|
BeeTree Homes
|
Sponsored Content
Pro Spotlight: Increase Your Home’s Livability
A Jacksonville remodeler explains why you should focus on your home’s functionality above all
Sponsored Content
Who: Katrina Hosea of BeeTree Homes
Where: Jacksonville, Florida
In her own words: “It takes courage to create — and write a check for — what you love and need, instead of playing it safe and creating what you think the next guy will come along and pay for.”
In many neighborhoods, it can be difficult to differentiate one home from another; they’re often an inch-for-inch copy. Therein lies the value of a renovation, says Katrina Hosea, who owns BeeTree Homes, a remodeling firm in Jacksonville. “It’s a chance to think outside the box,” she says. “It’s your time to make your home as individual as you are.”
Where: Jacksonville, Florida
In her own words: “It takes courage to create — and write a check for — what you love and need, instead of playing it safe and creating what you think the next guy will come along and pay for.”
In many neighborhoods, it can be difficult to differentiate one home from another; they’re often an inch-for-inch copy. Therein lies the value of a renovation, says Katrina Hosea, who owns BeeTree Homes, a remodeling firm in Jacksonville. “It’s a chance to think outside the box,” she says. “It’s your time to make your home as individual as you are.”
Love and care. Her company’s namesake, Bee Tree Park in St. Louis, was Hosea’s first example of the power of renovation and restoration. “I saw that park go from a dilapidated lot with No Trespassing signs to a gorgeous site,” she says. “It showed me what a little love and care could do to a space.”
Focus on you. “Homes have become long-term investments again,” Hosea says. “That means that rather than focus on the resale value of your home, you should focus on its current livability. If we only focused on reselling our homes, we’d all live in white boxes.”
Want to make your home more livable? Hosea shares some renovation tips below.
Want to make your home more livable? Hosea shares some renovation tips below.
1. Think ‘Big Picture’
Whether you’re doing a whole-house renovation or focusing on one room, have your master plan in place first. “Sure, you can go to a flooring store and pop down a credit card,” Hosea says. “Just because you need new floors doesn’t mean that’s the first thing you start with. Come up with a game plan with a professional to get organized.”
The owners of the Deerwood home seen here thought they would need an addition to get the spacious kitchen they wanted. “Because they hosted their adult sons for football season, I discovered that what they really needed was a better flow for entertaining,” Hosea says. “We switched their kitchen with the huge dining room to achieve it. Had they just gotten bids for the addition, they wouldn’t have gotten what they needed.”
See more of this project
Whether you’re doing a whole-house renovation or focusing on one room, have your master plan in place first. “Sure, you can go to a flooring store and pop down a credit card,” Hosea says. “Just because you need new floors doesn’t mean that’s the first thing you start with. Come up with a game plan with a professional to get organized.”
The owners of the Deerwood home seen here thought they would need an addition to get the spacious kitchen they wanted. “Because they hosted their adult sons for football season, I discovered that what they really needed was a better flow for entertaining,” Hosea says. “We switched their kitchen with the huge dining room to achieve it. Had they just gotten bids for the addition, they wouldn’t have gotten what they needed.”
See more of this project
2. Consider the Site
Don’t overlook the unique advantages and disadvantages of your home’s location. “Throughout history, we’ve checked where the breeze came from or where the sun set when building shelter,” Hosea says. “Now we also have to consider where our neighbor’s noisy air conditioning unit is too.”
Hosea realized early on during a Queen’s Harbour renovation that the morning sun would hit the back of the house. “One of the clients’ goals was to get a wine cellar, but we couldn’t put the wine in direct sunlight,” she says. “We tucked the cellar [seen here] away from the sun and put windows in the back so the clients could sit in the sunshine each morning.”
See more of this project
Don’t overlook the unique advantages and disadvantages of your home’s location. “Throughout history, we’ve checked where the breeze came from or where the sun set when building shelter,” Hosea says. “Now we also have to consider where our neighbor’s noisy air conditioning unit is too.”
Hosea realized early on during a Queen’s Harbour renovation that the morning sun would hit the back of the house. “One of the clients’ goals was to get a wine cellar, but we couldn’t put the wine in direct sunlight,” she says. “We tucked the cellar [seen here] away from the sun and put windows in the back so the clients could sit in the sunshine each morning.”
See more of this project
3. Bend the Rules (When Necessary)
Tweak industry norms to make your home fit your lifestyle. “If you only ever take showers, don’t pay for a huge soaking tub,” Hosea says. “If you bike to work, there’s no need for a three-car garage. Guidelines can be a great common-sense foundation, but allow yourself the courage to break free and build a home catered to your life.”
The same Queen’s Harbour clients are notably tall and cook quite a bit. “I didn’t want to give them a standard range hood,” she says. “Especially the husband — I didn’t want him to cook with a massive hood in his face. We skipped the standard and opted for a hood that drops from the ceiling.”
More: For more information on Katrina Hosea and examples of her work, visit BeeTree Homes’ Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Tweak industry norms to make your home fit your lifestyle. “If you only ever take showers, don’t pay for a huge soaking tub,” Hosea says. “If you bike to work, there’s no need for a three-car garage. Guidelines can be a great common-sense foundation, but allow yourself the courage to break free and build a home catered to your life.”
The same Queen’s Harbour clients are notably tall and cook quite a bit. “I didn’t want to give them a standard range hood,” she says. “Especially the husband — I didn’t want him to cook with a massive hood in his face. We skipped the standard and opted for a hood that drops from the ceiling.”
More: For more information on Katrina Hosea and examples of her work, visit BeeTree Homes’ Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
BeeTree Homes of Jacksonville, Florida is an industry leader in residential building and remodeling projects.
As... Read More
Review by Eva:
We had an extensive renovation of our main floor by BeeTree Homes. The design process, idea generation and selection of materials, finishes etc. was so much fun. Lots of options were discussed and o...More
Kristina and her team at BeeTree Homes were fabulous to work with!! mine is the Deerwood home they renovated and turned in to the perfect living and entertaining space for me and my family!