Home Builders Showcase 2019

Home Builders Showcase

When you love the location but not the house

PAGE 2

March 2019

Don’t wait to start your winter-recovery checklist

PAGE 4

For a damaged wood front door, paint might be the only solution

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C2 Tuesday, March 19, 2019 — West Central Tribune — Willmar, Minn.

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When you love the location but not the house All photos credited to Washington Post and Sarah L. Voisin

Gordon Bernhardt bought a house, tore it down and built his dream house, shown in Falls Church, Va., on Feb. 1, 2019.

By Scott Sowers Special to The Washington Post In 2010, Gordon Bernhardt bought a five-level townhouse but never really liked it. "It was more space than I needed. I was never there and never fell in love with the place. I spent more time in the office," he said.

Bernhardt was resigned to selling the townhouse and moving to a condominium. He wanted to to be close to his financial services company, in suburban McLean, Virginia, but wasn't satisfied with what the market was offering.

He often drove by the Pimmit Hills

neighborhood in nearby Falls Church.

"I saw these old homes, and occasionally saw a place being torn down," said Bernhardt, 59, who wanted single-floor living, easy maintenance, quality construction and a place that actually felt like a home.

Bernhardt stumbled on the property he eventually bought while he was in the neighborhood looking at another prospect. A "for sale by owner" sign was stuck in the ground in the front yard of a distressed rancher. The son of the original owner, who had died,

HOUSE: C3

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West Central Tribune — Willmar, Minn. — Tuesday, March 19, 2019 C3 The mudroom and laundry room are just off the front foyer at the new home in Falls Church, Va., shown Feb. 1, 2019.

The backyard is a designated entertaining space with a brick-encased grill. The home in Falls Church, Va., is shown Feb. 1, 2019.

HOUSE From Page C2

had possession of the house, which was mostly vacant.

Bernhardt called Francisca Alonso, a builder and architect he knew socially, to have a look. Alonso approved of the path of the sun across the lot and confirmed that she could get one-floor living on a lot that's less than a quarter of an acre. Bernhardt bought the place as-is for $450,000. He had no need for walk-throughs, appraisals or inspections, and he never stepped inside the property until the settlement.

"It was a prime location for tear-

down," Bernhardt said. "I never considered buying a house that I could put an addition onto and make it my house. The teardown seemed like the only way to go."

Alonso, 52, co-founder and chief executive of McLean-based AV Architects + Builders, said working with a teardown is often more beneficial than buying a pristine plot.

"Typically, land on its own is hard to develop or overpriced," Alonso said.

"When no house has ever been there before, there's no utilities. There's several fees you have to pay: tap fees, connection fees. When there's already a house there, those fees have been

The great room features a fireplace with a stacked stone surround. Twin sets of casement windows flank the fireplace, and full-light doors lead to a stone-and-tile-clad deck at the home in Falls Church, Va., shown Feb. 1, 2019.

prepaid by somebody else."

Neighborhood opposition to teardowns can complicate things, but Alonso takes the static in stride.

"There's always going to be somebody who's going to complain," she said.

"That's the nature of humankind."

To minimize the impact of the demolition, the design team used Second Chance, a home deconstruction company based in Baltimore, to break down the house and recycle what could be salvaged.

"We took three weeks, as it was deconstructed, piece by piece, which gives the homeowner a tax write-off opportunity," Alonso said. "Second

Chance put it all in a giant trailer there was very little left after that.

Instead of using five dumpsters, we used one."

While the house was being deconstructed, Alonso and Bernhardt started an unconventional design process.

"I'm a simple guy from Nebraska," Bernhardt said. "Francisca would have three pieces of tile that she would want me to look at. I'd say, 'These all look nice to me – what would you do? I don't feel qualified to have an opinion.

What would you recommend?' " Alonso teased out Bernhardt's love for the look of Italian villas. To keep

HOUSE: C4

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C4 Tuesday, March 19, 2019 — West Central Tribune — Willmar, Minn.

