today’s refrigerators and stoves and the voice of Alexa or Google Assistant might scare the heck out of them. Times have certainly changed in the kitchen and only time will tell which of these ‘product advances’ are […]
Recreating a “Carriage House” / Garage in Historic Lexington
Tim and Sara Wondolowski love their circa 1810 home in Lexington’s historic district, but it was missing one thing: a garage. Ironically, a painting they found hidden in their attic proved to be an inspiration for constructing a new carriage house to serve as their garage. After many months and meetings with Lexington’s Historic Districts […]
Oversized Kitchen
(The above large kitchen remodel includes an oversized island with plenty of seating for the whole family) Over the past 29 years, Custom has worked on dozens of kitchen remodeling projects. Lately, these projects seem to be getting bigger and bigger. Given the age of the housing stock in Arlington and surrounding communities, many […]
Subcontractor’s Corner: Steve Gilbert on Smart Home Technology
Over the past few years, many of us have become familiar with the “internet of things,” or “IoT. This term refers to the various devices that leverage internet technology to be connected and exchange data with each other. More and more, the internet of things is making its way into our homes. A so-called smart […]
Management Memo: Taking the Fear out of Remodeling
Investing in a home renovation or addition is an exciting prospect, but it can also be scary. While there’s considerable upside, there are also perfectly understandable concerns about everything that could go wrong. At Custom, we get it. That’s why from our first conversations with potential clients, we follow a number of best practices to […]
The One Must Have Cleaning Tool You Need In Your Home
Microfiber cloths have become incredibly popular in recent years. Especially within the “green clean” crowd. And with good reason, while they might look like just another cleaning cloth they are actually in a class of their own. In fact, you could think of them as the heavyweight champions of the cleaning cloth world. Because of […]
The Latest in Window & Door Trends
Windows and doors are the first impression of your home. They can enhance both the exterior and interior of your home drastically. However, old windows and doors can be an eyesore and might be costing you money. If it’s time for an upgrade, make 2019 the year to replace your older windows, doors, or hardware. […]
The Latest in Home Tile Trends
There are so many ways to incorporate tile throughout your home, especially in your bathroom, kitchen or other water-sensitive areas. Replacing dated tile is a quick and easy way to update the overall look of your home. Tile, an affordable alternative to hardwood and natural stone, is a great option to install to make your […]