hhgregg Remodel

Sports venues across the country have new players on their fields as they host The Pro Expo, a 30 city tour event to help those in the design, building and remodeling industries build their business skills and help feed the hungry. Thermador and Bosch are two Fine Lines brands participating in these educational events sponsored by Pella Windows and Doors.

During the free events, attendees can obtain continuing education credits, learn about the latest products, services and tips to help build their business and support local food banks in partnership with The Salvation Army.

One of more than 20 brands on display, Thermador is the only kitchen appliance manufacturer taking part in the tour and will showcase five products, including a 48-in. Pro Series Harmony dual-fuel range and hood, 36-in. Pro Series Freedom French door refrigerator and 24-in. Pro Series Emerald and Pro Series Sapphire dishwashers.

Training and educational credits will be offered in partnership with the National Association of The Remodeling Industry (NARI), National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and American Institute of Architects (AIA). Sessions will cover proper window installation, marketing ideas, construction tips, trends, and green building.

Events will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. showcasing products, services and the latest building practices.

Events scheduled in hhgregg and Fine Lines states:
March 4 — Atlanta, Turner Field
March 9 — Charlotte, N.C., Bank of America Stadium
March 16 — Richmond, Va., Richmond Int’l Raceway
March 30 — Philadelphia, Citizens Bank Park*
April 6 — Pittsburgh, PNC Park*
April 20 — Columbus, Ohio, Schottenstein Center
April 27 — Cincinnati, Ohio, Great American Ball Park
April 29 — Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland Browns Stadium

hhgregg will open six new stores in the Harrisburg, PA and Wilkes-Barre, PA markets this Spring.

hhgregg Fine Lines has been cooking up some yummy recipes lately.  Featuring full entrees and simple desserts, Leslie Meredith posts her favorite recipes every Wednesday on the Fine Lines Blog.

This week?  Bon Mercredi: French Dessert Crepes - easy enough your child can make!

Below are some of the most recent recipes shared.  Visit the hhgregg Fine Lines Blog every Wednesday for new recipes each week!

Rustic Italian Bread
Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Berries
Nachos Supreme with Three Cheeses (or 4!)
Sweet Potoato Biscuits and Smithfield Ham

hhgregg Fine Lines provides high-end appliances with experienced professional sales consultants, state of the art showrooms, and expansive product selection and exclusive white glove delivery and installation services.

If you're ready to build a new home or remodel your kitchen, start your new kitchen's design at hhgregg Fine Lines.  Find an hhgregg Fine Lines near you!

Wolf and Sub-Zero have just posted the rough cut of the HGTV Dream Home 2010 on their Facebook fan page. The home is located in the high desert of New Mexico, an isolated site that sets this classic Pueblo home in high relief against the desert sky. Although we won't find many examples of Pueblo architecture in the midwest or south, lessons from this home may be applied to any contemporary style.

"Modern design has to be complemented by applilances with modern functionality," says spokesperson for Dream Home 2010. For the past five years, Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances have been selected for the HGTV Dream Home, and the tradition continues with this year's choice of appliances.

The Dream House kitchen has more than 60-inches of cooking surface including a gas cooktop, an induction cooktop that uses 50 percent less energy than its gas counterpart, and a steamer for healthy food preparation. In addition to the expected warming drawers, the kitchen has a microwave drawer. Not sure how practical that would be for liquids, but I like the idea of a "hidden" microwave.

The kitchen also has two Sub-Zero refrigerators with under the unit pull-out freezer drawers. Each refrigerator uses less energy than one 100 watt light bulb.

I was struck by the exceptional use of glass tiles set in aluminum in this kitchen, design techniques that could be applied to many kitchen styles. Note the trio of colors: vanilla, aqua and grays. They're easy on the eyes, reflective, and add a welcome splash of color that blends well with the view through the windows. The tiles are used liberally throughout the space, from backsplash to accent wall. I also liked the lower island which provided seating and workspace at the height of standard chairs, rather than stools which would have blocked the view.

Fine Lines is the place for a comprehensive selection from Wolf and Sub-Zero. Better yet, each Fine Lines location features fully built-out kitchens, so visitors can see how the appliances fit into a living space, often difficult to do when your kitchen remodel is at the bare stud stage.

If you're looking for a new appliance in Cleveland, now is a great time to come by hhgregg.  Not only could you qualify for an energy saver rebate, but you will also get free delivery and haul-away on any appliance $497 and up.


If you're looking for something smaller this holiday season, check out one of these compact wine refrigerators for a terrific deal. This Danby Designer 17-bottle wine cooler not only makes a great gift, but it is also affordable and timely for storing your New Year's wine inventory.
 

