Contractor Selection Tips from Clark Adams

The success or failure of a residential home improvement project, according to the California Contractors State License Board, is more dependent upon contractor selection than any other decision a homeowner will make.  Because contractor selection is so critical to getting the job done right the first tim, the CSLB has provided a checklist for homeowners to use in their selection process.

The checklist is designed to give remodeling consumers a better picture of all the potential contractor by listing recommended practices and certain requirements of all home improvement contracts and alert consumers to any potential problems or liabilities before a contract is entered into.

• Did your contractor tell you whether or not they carry General Liability Insurance? While not a requirement, it is a requirement to disclose whether or not a policy is in force.  The CSLB strongly recommends all contractors carry this insurance.
• What does this insurance cover? It is supposed to cover third party bodily injury and accidental property damage, but not the quality of the work performed by the contractor.
• How can you make sure the contractor is insured? If requested, the contractor is required to provide you with the name and telephone number of the insurance company.  You should call and verify coverage and date of expiration. 
• What about a contractor who claims to be self-insured? A self-insured contractor has made a decision to be personally liable for losses that would ordinarily be covered by insurance.  As yourself, if something went wrong, would this contractor be able to cover those losses?
• Did you contact the State License Board and check the status of the License? Call 1-800-321-CSLB or visit the website at www.cslb.ca.gov.
• Did you verify that the contractor has Workman's Compensation Insurance? The website address will disclose if a policy is in force.  If the contractor has no employees, it is not required, but beware of the contractor says they use employees instead of subcontractors and there is no insurance.
• Did you get at least three local references from each contractor?  Are they local and can you call them?
• Are building permits required? Make sure to have who is responsible for obtaining and paying for permits in writing.
• Does the contract include a detailed description of the work to be done and the materials used? This description should include brand names, model numbers, colors, sizes, quantities and options.  More details in the contract now prevent disputes later.
• Is there a schedule of payments? Maximum deposit is ten percent of the job or $1,000.  Whichever is less.
• Are all changes or additions to the contract in writing? This is a requirement and reduces the possibility of later disagreements.
  

Remember, the more time you spend up-front assessing contractor qualifications, the greater chance you have of experiencing a successful remodeling project that will enhance your quality of life for years to come!

For more information regarding window and door replacement, you can contact the professionals at Clark Adams Co. Windows & Doors or visit their showrooms at 2411 Artesia Blvd. in Redondo Beach or 23841 Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance.  You can call for your free in-home estimate at (310) 214-2222.  Visit their website at www.clarkadams.com

Beautiful Design From Kitchens to Doors

Good custom design, whether it’s in a newly remodeled kitchen or an impressive set of front doors, is the key to an attractive home. It explains why the addition of Avalon Custom Wood Entry Doors to the products and services available through The Kitchen Warehouse has been so well received by local homeowners.

“These doors are remarkably consistent with our builder-architect-designer following,” said Glen Ferguson, one of the founding partners of The Kitchen Warehouse. His 34-year-old company, which specializes in kitchen design, is highly regarded for its skilled designers and enormous selection of cabinetry that includes 16 different lines and nearly a dozen choices of wood species.

Victor Garofalo, a representative of some of the high-end cabinet companies that supply The Kitchen Warehouse, has worked with Ferguson for at least 20 years. When he discovered the amazing artistry of Avalon Doors recently, he knew the product would be a perfect match for The Kitchen Warehouse even though its exterior and interior doors had little to do with kitchens.

“These are custom-custom doors, meaning that anything you can create on paper, we can create in the door,” Garofalo said. “If you need a 12-foot-tall door, or one that is three inches thick with your initials engraved in it, if you like elaborate wood carving or art glass, wrought iron trim, or copper and stainless steel integrated into the wood itself, Avalon Doors can do it. These are truly furniture-quality works of art.”

He added that Donald Trump has had Avalon doors installed in many of his projects, including his new home in Palos Verdes.

For an idea of the extremes to which the makers of these doors will go to satisfy customer whims in design, dimensions, and high-end woods and hardware for everything from doors to architectural details for home interiors, visit www.thekitchenwarehousela.com and explore the gallery. Several Avalon doors are also on display at The Kitchen Warehouse, an 8,000-square-foot showroom that features an always-changing exhibit of nearly three dozen model kitchens.

