All posts by Creekwood

Master Suite Addition

June 30, 2021UncategorizedCreekwood

Over the pandemic, we worked on a master suite addition to a customer’s home. Here are a few pictures from along the way.

The addition extended the length of the house off of the living on a split level. The space has additional basement below.

The master bath has his and hers vanities, a soaking tub, and custom shelving on either end. The floor is tile but appears to be wood. The master shower will have glass doors and wall for shared light.

The master closet has the same tile floor, a knee space for a make-up table, island drawers, bench seat with shoe storage, actual closet space, and a space for washer and dryer.

The master bedroom space boasts this gas fireplace that will help heat the room on those cold winter nights.

Check back for finished pictures in another article.

Help Wanted – Carpenter

October 19, 2020Help WantedCreekwood

Carpenter needed. Our company provides custom residential carpentry construction. As a general contractor, the carpenter may be asked to frame (no trusses or prebuilt wall), install interior trim, install siding, install cabinets, and other miscellaneous tasks related to finishing out a project for delivery to the home owner.

The ideal candidate will:

have reliable transportation to job sites,
have a valid driver’s license,
knowledge of power tools including a skill saw and mitre box, air guns,
own their own hand tools,
be able to lift/carry at least 80 pounds,
demonstrate a good work ethic,
be able to follow instructions, and
be able to follow a layout.

One year minimum experience as a carpenter required. Wage commensurate with experience. This is a non-union position. Willingness to work overtime when necessary to deliver the project on time

We primarily work on building and remodeling projects in McHenry, Kane, DuPage and DeKalb counties in Illinois. Work days are Monday – Friday 7AM – 3:30PM. Saturdays may be requested if rain delays happen during the week.

Creekwood Homes is a custom home builder in the suburbs of Chicago. We employ carpenters to help us frame and trim the custom home building and remodeling projects that we have. We provide quality work for our customers and hold our employees to high standards.

Room Addition Bigger than the House

November 15, 2019AdditionsCreekwood

Addition Almost Triples the Size of the Home

One of our projects included adding more square footage on the addition than the existing house. It included a master suite, two home offices, a powder room, solarium, a laundry room the size of most kitchens, and the original garage became a craft room.

Here are some pictures of the project with a bit of explanation:

This is the before of the front of the house.

The original three car garage was converted to a craft/hobby room.

After the construction – full size pantry cabinets and a desk space helped store the various items for the craft/hobby room.

This is a screen porch off the master suite. The wood on the walls was cut down from a farm in Wisconsin, milled locally and brought to the site. Our team stained the wood, pieced it together here, on a wall in one of the offices, and a wall in the new garage. The brick is actually tile. The ceiling has shiplap and a ceiling fan.

The laundry room includes a dog washing station with storage underneath. There were also spaces included for dog crates.

The shower in the master suite has a zero depth base in the event that someone requires the use of a wheelchair.

Another addition in the laundry room is this awesome locker unit that has a fold-down ironing board in the middle.

We redid the exterior siding and roof on the entire house, added some exterior trim to match.

We added some bead board in the porch ceiling.

A little landscape clean-up and not much more, you get a new look!

Let us know how we can help you with your next home remodeling project.

Total Transformation with Room Addition

August 11, 2017ExteriorCreekwood

This house underwent a total transformation when adding a new garage and family room!

We enjoy when we can change the appearance of a house and make it more family friendly. The total transformation on this house even threw off some family members who had not visited this house for some time. They drove right past it, even though they had visited many times.

Here is the before:

Over time the house had undergone a number of additions, but this one seemed to tie everything together.

We added a family room in the back of the house. Took over much of the space of the existing garage and then added a new three car garage.

We installed a full foundation under the new space and broke through so that the basement now has “cold storage”. The front porch got a new look along with all of the stone being replaced.

This project took a number of months as it was almost like building a new house.

Take a look at the after pictures.

Check back soon for another article showing the inside additions, like a zero depth shower in the addition’s bathroom.

Would you love a screen porch?

May 4, 2017Exterioraddition, screen porchCreekwood

Adding a screen porch brings the outdoors in!

When you downsize, like many seniors do who move to a 55 plus community, you may give up square footage or yard space. Taking advantage of adding on a screen porch or enclosing a patio helps add space to your home and can bring that outdoor feel security from flying and crawling bugs.

One of our customers decided to add an addition on to his 55 plus community home by having us build a screen porch over the concrete patio that was originally built with the house. We did a bit more than just add a a roof and walls.

In the roof of the screen porch were two sky lights to let light into the kitchen area. He didn’t need a three season area, so the windows are just screens. We added electrical into the knee walls to allow light fixtures or any variety of items to be plugged in. On the floor, we laid furring strips and added cedar boards that were just covered with a clear finish. This allowed for the water to escape when it rained.

The homeowner wanted a ceiling fan to help circulate air. He added some roller shades to block the heat of the summer sun and some outdoor speakers.

All in all, this is a great use of space and only increased the original foot print by the size of the post holes to support the roof. The homeowner was thrilled with his addition and spends many hours outside reading or talking with friends and neighbors.

If you would like to speak with us about adding some outdoor living space to your home, we have options for you to have a three season space.

Before

After

The inside

This Mudroom isn’t very muddy

March 2, 2017Interiorlaundry, lockers, mudroomCreekwood

Turning a Garage Stall into a mudroom

If you have a boys or a quad runner, you may noticed that your garage stall may have become a mudroom, but this mudroom sure isn’t very muddy right now.

We were approached by an active family with two small boys to turn an inside extension of their garage into a mudroom and laundry space. The garage door was only for two cars, but the space inside was big enough for three. This gave us a great space to turn a collection area into a very functional conditioned space.

