Home Improvement

Bathroom Renovations are Nothing Like You See on TV

There are no shortage of home improvement shows on television, in fact there is a whole network devoted to them. Not only are they entertaining, they provide some great design ideas for when you want to do renovations on your own home. What they don’t do…is show you what a home renovation is really like. The truth is bathroom renovations are nothing like you see on TV.

We are all entertained when a home renovation falls completely apart because of poor planning or because you have taken an instant dislike to the homeowner featured on the program. Bear in mind next time you watch that bathroom remodeling is a big project and when it is your own money on the line it’s no longer a laughing matter. So you need to plan and plan well for your renovation.

Reality Versus Television

When you watch a home improvement show they often start with the “vision”, that is the homeowner’s wish list of things they would like to have when the renovation is over. Big ostentatious projects make for good television, but in the real world the project is going to start with the budget. Every home reno project is determined by how much money you have to spend. Start with what you need before looking at what you want. Here is some help in determining your renovation budget.

Marketability

When you watch home reno shows they tend to renovate a space with trendy and edgy styles. It looks good and was done by a professional designer but if you’re looking to sell your home in the future this may not work for you. When you renovate to sell you need to keep future buyers in mind and make sure that the home appeals to the widest audience possible. Remember it is kitchens and bathrooms that sell houses. So renovate your bathroom to sell.

Working with Contractors

Most home improvement shows have their own contractors on staff and one guy seems to handle all aspects of the renovation. In the real world that is rarely the case. You will usually have to hire a plumber, a general contractor and a tile guy. You may have one general contractor overseeing everything but there will be more than one crew working on your bathroom. Coordinating all of this is no easy task either, and working with that many contractors may leave you wanting to tear your hair out.

While TV can give you some great ideas for renovating your bathroom, the shows are a far cry from reality. If you want a quality bathroom remodel, hire a solid contractor and work with them closely.

January 16, 2018 0 comment

Kitchens

Small Kitchen Upgrades for Big Impact

written by Alyssa Hawkins

The kitchen is the heart of the home but when it comes to renovations it will take the bulk of your budget to renovate. Renovations can cost a small fortune and leave your kitchen out of commission for weeks on end. What if you can’t afford that kind of budget? There are small kitchen upgrades that make a big impact, you can make your renovation dollars go farther.

What can you do to give your kitchen a facelift and bring it into the current decade? If you are looking at selling your home, buyers can often tell the age of your home by the style of your kitchen. If you still have wall paper or border in your kitchen, it’s time for a change. You can put a nice coat of paint on those walls and right away your kitchen will look 100 times better. Let’s have a look at other small kitchen upgrades that make a big impact.

Refinish the cabinets

Most big kitchen renos involve getting a whole new set of cabinets. That is a big expensive and time consuming job. If you cabinets are structurally sound then refinishing the cabinets may be the solution. It can be time consuming but it is relatively cheap and you can do all the work yourself. If that remains a project that is out of range for you then simply change up the hardware. There are thousands of cabinet handles and drawer pulls that will change the look of your outdated kitchen. Double check and make sure that you get the right sizes with any new hardware.

New Faucets

If you can’t replace the whole sink then consider getting a new kitchen faucet. Find one that also offers a veggie sprayer, you can get them in lots of different colors and designs. You’ll be wondering why you didn’t do this much sooner.

Countertops

Hate your old countertops? If you absolutely hate your old countertops but can’t afford that beautiful granite that you love that’s okay there is a compromise. There is the option of fitting new counters over the old. If that doesn’t work for you there are special paints that you can get to cover your old countertops, be brave and try a bold new color.

Lighting

You don’t need to bring in an electrician to replace that outdated light fixture, there are lots of fabulous new styles that you can put in yourself fairly easily. Brighten up the room with some new lights.

You don’t have to hang on to that old ugly kitchen, there is plenty you can do to spruce it up today!

January 12, 2018 0 comment