As I was on Houzz this week, an article caught my eye that I thought
would be helpful to many. The article is directed at living rooms but the solutions are applicable throughout your house.

Have you had one of these moments? You walk into a room in your house and think, “This is not working.” or, “This could be better but I don’t know what to do to make it better.” This article identifies what the problem is and then gives simple solutions.

If the room lacks focus, a large scale accessory can solve that. How often have you walked by a big mirror, plant, or vase and thought, “That’s cool, but I don’t know if it will work in my house.” It will! And it doesn’t have to be expensive – your favorite Home Goods, Costco, T.J. Maxx or Bed, Bath and Beyond probably has just the item to help with your solution.

Think your room is small and you can’t place big furniture? It’s a counterintuitive fact that larger pieces can help a space feel larger.

Beyond these couple tips, there are tips on lighting, mirrors, and adjusting rooms that feel too formal or, conversely, too casual. Read on and find the simple tip that will help you!

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/1994794/list/Decorate-With-Intention–Love-Your-Living-Room

The Kitchen & Bath Industry Show wraps up it’s 3-day event in Chicago today. The headline news is that there are fresh and innovative products for the first time in several years.

As spaces in your home that get high visibility by people outside of your household, kitchens and baths can be a great place to spruce up a tired look. Builder Online has pulled together 12 items they liked at the show; a collection of products that will make your work space more efficient, add beauty, help you conserve water. Check them out!

http://www.builderonline.com/products/product-preview-2012-kitchen-and-bath-industry-show.aspx

Our most recent “Pop Top” customer lives in a great Arlington neighborhood. The home was built in the 1960s and offered a great opportunity for an addition and update to the floor plan. Our customers wanted to expand the kitchen, add a screened porch, and build a luxurious master bedroom suite. The resulting effect, beyond the additional 1500 square feet of living space, includes light-filled spaces, gleaming granite countertops, warm  hardwood floors, and decorative lighting. Take a look at the transformed space:The second floor addition adds much-needed space while complementing the original part of the house from the street.

The expanded space to the back of the house shows how it is incorporated into the existing space and provides a great look at the largely increased square footage.

The additional space, updated kitchen and new hardwood floors have transformed the heart of the home.

The kitchen provides plentiful work area, updated appliances, and a very open sense of space with large windows onto the rear yard, and sliding doors onto the screened porch.

The master bath gets its zen-spa feel from beautiful tile on the walls, a large-pebble stone on the shower floor and mosaic accents on the walls.

For lots more photos of the Arlington “Pop Top” addition, click to visit the Paradigm Building Group Facebook Page! https://www.facebook.com/ParadigmBuilds

Need a unique gift idea? How about fun inspiration for a relaxed space in your house? Thinking ahead to your garden? We’ve got some great product finds to share with you!

Brookstone’s 8-in-1 Tool helps you always “be prepared” with all the need-it-in-a-pinch items including: bottle opener, nail file, mini scissors, Phillips and flat screwdriver, knife, pliers and flashlight. It’s small enough to fit in a pocket, and handy to have on the go in your briefcase, glove box etc.

Magisso has come up with a great combination of design and function in their cake server. Simply press the server down through the cake, give it a light squeeze, and lift the cake piece out onto a plate. Voila! Easy as……cake!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thinking about how great the basil will taste coming out of your garden this summer? Taste this and you may forget your gardening gloves. O&CO’s Basil Olive Oil is made using a 16th century process and the result is fresh, vibrant flavor. Mix in a little lemon juice and you’ve got one bright, tasty vinaigrette.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living Stones has a whimsical product for a relaxed space in your home. Their Rock-Shaped-Cushions provide mobile comfort and support for hanging out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ll share more cool products periodically and if you’ve got favorites to share, send them to Info@ParadigmBuildingGroup.com.

When you’ve got a project like  remodeling a space, or building an addition or  a new home you want to make sure to hire the best general contractor. But who and what determine “best?” You do, with focus on some key points. You are about to embark on a relationship that will last for several months so invest some time upfront to help ensure you make a solid choice.