HOUSE

Don’t wait to start your winter-recovery checklist

By Daniel Bortz Special to The Washington Post As winter (slowly) turns to spring, there are important tasks you can do around the house to prepare your home for the coming season.

“It’s vital to start on your winter-recovery checklist as soon as you start to feel the first shy breezes of spring blow in,” says Rob Morelli, chief executive of HomeKeepr.com, a referral network for home-service professionals.

These home maintenance tasks deserve your attention now, not later.

Seal air leaks

The dead of winter is when you’ll really notice drafts in your home. This

will make it easier for you to identify air leaks and plug them, which will help prevent warm air loss now and cool air loss during warm spring days, Morelli says.

Homeowners should pay particular attention to windows and doors, he says. If you spot cracks or gaps, caulking or weatherstripping should fix the problem; both are simple, DIY projects.

Weatherstripping windows, for example, requires only measuring tape, a utility knife and self-adhesive tape.

Inspect your roof for damage

If roof is 20 years or older, inspecting its condition after a major snow or ice storm could be a good idea, as older

CHECKLIST: C5

From Page C3

maintenance to a minimum, brick was used as exterior cladding, along with a steel roof. The gutters and downspouts are aluminum. He wanted an office, kitchen, dining area, master suite and laundry on the first floor. She got all that in and still had space for a powder room.

The front door opens into a foyer.

The office, complete with custom built-in shelves and cabinetry, is off to the left, laundry and mudroom to the right. The stairs to the second story are on the way to the open-plan kitchen, dining room and great room. The floors are wide panel oak, stained dark.

The kitchen is separated from the dining area by a bank of base cabinets. All the cabinets are custom and made from maple. The perimeter cabinets are gray, and finished with a glaze; the cabinets under the island are a shade of dark espresso.

The upper cabinets are full height to the ceiling, with clear glass fronts on the top row. All the appliances, including the glass cooktop on the island, are KitchenAid, and the countertops are neutral-colored quartz by Cambria. Pendant lighting and coun-

tertop brackets on the island's seating area help carry the Mediterranean theme through the house.

The great room features a fireplace with a stacked stone surround and a TV above, which is hidden by a piece of art. Twin sets of casement windows flank the fireplace, and fulllight doors lead to a stone-and-tileclad deck with an outdoor grill.

The master suite is off the great room and includes a walk-in closet, bedroom and bath. The master bath features a soaking tub, a dual-sink vanity with custom cabinetry rendered in dark-stained maple and an oversize curbless shower. The tile is a mix of porcelain and ceramic.

The project took about 16 months.

Bernhardt was not in a hurry to move; he stayed in his townhouse until the new house was finished.

He estimates he invested more than $1 million in the new space and has no plans to flip.

He recently completed a 600-mile walk in about 30 days on the Camino de Santiago in Spain, a spiritual journey that affected his approach to life.

"The house helped me get the quality of life that I was looking to enhance my personal well-being," he said. "Not all those things are dollars-and-cents decisions."

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West Central Tribune — Willmar, Minn. — Tuesday, March 19, 2019 C5

CHECKLIST

Prepare lawn equipment

From Page C4

shingles may have taken a beating.

“Assuming the roof is walkable, you have an appropriate-size ladder and you’re comfortable going up,” advises Mark Clement, co-founder of MyFixitUpLife.com, a resource for DIY home remodeling, “check your roof.”

Look for torn, warped or missing shingles and contact a professional roofing company immediately if you discover any, as they can indicate deeper problems in the structural integrity. Just make sure you’ve given ice or snow time to melt before doing your inspection so you have clear visibility and won’t slip.

Clear out gutters

Heavy snow or ice can loosen fasteners and pull gutters away from your home, says Morelli, which may cause drainage issues. “With the heavy rain months approaching and winter getting behind us, you want to fix any damage to gutters now,” he says.

Clearing gutters of winter debris will also prepare them for spring showers.

Check for uninvited guests

Morelli says spring is a good time to check certain areas of your home for

animals or critters that may have taken up residence inside your house to escape the cold. Search for pests in dryer vents, the attic and the basement; animals tend to hole up in warm spaces.

