Easy & Creative Kitchen Remodeling Ideas

When given the chance to remodel an area of one’s house, the kitchen is usually the first one that is chosen because it is where a lot of the family spends quite a few hours of their day. All of their meals are here, homework is done at the kitchen table, the preparations for meals are done here, and meetings are held here with various people from kids to traveling in-laws.
Aside from the living or dining room, this place is the most used room in the house. So, to have it remodeled is a great idea, especially if the house is more than 10 years old, the kitchen will definitely need updating, because of all the new energy saving ovens, stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers, and microwaves that are now available. If one is planning to sell their home soon, remodeling the kitchen would add value to the house and add to the functionality of the kitchen.
Most people like to update their kitchen cabinetry at least once a decade. This gives them the chance to keep their kitchen in style because styles do not change that rapidly in home decor and it can be expensive. The first thing to consider when updating the cabinetry is the quality of the cabinets. It would not do to have cabinets that got wet one time and the facing began to peel off of it.
So, ask for the cabinets that can endure a lot of water and liquids, because there will be spills and they will not just be the typical glass of water. There will be soda pop, juice, milk, and a variety of other liquids spilt on the cabinets that could possibly strip away its beauty. A good question to ask the sales associate in the store before buying any cabinets is: Will these cabinets be stripped if lemon juice, vinegar or soup is split on it? If the answer is yes, try to pick something else.
Another quality consideration is the temperature of your kitchen. How hot does it usually get when cooking? Does the oven turn into a melting point that causes everything, including you to sweat? If so, consider the damage that could do to your new cabinets. Would you really want to have to replace them in a year or so because they are so warped from the heat that you cannot open them? Ask the sales associate what temperature heat the cabinets can withstand before they warp or are damaged.
When remodeling, one needs to consider the option of having custom cabinets made versus buying cabinets off of the showroom floor. Sure, the custom cabinets will look amazing in the kitchen and should be made of materials that are strong enough to handle the abuse of your kitchen, but will the debt of those custom cabinets be paid off before you are ready to renovate the kitchen again? With standard cabinets, you can afford to buy them and install them without breaking the bank. So, keep your budget in mind when shopping around for new cabinets.…

Great Ways to Shop at a Kitchen Store

If you love your kitchen, you could probably wander through a kitchen store for days. In your mind, you’ll be trying out tile, countertops, and cabinets in your own kitchen, preparing for yet another remodel. This isn’t always a healthy or smart way to shop, though, especially if you ever want to actually get that remodel done. Before you head to the kitchen store the next time around, try one of these shopping methods to help you complete your trip more quickly and get to the remodeling part even faster.
On some trips, you really do just need to look around. This is true if you’re getting ready to do a kitchen remodel but aren’t quite sure what you want to do. In this case, take a notebook. If the store manager will let you, take a camera to snap some pictures, as well. If you’re going to paint your kitchen, grab some paint chips from the hardware store to take along, as well. On this trip, all you’re doing is gathering ideas and taking notes on the colors, textures, and particular items that you like best. Make sure you’re descriptive enough that you can actually remember what you were looking at when you wrote down your notes!
Once you know what you need, it’s time to start making lists before your next trip to the kitchen store. If you’re like a lot of people, your remodel will go in stages. You’ll probably head to the store more than a couple of times during a full remodeling session. Think through all the things you need to do and the order in which you need to do them. If, for instance, you’re painting your cabinets and replacing countertops, you’ll probably need to rip out the old countertops and then paint the cabinets before replacing the countertops again.
Either way, at this point, you should be going into the kitchen store armed with a detailed list of everything you need. Write down measurements, quantities, and as much other information as you can. This way, you get just what you need, and you don’t have to come back to the store when you aren’t ready to be back there quite yet. This will make the remodeling process work more quickly so that you can get your kitchen function and beautiful before you know it.…

