By Judy O’Gorman Alvarez
Once the air conditioners are turned off, the lawn furniture is stored away, homeowners thoughts often turn to autumn and cooler weather projects.
“It’s a good time for fall projects,” said T. J. Shaheen, vice president and family member of the family-owned Builders’ General in Little Silver. “A lot of people start working on the kitchen. That’s what we see cyclically… a push before the holidays to renovate and upgrade their kitchens. The kids are back to school and they can just get stuff done.”
Builders General has four locations throughout New Jersey, each with its own kitchen designer. “Our kitchen designers are available to come out to your home and help you pick out the latest styles in cabinets and are also available to do onsite measuring.”
In addition to kitchens, homeowners look to renovating bathrooms and adding built-ins, such as shelving. “They try to jazz up their homes,” Shaheen said.
Michael Belforti, president of Better Housekeeping Shop in Red Bank and Long Branch, has been seeing an upswing in customers inquiring about kitchen renovation as well.
“In the kitchen, steam/convection ovens are all the rage,” Belforti said.
He said the features with the ovens are seen in almost every major manufacturer and that clients want them because they address “lifestyle goals of healthy and efficient living with excellent results.”
The ovens work with moisture, heat and airflow. Those who favor the new ovens say they add moisture to food while retaining nutrients and maintaining – some say enhancing – the flavor of what’s being cooked.
Also popular in kitchen updates this autumn are speed ovens, and Better Housekeeping, a family owned and operated business since 1939, offers a selection of them as well.
“These smaller, but much quicker ovens with preprogrammed cooking modes yield great tasting food in a fraction of the time,” Belforti said and pointed out the results are two to four times faster than a conventional oven. “Some models are basically four ovens in one – microwave, halogen, convection, and speed cook.”
After all, as Belforti said, “Who has time to waste?”
Denise Bates and Mike English, kitchen designers at Builders’ General in Little Silver, said they have seen a strong trend in customers looking for simple lines and white cabinetry in their newly remodeled kitchens.
“White is extremely popular,” Bates said. The look is clean, classic.”
English pointed out that the white can be accented with any color. “It opens the backsplash up to anything,” he said.