Test your sump pump

Sump pumps help keep basements and crawl spaces dry. If water accumulates in these areas, a sump pump will perform like a drain, sucking up the water and pumping it through a pipe that releases the water outside your home. Without a working sump pump, your home could be at risk of flooding, which is a real concern during spring showers, Morelli says.

Consider hiring a plumber to do an inspection for you, as most plumbers charge only $45 to $65 an hour for sump pump work, HomeAdvisor says.

If you’ve got a lawn to mow, tend to your equipment now so you’re ready to kick off the spring season without a hitch. You can start by draining old gas and oil from your mower, because lawn mower fuel that has been left to sit over the winter can deteriorate and harm small engines, says Missy Henriksen, a spokeswoman at the National Association of Landscape Professionals.

Then check your mower blades for wear and tear, replace spark plugs to ensure easy start-up, and inspect the air filter.

A clogged or dirty air filter can cause the machine to burn gas less efficiently.

Insulate the attic

If your attic has little or no insulation, the room could become a sweatbox on a warm spring day. Adding insulation before warmer weather arrives will prevent that from happening. Another benefit of insulating your attic now: It will help reduce air loss during the up and down days ahead.

Of course, there are different types of insulation to choose from: blownin cellulose, batt (such as fiberglass, mineral wool or cotton) and spray foam are three popular materials. Your best selection method: Reach out to an

CHECKLIST: C6

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C6 Tuesday, March 19, 2019 — West Central Tribune — Willmar, Minn.

CHECKLIST From Page C5

For a damaged wood front door, paint might be the only solution

By Jeanne Huber Special to The Washington Post

Q:

A:

We are so tired of looking at our front door. It was moldy, and we tried scrubbing the mold but it didn’t work. So we sanded it, and sanded through the veneer. We’d like to paint the door, but what is the process?

Painting the door seems to be the best solution at this point.

You can paint it while it is still hanging in the doorway, or you can take it down and set it horizontally on sawhorses or a flat surface. An exterior door is heavy, so leaving the door on its hinges while you paint saves you from needing to muscle it around. Also, there’s no risk of bending the hinges, and you don’t need to rig up a temporary way to close off your house.

But painting the door while it is horizontal also has advantages. Drips are less

architect to evaluate the conditions of your attic and to provide recommendations for the best insulation for your budget (e.g. professionals charge $1,500 to $2,000 to insulate a 1,200-square-foot attic with blownin cellulose, according to FamilyHandyman.com.)

likely, as are paint blobs on the hinges or floor. It’s easier to paint all six sides: the top, bottom and both side edges, as well as the front and back. Painting all sides minimizes shrinking and swelling of a door as weather changes and helps prevent water damage to the door if it’s splashed by wind-driven rain. If you decide to take down the door for painting, use shims to support the bottom edge while you remove the hinge pins, and keep track of which pin matches each hinge, in case a pin is slightly bent.

(To free a stubborn pin, hammer a thick nail up on the bottom of the pin.)

Whether the door is vertical or horizontal, remove all the hardware attached to the door or carefully cover it with painter’s tape.

Where you sanded through the veneer,

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DOOR: C7

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Insulate pipes

If a pipe burst in your house during a recent cold snap, make sure the new one is well-insulated. The last thing you want is for newly replaced pipes to burst.

Foam pipe insulation can benefit your home year-round, because it acts as a protective cover against cold during the winter and heat during the summer (when condensation can build) for copper and PVC pipes; it costs about $1.50 to $3 per six feet.

Check your deck

If you cleaned and sealed your deck in the fall, you’re probably not going to need to worry much about damage. But if you didn’t, check carefully for signs of rot before power washing the deck boards to remove the salt and muck from winter.

West Central Tribune — Willmar, Minn. — Tuesday, March 19, 2019 C7

DOOR From Page C6

your door is probably ready for paint.

But you also need to make sure all other surfaces, including the molding around the top and bottom panels, are clean and scuffed up. Clean by moistening a cloth or sponge in water with a little all-purpose cleaner added. Clean the cloth or sponge and wipe off the residue.

