Season’s Greetings from SilverMark!
As remodelers, "home" is very important to us. We know it is to you, too, and as we look back on 2011, we're honored to have had the chance to use our passion for design and craftsmanship to turn existing houses into true homes for our clients.
Thank you for doing business with us, and for sending us so many referrals. We appreciate your confidence in us and look forward to sharing useful ideas, insights and inspiration with you in the coming months.
And before we share this month’s newsletter, we'd like to take this opportunity to wish you a very happy holiday season and a healthy, prosperous start to 2012.
Make a Holiday Gift List...for Your Home
You made holiday gift lists for friends, family and co-workers. Now, what about making a gift list for your home – a room by room list of what you’d love to change.
  If you’re thinking about a possible remodeling project for 2012, January is the time to start the planning process. That’s why now is the ideal time to start making your home wish list. Besides, with your home front and center during the holidays, you’ll not only have a chance to think about new things you’d love to have, you can also make note of what needs updating, what frustrates you, and what simply no longer works for your family and your lifestyle.
Even if you have one type of remodeling project in mind – such as a kitchen renovation or a home addition – don’t limit your wish to that one project. With good planning and an extra dose of creativity, you might be surprised by how far we might be able to stretch a remodeling budget to cover what’s on your wish list. So don’t "pre-compromise" – list everything you’d like to change about your home, inside and out.
See your home with fresh eyes
As you’re welcoming friends, family, and kids home from college, imagine seeing your home through their eyes. Chances are, you’ll become aware of things that really should be fixed or updated – but that you’ve grown so used to seeing that you don’t even notice them anymore. This might include a shower stall that’s well past its prime, sagging shelves, or leaky toilets. Your wish list might even include a better solution for out-of-town guests than an air mattress in the living room.
As you’re cooking, think about what doesn’t work in terms of storage, layout, lighting, appliances, and how your kitchen looks and "lives." Then, go ahead and fantasize about what your kitchen would be like with some of those new ideas you’ve seen in magazines like tall windows, sleek new cabinets, elegant lighting, amazing time-savers and organizers, gathering spaces and beautiful new appliances.
 As you’re entertaining, think about the spaces in your home and how they’re used. For instance, do you feel cramped for space, yet rarely use your living room – and would a new floor plan make better use of living space and even create space for an extra bath or powder room? Would you love to have an outdoor fireplace or a beautifully open kitchen and family room with skylights for stargazing in front of an indoor fireplace? Think about the feel of your home, too. Is it comfortably warm...or are you paying outrageous utility bills so people won’t feel the chilly drafts from worn-out windows?
Come January, start making wishes come true
When the holidays are over, you’ll find you have a very good list not just of specific things you’d like to change, but a big-picture vision of how you’d like your remodeled home to look and feel. This provides a valuable head start on creating concepts for how to approach the project.
And a head start is the key to stress-free remodeling. That’s because even simple updates can involve many "pieces." In fact, given permitting, product delivery timelines, and construction requirements, projects can take anywhere from a few weeks to many months.
So if you think 2012 might be your year to remodel, don’t wait to get started on your home’s remodeling wish list. Then, come January, bring us the list and let’s see what we can do to make those wishes come true.
If You Like Our E-newsletter, Pass It On!
We would like to thank all our new readers who have signed up for our e-newsletter. If you know someone who you think might like our e-newsletter, please forward them a copy using the link at the bottom of this e-newsletter. Unless they then choose to subscribe for themselves, they won’t be on our e-newsletter mailing list for future e-mails. (We promise!)
  See you next month!
Terry
Terry Streich, President
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