To make a good thing better, the doors are pre-finished and pre-hung, then delivered to the residence for fast, clean installation. Clients often take advantage of packaged services available with the doors, such as interior window molding, baseboards, and crown molding designer-guided to match in color and style with the rest of the home.

“My thinking was that the design expertise of The Kitchen Warehouse would be a big plus with helping people get the most out the Avalon product offerings,” Garofalo explained. “I know how good their designers are at helping people in the creative process.”

Cabinet Manufacturer Goes Exotic and Green

Today’s consumers want socially conscious manufacturers. Yet while many companies are trying to get on the Green manufacturing bandwagon, other companies, like Pacific Crest Cabinets are ahead of this movement by leaps and bounds. While cabinet dealers like the look of their contemporary cabinet line and the beautiful and exotic woods, Pacific Crest makes extraordinary efforts to reduce waste and support sustainable forest practice from start to finish.

According to Glen Ferguson, owner of The Kitchen Warehouse in Los Angeles, “The Pacific Crest line offers our customers a beautiful, exotic, wood kitchen that is manufactured with wood not only from a sustainable forest practice, but they also follow California’s stringent Air Quality manufacturing standards (today and the higher standards set for 2009, far above the standard in Washington). My 8 full time kitchen designers feel good about specking out a job using Pacific-Crest Cabinets. They’re beautiful and good for the environment.”

Pacific Crest’s Ultima collection features unique door styles with engineered veneers. Using different types of tree veneers and colored resins they composite them into large blocks and then cross cut to replicate exotic woods like Zebra, Wenge, Macassar, Ebony, Teak, Birds Eye Maple, White Oak Mahagony. So clients get the look without cutting down trees that are not as readily available. In fact the engineered product offers more color consistency throughout the kitchen. In addition, their Bamboo Burma Door shows a flat door in two colors, natural and caramelized. Since Bamboo is a grass, not a wood, it is sustainable as the plant continues to grow after it is cut.

According to Pacific Crest, green is not just about the forest materials or formaldehyde use, they follow a holistic approach to manufacturing. Their program meets the tough standards of the worldwide Forestry Stewardship Council (FFC) on sustainable practices, which require certification based on a set of guidelines from the forest to the mill including their hardwood distributors. Those guidelines require that companies achieve high standards for: Air Quality, Waste management, Energy savings and Sustainable Materials.

In addition, Pacific Crest Cabinets is in the Environment Stewardship Program developed for the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA.org), which incorporates social responsibility by requiring participating manufacturers to include community outreach. Pacific Crest joined AGROS international to sponsor a village in El Salvador to help people break the cycle of poverty with marketable skills.


The professional designers at The Kitchen Warehouse use 3-D computerized design and unlimited cabinet and countertop selection. They’ll ask about your lifestyle and incorporate your ideas to achieve your with your budget. Call 323-734-1696 for an appointment with one of their professional designers. Visit their showroom with over 30 Kitchens On Display at 2149 West Washington Blvd., LA, CA. Off the Santa Monica Freeway at Western Avenue (2 blks. east on Washington Blvd.). Visit their website at www.thekitchenwarehousela.com.

Renewal Replacement Windows

Are Custom-Made to Mix and Match

Though they have revolutionized the window industry for more than 100 years, in 1958 Andersen Windows refused to sell vinyl windows because vinyl expands and contracts in extreme weather, causing cracks, bowing, and leakage of air and water. However after decades of development and testing for the best replacement windows, in 1995, Andersen patented and introduced Fibrex material windows and called the windows Renewal by Andersen.

In addition to out performing vinyl windows in winter and summer, Renewal by Andersen Windows addressed other customer concerns that vinyl windows overlooked. For instance, discriminating customers want wood interiors to beautify their homes and make a dramatic statement, but consumers also wanted low-maintenance window exteriors to avoid damaging the wood when it is exposed to the elements.

In addition to exterior and interior colors, Renewal by Andersen Windows come in a variety of grille patterns including colonial (select the number of squares desired per sash), prairie (pattern with two vertical and two horizontal bars per sash), modified prairie (two vertical and two horizontal bars per window), or farmhouse (a classic design where two vertical bars meet a horizontal rail or bar at the center of the window). These grille options allow customers to complement the architectural look of their home, resulting in a very detailed presentation. The results are beautiful and give customers more control than ever before.