The Fine Lines in Charlotte is hosting a trade show for some of the top cabinet and counter companies, along with some of the best kitchen designers in the business. This event is open to the public and offers significant savings on exceptional appliances at Fine Lines.

Even if you are not currently in the market to remodel your kitchen, you may have your eye on a new TV or washer and dryer. Bring this invitation into the store on Saturday, December 5 for savings as exceptional as the appliances. Savings will also be extended to a full suite of kitchen appliances.

The event includes three live cooking demonstrations along with a complementary coffee and expresso bar hosted by The Java Passage.

Drop by anytime between 11:00 AM and 3PM. See the best from manufacturers, talk to designers and builders, and get some tips for holiday entertaining. Feel free to extend this invitation to friends, family and neighbors. It’s a wonderful way to start the holiday season.

hhgregg Fine Lines presents The Ultimate Kitchen Remodeling Event.  Visit with Kitchen Designers, Factory Appliance Reps, Fine Lines experts and enjoy hors d'oeuvres and cocktails.

PLUS - Register to WIN a Golf & Spa get-away to sunny Arizona!


Come see the latest and greatest in kitchen appliances and meet remodelers, Kitchen Designers, Architects, Interior Designers, builders and appliance experts all in the Ultimate Kitchen Show.  Sub-Zero, the leader in refrigeration, has created beautiful new food storage designs, along with innovative water and air filtration systems.  Wolf is Sub-Zero's cooking appliance soul-mate.  And as such, every unit provides the very best in styling, performance and durability, down to the last detail.

hhgregg Fine Lines presents The Ultimate Kitchen Remodeling Event.  Visit with Kitchen Designers, Factory Appliance Reps, Fine Lines experts and enjoy hors d'oeuvres and cocktails.

PLUS - Register to WIN a Golf & Spa get-away to sunny Arizona!


Come see the latest and greatest in kitchen appliances and meet remodelers, Kitchen Designers, Architects, Interior Designers, builders and appliance experts all in the Ultimate Kitchen Show.  Sub-Zero, the leader in refrigeration, has created beautiful new food storage designs, along with innovative water and air filtration systems.  Wolf is Sub-Zero's cooking appliance soul-mate.  And as such, every unit provides the very best in styling, performance and durability, down to the last detail.

Good news from Sub-Zero today, news that may signal an economic recovery in 2010 was . Increased demand for Sub-Zero and Wolf products has prompted the company to add
a second production shift at its factory in Fitchburg, Wis. The company had cut 300 employees from the 1,350 Wisconsin facility, turning a two-shift operation into a 40-hour-a-week schedule, but will now add 165 jobs to the plant in anticipation of increased demand next year.

Not only will Madison benefit, but Kentucky as well. Sub-Zero just finished a new factory in Kentucky and is looking to hire 100 workers to build dishwashers, a new appliance line for this upscale manufacturer, a favorite at Fine Lines stores.

"For the first time in more than a year, home sales and home remodeling projects are steadily picking up, and our distributors and dealers are reporting increased interest and demand for our appliances," said Chuck Verri, Sub-Zero and Wolf's vice president for human resources. "We've been in this business for more than 60 years, and we've successfully weathered other economic downturns. We're cautiously optimistic that the industry and the economy will continue to recover, and so we've positioned ourselves to rebound quickly as we come out of this recessionary period."

Hiring usually picks up long after a recovery is under way, but though Sub-Zero hiring may break from the pattern, no one is complaining.

Last week I attended a global shipping conference in New Orleans and heard the guarded outlook from senior economist Scott Frisby from Moffatt & Nichol. In summary, consumers took a big step down in spending, which is likely to last. U.S. manufacturing capacity just above 60%, not good. Manufacturing will continue to be sent offshore to countries with younger and cheaper labor rates. The U.S. workforce is aging: today the average worker is 42 years old, commanding higher rates than younger counterparts. Not inspiring.

So you can imagine my delight in seeing this announcement from Sub-Zero and Wolf,  just days after my return:

Increased demand for Sub-Zero and Wolf products has prompted the company to add a second production shift at its factories in Fitchburg, Wis., and Phoenix, Arizona, the Madison-based appliance manufacturer announced today. The company had implemented a production and workforce cut earlier in the year due to the economic recession.

“For the first time in more than a year, home sales and home remodeling projects are steadily picking up, and our distributors and dealers are reporting increased interest and demand for our appliances,” said Chuck Verri, Sub-Zero and Wolf’s vice president for human resources. “We’ve been in this business for more than 60 years, and we’ve successfully weathered other economic downturns. We’re cautiously optimistic that the industry will continue to recover, and so we’ve positioned ourselves to rebound quickly as we come out of this recessionary period.”