When dry, scuff by hand-sanding with a fine-grit sanding sponge or 180-grit sandpaper. Vacuum any dust, or wipe it away with a microfiber dust cloth. Don’t use a spray intended as a dusting aid – it might contain silicone oil, which keeps later finishes from curing properly.

To complete your preparation, spread a dropcloth and gather tools. Have a good-quality two-inch sash brush with synthetic bristles that end at an angle, which will help you get paint evenly into corners and recesses. Also get a “weenie roller” – a skinny type about one inch wide and up to six inches long – plus a paint tray sized for the roller and a spare roller cover or two.

For paint, use a satin, semi-gloss or gloss water-based paint, possibly one made specifically for doors. Read the label and buy the recommended primer, unless you’re getting paint that doubles as primer. Water-based paint has a tendency to stick to other painted surfaces (or, in the case of doors, to weatherstripping) even after the paint

is dry to the touch. Door paint resists sticking, and it’s also easier to clean if fingerprints collect - which they are sure to. Examples include Modern Masters Express Yourself Front Door Paint ($34.47 to $40.69 a quart, depending on color, at Home Depot) and Sherwin-Williams’s HGTV Home Interior & Exterior High Gloss Paint and Primer for cabinets, doors and trim ($16.48 a quart at Lowe’s).

Moisten the bristles and the roller, making them easier to clean, and blot out excess water against a cardboard scrap or a rag. For each coat, brush paint over each door edge. As you finish the edge, run the brush along the

corners to remove any drips. Don’t load the brush with paint for this; the bristles should be nearly dry.

Then paint each panel. First, brush paint on the molding around the edge. Switch to the roller for the main expanse, because rolling is faster and creates a more even coat. If you don’t want the slightly textured surface left by the roller, immediately go over the paint with the brush nearly dry.

Finally, paint the flat areas around the panels. If you have left the handle and lock in place, paint around them first using the brush. Then, switch to

DOOR: C8

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C8 Tuesday, March 19, 2019 — West Central Tribune — Willmar, Minn.

DOOR From Page C7

Create an efficient, inviting outdoor living environment

Be ready to enjoy the warm days of spring and summer with an “updated” outdoor dining/living/garden area that is welcoming and efficient.

Projects

Take stock of your outdoor furniture – do you need more? Would colorful new Adirondack chairs, a new picnic table and maybe a garden bench and planters be more inviting?

Or perhaps a cleanup and new paint would bring your existing furniture

to life for another season? Does your porch/patio/deck area need to be resurfaced or enlarged?

Streamline your dining by building mobile carts to transport food for prep and for serving. Add a butcher block top to the food prep cart and storage drawers to both, and improve the efficiency and pleasure of your dining experience.

Gardeners may want to build a potting bench and wooden flatbed wagon to haul plants and supplies.

OUTDOOR: C9

the roller. Painting the center vertical panel usually comes first, but your door doesn’t have that, so start with the top horizontal piece, then the outside verticals as far down as the middle horizontal.

That’s next, then the rest of the verticals, and finally the bottom horizontal. Or you can do all the horizontals, then the two verticals.

The key is to make sure you are always adding new paint next to an

area where paint is still wet.

As you finish each section, follow after the roller with a single pass of the brush if you want to smooth the roller texture or to get rid of drips.

But don’t tidy up more in areas where the paint looks thin or rough.

Wait for the paint to dry, then touch it up or apply a second coat.

Between coats of the same paint, you can save time and clean up mess by wrapping each tool – and even the paint tray – tightly in plastic bags or plastic wrap so paint doesn’t dry on them.

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West Central Tribune — Willmar, Minn. — Tuesday, March 19, 2019 C9

OUTDOOR

quality, innovative home improvement tool that is great for furniture.

Its oil-free operation requires no regular maintenance and eliminates the risk of stains on project surfaces. If your joinery choice requires screws, the Groz Insta Drive Screwdriver features a patented retractable, rotating bit cartridge that makes it easy to find, store and change driver bits.

