You may have been daydreaming about upgrading your bathroom for a while now. With so many remodeling shoes on TV, a completely redesigned bathroom now seems more accessible than ever. Of course, daydreaming about it and actually building it are two very different things. How much does it cost to remodel a bathroom anyway? Where do you begin?
We are going to take a look at three different price ranges encompassing basic, midrange, and high-end bathroom remodeling projects. Of course, these are just guidelines, but they should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect for your specific remodeling project.
Before we get to that however, let’s take a look at a few universal situations that will either positively or negatively affect your bathroom remodeling costs.
Situations That Will Add Expense
- Adding plumbing to an area of your home where there is none.
- Knocking down walls, or building additions to house your new bathroom.
- If damaged or rusty plumbing is discovered.
- If a mold or termite problem is discovered.
- High-end cabinetry, fixtures, flooring, tile, or counters.
Situations That Will Lower Expense
- Building within the established “footprint” of your current bathroom.
- Working with the plumbing that you already have in place.
- Doing some of the minor work yourself (keeping in mind that specialty work like plumbing and electricity should not be attempted by amateurs.)
- Using new, but standard cabinetry, fixtures, flooring, tile, or counters.
- Researching and choosing a trusted contractor to handle your project responsibly, and on budget.
Price Range: $3,000 – $10,000
This price range is most attractive to those with a very limited budget, or those who are looking to update their bathroom in the hopes of selling their home. At this price range, you will mostly be dealing with standard, off-the-shelf fixtures, cabinets, lighting, and countertops.
If you are particularly creative, you can do a lot in this price range. For instance, while you may not be able to tile the whole bathroom, you can make a very good use of a partial tile job, or some accent tiles. Or, if tile is completely out of your budget, consider perhaps a chair rail, with the wainscoting or beadboard underneath (just make sure you have plenty of ventilation, and are using the appropriate vapor barriers for any type of wood that will be exposed to water.)
Another smart thing to do in this budget range is to choose one or two aspects of the bathroom that you really want to highlight, splurge on them, and then stick to the basics everywhere else. For example, you can dress up a very basic vanity with some beautiful, higher end lighting. Likewise, by splurging on a beautiful, vintage styled pedestal sink, you may be able to get away with a repurposed freestanding cabinet as storage instead of built-ins.
As with any project, you can save a lot of money by doing some of the work yourself. Of course, it is always recommended that you speak with a general contractor and designer prior to beginning any project, as they can help guide you in everything that from building permits, to waste removal.
The Breakdown:
Countertops: Look for cultured marble or granite.
Tile: Try very basic tile with a few expensive accent tiles, or mid-priced tile concentrated only around the bath or shower stall.
Walls: Paint will be your most affordable option, but remember that you can tile sections of the room. You may also consider properly sealed wood accents with a vapor barrier
Cabinets: Try refinishing or refacing the cabinetry you already have in place. If that won’t work, consider buying some freestanding furniture as storage. Any built-in cabinetry that you get in this price range will be of a very basic grade, but you can also dress it up with paint or stylish hardware.
Fixtures, Finishes and Lighting: Nearly everything in this price range will be bought off the rack. Again, you can splurge on one or two special accent pieces, but for the most part, you will be working with standard grade materials.
Read more
4 Ways to Make Your Lounge Room Pop
Your lounge room is one of the most significant rooms in your entire home. It’s where you go to do so many important things – from relaxing with a cup of coffee to watching your favorite TV series to catching up with family and friends. It makes sense, then, for you to show this room some love.
A lounge room should be complete with all of the essentials that make it easy to relax and be comfortable. Unfortunately, a lot of us have left our lounge room interiors to fall to the wayside. The good news is that if your lounge room is in need of a revamp, there are a few ways you can easily transform it. The following 4 ideas will truly make your lounge room pop, so you can start to really enjoy time in it.
