Rosenthal Homes Bethesda, Md. Building custom is all about satisfying clients’ special needs and requests. Right now, Rosenthal Homes is building two houses with kosher kitchens, which can require two of just about everything. “I came back from [the International Builders’ Show] having seen the new KitchenAid dish drawers,” with two dishwashers in one unit, she said. “Our clients are very excited about it.” She also saw Sharp’s microwave drawer at the show, which she plans to use in the basement kitchen of a project under construction.
Another Rosenthal project includes a kitchen for a caterer who wants extra refrigeration in the garage where it could shut down during very cold weather, spoiling the food inside. She also found the solution to this problem at IBS: Whirlpool’s Gladiator GarageWorks refrigerator/freezer units specially insulated for the conditions in a garage.
Natural stone is a big trend in Rosenthal’s market, but sometimes it can undo a disciplined budget. To cut costs, Rosenthal installed porcelain tile that looks like slate for the master bath of a recent project. “Even the architect couldn’t tell the difference,” she relates. A computer-generated photographic technique gives the tile a highly realistic and varied look.
Rosenthal is seeing much more demand among her clients for showers with multiple jets, but less demand for whirlpool tubs. Showers are getting bigger to accommodate two people and usually have a rain-shower overhead, six jets, and a hand-held shower for each person. “We’ve learned that this is the equivalent of running five showers at once, so now we put two hot water heaters in the house.”
