Apr 25

Eternal Hybrid Hot Water Heater

Fine Construction has been installing hot water heaters on all our current projects this month, this is not unusual, however, what is unusual is that no two have been the same. This week we are installing the Eternal Hybrid Water Heater unit, the cream of the crop of water heaters. With a 2 gallon storage tank,  you won’t have to wait long for hot water like other traditional on demand units.  The Eternal is 98% efficient, said to be the most efficient hybrid hot water tank on the market.

GE GEOSpring Hybrid Hot Water Heaterhot water.

The next installation was a space ship looking hot water heater, the GE GEOSpring Hot Water Heater, another hybrid that uses electricity and air, typical of the heat pump technology. It stores hot water like the hot water tank that we all grew up with but with the heat pump technology it can save 25% of the cost of heating hot water.

Rinnai On Demand Hot Water Heater

The other hot water tank Fine Construction installed was the on-demand hot water tank.  We specified the need for the Rinnai on-Demand Hot Water Heater, because the home has three bathrooms, and requires an up sized gas line due to the amount of gas needed to heat the water for this size home. These units are of great use if you have multiple bathrooms used for bathing and a large family using water all at the same time, especially a house full of girls, or teenagers in general.  With the Rinnai on-demand unit,  you’ll never run out of hot water.

This is why I decided to install the on demand unit in our home; with 3 ladies in the house I am usually the last one to shower, with the on demand unit I am guaranteed hot water, Yay!  However, there is one downfall to this product, there is a wait time until you get the hot water. Once the demand has been made for the hot water, (turning on the hot faucet), the water starts heating and you have to wait for it to come to you.  The great part of the product is not running out of hot water.

Finally the classic hot water heater.  With all the energy efficient units on the market, I was surprised when one of our client wanted a regular 50 gallon electric hot water heater. There is only two people in this household so the payback would be a long time for a hybrid unit to pay for itself. But that’s why our suppliers offer all the different models.  Call Fine Construction today and we can help you choose the right unit for you. (206) 938-2300

Sep 25

The MBA’s (Master Builders Association) Remodel Home Tour is once a year and features 19 remodeled homes throughout King and Snohomish counties. We at Fine Construction, Inc. have participated in the Remodel Home Tours and the Remodel Kitchen and Bath Tour. This is a chance for contractors to show the public the craftsmanship and great materials used to renovate these homes.

Metal Stair System with Stainless Steel Cables

This is a chance for you to meet and talk with contractors like myself and see, touch and feel the finishes. We have a project in West Seattle. This home was just recently renovated, we added a third story addition

This project consists of renovations to  multiple areas of the house.  The project was developed by the Fine Construction Design Team and the Homeowners. Our design meetings are simple, we meet to discuss the clients needs and requirements, then we discuss their dreams and wish-list. From this we start off in the right direction, instead of us just designing something to see if the clients like it.   We designed the addition to the clients desires.

For these clients they had 3 bedrooms and needed 4 bedrooms. So it made sense to add a new suite for the parents with a new bathroom. The home sits on top of a hill with views to the south and southwest.

It made sense to do an addition to the house by adding a third floor for the new master suite.  The position  of the addition is great providing  incredible views from the bedroom and bathroom. Of course we put a window int he shower and at the soaking tub.  As you walk from the main floor to the master suite the stair treads are Tigerwood hardwood flooring, rich colors come out from the wood flooring and the Tigerwood runs through the master suite and into the master closet. The handrail is a black powder coated metal handrail with stainless steel cables running horizontally.   For the new windows we applied a mirrored glazing on the exterior to minimize the heat gain, minimizing the heat that comes into t e rooms.

The master bathroom has oval tiles running down the wall, giving the faux look of water running down the wall to the floor with more oval tiles. On the west wall there is a window (obscure glass of course)  in the shower, it’s great that they can stand in the shower and open the window and enjoy the incredible views. What a great way to start your day! The bathroom floor is comfortable during the cold mornings with the heated floor under your feet.  There are two vanities, with one vanity that has a sink and faucet and the other is setup for makeup. It’s nice that there is plenty of storage with both. On the mirrors are strip fluorescent light fixtures.

The entry is a open space with room to great guest, family and friends. The front door is a Fir, 5 panel door with opaque glass and a custom door lever with a remote entry lock. You can be in your car and unlock the front door. Also at the front door is a video camera and on each floor inside the house are video monitors. For the main floor we added Tech lighting and 7.1 surround sound system for the enjoyment of the living room music system and large flat screen TV. It’s nice having the music going while relaxing in the living room. Tech lighting is a favorite of the owners and we installed several new Tech fixtures throughout the house.

The new concrete walkway to the front door had a  dark gray color added tot he concrete and large pavers where placed in a random pattern. A curved retaining wall was built and we installed LED walkway lights in the wall.

The exterior front of the house has a trellis made of clear cedar which is the left of the garage doors. The garage doors are black aluminum with opaque glass panels.  The Trellis is made of clear cedar and large timber. In addition to the front of the house, all new siding was installed due tot he installation of plywood to the framing, (the house had no plywood or and shear walls, the siding was nailed right to the siding) we used Hardie Plank siding. With the building of the third floor master suite, this made part of the the deck on the second floor covered for  a good portion of it. Now they can cook on the grill and even eat outside under the covered deck and enjoy eating outside. The new deck has Trex decking that was installed with hidden fasteners and a aluminum railing with glass panels, so this doesn’t block any of the view and also cuts down some of the wind.

We thoroughly enjoyed working with these clients, the kids liked having our carpenters see them off to school and their activities.  The design provides a nice flow through the house and the addition looks like it was originally part of the house. They will have a great place to entertain and relax.  If you would like to discuss your dreams an ideas, contact Fine Construction today to begin making your dreams come to reality.

Jan 26

We are happy to launch our new blog. Come here to learn more about our great work.

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