It's Home Builders Expo Time - Feb 4th and 5th

The Grand Traverse Resort is the new home of the 2012 Home Expo. Grand Bay Building and Remodeling is looking forward to this new venue for the Expo. Find us in Booth #89. Victor is a Trex Pro- so this year we are featuring a Trex deck in our space. It takes a little more time to set up but totally worth it. Now you'll get a chance to see why the Trex hidden fastener system will make a such wonderful difference in the appearance of your deck.

As always, there will be things of interest for the entire family with special items that the kids will love. Come and make it a family event. Don't miss this chance to see this year's newest products. Get that "almost Spring" feeling here in Northern Michigan.

Saturday 2/4/12 from 9am-6pm and Super Bowl Sunday 2/5/12 from 11am-3pm (plenty of time left to enjoy the big game)

Expo is a great time to make an appointment to discuss your remodel project or new home. Now is the time to begin exploring your design possibilities so your project will be ready to go!

Remember that we are in Booth #89- Looking forward to meeting you, Nancy Lisabeth with Grand Bay Building and Remodeling 231 995 9057 http://www.grandbaybuilding.com/ grandbaybuilding@charter.net

Homeowner Beware of Water, Water Everywhere

This is the season for winter vacations and Grand Bay Building and Remodeling cautions you to prepare your home for extended trips away. Consider turning off your main water supply - just in case.

I write this suggestion after 3 separate family experiences in the last 2 weeks. Our son returned home after spending the Holidays here in Michigan to find water seeping out his garage entry door. A refrigerator water valve had failed resulting in a thorough soaking - he vacuumed about 15 gallons of water!!

Just last week, our daughter called with a "dad come quick" - for whatever reason water had just begun spraying(shooting) out of the cold water supply valve to her washer. This box in the laundry room wall has a small drain but not to catch this kind of water. Had she not been home and in the room to find the wet floor- there would have been another flood situation.

What actually prompted this post, was a water leak in our powder room that I just discovered this weekend. The toilet water line to the shutoff had begun to slowly leak which I noticed while cleaning. This is just the type of leak that could have gone unnoticed as you leave for vacation- only to continue to become worse over the time that you are away.

Based on these very recent situations- please consider protecting your home from water damage when you're away. It should be a simple thing to turn off your water supply- check into this before you leave home for any
extended period of time like a vacation. Hope I have just saved you from the mess my son found when he arrived home- Nancy, Grand Bay Building and Remodeling ph 231 995 9057

Where Do You Want Your Laundry??

One of the important questions that should be discussed in the design phase of a new home or remodel- Where Do You Want the Laundry? I had to smile today ( lol really!) as I was reading an email from a very popular nationally recognized home design firm. The email discussed how homeowners now wanted the laundry located as a separate space not just in the open hall from the garage. About 20 years ago, I discussed this exact thing at their exhibit in the International Builders Show. Oh, the answer was- you are from what we call a wet area. Yep, Michigan and a large part of the country is certainly that! Finally, it seems they "get it"!

Now, the term is evolving from "mud room". We are beginning to see the entry from the garage referred to as the Rear Foyer. This makes sense as the family most always uses this entry and useful space here is critical. I can vouch for this as a mother of four children and pets. Nothing was better than having space for things like book bags, coats and boots. Having the laundry room right off the rear entry allowed a quick spot for wet sports equipment etc. Being close the kitchen, meant less time spent when doing loads of laundry. But, I can also appreciate having a laundry where the linens and clothes accumulate.

So, we are back to that question- where do you want your laundry? In the end, it's really a personal decision- one which we as home builders and remodelers are always happy to discuss. Nancy -Grand Bay Building and Remodeling ph231 995 9057

It's the New Year- How's that bathroom looking?

Now, that it's officially 2012, is a great time to look around your home for easy ways to update spaces you use every day. Grand Bay Building and Remodeling started off our New Year with a great bathroom project for a client. This is the only bathroom in the home, so you can imagine how important speed of completion is. We prepared for the project by having everything selected and on site before removing any fixtures.

The inspiration for the new bathroom was the bathroom in our carriage house that was entered in the 2009 Tour of Remodeled Homes here in Traverse City. That's proof that sometimes you hold onto an idea until the time is right. I can't wait to see this new bathroom project completed- I'll post an "after" photo so check back.

If you're not ready for the complete makeover, consider simpler things to update like bathroom hardware and lighting. Include new faucets and change from something dated to a newer finish. You'll be surprised what a difference that can make! and...we're only a phone call away-

Nancy, Grand Bay Building and Remodeling 231-995-9057