1. Lay Down a Statement Rug
There are few easier ways to make your lounge room pop than with a statement rug. By statement rug, we mean a rug that is eye-catching and bold. There are a couple of ways a rug can have these qualities. Perhaps it has a color that instantly captures attention, or maybe it has an interesting pattern. It might even have both!
Of course, you’ll want to get a rug that suits your particular tastes. There’s no point selecting a zebra print rug if you prefer a minimalist aesthetic. Stay true to your tastes but at the same time, don’t be afraid to branch out a bit. Many stores have generous return policies, so if you realize that you’ve gone a bit too bold with your choice, you can always make a return and swap it for something more suitable to your taste.
2. Get A New Coffee Table
A coffee table is one of the most practical items you should have in your living room. Due to their usefulness, the range of coffee tables available can be slightly overwhelming. Different materials, colors, finishes, patterns – it’s no wonder many people put off buying this essential piece of furniture!
That’s why it helps to refer to an expert roundup of the top-rated coffee tables. Given that the coffee tables were all reviewed this year, you won’t have to worry about selecting a style that is outdated. Selecting the right one for your lounge room is simple with categories like “Best Wooden Coffee Table” and “Best Budget Pick.”
3. Decorate With Some Indoor Plants
While it’s tempting to crowd your lounge room with all types of decorations, this can often make your room look more cluttered and cramped. Indoor plants, however, have the opposite effect. They can make your room look more spacious, not to mention sophisticated. If you don’t have the faintest idea on how to pick indoor plants, there is a lot of guidance online.
For example, this guide to indoor plants highlights the benefits certain plants offer, how to take care of them, as well as where to purchase them. As you’ll see, having an indoor plant can provide a lot in the way of health and wellness benefits. You may just develop a green thumb after placing your first plant in your living room and seeing what a difference it makes.
4. Call in the Experts
If you’re serious about transforming your lounge room, you may need to do more than just make a few additions here and there. While a lot of homeowners want to go down the DIY route when it comes to renovations, this can prove to be a costly and time-consuming operation. Not to mention that mistakes could cause bigger problems in the long run, and potentially devalue your property.
That’s why sometimes, it’s best to call in the experts. At Maya Construction Group, they have the experience to lead your lounge room remodeling. Whatever you have in mind, from a complete overhaul to smaller changes, we’ll work with you to make it happen. They even offer a free in-home consultation, so you can be assured we know precisely the vision you have in mind!
This post is from Kristin Hitchcock who frequently contributes to Family Living Today. She was raised in Tennessee and still lives there with her husband and toddler. She seeks to help others make informed decisions for their family through her writing by providing clear and concise information on all sorts of topics.
98 Remarkable Kitchen Design Ideas You Have to See
Designing a kitchen can be fun, or it can be a headache. If you're a little way into the process yourself, chances are you've already encountered your fair share of headaches.
Don't let frustration get the better of you. The last thing you need is to make a mistake in the planning phases, because that can get expensive, and potentially leave you with a brand new kitchen that you don't even like.
Instead, let's look for inspiration from the pros. We've gathered 98 different kitchen design ideas to help you find inspiration. In this list, you'll come across things you definitely want to include, and things you definitely want to avoid.
So let's take a look and get your plans sorted before the contractors show up.
Kitchen Remodeling: 10 Lessons Learned
A full kitchen renovation is the kind of project that requires a lot of commitment on your part; and that means in terms of time, finances, improvisation, and stress management. You will have workers in your house for weeks at a time, you will run into unexpected problems, you will get tired of microwaving meals in your living room, and you will come out the other side of this project knowing some things that you didn’t know before.
In fact, that’s precisely the point of this article. We’ve chosen some of our favorite stories about lessons learned from kitchen remodeling. Each story comes from a homeowner who finally took the plunge, and can now relay some important things they’ve learned as a result.
Things like…
Read more
9 Tips to Make a Small Kitchen Look Large
Small doesn’t equal bad, especially when it comes to your kitchen! When this is your kitchen reality, and you’re not in the market for a complete remodel, it’s time to pull out some design tricks! The lucky thing is there are easy and affordable hacks to make a small kitchen look bigger.
