New Beginnings

We are celebrating the end of another great year at Take Us For Granite. All the numbers aren’t ready yet, but we did more business this year than any other year – and that’s something to be proud of considering most of North America is experiencing a recession. Seems that Winnipeggers like their granite countertops and that’s a great thing! With some of our granite colleagues closing their doors and some new ones opening their doors, business has been great for us and continues to be so. We attribute this to our competitive pricing, wonderful customer service and our most friendly team mates that make the Take Us For Granite enterprise so successful. Lots of clients do ask us how we can do what we do with such a reasonable price. That’s an easy answer – we’re a “mom and pop” operation that employ great people that are more than employees – they are friends! We keep our costs lower by working more efficiently and we pass that business knowledge along to our customers. That’s why we’ve been so successful – by word of mouth from one satisfied client to the next potential client. We truly do value our customers, both old and new, and we give each project, no matter how big or small our undivided attention and expertise.

In the New Year, bring your project to us and you can count on us to do our best so that you can look your best! Our beginning of the year sale is still on for 30% off vanities from our remnants. Come on by and take a look!

Granite the Planet, Lee

Seasons Greetings and Appreciation

In appreciation to all our clients, past and future, we are happy to make your January sparkle with our After Christmas Sale of 30% off from an extensively varied selection of fabulous pieces for your granite vanity countertops and islands.

That is 30% OFF!!

Come in soon and pick your granite and book your install for January 2011!!

Seasons greetings from all of us at Take Us For Granite – may you and yours stay safe and warm this Holiday season.

Granite the Planet, Lee

Less than 50 days til Christmas

Although we don’t always work around the clock, there is less than 50 days left until Christmas, and if you’d like to show off your new granite counter tops to all your friends and family on Christmas morning, you’d better get your stuff together!

The team at Take Us For Granite is working non stop to make real those sugar plum dreams that so many of our customers are expecting to wake up to come Christmas morning. We’ve got this gorgeous kitchen going in next week of my favorite – you guessed it – Bianco Antico. The island is almost 7 feet wide and 10 feet long with these wonderful crystal patterns that look like a deep dark lake until the sun shines on it, then it sparkles with light, just like a lake in the mid afternoon sunshine. Our client is paring this with an antique white stained cabinets, stainless steel appliances, a light toned hard wood and white subway tile backsplash. Spectacular – just out of a designer magazine! Now if only we can tie those granite countertops with a big red bow, it would be the best present ever!

A couple of things I’ll have under the tree for my family are granite address plaques. My daughter and her family just bought a new house and she’ll have one heavy present to open! It is made out of black galaxy with white lettering shaped in a heart. For me, the gift represents the permanency of home and the solid home base she will provide for her growing family. It is indestructible and will weather any storm. It is a touch stone that will welcome friends and family and regardless of how her life may fluctuate with the passing years, this will always remain the same. The old saying never goes out of style – home is where the heart is.

For my mother, sister and daughter in law, they are getting granite cutting boards. They are so versatile that they fit all their lifestyles. I can see my sister using it as a pot holder – did you know you can put anything hot out of the oven or off the stove on granite and it will not ruin it? She loves to have people over and serve them these fantastic appetizers that she makes. Come to think of it, she’ll probably get another one for her birthday, too! My mom loves to bake bread and this is perfect to cut bread – the serrated knife won’t dull on the granite and it’s Ok if it’s piping hot from the oven. My daughter in law will use it as a center piece where she can burn all her candles and not worry about burning down the house! And I’m feeling generous, I’ll throw in a matching papertowel holder as well.

Hmmm….I wonder what I can give my husband? Perhaps I can get the team to wrap him up a beautiful granite kitchen!! (Or is that one for me??!!) We have granite plaques with his favorite hockey team logo on it – The Winnipeg Moose – on matching granite to the bar top in the man cave. I can get him another one with The Jets logo on it, too.

Whatever you’re thinking about for your loved ones, a warm heart and a warmer kitchen always works around the holidays. Think about getting yours soon!