We built walls on top of a joist system that was one step down from the existing floor. Because the garage floor was a couple of steps lower than the house, we didn’t lose headroom for the mudroom area. We insulated all around, cut through the foundation to run all the mechanicals to the space, and then drywalled. The homeowners supplied some sweat equity by installing the tile. We ordered some cabinets, built some lockers, got things painted and stained, installed oversized countertops over the washer and dryer, and badda bing badda boom, the family has some great space to come in to drop some books, coats and gear. AND if it is muddy, it can be thrown directly into the laundry space instead of having to track all the way through the rest of the house.

A couple of features that I love are:

The pocket door between the laundry and locker space,
The lockers with the double shelf up top and the movable shelf for extra shoe and boot space,
The extra depth counter space that flowed to the sink, and
The pantry cabinets with hanging space between for hang drying special clothes.

Take a look at a few of the pictures below.

Organized – Add an addition or be creative

May 31, 2016Interiororganized, re-purposedCreekwood

Getting Organized sometimes takes creativity!

We build new houses, remodel existing houses, and add wonderful custom features to make your life easier. But what if something that big isn’t in your budget? Getting organized sometimes is more about using tools and gadgets to make your space more functional.

Recently, I was inspired by a project we have underway. The family is turning a bedroom into a master closet. Personally, I don’t have that luxury as our master is on the first floor. I don’t want to have to climb the stairs every time I want to search for that “special piece” to go with an outfit, so I thought of something different.

This idea may not be new and that different, but it sparked the thought that sometimes what you purchase for one use can be re-purposed for something different.

Take this shoe organizer. I use one for shoes. I have also seen one used on the back of a bathroom door for brushes, hair accessories and other things that two teens sharing a bathroom might need. I used it in my space for all of the long scarves that are fashionable these days. What other uses can you thing of for a shoe organizer?

Do you have taller garage ceilings? Try adding shelves above the front end of your vehicles or along the side of your garage door rails. Sometimes you have to close the garage door to gain access. Take a look at this option. This did require some tools, sawing, and muscle, so, a project like this might not be a DIY. Give us a call if you need help.

Now if you have room in your budget to add on a room addition, or remodel a bedroom into a closet, give us a call. We will be happy to look at your project!

Bring down the ceiling

July 7, 2015Interiorinterior, rustic appearance, volume ceilingCreekwood

Why would you want to bring down the ceiling?

Volume ceilings always make a space look very grand, as long as the volume is used in the right way. Two story great rooms were the rage for many years and are still a major design feature used by many architects.

One of our clients had a peak volume ceiling across their kitchen, breakfast and family room area, creating one large space. They wanted to create a “break” and bring down the volume of the ceiling. Here is the before image –

As you can see, there is just a large space with limited definition between the rooms. The homeowners wanted to create the appearance of exposed trusses to break the space.

After doing some research on barn boards, we discovered another option that created a great rustic look and filled the space nicely. Plus, the limited length sizing on the barn boards meant we couldn’t bridge the distance between the walls without seams.

We used raw cedar, stained with a vinegar and steel wool mixture. We created a screw paddle that we used to add “worm holes” to the boards. The overall effect provided a very rustic appearance. The homeowner was pleased with the final effect.

Take a look at other interior trim projects that we have finished. Give us a call if you would like to discuss an idea for your home.

Simple Updates Change the Curb Appeal

July 1, 2015Exteriorcurb appeal, front door, railCreekwood

How can a few simple updates change the curb appeal of your home?

First off, if you cannot afford a major face-lift to your home, making a few simple updates can make a world of difference to the curb appeal of your home.

We have made significant changes to homes with a few of our projects. One added an entire second story, others may only add a wall where a door used to be. Whatever it is, if it will help your home look better as people approach it, your potential value could increase.

One update that we completed stripped the siding and changed the front door for a brand new appearance.

We removed the existing siding, changed out the front door, and added shutters all the way around the home. Only one other home in the neighborhood had the board and batten look, so we gave the home a unique appearance.

Another home just needed a new front porch rail system. We were in and out in one day!

Other things that you could do include:

Painting your front door
Painting the trim around your windows and doors
Cleaning up or removing overgrown landscaping
Power washing your sidewalk/driveway
Replacing windows or doors with broken air seals

Make a few simple changes to the front of your home and your curb appeal will increase favorably! Check out our gallery for other exterior fix ideas.

Do you have a safe home?

March 20, 2015Technologysafe home, security, TechnologyCreekwood

Have you installed a system to ensure a safe home?

Our basic needs being met gives us a sense of well-being. One of those higher needs is to feel safe. If we don’t feel that we have a safe home, then other things feel off center. If you have what you think is a safe home, are you sure.

I recently read this article from Remodeling. The article gives 5 key tips to protect your home from hackers. And you thought only your computer was at risk!

Now you can have an app on your phone that lets you check if your garage door is open or closed when you are at work. Your thermostat can be controlled from your phone. The lights in your home can be turned on or off. Not to mention, your wi-fi signal could be allowing your neighbor to surf the web at your expense.

The top tips from the article are:

Change your Passwords – we have computers, phones, software, and apps that require passcodes. We change the password to our own. How often are they the same thing for everything? Don’t make that mistake. If your item comes with a factory passcode, see if you can change it.

Be Cautious – Do you have family and friends or contractors who access your home occasionally? Don’t give them the main passcode if you can create a guest passcode. We all know the terrors of the credit card hacking in major retail chains, don’t let a hacker get into your system because a family member or repair person accidentally left your passcode unprotected.