Photo is courtesy of Armstrong.com. The photo is of an Armstrong Luxe Plank floor.

From classic to timeless to modern, wood flooring offers unique beauty that compliments so many styles! Yet, solid wood flooring should not be used in higher moisture or traffic areas, such as bathrooms or kitchens. What can you do? Vinyl “wood” planks are one option. Available in a wide variety of highly realistic wood-species finishes, resilient vinyl wood planks are typically the easiest to install, water resistant and very affordable. Laminate “wood” flooring consists of an extremely durable top layer that is actually a photograph of the wood species, on top of a wood composite core. Easy to maintain and install, laminate wood floors are great in high traffic areas, too. Engineered wood flooring consists of an extremely hard finish over a typically 1/8″-thick hardwood top layer atop a plywood base. It can be glued, nailed or installed as a floating floor. Finally, tile “wood” planks are ceramic or porcelain tiles imprinted with various wood species. These tiles can also offer the uneven finish akin to today’s popular hand-scrapped wood floors! The photo you see here is of the Armstrong Luxe Plank Floor.

The new ‘flex’ room…Evolving from mere a place to put the car at night, today’s garages often serve multiple roles-from storage to workspaces to hobby and even gaming areas. All these uses mean expanded electrical needs-no longer does a single electrical box with two outlets suffice. At Raymus Homes, we have a special garage package that adds plugs and more. Plus while you’re at it, we will wire a cable TV jack in the garage as well so you can keep up on your favorite programs.

One of our pet peeves is entering into a home from the garage and stepping directly into the kitchen or breakfast room or… Since most of us have made the door leading into the home from the garage our primary entrance into the home, we need a transition space-a place to take shoes off (and leave them if the rule is no shoes worn in the house;) a place for coats (closet or hooks;) and a place to set things and charge the phones (cabinet/countertop.) AND IT IS NOT THE LAUNDRY ROOM. I don’t want to be reminded of the laundry waiting to be folded/put away the moment I get home. Check out our new homes in Oakdale and Manteca featuring Drop Zones!