Granite the Planet, Lee

Wise Up!

Selling a home in the Winnipeg and area market is not as easy as you may think. Among other things, pricing it right is probably the best thing you can do. The second best thing you can do is make improvements wisely. Bo Kauffmann, a Top-Producing REALTOR® with Re/Max Performance Realty, recently blogged in his Wise Home Improvement Choice, “Home owners will find this to be a very worthwhile investment, adding beauty and functionality to any kitchen, bathroom or bar area.” Check out his blog at bokauffmann.com.

When it comes time to update the bathroom, granite is a great choice. It’s easy to clean, can take anything you can dish out, and it looks beautiful. Nothing says quality more than granite vanity tops. Pair it with one of our glass vessel sinks and you’ve made an elegant style statement to all your guests. Drop into our showroom for a look at our complete selection of granite vanities and glass vessel sinks.

Many clients come into the showroom looking to upgrade to granite kitchen counter tops prior to putting their house on the market. As Bo mentioned, the only complaint we get is that they didn’t do it sooner! These same people will be looking for another home that has granite in the kitchen already, or if they purchase one that doesn’t, then we’ll see them again. The underlying message is – once you’ve gone granite, you’ll never go back!

Granite the Planet! Lee

Take Us For Granite

May the Force be with You

I thought I’d be breaking ground by now, but the forces are against us….namely the Planning Board. I understand why rules and building codes and permits are a necessary thing. Turns out my dream property on the outskirts of Great Small Town, Canada had 9 piles under only two feet into the earth! That is crazy! Why even bother? So out they come and we’re at square one again. Next, we visited the Planning Board to start the building permit process to find out that we need a variance to build what I designed. Time is ticking and no time to wait for a council meeting so back to square one again. The force is working against us and we’re sinking fast, but swimming is the only option.

We are very much limited to the footprint by the foundation that is existing because the footing is in place, the sewer is in place and the well is there. My design team (which is moi), stayed up to all hours of the night and viola – another great design awaiting approval from hubby in the morning. And you wouldn’t guess in a million years, but he liked it! The first design (which we scrapped because of the variance) took me about 10 tries and many family meetings – thanks, Sis, for being such a great moderator! – before hubby compromised and approved a design. Now, first time around and he’s on board! Do you think he’s tired of the process, too or are the fates are a-changing….

I also jumped the gun a bit and ordered windows and doors for the initial plan so I have to use them in all subsequent plans (no, I’m done – can’t do any more “subsequent” plans)…it would be nice to start with a clean slate but it’s still workable. We will be living in the country and at heart we’re country people, so the windows and doors will fit in with our country house. I love the french glass exterior doors with side lights and a transom. It’ll be awesome! Some divine inspiration is coming, I can feel it…..

On to all the great things about vision and granite -

Many opportunities for using granite in this house – ….. Granite tile entry way with a heated floor, granite hearth, surround and mantle for the fireplace, granite counter tops in the kitchen, granite vanity tops for both bathrooms and a granite seat for the shower and do you think it’s excessive if I put granite into the laundry room? Working at Take Us for Granite, I’ve seen clients use their imaginations and put in beautiful countertops for folding laundry on, so we’re here to help you make your granite dreams come true. Let’s see…going with vanilla cabinets with a mocha glaze for the kitchen cabinets – Anitque Brown will be perfect there! In the guest bathroom, we’re going to go with mocha cabinets so my first love Bianco Antico will sparkle like a Swarovski crystal. Maybe bring in a little of the outdoors in the entry with Verde Labrador (sometimes known as Ubatuba) tiles. It can look almost black with little light, but with the sun shining on it, it is a deep green like the sea with veins of pale sunshine. Very earthy and grounding. Perhaps something just as earthy on the fireplace, like Cafe Imperial. It has small crystals to reflect the light that looks like tiny logs floating on a river of coffee and cream. And probably the biggest decision of all is what to put in the laundry room that would make me want to smile while I do laundry, and Tide Extra just doesn’t do it fully. I still have time to decide .The point is – pick what you love and come see us at Take Us for Granite – we’ll be happy to assist you with your granite vision or inspire you with our 160 different samples from all over the globe.