From the Bottom to the Top.
Does anyone ever give much thought to the lower cabinetry other than stuffing in the soup pots and the cookie sheets then quickly closing the door before anything falls out? (Or is that just me?) Anyway, let’s start thinking of the lower cabinetry in the way of the saving some space. There are slimmer cabinets available for purchases (12-15 inches deep) that can be installed on the bottom. It creates floor space which is important when your space is already small. Take this cabinet change as an opportunity to purge some never used kitchen items that take up a lot of cabinet space.
Skip the Farmhouse Sink.
I know. We love big, double sinks too especially with a country, rustic styled home. But sometimes space is more important. Sometimes that sweet, sweet counter space is more useful. And without a huge block of a sink, which is a huge “eye stop” the space will look bigger.
Slim the Fridge. You may have noticed a theme: space saving with appliances helps to open up room elsewhere as well as giving the impression that there’s more space in general. If you can do it, look into a smaller fridge, 28-30 inches, and your kitchen will feel less cramped.
Read more
The 10 Best Renovations To Do Before Selling
To put it lightly, selling your house is a pretty big deal. You have to interview realtors, clean more than you’ve ever cleaned in your life, welcome strangers into your home at all hours, and stage the place for sale.
For many homeowners, until their realtor walks through their home pointing out dozens of issues that could potentially diminish the selling price, they had no idea how much work was ahead of them. Of course you want to increase value anywhere you can, but home-improvement projects can easily stack up, and seem overwhelming at first.
In a perfect world, maybe you would be able to tackle each and every imperfection, netting the highest possible selling price. In reality, homeowners are dealing with limited budgets, limited time, and certainly a limited capacity for stress and chaos in the house where they still live.
Besides, as your realtor may have already mentioned, home improvements will not always get you a dollar for dollar return on investment.
A classic example:
A beautiful $80,000 in-ground swimming pool with all the bells and whistles typically won’t automatically increase a home’s value by $80,000 – not even close. For many potential buyers, the thought of maintaining a swimming pool is a turnoff, and can actually decrease a home’s value.
Very few people can afford to invest money without seeing some sort of return. This is why realtors, architects, and home renovators have all paid very close attention to the types of upgrades that will increase your home’s value. After years of working with families looking to upgrade their home before putting it on the market, we have come up with our 10 best recommendations for home improvements that are actually worth it.
To maximize your home’s value, consider these areas…
Read more
9 Tips for a Successful Finished Basement Project
A finished basement can add utility and enjoyment to your home, not to mention some much-needed square footage. If you find yourself continually wishing for more storage space, an extra bedroom, a dedicated playroom for the kids, or even just a more organized laundry area, the solution may literally be right under your feet.
Finishing a basement is complicated project, especially if you are working on a budget. However, you’ll be happy to learn that this project will cost significantly less than adding on an addition of the same square footage. If possible, it is always best to work within the existing footprint of your home, and to make the most of the space and foundation that you already have.
Of course, as most homeowners realize, basements come with their own particular set of challenges. With that in mind, we have assembled a list of 9 tips for a successful finished basement project. After years of helping families turn an unused space into something truly enjoyable, we have become familiar with some universal truths.
Here they are…
Address Any and All Problems Before Beginning Work
Before you do a single thing – and this includes even sketching out a preliminary layout – have your basement professionally inspected so that you can address any problems before they have a chance to halt construction.
Minor issues can easily be handled by a homeowner with a good set of tools, but there are four specific problems which are best handled by a professional.
Hopefully, none of these issues come up. However, if they do, it is best to call in a professional right away rather than try to tackle this yourself.
Read more
Home Addition Plans: Before You Build, Read This List!
So, you think you are definitely ready to take the plunge. After too many years of bumping into furniture, squeezing the family into a cramped kitchen for dinner, or doubling up the kids in shared rooms, you are finally in a good situation to put an addition onto your home.