For more information on Renewal by Andersen’s Fibrex windows, you can contact Clark Adams Co. Windows and Doors, the exclusive distributor of Renewal by Andersen Windows in Greater L.A. Their showrooms located at 2411 Artesia Blvd. (Redondo Beach) and 23841 Hawthorne Blvd. (Torrance) display low-maintenance Fibrex Windows, including wood interior options. For more information, you can call 310-214-2222, or visit their website at www.clarkadams.com

Cooking In Style!

Designing a Kitchen That's Right for You

Was your family’s lifestyle a consideration when your home’s kitchen was designed? For homeowners that inherited their kitchen, customizing it requires a remodel. In fact, enlisting a professional kitchen designer to help you meet your needs will pay off for years to come. They will examine how you use your kitchen and help manage your budget and deliver a superior kitchen layout.

Cabinet suppliers and refacers will want to simply replace your current cabinets – without improving your kitchen’s functionality. You are left with an outdated kitchen layout. A professional kitchen designer, however, will improve your design by first considering your family’s lifestyle.

1. A family where both partners work and cook less often will not require a large oven/stove space. Their kitchen would become more of an area to reconnect at the end of the day, providing more workspace between the microwave and the refrigerator (their two most used appliances).

2. A family that has two or more chefs will need more space. In fact, some require a space for kids to help prepare daily meals or lunches. A suitable design for that family maximizes the countertop space to create elbow room for each chef around each major appliance.

3. A gourmet cook will want to utilize the full technology that today’s kitchens offer. A professional designer will efficiently integrate all the possibilities into an aesthetic presentation that looks beautiful and makes cooking a pleasure.


The Kitchen Warehouse is L.A.’s largest cabinet showroom with over 30 kitchens on display and 13 major manufacturer lines (providing hundreds of cabinet styles). Their 8 full-time professional designers are trained to design and display your new kitchen on their computer. You can visit their beautiful 8,000 square foot showroom located at 2149 West Washington Blvd. in L.A., off the Santa Monica Freeway at Western Ave. To schedule an appointment, you can call 323-734-1696 or visit their website at www.thekitchenwarehousela.com.

The Green Seal Choice

The Perfect Choice for Environmentally Conscious Consumers

The true test of a company’s integrity today is how environmentally conscious they operate. With many companies looking to maximize their bottom line, it is refreshing to see companies like Clark Adams Co. Windows and Doors who put the environment up at the top of their list. Adams chose to sell the Renewal by Andersen® replacement window line after he learned about their Green Seal Certification. According to Adams, “ Choosing the Renewal by Andersen window line was a no-brainer. Everyone knows that they make a superior product and have a 100-year-old company behind them. So it didn’t surprise me that this is the only replacement window product that carries the green seal certification. What could be more perfect for our environmentally conscious Californians who also demand a great looking window product?”

The Renewal by Andersen line was awarded the Green Seal Certification for many reasons. All of the wood fibers used in the compounding process, as well as some of the thermoplastic polymer are reclaimed directly from the 65-acre Andersen Corporation manufacturing plant operations in Bayport Minnesota. In addition to the manufacturing benefits of the Renewal product, the use of their patented Fibrex material is an excellent insulator preventing heat or cold transfer into or out of your home to maximize energy efficiency.

As a consumer, you have the right to research and get a clear understanding of how your purchase of items can affect the environment. One way to determine if a product is environmentally responsible is to look to see if the product you are buying is Green Seal Certified. The Green Seal organization is an independent non-profit dedicated to safeguarding the environment and transforming the marketplace by promoting the manufacture, purchase and use of environmentally responsible products and services. The Green Seal mission is to achieve a more sustainable world by promoting environmentally responsible production, purchasing and products.

Green Seal certification ensures that a product meets rigorous science-based environmental leadership standards. This gives manufacturers the assurance to back up their claims and purchasers confidence that certified products are better for human health and the environment. To find out if a product you want to purchase has been green seal certified, visit www.greenseal.org.

For more information about the Renewal by Andersen Windows, contact Clark Adams Co. Windows and Doors at 310-214-2222 or visit their showrooms at 2411 Artesia Blvd. in Redondo Beach or 23841 Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance. Please visit www.clarkadams.com.