Granite the Planet! Lee

takeusforgranitewinnipeg.com

Working my way up

The dozers have come and gone and all that’s left is the existing foundation. That’s the good news! The only way to go now is up. October 31st – 47 days and counting! Seems to me my original goal of getting it enclosed, warm and watery for the first snow fly may be a bit unrealistic at this point…..oh, well….maybe winter will hold off a couple weeks this year just for me. What’s the chances of that happening??

I’ve been paying close attention to the colours and styles of the kitchens and bath rooms that my customers have been bringing in to the show room. Without a doubt, the most popular choices for new construction are hardwood for the floors and espresso maple cabinets. Here’s where the hard part comes in – do you go with light hardwoods for the flooring, or dark? How come no one is choosing ceramic floors? Laminate is a close second, considering that the laminate that we have now is very difficult to tell from the real thing. And the kicker is that it’s not necessarily cheaper than hardwood!

Once you decide materials and colours, then you need to figure out – you guessed it – what kind of granite counter tops you’d like. I did the “non-traditional” method. I picked Bianco Antico, then picked the espresso maple cabinets, and now I’m looking at flooring. In a wierd way, I am working my way up! (Believe it or not, when my husband was an floor installer, I lived with plywood floors for over a year. When friends would come over, they would sign and date the plywood, so we ended up living with a wonderful custom plywood floor with permanent marker autographs all over. I have to say it was original and unique!)

I made a trip to a local specialty floor store yesterday and discovered tiles, carpet, wood flooring and accent rugs all grouped together in a cohesive designer motif that takes all the guess work and agonizing out of the whole process. After all, the designers went to school to learn form, function, scale, and colour. They can sure help us out with their knowledge and help with the creativeness and uniqueness of the experience of putting together your “look”. Some people have very distinct ideas of what they want and others agonize. I’m in the category of agonizing….but when it’s said and done, I can say I did it myself. And that’s part of my job here at Take Us For Granite – helping people achieve that satisfaction of creating a unique look for their living spaces. Whichever way you get there, let’s all….

Granite the Planet,

Lee

Take Us For Granite, Inc

Bring in the dozers!!

Bad news – I’m one step further away from my perfect kitchen….we’ve decided to demolish and start anew. That may be a good thing, because I had a client the other day that is putting in exactly what I want into her kitchen, and she picked a different granite than I would, St Cecilla. I love Bianco Antiquo, now I’m thinking…..hmmm….St Cecilla would look perfect! I could go with this colour scheme, or I could go with that colour scheme….or that one. The choices are really endless. It’s really amazing how you can introduce colour into your home and carry it through to other things. Or you can pick a non-colour, and then your palette is anything you want whenever you feel like changing it.

The St Cecilla that we have in stock is just gorgeous! It actually reminds me of a chocolate bar – nougat, vanilla cream and chocolate all rolled up into a cohesive pattern that looks great enough to taste! (Do you ever notice how names of food always makes its way into your life? At one time, we had a dog named Smokey and a cat named Kit Kat! – yes, our kids have normal names!)

The trends right now seem to be very non-colour, meaning that you don’t see a lot of primary colours in the design mags. Nor do I see them in my friend’s places, either. However, I could just be coloured out, considering my last home had yellow walls all over and my husband was the only man I knew that had an old rose bedroom, even if he did call it pink. My kids had blue bedrooms – my daughter picked neon blue and my son picked out midnight blue. The only difference I could tell was when I opened the drapes to clean them. Otherwise they were dark blue caves. So I am ready for some neutral tranquility in my life, and then keep it open so that when I’m ready for colour, I can bring in whatever I want.

Or I could go with Bordeaux granite, a mellow red wine with cream crystals and black accents. Just beautiful, and I wouldn’t have to worry about colour schemes ever again! But I get ahead of myself, bring on the dozers!

Granite the Planet, Lee

St Cecilia