For hauling lumber or other large items to your project site, use the Xstrap Heavy Duty Ratchet Tie Down to hold up to 1,000 pounds in place on a truck bed.

To finish new furniture or recolor existing pieces – and brighten your outdoor landscape – choose one of the 28 premixed General Finishes Milk Paint colors that can be mixed, lightened, glazed, layered, antiqued, or distressed. Other good choices for outdoor surfaces include General Finishes Outdoor Oil Finish (use over exterior oil stain or exterior clear oil finishes for additional protection) and General Finishes 450 Varnish (minimizes fading, retards mold and fungus growth).

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From Page C8

Tools, supplies and how-tos

“Make anywhere your workspace with the Kreg Mobile Project Center,” Woodcraft senior product manager Peter Collins said. “It’s a portable workbench, sawhorse, assembly table, and clamping station all in one that provides a versatile work space for DIY, repair, and woodworking projects.”

The large polypropylene work surface supports a 350-lb. load capacity, and two centers can be connected to double the work area. Collins also suggested adding the new Kreg In-line Bench Clamp and Bench Clamp System for Dog Holes to make almost every clamping task possible.

Visit Woodcraft.com to see Building Plans for Outdoor Furniture, as well as Adirondack chair templates. Woodcraft.com also offers a large number of how-to articles such as “Laid Back in a Classic Adirondack” that shows how to build with Adirondack chair templates, while “WoodSense: Spotlight on Outdoor Projects,” describes woods that work well outdoors.

For building projects, the Freeman 18-Gauge Brad Nailer is a professional

Sprayer will spray most solvent (except lacquer and conversion varnish) or water-based products – latex paint, milk paint, chalk paint, furniture paint, stains, and finishes. It’s easy to set up, use and clean. When painting furniture, consider using the HOMERIGHT Large Spray Shelter.

When painting small accessories, opt for the Small Spray Shelter.

For furniture that needs some TLC, read “Restoring Outdoor Projects” on Woodcraft.com to learn how to determine what needs to be deep cleaned, repaired, rebuilt and repainted. Handy helpers for the TLC process include Blue Bear Paint and Urethane Stripper, Krud Kutter No-Rinse Prepaint Cleaner, Titebond III Ultimate Wood Glue, SculpWood Putty and Briwax ChaiRX.

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Kreg’s Mobile Project Center offers a versatile work surface that can be used indoors or outside for tasks like the one these do-it-yourselfers have undertaken – laying out interior trim prior to installation.

Custom garden & game projects

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Turning blanks for the handle, sold separately, may be made from wood, acrylic or another man-made material. Build a wooden croquet set with help from “Picnic Perfect Croquet Set”

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It’s remodeling season, and with so many projects on the to-do list, which should you tackle first? While some projects provide great long-term return on investment, a few simple ones can provide instant savings. Here are the top home spring projects to help you save money: E Caulk around windows and doors – Stop air leaks around your home by sealing existing gaps and cracks. Use caulking or weather stripping around doors and windows. Installing a door sweep is also a good idea.

E Insulate your home – Use insulation with a high R-value, such as Roxul Comfortbatt, which can be used to top up insulation in your attic. Aim for an R-value of 50 or a depth of 16 inches. For whole home efficiency,

ensure other areas of your home, such as crawl spaces, basement headers, walls and ceilings, are well insulated.

It will keep your house cool in the warm weather and take the stress off your air conditioning unit.

E Clean your AC unit – Come spring, it’s not uncommon to find an air conditioner’s condenser and compressor blocked up with dirt and debris. This can result in greater stress on the unit, causing it to work harder. Giving it a thorough cleaning is easy and can help maximize your AC unit’s service life while minimizing your energy bill.

E Plant trees – Direct sunlight can heat up surfaces and building materials, as well as the interior temperature

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PROJECTS: C11

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West Central Tribune — Willmar, Minn. — Tuesday, March 19, 2019 C11

Ways to go green at home and save money

Thinking green throughout the year can offer some significant benefits.

