Author Archives: Herb Coulter

About Herb Coulter

Herb Coulter is a 1998 graduate of Penn State University, School of Mechanical Engineering. After a short career in engineering he decided to get out from behind the desk and pursue his passion for remodeling. In 2004 Herb founded Coulter Construction in Clearfield, Pennsylvania. In 2008 Herb and his wife Sue moved to Richmond, Virginia where he worked as carpenter for a short time. After settling into their new home in Glen Allen in 2009 he formed The Remodeling Company LLC. License info: Virginia Class B contractor, license number: 2705131016

All Vinyl Railings Are Not Created Equal

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We recently finished a vinyl railing installation on a home in Glen Allen.  The front porch railings had been replaced with the usual big box store railings and were falling apart and completely unsafe.  It took a little convincing and show and tell with some samples but I was able to convince the homeowner that we could provide them with a much better product.  Below is a comparison of the lower rail sections of the old and new.

On the left is the old railing. On the right is our new railing with the aluminum insert for strength.

We buy our railings factory direct.  They are made in the USA and come with a lifetime warranty.  They are fully code compliant, won’t rot and I have never met a termite that would eat vinyl.  They come in a variety of colors too so if white’s not your thing you do have options.

 

 

So if you’re thinking of replacing the railings on your Glen Allen home don’t dismiss vinyl based on cheap examples.  Let us show you what we have to offer and you will be surpised at the quality of our product.

Give us a call at 804-266-3776.

Herb Coulter, The Remodeling Company, llc

Every Detail Matters When Laying Out A Small Bathroom

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I’ve worked on a lot of bathrooms.  Some very small and some very large.  Our latest bathroom remodel here in Henrico was very small and had it’s own unique problems that needed addressed.  Measuring only 7’4″ wide x 3’6″ deep just getting a full shower, vanity and toilet in the room along with storage cabinets and heat would be a challenge.  Even fitting a towel bar became a tight squeeze.  The room was so small I needed to use the panoramic funtion on my camera just to get the full height of the shower in the picture so please excuse the poor photography.

With the toilet offset too far to the outside wall there was no room for a vanity.

The homeowner wanted to be rid of the pedestal sink and awkwardly installed fiberglass shower stall from a previous remodel.  The shower wasn’t going to be a problem but installing a vanity would leave no room for sitting on the toilet.  Using 3-D drafting software we were able to move the toilet around and determine exactly what size vanity we could fit in the space.

12" deep Euro style vanity gains storage while allowing leg room.

Moving the toilet towards the inside wall and installing a 12″ deep Euro style vanity with overhanging sink would allow us to leave some legroom in front of the toilet.  Though small the vanity still allows for some under sink storage and with the matching medicine cabinet and wall cabinet we were able to gain a bit more storage.

New tiled shower with glass accent and niche

The shower area was opened back up to full width of the room and a Carrara Marble style tile was installed over the Schluter System membrane for a totally water tite install.  For an accent a glass band was added along with a two shelf niche for in-shower storage.  The tile was grouted using an epoxy type grout for years of easy cleaning.  The tile was also carried over onto the floor of the room to tie it all together.

There were some challenges and a couple sacrifices along the way do to size and space available but overall this turned out to be a great bathroom remodel.  The homeowners were some of the best we’ve ever worked with and we are truly grateful to them for allowing us to help with this project.

Thinking of remodeling your bathroom?  Give us a call at 804-266-3776.  We’ll be happy to help.

Herb Coulter, The Remodeling Company, LLC

 

Getting Your Deck Ready For Spring

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The weather is breaking and spring is almost here. Soon it’ll be time to get the deck furniture out and start having bar-b-q’s and parties. But wait, is your deck ready

If you’re like a lot of people (I plead the fifth here as not to incriminate myself) you’ll wait until the last minute to pull everything out and get ready for the first get together of the year and then tell yourself you’ll take care of the deck maintenance soon. Next thing you know the heat and humidity of our Glen Allen summers make it way too hot to think about staining and sealing so you just let it go. Before you know it you’re noticing mildew stains and rotten boards, now it’s too late to just seal it. You’ll need to do some major repairs. Here are a couple tips to make sure this doesn’t happen to your deck.

- First if you’ve let it get too far make sure to repair any damaged wood.

- Keep your deck clean. Dirt can hold moisture which will lead to mildew or mold growth. Both of these will start the rotting process and before long even treated deck boards can start to rot through. If you clean it before it gets too hot out you can actually just use a good deck cleaning solution and a brush then hose it off. Once the summer sun starts to beat down though, it will dry the cleaner faster than you can scrub. If you wait you’ll need to use a pressure washer to get it clean.

Note: If you are using a pressure washer make sure you get a “gentle” nozzle for it and don’t use it like a sandblaster. The biggest mistake I see is using too much pressure which will strip away the softer wood leaving grooves for dirt and water to settle in. This may be worse than doing nothing at all

- After a thorough cleaning let it dry completely before using a quality sealer or stain to seal it up. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Most clear sealers only last about a year while the more solid or opaque stains can go two to three depending on exposure to the sun. A quick way to test is to spray water on the deck. If it beads up you’re OK but if it soaks it up quickly it’s time to reseal.

So get out there and enjoy the spring weather on your deck!

If you don’t have a deck to enjoy we can help! Give us a call at 804-266-3776.

Herb Coulter, The Remodeling Company LLC

Three Options For Replacing An Old Leaking Tile Shower

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Sometimes what you see when you look in your shower doesn’t tell the whole story.  This shower looks to be in great shape from above but had been leaking for a long time.  And don’t let the grout fool you.  Unless it is sealed or an epoxy grout is used it isn’t actually waterproof by itself.

An old mortar pan style shower lets the water soak through the grout and into the  mortar below but then has a metal pan that directs the water to the drain.  If the seal is lost around the drain it will leak into the surrounding sub-floor.

So what are your options when this happens?  Here are three options that are available for replacing your Glen Allen shower.  All of which start with tearing out the old shower and fixing the rotten wood before moving on.

1. A new acrylic pan and wall system can be installed.  This is the least expensive but there are limitations in sizes available.  There are different quality levels among these too.  Although all of these come in 2 to4 piece sets some are well designed and direct water to the drain with no need for caulking joints making for a clean look.

2.  A bit more pricey is a cultured marble floor and wall system.  Like the acrylic it comes in separate pieces but with the thicker panels and many different tile and stone pattern options to choose from it definitely has a more solid look and feel.

3.  Last is to rebuild the tile shower using on of the newer systems that utilize solid foam pans and totally sealed waterproof membranes to keep water from soaking in and leaking.  This is usually a comparable in price to the old system and is totally customizable with any shape, size and tile that you would like.  Eliminating the mortar bed from the pan will also lower the humidity in the room and help prevent a musty odor from developing from water that has not drained out.

Whichever route you choose we can help.  If you have questions or would like to talk to someone about replacing a shower in your Glen Allen home, give us a call at 804-266-3776.

 

Herb Coulter, The Remodeling Company, LLC