Home Remodeling – Give Your Home a New Look
Everyone has a desire to have a well-organized and well-designed home to represent a perfect combination of style and comfort. With smart home remodeling plans and little investment one can do wonders. Now days, homeowners prefer rebuilding their existing home rather purchasing a new one.
Home remodeling has advantage of transforming the existing space into a customized and designed space. It also updates outdated structures and designs and adds beauty to your house. There could be several reasons for home remodeling such as unattractive designs, unmanaged space, or cracked floor. The problem with most people is that they are not sure where to start with their home remodeling project from. Should they begin home remodeling with kitchen, bathroom or basement or with a room addition? Unlike opening a den where you need to remove walls, a kitchen remodeling or bathroom remodeling project is done on a smaller scale. As a result, you don't have to spend much money on your home remodeling project to make your house look more attractive.
Apart from kitchen and bathroom remodeling, you can also re-design the other areas of your house. Basement remodeling is one such example; it is like building an addition onto your home. Basement Remodeling is one of the best ways to increase the livable space of your house. With proper planning and remodeling, finished basement could become a place to enjoy with your family and friends.
A room addition is one of the best ways to add an extra space to your room. Room additions are often done to fit the family's current needs while increasing the comfort and function of the home. It serves as a good and cost-effective alternative to get a bigger house or moving into a larger space.
There are many home remodeling companies who offer home remodeling services but you need to be very careful while choosing them. One should choose a professional remodeling company whom you can trust and rely on. These companies offer you a reasonable and fair price for your remodeling projects.
Synergy Builders Hosts Fellow Remodelers for an In Depth Analysis of Their Business
John Habermeier, Owner of Synergy Builders, West Chicago, IL, recently hosted a Case Study Meeting of Remodelers Advantage Roundtables, an Industry think-tank for top remodelers. Thirteen remodeling executives from across the nation met in West Chicago to provide each other with input and advice on how they can continually improve the services and products each company offers.
During the Case Study, Habermeier allowed 13 fellow group members to analyze their business from the inside. During this meeting, they reviewed systems and procedures, interviewed staff, and uncovered the strengths and weaknesses of the company. The group had chosen Synergy Builders to visit through a vote at a prior Roundtables Meeting.
“This is one of the most powerful things that has ever happened to my business”, says John Habermeier. “Due to the help of my peers I am able to develop highly effective and efficient systems for all areas of my business. That means I can improve the remodeling experience for my clients.”
The Remodelers Advantage Roundtables is a program of Remodelers Advantage Inc., a Laurel, Maryland business that offers remodeling company owners and employees services designed to keep them at the cutting edge of business excellence. Visit their web site at www.RemodelersAdvantage.com for more information.
Synergy Builders is a full service remodeling firm that has been working with Chicago-area homeowners for over 15 years. With their design-build approach clients are able to remodel at one place, from start to finish, whether it’s a basement, kitchen, bathroom, or an addition. Synergy offers a full design showroom and is located at 850 Meadowview Crossing Unit 13, West Chicago IL, 60185. For more information on the services they offer call 630-293-8070 or visit www.synergyremodel.com.
Caring For Special Surfaces
Many of our clients frequently ask how to properly care for their countertops and floors. So here are a few tips just for you when cleaning your kitchen, bathroom, or basement surfaces…
Laminate Counters:
Laminate Floors:
Ceramic Tile:
Solid Surface Counters and Sinks:
Natural Stone:
Laminate Counters:
DO use a nonabrasive, all-purpose cleaner. Rinse with water, use cotton cloth to dry. Wipe up immediately to prevent discoloration.
DON’T flood the laminate. Water penetrates seams, causing swelling. Don’t use abrasive cleaners, steel wool or scouring pads. Cleaners with acid will cause permanent discoloring.
Laminate Floors:
DO wipe floors with a damp cloth or sponge.
DON’T wet mop or pour water on floor. Don’t wax, sand or stain.
Ceramic Tile:
DO use nonabrasive, all-purpose cleaners, a tub/tile/sink cleaner or liquid cleanser. Rinse thoroughly with water and buff tiles with dry cloth to prevent water stains. Re-apply grout sealer every 5-10 years.
DON’T use powdered abrasive cleaners that may scratch the surface. Solid Surface
Counters and Sinks:
DO use a nonabrasive all-purpose cleaner and a damp cloth on matte, satin or high gloss finishes. A scouring pad will remove cigarette burns and minor scratches.
DON’T use strong chemical cleaners such as toilet bowl cleaners, ceramic cook top cleaners, paint remover, drain cleaners, oven cleaners and lacquer thinners.
