Built-ins – Lundberg Builders, Inc.

Top 5 Home Features for Pets

Are you an animal lover and have pets that are members of your family? One of the latest trends in home building is to consider your pet when making the “wish list.” When building a custom home or remodeling your current home, there are fantastic ways to keep your furry friends in mind during the design process.

Here are 5 of our favorites!

Feeding Station

What is better than a custom feeding staying for your pet? This homeowner had two dogs to accommodate and Lundberg worked with them to design a fantastic option. The dog bowls are placed at a height perfect for their breeds and are placed in holes made just for them. These lucky dogs even have a marble countertop where they dine! The owner also requested that the station be surrounded by built-in shelves. This allows for storage for any dog supplies, while also blending the station into the kitchen’s decor.

Lundberg Builders, Wye Mills, MD

Built-in Pet Beds

One of the main reasons to add pet features in your home design is to reduce the “pet clutter.” Pet beds, toys, bones, and pillows can add to home clutter. Built-in pet beds give your pet a specific place to call home and keep the pet items off the floor and out of the way.

Design by Stirling Mills Interior Design, Photo Source

Durable Flooring Options

When designing a room or home with pets in mind, flooring is a major consideration. Accidents can happen and you want to choose a flooring that can withstand those accidents as well as clean up any dirt or hair easily. Vinyl flooring is a great option for homes with pets. Luxury product lines now make vinyl both practical AND stylish. Bamboo is also an excellent alternative to hardwood floors because it is very stain-resistant and durable.

Kent Island, MD

Pet Shower Stations

If you’ve ever tried to bathe your pet in your own bathtub, you see why pet shower stations have become so popular. Usually located in the mudroom, laundry room, or even the garage, pet showers have many design options. While some still allow you to lift the dog into a sink or tub, others are designed so the pet can walk right into the shower, not be lifted. Many have higher walls to block the splash, while others have doors. Most have a movable shower head to help make bathing your pet easier.

Artistic Renovations, Ohio

Built-in Pet Gates and Doors

Whether your home or away, there are often rooms that are off-limits to your pets. In the past, portable pet gates were the only way to block off areas of your home. Now, with remodeling and new builds, pet gates and doors are being planned into home design. These doors and gates can be made to blend into the design of your home.

Gatekeepers

Pocket door dog gates are also a possible gate alternative for your furry friend. The gates “hide” in the wall when not in use. This way, they do not interrupt the design of the home but are readily available when needed. Pocket gates can be added to custom cabinets or within a wall. The homeowner below had their gate added to their custom cabinets but creating drawers in front of the gate. The gate was incorporated seamlessly and now works for both the pet and homeowner.

Kim Woodward

Pets are family members and with custom features, they can have their own spaces in your home, too. Pet-friendly homes can be both functional and aesthetically pleasing with creative design.

Lundberg Pet Partners

At Lundberg, we LOVE working with our “pet partners.” They help give us some of our best creative ideas! Here are some of our recent office visitors and advisors.

“Cody” came to help draw up his renderings and “Rusty” the kangaroo even came to make sure his home was perfect for his needs!

“Rhett” came to the office with our Estimator, Gary and Bailee and Aubree came to work to help mom design kitchens and baths.

Ziva and Wenni also popped into Lundberg for a visit.

Moving Forward with Your Pets In Mind

When building a custom home or upgrading your current residence, thinking of your pets in the design process can help you create a space that works for the WHOLE family! Feel free to bring your pet when you meet with our designers and supervisors. From cats, dogs, to even kangaroos, we look forward t0 working with you in order to make your home perfect for ALL members of your family!

Wash, Dry & Fold – Laundry Rooms as Good as Gold!

Custom Home reported recently, “Laundry Rooms Rank Highest on Most Wanted Home Features List” according to a survey by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) 2019 edition of What Home Buyers Want. A whopping 91% of survey respondents ranked a laundry room as a home essential. And more and more, people are investing in making their laundry room a real hub in their home. Below are some new ways to reimagining your laundry room for the way we live today.

