izzyhome-The Project

izzyhome

The Project

This site is currently under construction. Pictures, chronology and more details will follow.

But for the moment - here you can find some links and reviews of vendors and services I’ve used along the way.

There are many more places I researched and visited (which I’ll add eventually), but these are places I actually worked with.

They’re listed in alphabetical order, not by preference or service.

Appliance Distributors Unlimited

http://www.adu.com

ADU has showrooms in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Pennsylvania. They carry most of the top brands and have a very knowledgeable sales staff. I was working with someone I knew, but everyone else I talked to (when I couldn’t reach my salesperson) was very helpful. I got a great price, good recommendations (my salesperson recommended against my original choice of washer and dryer), and excellent service. Someone else had returned the same dishwasher I ordered because of some non-visible cosmetic damage and they sold that one to me at a nice discount. When my fridge was damaged in shipment (again non-visible cosmetic damage) I got some cost taken off that as well. They were very responsive, and everything was delivered on time and in a professional manner.

Arcways

http://arcways.com

Arcways is located in Neenah Wisconsin and specializes in custom curved and spiral staircases. My project was much smaller - I just needed a new banister for my existing straight staircase. But I was looking for something very specific. An updated version of the old British wrought iron and wood banister systems, using stainless steel for the balusters instead of wrought iron. I had searched and searched and was so excited when through an internet search I came across Arcways and their extensive stair parts collection. They had a variety of wrought iron balusters, but also a beautiful collection of stainless steel options. I called them up, asked about how the system would work, picked my baluster style (the diamonds to go with the inlay in my floors) and began talking about what wood I would used for the handrail. This is where the company really began to shine. I was looking for something that would match the inlay in my floors, so rather than take chances they sent me wood samples for free so I could make the best decision. Stainless balusters and good service! Such a find. Working with them continued to be a real pleasure, the ordering process was easy, their time estimates to delivery were very good, and they were always willing to give me an update as to how things were going. And when the long piece of handrail arrived with a crack at one end (probably from shipment), they pre-ordered the wood so that it wouldn’t take long to replace if we discovered we didn’t have enough length to work with. All around wonderful!

Bellacor

http://www.bellacor.com

Although I didn’t actually order anything from them – this is the site that served as the basis for all my research on lighting. I actually just found this site through an internet search. From here I looked through many many sconces and such until I found what I was looking for. I decided to go through a store (see Dorman’s below) for actual purchase, but the prices on this site were great.

Container Store

http://www.containerstore.com

Their elfa system is just where it’s at for closets. Very easy to assemble, so many options for shelves and drawers and hanging bits. And they custom cut everything for free. Love it!

Dorman’s Lighting & Design

2157 York Rd, Timonium

410-252-6100

I had done an extensive amount of research online to find the perfect light fixtures for my house. I think that lighting can really define a space, and this was completely proven true when the lights were installed in the house. It went instantly from a shell to a house. I didn’t want to order that many lights online however, as it just seemed like there were so many potential problems. I really wanted a person to work with to make sure that everything came in just the way I wanted it. So I went to the folks at Dorman’s at the recommendation of a friend who’s a lighting designer. They matched all my internet prices, worked with me to find the last couple of lights that I just couldn’t pick out online, worked with the dealers to make sure that everything was shipping on time, and were very flexible, allowing me to pick up the shipment in small doses because that’s all that would fit in my car.

Farrey’s

http://www.farreys.com

Another great lighting site – and a place I actually bought a couple of lights. Again, I found them through an internet search (although when talking to friends someone said they’d used them and recommended them). They are located in Florida (have storefront’s there) but do an extensive amount of internet business. They have great customer service, and great communication after placing an order, letting us know when things were back ordered and when they were coming in.

HandleSets

http://www.handlesets.com

I found Handle Sets through an internet search for door hardware. One stop shopping for all door knobs and locks. They have everything. And they’re great to work with. Customer service is very responsive. I ordered every knob and lock from this site – they did all the keying for free, and had some amazing choices – more than I saw anywhere else. Including little custom parts that I needed to fit my funny doors.

Hardware Hut

http://www.thehardwarehut.com

I found the Hardware hut through an internet search. This is a great site for cabinet pulls, hooks, kick plates, door knobs, and all those other little bits of hardware that you need. Their prices are amazing – stainless steel pulls for half the cost of anywhere else. I never had any problems, ordering online has been easy and shipping has been prompt. Fabulous!

Home Depot Kitchen Department

http://www.homedepot.com

I know, it sounds strange to go through the Home Depot with a renovation of this particular style (meaning I’m very particular about what I put in the house), but they were really amazing to work with. We spent a long time finding the perfect cabinet door to go with my hardwood floors in the dining room as we had knocked out the wall, and the ordering process was simple and painless. I ordered Kraftmaid cabinets and they all arrived in perfect condition and on time (a strange thing for deliveries to my house). But what was even better were the granite folks that the Eastern Ave Home Depot folks contract with. They were amazingly prompt, professional, and meticulous, and my granite looks just wonderful.

Homestead Hardwoods

http://www.door.cc

I ordered almost all my interior doors and my front door from the wonderful guys at Homestead Hardwoods in Ohio. I found them through extensive internet searching. I was looking for a very specific door style (sold wood, 5-panel) to match the 4 original interior doors that remained in the house. A total of 15 interior doors, and one exterior. They worked with me to find the correct sizes and style, as well as giving me great advice on how to trim the doors, as many of my door frames were irregular sizes (old house). They also found me an alternative door when delivery for one I originally ordered was going to take forever. The doors were all fabulous wood, and have been staining and finishing absolutely beautifully. They were also very cooperative to put together a custom style for my front door to match the original wood paneling in my entryway. They worked with me where there was trouble with shipping as well.

Lady Baltimore Floors

http://www.ladybaltimorefloors.com

I can’t possibly say enough good things about the folks at Lady Baltimore. I got the recommendation from a friend who had them do a room in her house. They were prompt and efficient, went above and beyond the call of duty in the amount of work performed, didn’t charge for additional boards that needed replacing, and left me with a set of floors that everyone comments on as soon as they walk in the house. They were very careful with my existing floors from 1920 – working around the inlay, patching holes and fixing even inlay, as well as replacing boards that were suffering from dry rot. They were able to fix every problem area in the house (even things that the original estimator wasn’t sure they could fix). And on top of all that, they showed up on the scheduled day and finished in the scheduled time! Absolutely amazing. I’m actually looking forward to calling them to find out how to deal with the couple of scratches that have occurred as we were finishing construction.