You are excited at the possibilities, but also overwhelmed at the number of choices that lay before you. What you need is to approach this project with solid home addition plans in mind before you begin.
Dreaming up your ideal home addition can be a lot of fun, but there are several important considerations for every homeowner to be aware of. Based on years of experience with helping homeowners put beautiful and functional additions onto their homes, here are our best home addition ideas and tips.
Things to Consider before the Project Begins
Do You Need an Addition at All? – Adding an addition onto your home is one of the costliest projects you can undertake. For this reason, it is worth considering whether your goals can be accomplished simply through remodeling, as opposed to building an entire addition.
Skilled home remodelers can make excellent use of the space you already have within your home’s existing “footprint.” Remodeling services are significantly cheaper because there are no additional foundations to pour, and fewer (if any) legal or zoning considerations. Speak with a design consultant or an architect to determine if the layout of your home could be changed to maximize space and efficiency.
Read more
How Much Does it Cost to Remodel a Bathroom? Here’s Our Best Cost Breakdown.
You may have been daydreaming about upgrading your bathroom for a while now. With so many remodeling shoes on TV, a completely redesigned bathroom now seems more accessible than ever. Of course, daydreaming about it and actually building it are two very different things. How much does it cost to remodel a bathroom anyway? Where do you begin?
We are going to take a look at three different price ranges encompassing basic, midrange, and high-end bathroom remodeling projects. Of course, these are just guidelines, but they should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect for your specific remodeling project.
Before we get to that however, let’s take a look at a few universal situations that will either positively or negatively affect your bathroom remodeling costs.
Situations That Will Add Expense
Situations That Will Lower Expense
Price Range: $3,000 – $10,000
This price range is most attractive to those with a very limited budget, or those who are looking to update their bathroom in the hopes of selling their home. At this price range, you will mostly be dealing with standard, off-the-shelf fixtures, cabinets, lighting, and countertops.
If you are particularly creative, you can do a lot in this price range. For instance, while you may not be able to tile the whole bathroom, you can make a very good use of a partial tile job, or some accent tiles. Or, if tile is completely out of your budget, consider perhaps a chair rail, with the wainscoting or beadboard underneath (just make sure you have plenty of ventilation, and are using the appropriate vapor barriers for any type of wood that will be exposed to water.)
Another smart thing to do in this budget range is to choose one or two aspects of the bathroom that you really want to highlight, splurge on them, and then stick to the basics everywhere else. For example, you can dress up a very basic vanity with some beautiful, higher end lighting. Likewise, by splurging on a beautiful, vintage styled pedestal sink, you may be able to get away with a repurposed freestanding cabinet as storage instead of built-ins.
As with any project, you can save a lot of money by doing some of the work yourself. Of course, it is always recommended that you speak with a general contractor and designer prior to beginning any project, as they can help guide you in everything that from building permits, to waste removal.
The Breakdown:
Countertops: Look for cultured marble or granite.
Tile: Try very basic tile with a few expensive accent tiles, or mid-priced tile concentrated only around the bath or shower stall.
Walls: Paint will be your most affordable option, but remember that you can tile sections of the room. You may also consider properly sealed wood accents with a vapor barrier
Cabinets: Try refinishing or refacing the cabinetry you already have in place. If that won’t work, consider buying some freestanding furniture as storage. Any built-in cabinetry that you get in this price range will be of a very basic grade, but you can also dress it up with paint or stylish hardware.
Fixtures, Finishes and Lighting: Nearly everything in this price range will be bought off the rack. Again, you can splurge on one or two special accent pieces, but for the most part, you will be working with standard grade materials.
Read more
Avoid these 8 Mistakes when Remodeling a House. Stop Regret Before it Starts!
Almost everyone approaches the prospect of remodeling a house with excitement and determination. Unfortunately, those feelings can cool off rapidly once the reality of the situation hits you.