Raise Your Home’s Value With Home Improvement

If you’re going to sell your home or simply want to raise its value there are multiple things that you can do.
However the most overlooked but most effective method available to you is to improve your home. Home improvements can add immense value to your home especially in the bathrooms and kitchens. These two areas are the most important areas in a home when it comes to everyday living and customizing them can add immense value.
One of the reasons for this is that there are thousands of homes made by name brands all across the country. All of these are identical in design to the others of the same model so their initial resell value is low. Any home improvements add to the individuality and value of a home but really large scale improvements can add value in the range of tens of thousands of dollars.
Let’s take a look at the bathroom for starters. Most homes come with a toilet, a sink with a cabinet, and a tub that also doubles as a shower. This is the standard bathroom and while it is functional it is not very desirable. You have many areas in this room to improve upon but most choose to do something about the shower. If you have the funding, time, patience and skills you can convert your typical shower tub into a very relaxing and inviting area.
Most often people will replace the traditional tub with a hot tub, install new tiling, install a new shower system, and possibly add glass doors or metal railings. These are not uncommon items and are by far not the most expensive to purchase. However if done properly it can increase the value of your home.
The next area to look at is the kitchen. Kitchens are standardized with many drawers, cabinets, a stove, and a place for a fridge. While you will not be deviating from this, the goal is to simply enhance the effect. Installing new cabinets, drawers, flooring, wallpaper, and a center table if you have the room can do wonders for a home. Another item that works for any room in a home is the lighting.
Lighting can make boring rooms grand and bad lighting can make impressive rooms abysmal. While it’s all just beams of light and not actual renovation the proper lighting can make all the difference when modifying a room. It’s always best to examine this area first before making any changes to your home. The idea is to take the route that will raise the value at a price point you can afford.
Raising a home’s value can be done through an assortment of ways but home improvement is the best route. Changing the lighting, replacing tiling, and upgrading rooms can increase the value of your home tremendously. Remember that before you give up hope on increasing your home’s value to take a look at your local home remodeling contractor, with their help you may be inspired to make changes.…

Affordable Bathroom Remodeling Contractor

If you are searching for the best bathroom remodeling, service in Denver CO area, there are some important things you need to keep in mind. The first thing that you need to understand is that remodeling the bathroom isn’t an easy task. There are several things that need to be done, which will take a good amount of time to accomplish. There are also several experts in the industry who can help you out with bathroom remodeling. You need to take the right step at the right time to do the bathroom remodel.
The most difficult part of the bathroom modification is space management and utilization. If the bathroom is small, getting all the bathroom items in that small place becomes a great challenge. First, you would think of the bath tub and they you would try and arrange all the other items around it. Although this is a conventional method of designing the bathroom, there are some newer, innovative ways to adding value and aesthetic appeal to your bathroom.
Good Tips For Selecting The Best Remodeling Contractor
When you take the decision of complete bathroom modification, you will have to get complete take apart the old bathroom items first. If you have only one bathroom in the house, you will have to involve the other family members as well. You and your family members can sit and discuss what will go where in the bathroom. Finding a good solution for the bathroom modification is always a welcome. If you find yourself at odds with the rest of your family members arrive at consensus by accepting some of their suggestions. If you are the homemaker and you feel that a certain design would work best in the long run, feel free to take the decisions yourself.
You may have to take ideas from experts, but it is not recommended to do all what they say. You need to have a good judgement of what is good and what is not so good for your bathroom. You will need the professional help of a trained plumber for the fittings of the bathroom items such as the bath tubs, bathroom vanities, bathroom cabinets, and so on. Before zeroing in on the various bathroom items, make sure that they will fit in the bathroom. If you are not aware of the design aspects, get help from a good bathroom modification service in Denver CO area.
When taking professional help, make sure to understand the layout of the bathroom. The bathroom modification expert will chalk out a plan, which you will approve. Check out the local newspapers for the names and contact numbers of some good plumbers. You will also find a good number of bathroom professionals on the Internet. These days, even new entrants in the field of bathroom design would make it look that they are in the field for years. So, put on your thinking cap and select the best bathroom expert not by what they say they can do, but by what they have done in the past.
A bathroom modification service in Denver CO area can cost you a lot, but you need to identify the best service that will give you the best rates. Cost of the service depends on several factors which include experience of the bathroom technicians and skills of the bathroom technicians.…

7 Signs You Might Need to Remodel Your Kitchen

Looking for one last nook or cranny for your dishes? Have you found yourself in your kitchen desperately needing more space for cooking? These are some typical signs that it may be time for a new kitchen. Here is a list of 7 signs that you may need to remodel your kitchen.