The new great room – Combine the utility closet, mudroom and laundry room into one practical space for all things dirty that need cleaning and storing.

Design it into the floorplan – Design your home for accessibility and convenience to the laundry room from the garage entrance. Drop soiled towels and other dirty clothes and socks and shoes as you walk in.You can throw away trash, unload the car, store away travel items, organize and launder everyday items before entering the main house. Drop off backpacks, briefcases and purses. Relax, you’re home!

Create a pet station – Animal friendly laundry rooms can play double-duty as a fantastic space for your pet. House food bowls, leashes, toys, treats, pet beds in one area. Add a pet-friendly farmhouse or utility sink or even a shower station big enough for washing your fur baby. Below features the BLANCO DIAMOND™ Single Bowl in Metallic Gray, the SONOMA™ Pull-Down faucet, and SONOMA Soap Dispenser.

Photo credit to Lavin Label.
Elevate with countertops – Countertops say laundry “room” instead of laundry “closet”. Whether you choose wood, metal, or marble, countertops give your laundry room that modern, designer look you’ve been craving. The second runner-up functionality-wise to your washer and dryer, countertops give you room to not only neatly fold and corral frequently used items, it also gives you that decorator space to add vases, jars and other decorative items that make it another wow moment in your home instead of a cluttered, ho-hum room you dread.

Make it light and bright

Ever noticed the areas you use the most – kitchen counters, office desks, laundry folding stations, work benches – have the least amount of light? The cabinet itself casts a shadow, making these spaces with the most detailed activities less functional. Cabinet lighting is designed to illuminate these high-use surfaces, and a whole lot more. Consider these uses when designing your space to get the most out of your lighting plan. Featured below is Kichler’s 4U 22″ 3000K LED Cabinet Light in Textured White.

Build custom cabinets – These can be customized to suit your unique needs and the items you want to store. Laundry built-ins have endless possibilities. House your dirty laundry hamper along with hanging rods for freshly ironed clothes. Include fold-out hanging rods for drying. Store laundry detergent, dryer sheets, cleaning products and paper goods. What makes a home look really special is keeping things neat, organized and dare we say it, hidden out of sight!
Hook you up – Top Knobs launched a collection of decorative hooks at KBIS this year that are perfect for laundry/mud rooms. Decorative hooks have a ton of great added value to these spaces, serving as additional storage and a method for staying organized and clutter free.

Need more help designing and building that perfectly functional and beautiful laundry room of your dreams? Bringing your unique vision to life is our specialty! Whatever you dream, we can build it. Call us or stop by and tell us about your next home project!

Small Projects to Improve Life at Home

Though we are known for our full custom homes, you may be surprised to learn that we do quite a lot of smaller projects as well. Small projects are often the ones that make the biggest impact on the measure of joy we experience living at home.

Some of the most popular small projects right now increase the practical use of our home. Perhaps you want an outdoor shower for when you return from trips to the pool, boat or beach, or a garage addition to keep your car out of the weather? What about a shed to corale yard equipment? Or maybe with the mountains of laundry you have to tackle, you dream of expanding your laundry room? How about a dedicated home office so you can take conference calls in peace!

Other small projects may increase the enjoyment of relaxing at home such as a sunroom or family room addition, or creating an porch or patio for outdoor entertaining. Now that we are spending more time at home, your needs have likely changed somewhat. Below are some photos to get your home improvement juices flowing. Just imagine what your home could be and let us do the rest!

Your custom built outdoor shower awaits you. Ahhhh!

Screened in porch to capture amazing water views.

How about a screened in patio that’s perfect to enjoy a summer rain and some evening cocktails around the fire!

What about a guest bedroom oasis or in-law suite?

And don’t forget about a home spa. I know a lot of you are missing going to the salon and spa right now. Create one at home!

Home office with custom built-in shelving. And, also windows galore to capture those Bay views

Maybe your deck railings are spoiling the view because they are in need of repair? Don’t despair! Lundberg Builders to the rescue and we care!

What project are you dreaming about that would make your life at home even better? We’d love to hear from you. No project is too big or too small. Call us at 410-643-3334 and tell us about it!