Perhaps you have thought of turning your master bath into a high tech spa or you have considered some new smart appliances for your kitchen. Here are three popular upgrades that will definitely increase the real estate value and comfort of your home.

Hide your TV in plain sight

It is either “go huge or go home” with television sets these days. But when you bring one of those drive-in and movie sized screens at home, it can distract from the style of your home. Today, you can have it all- a huge screen and a big style.

Contemporary designers are hiding these gigantic screens behind the walls of your room and then covering them with an artwork or mirror to conceal them when not in use. Your guests will barely know it is there! When you decide to place it above the fireplace, you can always make it appear like a framed mirror or perhaps a piece of your favorite art.

Cooling drawers for your kitchen

Dollar for dollar, you can maximize the value of your home by investing into your kitchen or bathroom. From its sleek granite to state of the art kitchen appliances, today’s kitchen can be as sophisticated as you can dream.

Refrigerators can be outfitted with hidden panels that make them easily blend with cabinets, but if you need additional ‘cooling space’, you may want to consider a cooling drawer. These drawers feature various temperature settings so you can use it for storing wine, snacks, soda, ice cream and other goods. They are usually designed to be individual drawers so you can be seamlessly installed throughout your home.

Landscape lighting at its finest

With warm summer nights approaching, you might want to consider enhancing the mood of your outdoor space with lighting. Your landscaping and water features can be highlighted while giving you and your guests a charming place to relax. With solar options, you can add lighting without adding to your electric bill.

PBS Construction has been serving Collier and Lee Counties since 1986. The firm includes three LEED Accredited Professionals, with and average of 30+ years in the construction industry and nearly 2,500 new home projects and residential renovations under their tool belts. For more information, call (239)643-6527 or visit www.PBScontractors.com.  

One of the most important services that the Florida Commission on Human Relations provides is discrimination mediation – designed to help prevent costly litigation while protecting the rights of Florida citizens with valid claims.

Over the five year period from FY 06-07 to FY 10-11, the Florida Commission on Human Relations successfully resolved 7,835 cases with 4,500 of those cases ending in a “No Cause” finding and 508 cases successfully mediated. This process saved Florida businesses nearly $61 million in litigation expenses or over $12 million a year.

In the upcoming legislative session, the Florida Commission on Human Relations is supporting legislation that would discourage non-meritorious administrative appeals for discrimination cases, as well as add protective measures for seniors living in state-recognized 55+ communities (HB 1125).  In addition, the Commission will be closely watching a number of other bills that have been filed that, if enacted, would impact the operations of the Commission and could affect the rights of Florida citizens.  These bills cover topics such as adding sexual orientation and gender identity or expression as a basis for discrimination; limiting an employer’s use of an applicant’s credit history, credit score, criminal history or unemployment history in making employment hiring decisions; and authorizing aggrieved persons to go directly to court for alleged housing discrimination rather than go through the Commission’s investigations process.

Mario Valle is a Relationship Manager at PBS Construction, Inc., based in Naples, Florida. A graduate of Florida State University, Valle is a Florida State licensed Real Estate Broker, Residential Contractor and Certified Mold Remediator/Inspector. He is a past President of the Golden Gate Estates Civic Association and past Vice-chair for Collier County’s Affordable Housing Advisory Board. He also served as the Vice-chair of the Naples MS Walk for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for  five years. In 2004, Valle graduated from Leadership Collier and was named to Gulfshore Business Magazine’s 40 under 40. Currently, Valle serves on the Development Services Advisory Council of Collier County.

“Rev. Stephanie Campbell is a special person and we are so happy to be able to help build the facility where so many young children will learn the language, literacy and life skills that they need to get ahead,” said Bart Zino, president of PBS Construction.

The campus’ sanctuary building is being renovated to incorporate four large classrooms, with the flexibility of opening the space back into an auditorium. The project was designed with families in mind – incorporating bright colors, open spaces and natural lighting to make this a fun place to learn and grow.

“With this renovation, Grace Place will better serve the at-risk families in our community, providing a much richer community,” Commissioner Tom Henning.

To see additional photos of this project, visit www.GracePlaceNaples.org.

Why waste the time and space with standard black mats and a treadmill, when you can have a fitness room that inspires you to get moving.

Exercise equipment has evolved as we have become more adventurous. If you love rock climbing, we could install a rock climbing wall in your studio. For boxing fans or martial arts fans, a customized training ring can be configured.

Your home fitness center can also incorporate design elements to bring the family together. How about a dance studio for ballet, ballroom dancing or yoga? Incorporate a video screen and Wii and you can have endless fun for all members of the family.

The key to success here is to enhance your space with something that compliments your lifestyle – not just replicate a standard gymnasium.

Today’s healthy lifestyle is a blend of nourishing the mind – body – spirit. Your customized home fitness center can be designed to energize or relax with the soothing sounds of a built in waterfalls, calming lights and built in sound systems.