Counter Top Space – Are you constantly looking for space to do prep work in your kitchen? Has your kitchen island become the family’s mail room? According to the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), a Kitchen should have a minimum of 158″ (13 ft) of linear counter top space. But that’s just the minimum. Sometimes rearranging your appliances more efficiently can open up some counter top space. However if this is the case,you may want to consider removing walls to create a great room that contains your kitchen, living room and dining room. Opening walls also gives you creative options to create a kitchen island.

Outdated Appliances – Are your appliances the same as they were when the house was first built? This could be a very noticeable sign that your kitchen is starting to show its age, but more importantly could be costing you more money thank you might think. Recent advances in Green Technology have created a demand for energy efficient appliances that can save you time and money.

Kitchen Flow – You may be aware of the kitchen triangle (the distance between your stove, refrigerator, and sink) However, once again sometimes the minimum isn’t enough, especially if you there are more than one cooks in the house. Minimum aisle distances should be 36″ and the NKBA recommends 48″ in aisles if you plan on using multiple cooks in the kitchen. To create multiple cooking stations you can easily add a prep sink to create another work station. A well laid out plan should separate the cooking areas from the gathering areas of the home where guests and family socialize.

Outdated Cabinetry – If you’re living in a home built during 1970s or earlier, it probably goes without saying that you are constantly reminded it’s time for a kitchen remodel. The species of wood you choose for you cabinets set the tone of your kitchen. Choosing a new species can help update your kitchen drastically and immediately. Sometimes staining or painting is all you need to give your kitchen an updated look. Other times the damage may be to severe of the cabinet faces are really starting to show their age. Replacing cabinets usually means a complete kitchen remodel all around, but some things can be salvaged and reused like appliances or fixtures.

Lighting – Older incandescent light fixtures can give off ugly light and worst, cost you money. Recent “Green” trends in technology have created a high demand for energy efficient light bulbs. The best advancements in energy efficient lighting is the LED light. Typical light bulbs will last 900 hours, where an LED can last up to 30,000 hours. That’s 30 years at 3 hours a day. In addition, you can power 6 LED lights with same amount of energy it takes to power one incandescent bulb. LED lights are a great choice for any room in your home and can help update the feel of your kitchen.

Kitchen Location – If your kitchen is feeling like a dark closet tucked away in your home, you might want to consider opening the kitchen up. The best way to do this is knocking down walls to open up to the living room and dining room. Another alternative that may be more economical is adding a door to an outdoor patio. This can be a great way to entertain family and guests in an outdoor environment. A door opening the exterior needs to be a minimum of 34″ but this could be a good place to add sliding doors or french doors depending on the layout of your home.

Best Time for Kitchen Remodeling – Recent economic trends have lowered the cost in some areas of the remodeling industry. One area is the labor industry where costs have dropped 15-25% in some areas. Companies that have stayed healthy over the last 3-4 years have probably done so through excellent customer service. In addition, many remodeling companies have become efficient in 3D design. 3D design has become a game changer for remodeling companies and home owners. 3D design puts your in your kitchen remodel before construction begins. It also allows companies to put together accurate estimates so that you know exactly where your money is being spent. Because your dollar can go further with lower costs, 3D design, and excellent customer service, you can be sure that updating your kitchen now is a solid investment.…