The company has called back approximately 40 hourly employees at its Arizona plant, and 165 in Wisconsin, and will hire 60 additional salaried positions. The hiring effort will take full effect in November for hourly employees and will continue over the next six months for salaried positions.

Maybe reaction is best summed up by Sub-Zero, Wolf Facebook fan Kathy Mullins, “More made in USA YAY!! YAY for Sub Zero!!!!!”

Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances are available through Fine Lines.

A full refrigerator and freezer is far more energy efficient than ones that are half empty.

Each time you open your refrigerator or freezer doors, cold air escapes and warm air flows in. The majority of the energy these appliances use goes toward cooling the air that came each time you opened the doors.

When the refrigerator and freezer are full, there is less room for warm air to sweep in and there less air to cool. A full refrigerator and freezer mean lower energy bills.

But what do you do if you just don’t need all that food?

Wasted food offsets any energy savings, so here are some non-food items to stock up on when you’ve missed the grocery run or the kids are away at school.

What to Use to Fill Your Freezer for Energy Efficiency

Newsprint: That plain paper you buy to pack items for a move, can be used to take up space in the refrigerator. Consolidate your food items on one shelf and stuff the others with clean paper.

Bags of shipping peanuts: It’s back to the moving supply store for this one, or save the peanuts from boxes you receive. These take up lots of room in mostly empty freezers, and the bags can be molded to fit the spaces.

Ziplock bags filled with water:
An easy and clean way to fill the empty space. Alternately, use bags of ice in the freezer, it’s efficient and you’ll have extra ice if you need it.

Reusable plastic to-go containers filled with water: These stack up like building blocks, and are easy to take in and out, and good for filling small spaces in your freezer and refrigerator.

Milk jugs filled with water: If you'd like to reuse, instead of recycle, your milk jugs, this is a great use for them. We talked about the problem with plastics earlier, and this is a great way to put those plastic milk containers to a green use.

Hhgregg offers a wide selection of eco-friendly refrigerator and freezer combinations and standalone freezers. Look for Energy Star Rated appliances for the best energy savings. Once you’ve got your new appliances installed, extend your green effort by filling your new refrigerator and freezer with both food and nonfood items for maximum energy efficiency.

Last year's categories included:
Advocate of the Year: Builder, Remodelor, Individual, Group and State/Local Government
Green Project of the Year: Single-Family, Remodeling and Multifamily
Green Development of the Year
Green Home Building Program of the Year

• Single-family Remodeling Project of the Year: Honors went to Red-B Construction for a Durham, N.C., home with striking design and extensive use of deconstruction techniques that improve resource efficiency.
• Multifamily Remodeling Project of the Year: Hardwick G.C. Inc. of Orlando, Fla., turned an early 20th-century bungalow into a charming duplex that has a rainwater harvesting system, native landscaping and other water-efficient features.

NAHB offers extensive resources for builders through their NAHB Green Building Program  including the NAHB Green Scoring Tool, NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines and essential educational links. The site also provides information for consumers looking for green builders, reminding homeowners:
Whether building from the ground up or remodeling a kitchen, responsible homeowners should choose Energy-Star Rated appliances, not only will they save on their own monthly budget resources, but save our community resources as well.

*hhgregg states include Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Kentucky. This fall hhgregg will welcome Virginia and Mississippi.

Each year, NAHB honors excellence in green residential design, construction practices and outstanding green advocacy efforts. Though a formal call for entries has not yet been released, NAHB urges builders and designers to consider their entries. The deadline for 2010 entries is January 15, 2010, which will be upon us sooner than we think. The award gala will be held on May 17, 2010 in Raleigh, North Carolina, an hhgregg state.*

Contact NAHB’s Chad Riedy at greenawards@nahb.com for details.

Last year's categories included:

• Advocate of the Year: Builder, Remodelor, Individual, Group and State/Local Government
• Green Project of the Year: Single-Family, Remodeling and Multifamily
• Green Development of the Year
• Green Home Building Program of the Year

Last year’s award winners included the following from hhgregg states*:

• Single-family Remodeling Project of the Year: Honors went to Red-B Construction for a Durham, N.C., home with striking design and extensive use of deconstruction techniques that improve resource efficiency.
• Multifamily Remodeling Project of the Year: Hardwick G.C. Inc. of Orlando, Fla., turned an early 20th-century bungalow into a charming duplex that has a rainwater harvesting system, native landscaping and other water-efficient features.

NAHB offers extensive resources for builders through their NAHB Green Building Program  including the NAHB Green Scoring Tool, NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines and essential educational links. The site also provides information for consumers looking for green builders, reminding homeowners:

Whether building from the ground up or remodeling a kitchen, responsible homeowners should choose Energy Star Rated appliances, not only will they save on their own monthly budget resources, but save our community resources as well.

