There’s nothing like having family home for the holidays to make you really notice all the home improvement projects you never quite got around to this year. Between crazy road work on Tassajara (which is finally ending) and the massive fire scare the area endured this year, it may have been difficult to find the motivation to get larger projects started. However, the holidays are the perfect time to step back and take a look at how your family uses your space, and dream up ways it can be improved.

The families I know who move to Dublin choose the city because of its great neighborhoods and luxurious new homes. But with an average house price of $800,000 (which is a cool half-million over the national average), people who buy here typically want to make sure that any home improvement projects provide two things: beauty and return on investment. 

Is your family feeling cramped in your current space? As kids grow up (or more come along), you might be mulling over a move to a larger home—and there’s certainly plenty of real estate on the market in Dublin right now. The Terrace Ridge real estate development is just one example of the many massive newer projects in the town, and 10,000, residential units have been built since 1994. Moving into one of Dublin's new homes can be an alluring option for growing families that need additional space, but sometimes the expense and logistical complexities of moving outweigh the advantages offered by the new house at this point in time. Before you pack up lock stock and barrel, why not reexamine creative ways to expand without expanding? Incorporating custom furniture solutions like the murphy bed into your home can make it feel as spacious as a new one.

Mike and Ashley Harris were turning a traditional, formal dining room in their Dublin, CA home into a billiards parlour room and needed a large built-in looking focal piece. It would be the first thing you see when opening their front door, and they wanted it to represent the feel of the room right away. The Harrises met with Jerry Archer, one of Valet's Senior Designers. Ashley stated, "After having Valet out to our home, we honestly didn't get any other quotes on the project. Jerry ensured us that our project would come to life just as we imagined and that there was not a problem working within our budget."

Jerry has been a Valet designer since 2001. Jerry works out of our Danville showroom and services our customers in the East Bay. He is very detail oriented, and his customers appreciate how he always goes the extra mile for them.