Search

Tag: Top Seattle building firm

Trend to try: Wallpaper

Add personality and style to your home with this easy update

For those of us whose only childhood exposure to wallpaper came from Grandma’s pink bathroom, the word was hardly synonymous with high style. For years even vintage-lovers were afraid to dabble with wallpaper due to nightmarish stories of misaligned patterns, messy glue and hours spent scraping walls. Luckily, modern wallpaper has made installation simpler, cleaner and easier to remove when you’re ready for a new look.

Today’s wide-range of modern and vintage-inspired wallpaper can have a major impact on your home’s character and aesthetic. Wallpaper can provide a subtle texture or pattern to create depth and character in an otherwise simple room, or it can become the focal point with a vibrant, eye-catching pattern that completely transforms the space.

Here’s our advice for homeowners considering this update:

Your first decision: wallpapering an accent wall or a whole room?

An accent wall can provide a high-impact feature in the space that you want to draw attention to. With wallpaper coming in at around $200 per roll it’s also a less expensive option and a great way to get a pop of personality without a huge commitment. If you’re all in, papering an entire room can create a specific vibe, anchor the visual tone and make a major impression.

Finding your perfect wallpaper pattern

Whether you’re up for sourcing your own dream wallpaper or are working with a designer like our in-house design team, it’s best to take some time to nail down your aesthetic. What colors do you like? Do you want a more delicate pattern or something big and bold? It can be helpful to browse home magazines, online design sites and wallpaper websites to either find the pattern you want or narrow down your design style. Some clients come to us with a selection prepared already. Other times, our design team will show them a few options based on their initial thoughts and help them narrow it down to their favorite.

DIY vs. using a professional

Choosing to work with a pro or tackling wallpaper installation yourself comes down to your level of patience, attention to detail and willingness to learn on the job. Peel and stick wallpaper is more forgiving and the flexibility it provides for installation and removal makes it great for renters or people who like to change their decor more frequently.

For the more traditional “paste the wall” method, we typically have our professional wallpaper installer work their magic. This method involves applying adhesive to the wall, then aligning and pasting the wallpaper onto the wall. For a savvy “DIY-er” this can certainly be done, but it definitely takes some practice and patience. A more complicated pattern can be trickier along the seams, which is why we leave it up to the experts!

Need help picking and putting up wallpaper in your home? Axiom Home Services provides both design expertise and professional installation. Start here.

Want new wallpaper as part of a whole room or whole house remodel? Axiom Design Build is ready to help with our team of in-house designers and remodelers. Let’s talk.

 

How long will my remodel take?

Demystifying the building and remodeling process

One of the top questions we get from our clients is, “How long will my remodeling or building project take?” While every home is different and a lot depends on the size, site, scope and nature of the project, here’s a rough idea of what you can expect from a design build project in the Seattle area:

Client Engagement: 3-4 Weeks

Initial call. Site visit. Office visit.

After you contact us, we’ll give you a call to find out more about your project and schedule a visit to your project site. During the site visit we’ll chat more about your vision and take measurements and photos of your property. Then we’ll invite you to the Axiom office in Ballard so you can meet your team, review the proposal and discuss the process.

Design: 3-9 Months

Signing the proposal. Pre-design + client inspiration. Design meetings 1-3. Permit intake. Fourth design meeting.

When you’ve signed the design proposal, we’ll begin the pre-design process, at which time we’ll ask you to send your wish list and inspiration photos. We’ll set up a first design meeting to review initial conceptual design, site plans, floor plans, exterior massing and budget estimates.

During the second design meeting we’ll review any design changes as well as budget and schedule development. For the third design meeting, we’ll review the plan, budget, electrical, interior design, materials and cabinetry, if applicable. Axiom will then submit your permits for review. In the fourth design meeting, you’ll review the plan and the budget; and select your fixtures, finishes, windows and doors. Permit corrections will be addressed as needed in the coming weeks.

Buyout: 8-12 Weeks

Sign off on drawings and specs. Review buyout budget. Contract documents. Permit approval.

When you sign off on the drawings and specs for your project, we’ll put together the buyout budget, which includes contracts and agreements with our suppliers and any subcontractors. After you sign off on the buyout, you’ll enter into a construction agreement, when you’ll review the construction contract and submit your deposit. We’ll sit tight while we wait for your permit to be approved by the building department. As soon as we receive the green light, we’ll be ready to begin construction.

Construction: 4-12 Months

Pre-construction meeting. Bi-weekly site meetings. Final walk-through.

With the contracts signed and permits in hand, we’ll meet with you to establish site-specific expectations before we mobilize our team. Once we begin construction, we’ll meet with you every other week at your project site to review active work and project milestones. When the project wraps up, we’ll do a final walk through with you, get feedback on your experience, and toast to a successful project!

Maintenance & Service Warranty: 1 Year

Ready to get started? Let’s talk