Here are some easy ways you can go green in your own home and lower your energy bills: E Invest in a programmable thermostat. It will automatically adjust the temperature in your house, saving you energy while you’re out for the day, away on vacation or sleeping.

E Switch all of your lightbulbs to CFLs (compact flu-

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orescent light) or LED bulbs. They last longer and use up to 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs, saving you money on your electric bills.

E Insulate well. Use insulation with a high R-value, such as Roxul Comfortbatt, to top up insulation in your attic. Aim for an R-value of 50 or a depth of 16 inches. For whole home efficiency, ensure other areas of your home are well insulated, such as crawl spaces, basement headers, walls and ceilings. It will keep your house cool in the warm weather and take the stress off your air conditioning unit.

E Stop air leaks around your home by sealing existing gaps and cracks. Use caulking or weather stripping around doors and windows.

Installing a door sweep is also a good idea.

E Replace old appliances with energy-efficient models. Only do laundry or run the dishwasher when you have full loads.

Remember that many little improvements can add up – providing valuable monthly savings for you, while protecting our environment for the future.

of your home. Consider planting trees in strategic locations to provide shade and reduce cooling costs.

E Install a rain barrel – Water is an important, but costly resource.

Installing a rain barrel is an easy and affordable measure to reduce your water consumption, while keeping your lawn and garden looking great.

These simple home maintenance tasks can be well worth the effort, potentially providing hundreds of dollars in annual savings.

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PROJECTS From Page C10

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JANE VIKSE BROKER®/OWNER 320.979.0632

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264 Manitoba St W, Spicer Phone: 320.796.6020 • Cell: 320.894.3095 Find us on www.kandiwater.com

Dale Sweep, Owner

C12 Tuesday, March 19, 2019 — West Central Tribune — Willmar, Minn.

How to determine if downsizing is for you Metro Creative Graphics

As men and women retire or approach retirement age, many opt to downsize their homes. Such a decision can save older adults substantial amounts of money while also liberating them from the hassle of maintaining large homes they no longer need.

Downsizing to smaller homes or apartments is a significant step, one that homeowners should give ample consideration before making their final decisions. The following are a handful of tips to help homeowners determine if downsizing to smaller homes is the right move.

E Get a grip on the real estate market.

Downsizing is not solely about money, but it’s important that homeowners consider the real estate market before putting their homes up for sale. Speak with a local realtor or your financial advisor about the current state of your real estate market. Downsizing can help homeowners save money on utilities, taxes and mortgage payments, but those savings may be negated if

you sell your house in a buyer’s market instead of a seller’s market. If you think the current market won’t get you the price you are hoping for, delay your downsize until the market rebounds.

E Take inventory of what’s in your house. Empty nesters often find that their homes are still filled with their children’s possessions, even long after those children have entered adulthood and left home. If the storage in your home is dominated by items that belong to your children and not you, then downsizing might be right for you. Tell your children you are thinking of downsizing and invite them over to pick through any items still in your home. Once they have done so and taken what they want, you can host a yard sale, ultimately donating or dis-

carding what you cannot sell. Once all of the items are gone, you may realize that moving into a smaller place is the financially prudent decision.

E Examine your own items as well.

Your children’s items are likely not the only items taking up space in your home. Take inventory of your own possessions as well, making note of items you can live without and those you want to keep. If the list of items you can live without is extensive, then you probably won’t have a problem moving into a smaller home. If you aren’t quite ready to say goodbye to many of your possessions, then you might benefit from staying put for a little while longer.

E Consider your retirement lifestyle.

If you have already retired or on the

verge of retirement and plan to spend lots of time traveling, then downsizing to a smaller home may free up money you can spend on trips. And if you really do see yourself as a silver-haired jetsetter, then you likely won’t miss your current home because you won’t be home frequently enough to enjoy it.

If travel is not high on your retirement to-do list but you have a hobby, such as crafting, restoring classic cars or woodworking, that you hope to turn into a second profession, then you might benefit from staying put and converting your existing space into a workshop.

Many retirees downsize their homes, but this decision requires careful consideration of a variety of factors.