Money Saving Bathroom Remodel

Bathroom remodeling doesn’t just have to be about updating the current look of your bathroom or improving the usability. It can be a great chance for you to implement some ways to conserve water and energy, while also choosing attractive yet environmentally-friendly options to remodel your bathroom. Remodeling your bathroom while being environmentally-friendly at the same time is entirely possible. We’ve put together some great green bathroom remodeling tips that you can consider when planning your bathroom remodel.
As might be expected, your bathroom uses a lot of water, mainly for the toilet and shower. However, it is possible to reduce that figure by a significant margin which can mean your water bill shrinks as a result. The major culprit in bathroom water consumption is of course the toilet, which accounts for a quarter or more of a household’s water usage. Installing a low-flow toilet probably won’t help this, since they can often end up using more water than before due to requiring multiple flushes. However, a dual-flush toilet is an excellent alternative that allows you to minimize the amount of water used per flush – it allows you to choose whether you want to use a minimal amount of water or the maximum amount of water when flushing. As a result, a dual-flush toilet can save as much as 17,000 gallons per year. If you don’t want to replace the toilet entirely, your current toilet can also be upgraded to allow dual flushing.
When it comes to the shower, it generally does not use as much water as the toilet does, but it still accounts for 15-20% of a household’s water usage. You can cut back on this by installing a low-flowing showerhead, which uses 1.5 to 2 gallons per minute, as opposed to a high-flowing showerhead that uses 2.5 gallons per minute.
Choosing environmentally-friendly materials for your bathroom remodel is another way to go green but still have a great-looking bathroom in the end. Ceramic is a very popular green material for bathroom tiles that is attractive, durable and low-maintenance, while tiles crafted from recycled glass are also very environmentally friendly and attractive as well. Replacing light fixtures with LEDs will help save on energy costs over the long run since they use a very minimal amount of energy but can still output a good deal of light.
In addition to green remodeling materials and water-efficient fixtures, you can reduce your bathroom’s energy costs to help save money and minimize environmental impact. Your water heater can be wrapped with an insulator that helps reduce the amount of energy it needs to heat water and you can also insulate any exposed pipes connected to the water heater. It can also be a big help to turn the temperature down to 120 degrees from the standard 140 degrees a water heater is usually set at – this will still provide hot water but use less energy in the the time comes to replace your water heater, you have two excellent alternatives to a standard water heater. With a condensing water heater, almost all of the energy used goes to heating water – maximizing energy-efficiency. The other option is a tankless water heater, which heats water on demand, rather than using energy to keep water hot constantly.…

How to Choose a Bathroom Remodeler

Your bathroom is perhaps the most important room of your house. But most of the time it is neglected. While you decorate your bedroom and dining space, it’s sometimes essential to remodel the bathroom too. This not only adds beauty and enjoyment to your home, but also increases the value of your home if you wish to sell it in future.
However, remodeling your bathroom is not an easy task and can be costly too. You need to consider the flooring, paint, and other essentials like the sink, mirrors, showers, bath tubs and other accessories. If you’re not careful, you could easily end up with a bathroom that’s anything but what you had wanted it to be. So, it is of extreme importance to have a good plan in place before you begin.
Hiring a reputed bathroom remodeler makes a lot of sense in this regard. Not only do you ensure a cleaner and better installation that way, but also good quality accessories and a higher level of satisfaction. Here are the facilities a good company will provide you for bathroom remodeling:
* Easy and quick installation of the Sinks and Mirrors: Perhaps you have already purchased sinks and mirrors by your own. Many companies in the market will refuse to take your project because you haven’t bought the materials from their catalogs. However that should never be a problem with reputed and honest remodeling companies. No matter where you buy the products from, they will make sure that they are installed quickly and easily in the right way.
* Constructing the floors and walls: Regular use will change the surfaces of the tiles and ceramic over time, necessitating their replacement. An experienced service provider will give you an accurate estimate on the time required to finish your project. A bathroom is an absolute necessity in the house and a competent remodeling company will make sure that you are ready to use it again as soon as possible.
* Installing the perfect showers and bath tub: In some cases, the existing bath tub is measured and a new one is fitted over it, for a very quick remodeling. In other cases, the old bath tub is professionally cleaned to make it look like new again. Make sure that your appointed remodeler is taking care of all the scratches, chips, and water stains on the bath tub and the shower area. They will also use non-harmful and non-staining chemicals that both clean and disinfect.…