Questions to ask:
Start by asking anyone you know who has hired a general contractor if they would recommend whom they used and learn about their experience. Referrals from people you trust are a great source for a contact. Online directories, such as Service Magic and Angie’s List are places where you can search for general contractors and other services in your area to meet your needs. The directories often have ratings and information on the business.

You’ve got contacts, now what?
-First and foremost be sure the person or business you are considering is both licensed and insured to do the work you want to have done.

-Have they done work similar to what you want done? Are there past customers you could contact to ask about their experience with the general contractor?

-Will you receive an estimate and how likely is it that the estimate will be on target?

-What is the expected time-frame for completing the work?

-How does the process work? Each general contractor has their own system for getting from your ideas to the end result. Be sure to get an idea of what the schedule will look like.

-How well does the person you’re meeting with listen and understand your ideas? Your relationship will last for some time. Communication, trust and comfort are key.

Move forward confidently with these pointers. What waits at the end of the process is the exciting result of your vision!

It’s the time of year that most people take a few moments to step back and reflect on the previous year’s big achievements, personal accomplishments, or as in my case as business owner…  review  potential tax implications! It’s also the time when we set out to undo or redo some of those resolutions from last year and even set new goals all together.  Here at Paradigm, we are all about setting expectations and accomplishing new goals!  As we begin 2012, I wanted to share a little insight into what Paradigm has accomplished in 2011 and share some of our vision for 2012.  Sticking with our motto of transparency, I see it fitting that we open the curtain to let you inside!  Hope you like what you see…

2011 was our best year yet!  We achieved many of our financial goals and even surpassed a few of them…Very exciting when you beat expectations!  We finished several projects for the year, just to name a few of the highlights… an 11,000 square foot custom home in Fairfax, a new venture for Charles Luck in Georgetown, several pop-top additions around Northern Virginia, and helped several businesses build-out new office space, including our own new office!  Our clients also gave us a 100 percent ranking on our internal survey for completing projects on-time and on-budget.  A great achievement if you ask me!

Around the office we have had some changes as well…literally!  A new office… stop by and check it out!  With it comes a larger space, new conference room and a cool selections room.  As for some of our staff, we have had a few upgrades! Brett Van Horn has recently been promoted to Operations Manager.  Brett has been an integral part of our team and He is very excited about his new leadership opportunity.  With his new role he will continue help us rise to new levels. Amy Masters has also joined our business development team.  Many of you have spoken to Amy… she’s usually the first voice of PBG!   Chris Plummer also joined our team in late 2011 as a project manager.  Chris jumped on the scene into a tough project and shown that he is Paradigm material!  We’ve also gone social… so please like us on www.Facebook.com/Paradigmbuilds and follow us on twitter @Paradigmbuilds.

As we head into our 5th year of business, Paradigm is fortunate to be positioned well within the Washington DC market, where unemployment is lower than the national average and the construction market is experiencing an uptick in activity.  With this our goals for 2012 remain similar to 2011…be “The Example of Excellence” in our industry.  We know it’s a lofty goal, but why set easy goals!  As businesses look to expand and new entrepreneurs hit the streets in 2012, we want to position ourselves to help them build their business!  And as their businesses grow, so do peoples personal needs for new homes or additions, and we want to be there to help them accomplish their dreams.  We’ll continue to build relationships with our clients… we like the team approach to construction because it helps keep us all on the same page and ensures we are all happy at the end!  We’ll also look to position ourselves to possibly by some new land or distressed properties…so if you know of any, please let us know!

Help us celebrate our 5^th year Anniversary by helping us achieve our goals. We’d love to be a part of your life and help you achieve some of your 2012 accomplishments… whether it’s a new home, an addition or helping you build your business. We are here to be a part of your team!

Many blessings to you and your families in 2012!

-  Tim Winter