Natural Stone:
DO place coasters under glasses, and wipe up spills immediately. Use entry rugs to capture abrasive dirt from foot traffic. Wash with warm water, a neutral pH cleaner and a nonabrasive cloth.
Double Your Storage With Simple Creativity
One of the most common complaints we hear from our clients is lack of storage space. What they don’t realize is that even owners of the smallest homes can double their storage space with some simple but creative modifications. Here are some ideas:
Kitchen Storage Tips
- Appliance garages – special cabinets with roll-down doors – can hide items like toasters, mixers, and food processors to free up counter space. Extra-deep counters also a make difference.
- Under-cabinet knife slats provide a protective spot to store utensils. Existing cabinets can be replaced with deeper or taller models that reach to the ceiling. Use the top shelves for rarely used items.
- Built-in refrigerators, perhaps faced with the same materials as your cabinets, can save space in a small kitchen.
- A separate pantry, which holds many items within easy reach, is another valuable storage space. Narrow, vertical areas can provide the perfect place to store mops and brooms.
- An island can improve traffic patterns in the kitchen while adding tons of storage space. Slide-in cutting boards, pot racks, even an extra sink can be built in to make a big difference. Open shelves on one side can make food preparation quicker too.
Master Bedroom Storage Tips
- Under-the-bed rolling drawers can hold extra clothes or linens. A built-in cedar closet can keep your woolens safe from moths. This can be created from a portion of a current closet.
- Outfit your closet with double hanging rods, drawers, shoe holders, and hooks to create a space for everything.
- Bedrooms, Living Rooms, or Dens
- Window seats and built-in book shelves can create a private nook while providing a place for books, toys, or linens.
Bathroom Storage Tips
- Appliance garages work in the kitchen, so why not in the bathroom? A “garage” houses brushes, hair dryers, combs, and can include an electrical outlet, too. Medicine cabinets can be surface mounted or recessed between studs. Custom cabinetry affords optimal use of space. Vanity-to-ceiling and floor-to-ceiling built-ins that combine open shelves and enclosed cabinets are decorative as well as utilitarian.
- While standard height for most sinks is 30 to 32 inches, most adults can use a basin more comfortably when it’s 34 to 38 inches high. This extra height allows for more storage; an extra shelf in the area below the basin and additional drawers on the sides.
Workshop or Garage Storage Tips
- Here, organization is very important. A place for everything and everything in its place can make a small space seem much more spacious. Pegboards can hold hooks for tools, paint-brushes, or just about anything. Accessories can be purchased to store small items like nails; some accessories hang right on the pegboard.
With a little creativity, your home can provide up to twice as much storage space as you’re now using. For specific ideas for your home, give Synergy Builders a call. We’re full of ingenuity!
Remodeling Through Color
Did you know that the colors you select for your home have meaning and can set mood? Studies show that color can complement architecture, enhance or diminish the sense of space, create a particular ambience, and impact your daily moods. Color experts have studied how color is likely to affect you. This can help when you are remodeling your home. Here is what they have found:- Blue, universally a favorite, is recognized for its tranquil effects. However, if too dark or used too expansively, it can have a depressing effect.
- Red evokes excitement, and is an excellent accent. Often used in kitchens, it’s felt that red enhances one’s appetite.
- Green is either loved or heartily disliked, so take care when making this selection.
- Brown and orange are viewed as friendly and informal colors.
- Yellow, generally perceived as a cheery color, may make children feel depressed, so use it sparingly.
- Neutral colors can serve as dramatic backdrops for furnishings, collections, and accessories. Neutrals also add the flexibility to introduce new colors seasonally with throw pillows, artwork, and other decorative items.
- Select exterior shades that harmonize with the home’s surroundings—steer towards the earthier shades (i.e. a grey-blue vs. a bright royal blue).
- Consider the style and era of your home—there might be some traditional colors associated with them—especially with Victorian and traditional Colonials.
- When viewing paint samples, look at chip sizes proportionate to how they will ultimately be used (e.g., if a wall will be painted taupe with a red accent, view a larger sample of the taupe paint against a smaller sample of the red).
- Less is more. Don’t overuse a color, especially in a small room.
- Even though a color may be too strong for an entire wall, consider it for an accent color.
- Most importantly, select colors that work for you and your lifestyle, not what’s considered “in” or “out” at the time. But don’t be afraid to color your world—you’ll find it will make a world of difference!
Tips For Finishing Your Basement
Basement remodeling ideas can be found in abundance by conducting a simple search on the Internet. It certainly makes sense to convert your basement into some useable living space. Why let any space in your home go to waste? There can be problems with basements, however, so you will need to conduct a thorough inspection of the area before you embark on any remodeling plans. For example, you will need to make sure that you do not block any duct work, wiring, or pipes that may need to be accessed at some time in the future. You will also need to ensure that you use waterproofing to keep the moisture and smells under control.