One of the most popular trends taking hold in the home fitness center is a family spa atmosphere with a steam spa or sauna, massage room, cold and hot tubs for mineral water or mud baths.

With the holidays packed away, we are all considering our healthy resolutions for the upcoming New Year. Why not make your resolution a gift of continued health and vitality for years to come?

Take this opportunity to really evaluate the space, what you want to feel when you are in the room, what you want to experience while you are in your home fitness room but also to express yourself and make it uniquely yours a “total workout environment”.

Our team of trained design and construction professionals can help bring your dream to reality. Click here to call or email us and schedule your complimentary design consultation.

PBS Construction is so pleased to be starting phase 1 of the campus expansion at Grace Place for Children & Families.

At the heart of this building’s design are the vulnerable children and families in our community – an emphasis was placed on designing the most effective classroom space to serve the families and children that learn and grow at Grace Place. Future phases of the project will include site development as well as adding buildings to increase the size and scope of the literacy, language and life skills programs thatGrace Placeoffers to at-risk children and working poor families inGolden Gate.

Grace Place has over 600 children and adults enrolled in their current programs.

For more information, visit www.GracePlaceNaples.org
 

Photographed above:
Marlys Walker , Founding Churches Representative
Rev. Jay Kowalski, Founding Chair, Board of Directors
Charles Frontz,Golden Gate Elementary School
Bart Zino, PBS Construction
Phil Plessinger, Chair, Board of Directors
Colleen Murphy, Community Foundation ofCollierCounty
William J. Hazzard, Co-Chair, Campaign Committee
Commissioner Tom Henning
Grace Place Student Ambassadors

Bathroom Renovation

Install blocking behind the drywall in showers and other key areas of the house. This reinforcement for the drywall will allow you to add decorative and functional hand rails to assist with mobility. If you are in the midst of a renovation where walls are being moved or refinished, the reinforced blocking can easily be added now for use when you need it.

Recently we had a client that was recovering from a stroke. Installing hand rails helped them regain the peace of mind of safer mobility throughout their home.

Kitchen Renovation
Induction cooking is the latest in kitchen innovation. It eliminates the potential danger of hot surfaces left unattended or forgotten on an electric or gas range. This technology is a fast and growing trend in multiple upscale kitchens.

More simple features to make your kitchen senior friendly are installing textured tiles and rollers for low-built cabinets. Textured kitchen tiles offer additional grip to prevent falling and slipping. Roll out cabinets will keep your seniors from bending too low and reaching too deep for stored items.

Overall Safety
Think about accessibility and safety throughout the house. When renovating, expand the hallways to leave enough room for a wheelchair or walker to pass through. In the bathroom, you can also customize a shower enclosure with door-less entries to allow more spacious and barrier free spaces.

When choosing flooring, be aware of the colors that you use. Contrasting colors will allow you to see differences in elevation, such as steps, more easily. While an all white floor might appear to be level, some strategically placed accent tiles / rugs will allow elderly guests or residents to see changes in elevation more easily.

At PBS Construction, we believe in planning for the future use of your home – from a few months to a few years down the road. We would be happy to give you a free estimate or just bounce ideas on the best way to ensure the safety of your home.

Thanks to Michele Harrison for contributing this blog idea! If you have any questions that you would like answered, please click here to contact us. We can help remodel your home into senior-friendly establishment.

Roofs take on an especially harsh beating during storms. So here are a few things to consider when evaluating your roof and protecting your home.

There are many sturdy materials to choose from for a dependable roof. While you may see a short-term savings in a standard shingle, investing in flat concrete tile or a standing metal seam roof that will stand up best against the storm may save you in the long run.

Gabled roofs are more prone to storm damage. You can increase the chance of your gabled roof staying in tact by install reinforcing braces or “hurricane straps” that are manufactured especially for hurricane-scale wind and rain.

The angle or pitch of your roof can also help or contribute to water leaking into them. The steeper the roof, the less resistant it will be to strong wind. But having them too low will also put your roof at risk of an uplift.

Customize overhangs by extending the fascia board to the soffit underside will create a drip edge for roof protection. Fewer perforations on the soffit vents will also lessen moisture penetration.

The best storm preparation is proper maintenance and vigilant upkeep of your roof. Experts recommend that roofs be inspected by a professional twice a year. Alternatively, homeowners can do the inspection themselves, looking for any signs of deterioration. Common telltale problems are sagging parts, missing tiles or mold/mildew growth.

If there are any signs of damage, it is best to call a professional in to address the problem right away by calling a professional contractor such as PBS Construction. It is better to pay for a small job than to wait for a bigger problem that will cost you time and money… and might even cost you the entire home if the storm hits before it’s fixed.

Thanks to Mike Hughes for contributing this blog idea! If you have any questions that you would like answered, please click here to contact us.