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Should You Always Go With the Lowest Quote for Your Kitchen Renovations?

As consumers we often use the price of a product or service to determine its relative worth, by judging a highly priced item to be luxurious and decadent, as well as reliable and durable. It makes sense, then, to stop and think before you choose the lowest quote for your kitchen renovations. While getting a home improvement project finished way under budget is always an exciting prospect, you also need to consider the extended life of your kitchen renovation, and the impact it will have on your daily cooking habits and lifestyle.
Cheap contractors and designers need to cut costs somewhere, after all, and that might mean that your budget kitchen renovation is completed using weak and unstable materials and dodgy time saving techniques. To properly judge the price estimates given to you by prospective contractors, you need to have a good idea of the costs involved in an average kitchen renovation and a firm set of requirements for your perfect space.
You should also ask your kitchen renovation professionals about the techniques, processes and materials they plan to use, which make up the quote given to you. You can then evaluate these methods instead of just making a blind judgement based on monetary costs. The price of a kitchen renovation can be significantly cut, for example, by re-finishing and reusing elements and materials from your existing space. In this case a low price estimate could still indicate a high quality construction project.
You also need to weigh up the different pros and cons offered to you in each quote given to you by a home interiors designer. While a ‘green’ or environmentally friendly builder might give you a very high quote in comparison to other contractors, the price might be worth the budgetary compromise as the construction of your kitchen renovation will have less of an impact on the environment and will consume less energy in the future.
To make sure that your contractors and designers aren’t adding in hidden costs anywhere in your quote, you can use an online building costs calculator to find an unbiased estimate for the entire project. These automated estimators can include the cost of contractor services, of various materials and include product prices such as appliances or a particular cabinetry system in the final figure given to you.
Remember that the cost of your kitchen renovation will largely depend on the style you prefer for your home, so it is important to use a consistent design brief to find a contractor that offers the best value for money service.…

Should You Install a Shower Stall?

Most homes in America have a bathtub that doubles as a shower. Not that many homes have a separate shower stall and a separate bathtub. You may be remodeling your bathroom and feel that it would be a nice option to have a separate shower stall rather than a combined shower/bath.
Your first consideration when thinking of installing a separate shower stall in addition to your bathtub is whether you have enough room. If you are doing a major bathroom remodel then you can plan it down on paper, all the measurements of the various items like the shower, bath, toilet and cabinets so that you can fit these items in your bathroom.
If you’re not doing a major bathroom remodel, you’ll have to evaluate any spare space you have in the bathroom, measure it up, and do some research to find a shower stall with those dimensions that will fit easily into the bathroom.
Once you have your measurements for your new shower stall it’s time to go shopping. You can find complete shower stalls at most home improvement stores. These usually come with a molded shower floor and walls and the shower door. These all in one shower stalls are quite easy to install as everything you need is built into it.
However you may want to make use of the tiles you’ve already got laid on your bathroom floor and use those as the shower floor. You’d obviously have to put in a drain and build up the sides of the area to create the base of the shower, and then buy some sliding doors to finish it off.
This entails a lot more work than just buying the all in one shower stall, so it comes down to weighing up the amount of money you have to spend versus the amount of time you have to build a shower from the ground up yourself, or have it done for the professionally.…

Bathroom Remodeling – 8 Things to Consider When Planning a Bathroom Renovation

Bathroom remodeling has the second highest return on investment of any renovation you can do in your home. It is right next to kitchen remodeling for ROI.
A bathroom remodel can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars, to tens of thousands. It all depends on your budget, your home and your goals.
No matter what your budget, you have 2 goals with a bathroom remodel. To increase its beauty and to increase its function.
Here are 8 areas you need to consider whether you are thinking about just freshening up, or completely renovating your bathroom. The great thing about this list is you can choose to do 1, 2, or all of them in any combination, and still make a big impact on your bathrooms usability and look.
Cabinets
The first thing you are going to notice when you walk into your new bathroom, are the cabinets. New cabinets will improve your bathroom almost instantly.
Cabinet prices range a lot, from cheap particle board to custom construction. But, you can usually find something quite elegant for a reasonable price if you shop around.
Hardware
Even if you can’t afford to upgrade your cabinetry, new hardware will make a huge difference. Whether you have replaced your cabinetry or not, there are literally thousands of different items you can pick out to enhance your look.
It is amazing how a nice set of hardware will make even a mediocre cabinet look high end.
Fixtures
New bathroom fixtures, including faucets and sinks etc should be chosen to fit in with the style of the cabinetry and the overall look. You don’t want to put modern fixtures in with elegant old fashioned cabinetry and hardware.
Even if you can’t upgrade your cabinets, adding new fixtures, as long as they are a similar style, will make a big difference in the feel of your bathroom.
Flooring / Tile
There simply isn’t a better finish for a bathroom floor than tile. Usually bathrooms aren’t that large, so the cost difference over other options will not even be that significant. Its possible find inexpensive tile if you look around for sales. It is also possible to find very expensive, elegant tile, depending on your budget.
Another popular option is linoleum, but if you can find inexpensive tile, it will definitely have a bigger impact, for probably a similar cost.
Storage
Creating a storage wall is always a great investment. Bathrooms never seem to have enough storage, but by building a storage wall, you can get small items out of your way, and create an attractive display.
Mirror
Adding a big mirror to your bathroom will accomplish 2 things. First of all, it is a very practical addition, allowing you to get ready with ease. Second, it will make your small bathroom look larger.
Lighting
If your bathroom is bright, it doesn’t matter if it is small. It will feel bright and comfortable. There are many choices of different bathroom lights available starting at the very inexpensive and moving up to very extravagant.
Tub or Shower
In Panama, bath tubs are not very popular, but they are gaining acceptance. Whirlpool tubs are built in many different sizes and shapes. They will fit into any spot where an existing tub exists, and often even where there is an existing shower.
These 8 improvements can be done on their own, or in combination with a complete bathroom remodel. It all depends on your budget and goals. But, if you want to freshen up your bathroom, these are the 8 areas you need to think about.
The first thing you need to do is determine your budget. And then, look at each one of these items to decide which you can change, and which you can not.
A bathroom remodel, whether small or large, will make your home a much more enjoyable place to be. And it will make your home more valuable when you go to sell.…

