The CKD Blog

Where Sarah, and sometimes Steve, share design projects, renovation advice, and other project-related insights.

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How to Find the Right General Contractor

To help you find the right person for your home industry project — regardless of whether you’re in Florida — I’m sharing the top questions you should ask your general contractor before hiring. I’ll include what to look for in the answers, how to spot red flags, and other important insights…

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How to Renovate & Keep the Original Character of a Historic Home

Purchasing a historic home requires more than just the “fix and flip” mentality, especially if you want to honor the home's history. True, a quick fix may seem appealing, but over time, any issues that were covered up will resurface. And a historic home usually has A LOT. This is why Steve and I refer to what we do as renovating for resale. Not flipping…

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How to Create a Home Beverage Center

It isn’t surprising that we’re seeing home beverage centers at the top of the wishlist during kitchen renovations. We’ve seen this feature take off in popularity lately, but even before COVID, we received constant requests for it. So…what is it exactly? What are the advantages? Why should you seriously consider it, if you haven’t before? Come take a look…

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Cabinetry 101: 5 Steps to Selecting Cabinets with High-Quality Craftsmanship

Welcome to Part 2 of Cabinetry 101, where we’ll be talking about everything you need to know about the cabinets’ style and construction. While this isn’t as exciting as deciding on various colors and hardware details, the construction and features of the cabinets are like the foundation of a house. Build on a good foundation, and the rest will fall into place. Choose the right cabinetry construction, and your design will shine. Keep reading to find out how…

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Cabinetry 101: What to Know about the Investment, Quality & Source

Did you know that there is far more to cabinet selection than just choosing the door style and color? That’s why, as part of our planning process, we always take our clients to the cabinet showroom for a first-hand look at the differences in quality, functionality, and style. Steve refers to this as “Cabinetry 101.” Today, I’m inviting you to an abbreviated version of Cabinetry 101 and answering 4 of the top FAQs we hear every time…

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5 Decade-Defining Features in Florida Homes & How to Update Them

I’ve been in many homes here on the Gulf coast, and I can tell you that I’ve seen some definite patterns in the types of decade-defining features homeowners are likely to be living with — or buying, if they just moved or transferred here. While not all of these dated design elements need to be given the boot, if they feel out of place to you, there are several solutions you can implement, from renovating to a cosmetic refresh.

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