Some remodeling ideas include adding a bathroom to your basement, adding a bar, or creating a den. An interesting remodeling idea is to turn your basement into a separate apartment area. This might be a particularly good idea for you if you have a very large basement, and you think that you might want or need to rent part of your home out for some extra income.
As you consider different ideas for your remodeling project, think about things such as what type of flooring you would like to have and what kind of work needs to be done to your walls. Also think about lighting, as most basements do not have much natural lighting, and very little artificial lighting. Depending on what you decide to do with your basement, you may find that it will cost you quite a bit to install sufficient lights. It is a worthwhile investment, however, and will likely be essential to suit the needs of your newly remodeled space!
It is always best to have some solid ideas in mind before you consult a basement remodeling company. In addition, it would be wise to have some designs and measurements to show contractors so that they will be able to provide you with more accurate estimates.
Giving Your Bathroom a Face-Lift
Nothing dates a house more quickly than a bathroom that time has forgotten. Yet outdated bathrooms can be dramatically revitalized. Many homeowners want their bathrooms to be totally utilitarian, but others want bathrooms in which to pamper themselves. How about you?
Your answer, and your budget, will determine the best approach for your bathroom remodeling. Do you want to work within the existing space of your current bathroom? Do you want to expand by taking room from somewhere else? Would you rather build an addition to accommodate your new bath? These are just a few options which vary greatly in cost.
Renovating your current space is usually the least complicated and least expensive option. While the layout of your existing bathroom can be altered to some extent, moving major plumbing fixtures is the most costly aspect of a remodel. Local building codes require minimum clearances between, beside, and in front of fixtures to allow for use, cleaning, and repair.
If you have an extra bedroom, you could move the bathroom to this space or expand a current bath into a portion of it. This will mean moving the plumbing but it will also add a modern, spacious bathroom to your home which will increase the resale value. An addition or even a small bump-out could be the solution. This requires the largest investment but will give you just what you want.
If you've decided to remodel, start with an analysis of your existing bathroom:
- What is the condition of the sink, toilet, and tub/shower? If it’s an older, wall-hanging toilet, you might update the look, perhaps with a low-water consumption style. If your tub is basically sound, consider reglazing it. However, many homeowners are moving up to whirlpool style tubs.
- Does the sink have a vanity for storage? If it does, but you just don’t like it, consider replacing it with one of the many beautiful varieties that are available today.
- Does the sink have independent faucets? If so, you know how inconvenient this can be. Why not switch to a single operating lever which is easier to use and gives a better mix of temperatures?
- Does your tub include a shower? One can easily be added with a combination tub-shower valve.
- Think about reinforcing the walls, adding grab bars, and widening doors for visitors with physical disabilities or for your later years.
- Is your medicine cabinet small and outdated? Consider the various styles of newer cabinets, perhaps with recessed or decorative lighting.
- How is the tile? If it is chipped and cracked and matching tile is not available, replacement or reglazing may be your best option.
- If a wooden window is suffering the effect of humidity, it may be best to replace it and older metal windows with new vinyl windows. Deco glass block has made a comeback and is a good option for adding light and design flair to a bathroom.
- Many older bathrooms don’t have adequate ventilation. You may want to add a fan to avoid moisture build-up which can deteriorate materials and promote the growth of mold and mildew.
- Are electrical outlets a problem? Face it, the number of electrical appliances we use in our daily rituals has multiplied since the time many houses were built. That means that you probably want more outlets. New replacement ones should be protected ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets that are made to shut off automatically when they sense water.
Today’s bathroom can be all you want it to be. Enjoy the opportunity to explore the variety of materials, styles, and colors available to you. In the end you’ll have a well-designed bathroom that functions as beautifully as it looks.
Brighten Up With Bump-Outs, Small Room Additions
Remodelers have long known that a small addition (“a bump-out”) that enlarges an existing room can be a value-conscious remodeling project. Often that bump-out brightens your home more than a large addition. Look around your home for cramped, dark areas that could be improved with a minimum sized room addition.
Have you considered adding a walk-in bay window to your dining room? You’ll be amazed at how this small change will open up and brighten the room. How about a deep window seat in your favorite room for a cozy reading nook? This can be designed to include hidden storage. Angled entrances can give you access to a little used section of yard while allowing light to stream in. Have you been dreaming of a whirlpool in the bathroom? A bump-out would give you room for the new bath and an expanse of windows to add spaciousness.
Bump-outs may have a funny name but they can add much needed space, light and interest to many rooms in your house. Contact us today to discuss creative bump-out ideas for your Spokane home!