While some of you may find yourselves looking at a few feet of snow after the next couple of weekends, others will be admiring gorgeous Southwest Florida sunrises and sunsets. From the time since we all were very young, we were taught not to stare at the sun. The obvious exceptions, of course, are the magic hours when it rises and falls, setting the sky on fire with an explosion of colors, and casting a golden light onto everything it touches. Florida’s west coast has some stellar sunsets. So, when our Elkhart, Indiana clients, Lavern and Sharon, wanted to get front row seats to view this colorful event, they started searching for their own piece of paradise.
They spent three years looking for a perfect place. “I did not want us to be the only odd couple on the block,” stated Lavern. “I wanted us to be part of a community.” The search finally ended when they found a home in the award-winning golf course community of Maple Leaf Golf & Country Club. This popular, resident-owned, 55+, gated, golf course community is loaded with amenities for an active resort lifestyle. But unfortunately, their newly purchased 2006-built mobile home hadn’t been wonderfully maintained. In fact, according to Lavern, “It was a depressing, dark place. It looked like a trailer.” But that didn’t stop Lavern and Sharon from purchasing the fixer-upper in 2014.
Lavern’s extensive engineering background has given him the understanding of how to renovate a home, and the ability to do the work as well. First he removed all the wall-to-wall carpeting. Then he removed the wall strips on the manufactured walls, followed by using drywall compound and wall repair tape to hide the seams. He then sanded down and primed the areas with Kilz®. Before long he painted all the rooms. He had wood look vinyl flooring installed throughout the living areas, and carpeting installed in the three bedrooms. He replaced all of the mouldings, baseboards, and trim around the windows and doors.
When it came time to remodel the kitchen, he decided to call Just Counters & other stuff. As you can see in the “before” pictures there was a design issue that made the existing kitchen layout less than ideal. The layout had a peninsula that separated the kitchen from the great room. These obstructed wall cabinets were smack dab in the middle of the view. Not only did they obstruct the view, but the wall cabinets were “headbangers.” Some people — especially tall ones — accidently hit their heads on the nuanced cabinets. The homeowners also found it frustrating to talk to people when they worked at the peninsula. They had to crouch down to talk to others through the opening. So, the obstructed wall cabinets over the peninsula had to go.
Everything else that Lavern and Sharon requested during the initial consultation was doable. Sharon wanted some glass door cabinets to house her beautiful glassware and treasures she acquired over the years. Lavern wanted a taller glass door cabinet above his bar. They both wanted a raised panel door style with white paint and solid surface countertops.
Months later, Just Counters & other stuff trucks pulled into their street. The vehicles were loaded with new Aspect cabinets, tools, skilled installers, and smiles. Tyler Mowatt and Ben Hanson wasted no time in removing the dated cabinets and countertops. Between measuring, swinging hammers, pounding nails, and leveling for accuracy, the craftsmen installed all the beautiful crisp and clean new cabinets. Soon after, Aaron Shaffer and Paul Damon arrived on the scene. They templated and then professionally made all the eye-catching solid surface countertops. As soon as the countertops were all carried in, which was no easy chore; they leveled and shimmed the countertops as needed.
According to Lavern, “The workers put blankets down to protect the surfaces around the work area. Upon completion of the projects, all debris and work items were removed and left the area as when they started. They even swept the driveway! All four individuals displayed highly professional conduct. We would recommend Just Counters a thousand times over!”
Pucci Tile installed the striking tile backsplash. The colors in the glass mosaic tile are the most coastal thing they have in their gorgeous new kitchen.
This galley kitchen is absolutely perfect for Lavern’s and Sharon’s manufactured snowbird home. Now there’s plenty of storage. And guess what? Neither Lavern nor Sharon misses the headbanger cabinets. Sharon said, “I found that not having it there really opened up my kitchen.”
Have a great week. I’ll see you in your inbox next Wednesday.
Wow! Nice freshen up! It certainly is more welcoming! I’m surprised they didn’t get stools for the peninsula.🤔 maybe that’s a future plan? It’s definitely lighter and brighter and more functional. That long cabinet with one door… Who does that??? I love the way you extended that counter and utilized all of that space so beautifully! Well done!
This kitchen is no longer the same. Out went intimate perching in the kitchen and neither one of the homeowners will miss the headbanger above the peninsula. Thank you for complimenting my work.