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West Central Tribune — Willmar, Minn. — Tuesday, March 19, 2019 C13 MetroCreativeConnection

Transform bathrooms with technology Technology is infiltrating every room of the house. Many new home buyers are millennials, and this tech-savvy demographic covets technological innovations.

A recent survey by Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate indicates 77 percent of Generation X and Y home buyers want their homes equipped with the tech capabilities they have grown accustomed to. Many of these involve smart innovations, including those that can transform one of the most private rooms in the house – the bathroom.

Automated home theater rooms and Wi-Fi-enabled home security systems have become the norm, but what tech improvements are available to make the powder room more in touch with today’s digital lifestyle?

According to the home improvement resource The Spruce, bathrooms have

the most potential of any rooms to be improved with technology. The following are just some of the bathroom gadgets and gizmos no one should resist before giving a try.

Automatic faucets

Infrared sensors have been helping keep public restrooms more hygienic for years. The same technology can be used in home bathrooms to curtail water waste and keep faucets and sinks from becoming infested with germs. In addition, faucets with built-in timers can be programmed to set tasks for brushing teeth or washing your face.

Musical shower

Instead of having to blast the volume on the portable speaker you use in the bathroom, a wireless speaker is built into some showerheads. This enables

those who like to sing in the shower or listen to podcasts while washing up to enjoy this luxury effortlessly.

Smarter weight management

Bathroom scales have gone hightech as well, with various options enabling users to measure weight, BMI and body fat percentage before sending the data wirelessly to a phone, tablet or computer. This can put you in greater control of fitness goals.

High-tech toilets

Borrowing ideas from bidets and trends around the world, modern toilets do not require hands or paper. These toilets have temperature-controlled water, spritzing wands and air dryers to clean and sanitize. Self-cleaning toilets help busy professionals save time and are ideal for those who always want their

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bowls as clean as possible. And if you desire extra comfort, toilet seat warmers are available, while LED lights can make nighttime restroom visits easier.

Soaking tubs

As fast as stand-alone showers were introduced to the modern bathroom, tubless designs have been replaced with streamlined soaking tubs. Tubs come with different features, including chromatherapy, which employs colored lights to enhance mood. Air baths are controlled electronically and provide different levels of sensation for those who are skipping the hot tub.

Round out these innovations with automated lights, chilled medicine cabinets and aromatherapy, and your bathroom will indeed become a technological spa.

Metro Services

C14 Tuesday, March 19, 2019 — West Central Tribune — Willmar, Minn.

Business Directory KEVIN WELSH CONSTRUCTION General Contractor Office 320.796.6840 Cell 320.220.1885 4153 132nd Ave. NE Spicer, MN

2286 County Road 4 NE Atwater, MN 56209

320-894-0287 001547142r1

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MARCUS WATER WELL COMPANY INC. 001392334r1

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rbuerelectric@hotmail.com

Taking care of all your Plumbing & Heating Needs.

• RESIDENTIAL • FARM • INDUSTRIAL 1609 NW 16th Ave., Willmar, MN 56201 www.marcuswaterwell.com

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Lyndon Swenson - 320-212-9839 Mark Dethlefs - 320-894-3710

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Mid State Painting

Est. 1987

Specializing in exterior farm buildings.

Billy Stewart - Owner bjlre@tds.net

Commercial • Residential New Construction Remodel • Trenching Office: 320.796.6070 Cell: 320.894.9202

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Jeff Stadther 320-579-0849

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Atwater

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Sam Schultz, Owner

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Call me for all your electrical needs!

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West Central Tribune — Willmar, Minn. — Tuesday, March 19, 2019 C15

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(*Formerly Cullen’s Home Center of Willmar) Like us On Facebook

1700 1st Street S Willmar, MN 56201 Phone 320-214-9784 cullens@en-tel.net *Some exclusions apply. See store for details.

Voted #1 for Best Appliance Store, Appliance Repair, and #1 Electronics Store!

Owners Rick and Kelley Dahle

C16 Tuesday, March 19, 2019 — West Central Tribune — Willmar, Minn.

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