‘Kitchen Cousins’ transform your home the smart way
Giovanna Fabiano, USA WEEKEND 2:45 p.m. EDT October 11, 2013
HGTV’s ‘Kitchen Cousins’ share tips to get the most for your home-improvement budget.
Whether you’re planning on ripping down walls or just looking to make a few improvements, Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri — better known as HGTV’s “Kitchen Cousins” — have great ideas for making a big impact and saving money.
They are back on the air this month with a new show, Cousins Undercover, in which they surprise deserving homeowners with the renovations of their dreams in just three days.
“To turn these homes around for people who are always giving back and never think of themselves, it’s just a high-intensity, high-emotion experience, without any down time. So if you’re not laughing, you’re crying,” Colaneri says, sitting with his cousin at Brunelleschi Construction’s headquarters, a converted firehouse in Jersey City.
These two have help from crew members and volunteers, but it doesn’t always take a village. Homeowners who embark on their own renovations often overlook some quick DIY projects that can bring in huge cost savings in a matter of months.
“The two biggest savings are thermostats and lightbulbs,” Carrino says. “They’re a bit of an initial investment, but anyone can do it themselves, and it’s so worth it.”
The Nest Learning Thermostat retails for $250. Carrino, who received the device as a gift from Colaneri for his birthday, says he saw his heating and cooling bills decrease so substantially that “it paid for itself” in a few months. The Nest, which hooks up to Wi-Fi and can be controlled with a smartphone app, learns your habits over the first few weeks of use.
Cree LED light bulbs, up to $14 per bulb, are an initial investment, but they use 78% less energy than regular incandescent bulbs, which are being phased out starting in 2014. They’re also more energy-efficient than compact-fluorescent bulbs (the squiggly shaped bulbs Colaneri calls “hideous”), and unlike CFLs, LEDs don’t contain mercury. “Cree has made a product that is giving you the closest possible light to your natural light, and it looks like a regular light bulb,” Colaneri says. Best of all, they come with a 10-year warranty, and Carrino is convinced that most homeowners will never have to change a bulb.
Though just about anyone can change a bulb or install a thermostat, the following improvements require help from a professional.
“The most important thing to know is it’s not necessarily about the initial investment but how quickly that investment is going to pay you back,” Carrino says:
Tankless Hot-Water Heater by Navien, $1,500. Unlike standard hot-water heaters, the tankless device uses water only when you need it, saving owners 35% to 40% on monthly bills. Or, if you want to take a three-hour shower, the water will never get cold. “The technology has been tried and true in Europe for 30 years,” Carrino says. “But it’s just becoming more comfortable in the U.S. now.”
Smart Washer and Dryer by LG, $1,500-$1,800. These basically do the job for you and save water in the process. “It weighs the load and does it all by itself,” Colaneri says.
Smart Fridge by Samsung, $3,900, does it all — it keeps track of when you bought your food, notifies you about the freshness of individual items and provides customized recipes. It even comes with a Wi-Fi enabled LCD screen loaded with apps.
Dow Solar Shingles vary in prices depending on size of your home and individual state rebates. The big solar panels have made headway in commercial buildings, which are typically flat roofs, but haven’t gained much steam in the residential market, largely because they’re not exactly aesthetically pleasing, Colaneri says. “The shingles look just like regular shingles but function exactly as big solar panels — they track the trajectory of the sun. I’m not going to say, by any means, that it’s going to be cheap. … It can be a large investment, but it’s something you may want to consider if you’re looking at spending $20,000 on a new roof.”
Spray foam insulation is an alternative to traditional insulation such as fiberglass. The foam expands to fill every crack and crevice, trapping in heat, Carrino says. “This is something you consider if you’re already in the middle of a renovation,” he says. Though spray foam is two-thirds more expensive than conventional insulation, buildings treated with spray foam typically insulate as much as 50% better.
Bamboo flooring goes for $8 to $12 a foot. If using eco-friendly materials in your home renovation is important to you, bamboo is a highly renewable source; trees reach full maturity in up to five years vs. the 20 to 120 years it takes hardwoods to mature. But there’s a caveat. The cousins recommend using only strand-woven bamboo, which Colaneri says is as “hard as oak.” Says Carrino: “Otherwise, you have a dance party with a bunch of ladies with high heels and your floor is done.”
An HVAC system should be energy-efficient, with a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER) of 14 to 16. The best way to extend the life of your current system is maintenance, Carrino stresses. “Twice a year, the system should be flushed and cleaned, and four times a year, change your filters,” Carrino says. Smokers or people with pets should be changing their filters even more often to prevent dust from circulating through the system.
The cousins are constantly on the lookout for the latest technology trends, but they’re also known for the high-end cool factor they bring to home renovations.
When renovating kitchens, they recommend installing a “trick item” that’s fully integrated into the cabinetry, such as a deep fryer, a built-in coffee machine, wine fridge and a pasta pot filler — a faucet built into the wall above a stove. “In an Italian family, you really don’t have a choice,” Carrino says.
Big Chill and Bertazzoni make high-end appliances such as six-burner ranges, in various colors, from powder blue to bright orange.
“A lot of people are saying, ‘All that stainless steel is too much after a while,’ and this is something to make your home stand out a little from your neighbors’,” Colaneri says.
Designer range hoods and dishwasher drawers fall into the same category, although the latter can save you money because they allow you to do small loads.
Your dream kitchen may have top-of-the-line appliances and creative gadgets, but the bathroom is where you can really up the ante. Carrino is installing a steam shower in his apartment at a cost of $1,500 to $2,000 for the upgrade. You’ll need to frame a seating bench and make sure a glass shower door reaches the ceiling, Carrino says. The ceiling must be tiled and pitched to prevent mildew and mold from building up.
Want that full-spa-like experience? Add some built-in speakers, a rainfall shower head, heated electric mats under the tile and a towel warmer.
Heated floors may seem like a luxury, but in the dead of winter, the bathroom could become your favorite room in the house.
“They’re unbelievable,” Carrino says. “They use the equivalent of four or five light bulbs to run and are so, so comfortable. … They keep your heat a lot lower than you think.”
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