*hhgregg states include Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Kentucky. This fall hhgregg will welcome Virginia and Mississippi.

In the annual Milan Furniture Fair,  Whirlpool supplied the appliances for a stunningly green kitchen designed by Elmar, a well known Italian design firm. Whirlpool, a leading brand at hhgregg, took the opportunity to showcase its 6th Sense Technology, which minimizes the use of water, energy and time.

 

Whirlpool's contribution to this exhibit went beyond the important use of Energy Star Rated appliances by incorporating eco-friendly technology to integrate the appliances and the other functions of the kitchen. Wasted heat and water is always a source of concern in the kitchen. Whirlpool captured used wasted water and heat from one appliance to power another appliance. For example, warm refrigerator coils were used to heat water for the dishwasher. Water was also captured from the dishwasher, recycled and used to water the wall of plants and spices. The Whirlpool green designer kitchen diverts 60% of the water and heat generated from appliances to fuel other appliances, resulting in an average savings of 24% in fuel costs.

 

As homeowners, we can take our cue from Whirlpool. Our first step is to look for Energy Star Rated appliances when it's time to replace a range, dishwasher or refrigerator. hhgregg makes it easy to find these appliances online and in the store. Just ask.

Go the extra mile. If you're considering a kitchen remodel, talk to your designer or contractor about additional ways to make your kitchen greener through recapturing heat and water for reuse between appliances.

For a simple, do-it-yourself improvement, consider adding plants to your design. A wall adjacent to a sunny window provides an opportunity for a hanging kitchen garden. You'll have greens and herbs within steps of the food prep area, fresher air and a tangible testament to your family's eco-friendly effort.

hhgregg is helping make new appliances affordable and attainable despite current economic conditions.  Not only is everything $99 & up on sale, but you'll receive 12 months no interest* on all appliances $397 & up from Amana, Bosch, Electrolux, JennAir, KitchenAid, LG, Maytag, Samsung, Whirlpool and all front-load washers, dryers and all stainless steel products from Frigidaire.

You'll also pay no interest 'til 2011* on GE refrigerators $997+, GE laundry $497+, GE cooking $597+ and GE dishwashers $397+.

Stop by your local hhgregg store to speak with one of our expert sales associates or browse our highlighted offers in your Sunday and Thursday papers or the hhgregg Sales Guide online at www.hhgregg.com.

*Offers subject to credit approval. See store for details.

Enter on the 48th floor with floor-to-ceiling windows framing a view of Central Park. But don’t get distracted. Today it’s right on to the kitchen. Along with twin dishwashers, a Thermador range, Thermador refrigerator, built-in cappuccino maker, convection oven and steam over, our dream apartment also has a kitchenette upstairs full outfitted with our favorite Thermador appliances.

Now it may not be time to call the realtor, but a second kitchen on an upper or floor or down below alongside a home theater area, can be a useful addition to today’s home. Second, third or even fourth kitchens are a growing trend in new home design and renovation.  Also referred to as satellite kitchens, mini-kitchens or entertaining kitchens, such an addition is no longer relegated to Fifth Avenue.

Even the merely affluent are indulging in satellite "mini-kitchens," an increasingly popular option in luxury production homes. A fully equipped second kitchen will add $10,000 to the cost of a new home; for a restaurant-style kitchen, the price tag can run into six figures. Jessica Fabricant, a spokeswoman for high-end residential builder Taylor Woodrow Homes Inc., Laguna Hills, Calif., says, "10% to 15% of the company's clients spend an extra $5,000 to $7,000 for a kitchen outpost that includes a microwave, sink and small refrigerator. "

And it’s no stretch of the imagination that, like a kitchen remodel, a second kitchen will hold its value. If you’re ready for fall inspiration, do visit a Fine Lines showroom. You’ll find Thermador, Wolf, Sub-Zero and the other brands found in luxury homes throughout the country.

According to Sub-Zero, it’s not hard to be green. It’s their tradition and while it may not literally be in their blood, it definitely spells out in their products. Even their largest refrigerator, the Sub-Zero PRO 48, uses less energy than a 100-watt lightbulb. Pretty impressive, especially when compared to other models of similar size.

Others think so too. The ImagePower Green Brands Survey listed Sub-Zero as No. 6 of the greenest companies among names like Honday, G.E. and Trader Joe’s. Sub-Zero’s commitment to green means you get products that won’t hurt the environment, but have a higher standard of quality too. Not just because it comes from Sub-Zero, but because every inch of your new appliance has been looked at for innovative ways to make it run and work better for you and the environment.

Go to any Fine Lines store to learn more about Sub-Zero products and see if they’ll work in your home.