The Best Ways To Design The Small Room in Your House

The most obvious way to claim back some valuable toilet floor space is by changing from a having a bathtub to just having a shower. This might not feasible for every toilet, though – and every owner. You may still find ways to reduce the level of real estate your bath occupies, though. Should your tub be built in a wall alcove, there could be considerably more space to be gained through pulling the tub and its framework out. You will be able to replace the built-in the bathtub with a free-standing one. This not only saves space, but in addition, looks classier.
In the event that there are no issues stopping you from replacing any tub with a free-standing one, there’s still a great deal that you can do to minimize the quantity of space the bath takes up. For starters, you should use the smallest shower accessible to you. If you have the money to stop using a one-piece fiberglass bathtub, you can still make a small shower appear quite luxurious. Among the best ways to do this is by actually making a wall-to-wall shower on one end of the bathroom. Use lustrous tile throughout the bathtub alcove and separate it from the whole room with frosted glass. This will make even a reasonably narrow shower really feel spacious.
You can make space-saving alternatives with your other key bathroom fixtures, as well. Consider using a wall-hung tank-less bathroom instead of a free-standing one. Don’t be concerned about these kinds of commodes getting institutional; a quick look through a new plumbing catalog will disclose that there are a number of small wall-mounted toilets that are really classy. When it comes to your current sink,
consider a wall-hung unit or a free-standing a single. Both options are huge space-savers when compared to sinks installed in countertops.
And decorative mirrors, as you probably recognize, can make any area larger. You can deploy full-width mirrors over your current sink, or even full-height kinds (one of the advantages of a free-standing drain). Some people aren’t more comfortable with so many reflections inside the bathroom, though. Never build yourself a restroom you don’t like in your pursuit to maximize space. In the same manner,
you can remove just about any partition walls that separate your sink from the toilet – if you are comfortable with the level of closeness and openness this can produce.
Consider replacing the bathtub or bath with a newer style. Prefabricated shower houses are easy to install. Building a single unit be enough for all your needs. This consists of one with bathtubs fitted into the bath structure as well. When you are planning with a single stand-alone bath tub, look at the newer styles of vintage styles a real Victorian claw foots, or the more contemporary Asian-influenced imaginative designs. Bathtubs by yourself can give an immediate stimulating element to any restroom.
Find out if there are any plumbing issues, as well as take the time and effort to correct or replace water lines and fixtures when needed. It is far better to try this before they actually commence to give you problems, mainly because it will save a lot of money in the end. Get estimates from your qualified plumbing service provider, and then determine whether or not you are
able or willing to do the job yourself. At times hiring an experienced service provider can end up pricing less than making several mistakes on your own which need re-doing.
These are just a number of the ways you can add space to a constrained restroom. Making your bathroom experience a more wide-open one is identical in part with psychology. If you commit a little attention to the task, you can create a bathroom that truly feels much larger compared to what its actual sizes would suggest. Short of actually expanding the room, there aren’t many better ways to make a bathroom a more pleasant destination to be.…

Home Remodeling Tips You Need to Know About

Almost everybody is working on a budget. If you aren’t working on a budget you can hire a decorator to give you home remodeling tips. Otherwise, doing a little research and getting creative with your remodel can produce awesome results. There are so many excellent projects you can do by yourself to freshen up rooms, give them attitude and make them feel comfortable. There is no room in your house that is untouchable, and no project that you cannot tackle if you have the time and devotion to do it.
Whenever interior decorators are interviewed about their work, their responses are simple. They say that making the project fun is the key. That should catch your attention. Don’t start tearing a room apart grudgingly just because you feel it is time for a change. Instead, let yourself dream. And as you dream realize that whatever you can see in your head, you can bring to fruition in your home. The best home remodels are often the most inexpensive.
For example, one of the leading trends in the industry right now is called acid treatment. It’s a project you would do on a cement floor and if applied correctly can make plain old, foundational concrete floors look like beautiful tile of any style. Plenty of How To articles can get you started working with your own concrete floors. An entire basement could be treated, and sealed for less than five hundred dollars-assuming you are performing labor yourself. It lasts longer than carpet and adds an element of unique style to a room that can otherwise be hard to design.
Often times, the simple things, like acid treating a floor, are the very things people think of last. It’s as if they feel boxed in by a set of invisible rules. Most people think that it is against the rules to flip flop the painting scheme. Somewhere back in the cloudy past, somebody stated a rule that lighter colored paint had to be applied at the top of walls and darker colors had to be applied at the bottom. If you want to give a room a more bold feeling, break this rule. Who needs it anyway? Apply a simple wooden trim around the center of the room, paint the bottom half cream or tan and let the top of the wall shine in deep rich color: reds, greens, blues, you decide.
The worst thing you can do is get boxed in. With so many elements of style, let your imagination run wild. Painting is a cheap way to give your house a brand new feel. Floors are a bit more challenging. Plumbing and electricity will require you to study, but even that should not limit your options. A brave dream will lead to a beautiful home.…