Home renovation can be a lengthy and frustrating process. Homeowners who realize they are staring down a disruptive, occasionally messy, and expensive remodeling project often make some big mistakes in an attempt to make the process less impactful. You can avoid these pitfalls if you know where to look for them.
We want to level with you:
While we would all love it if we could simply point to a picture in a catalog, say “That one!” and have the kitchen, bathroom, or living room of our dreams magically appear, it simply doesn’t work that way.
There is a lot of planning, negotiating and patience required on the part of you, the homeowner. Trying to make the process go faster or cheaper can sometimes get you into big trouble.
So here are the 8 biggest mistakes to avoid during your renovations:
Overestimating Your DIY Prowess
It’s true that you can save yourself some money if you are able to do a portion of the renovation work yourself.
But here’s your gut check:
Be brutally honest. Did a single semester of shop class in high school truly prepare you for large-scale carpentry work? Likewise, just because you can tighten up a leaky shower head; does that mean you should start soldering pipes on your own?
If you have actual construction experience, then you can and should jump into the project, assuming you want to. If you don’t have solid skills, you may end up doing some damage to your home, resulting in a repair bill on top of your remodeling costs.
Professionals ply their trades all day, every day. They can spot potential problems that the average person may miss, and they can do the job faster and more efficiently. This is especially true of highly specialized tradesmen like electricians and plumbers. Messing up in one of those areas can have serious consequences.
Going With the Cheapest (or Most Readily Available) Contractor
Let’s be clear:
You should not allow yourself to be overcharged or treated unfairly, but if you run into a contractor who is quoting you much less than others, consider why that might be.
Remodeling contractors should provide you price quotes with extensive details. They should have specific plans outlined for job aspects such as permit costs, a general contractor fee, a waste removal plan, and insurance.
Make sure your contractor has also included information about how changes to the project are handled once the project is already underway, as this can make a big difference in the final price tag.
Of course, also consider the way the estimate is written as well. If you receive a document saying something along the lines of “finished basement,” with few other specifics outlined, you can safely assume your contractor did not carefully price out your job. He may be quoting low just to get his foot in the door. That’s a red flag.
One last point:
If you run into a string of contractors who all have a waiting list, and then one who mysteriously doesn’t, maybe take a pause before hiring him. The best ones can sometimes require advance booking.
Read more
Unique Bathroom Vanity Ideas
Bathrooms no longer have to be strictly functional. Homeowners are finding new ways to emphasize the formally taboo room with fun and elegant designs. Here are six unique vanity ideas that are guaranteed to instill bathroom envy in your family and friends.
Rustic Wood with Stone Farmhouse Sink
Combining the rich wood color with the bold metal fixtures and stone farmhouse sink creates a vanity that any Viking would be proud to install in their bathroom. Make sure you combine this style with light, warm colored flooring and walls to avoid making the space appear too dark.
Reclaimed Barrel
If you love wine, this vanity is perfect for you. Taking an old wine barrel and turning it into a vanity creates a rustic, elegant sink that can fit almost anywhere.
Dresser
This trend has been gaining speed in the DIY community for some time. Savvy homeowners are finding old dressers with a lot of personality at antique shops and flea markets and converting them into bathroom vanities. But beware; many DIYer’s don’t have the proper skills or tools to pull this off correctly. We suggest that, after you find your desired dresser, you hire a professional to convert and install it.
Floating
Modern decorators rejoice! This floating vanity is the perfect way to create a sleek, sophisticated design without sacrificing storage or counter space. Add a couple floating shelves for even more visual interest.
Stone Slab
This incredible stone slab bathroom vanity is an unforgettable focal point that will leave your guests in awe. The rough stone edges paired with the smooth faucet and sink and iron chains create a perfect marriage between industrial and natural design.
Armoire
Simultaneously adding a bit of historic class and extra storage, converting an antique armoire into a functional bathroom vanity is no easy feat. First, you must find the armoire you like in the right size and style. Then, it has to be properly fitted with plumbing and electrical before you can really enjoy this show-stopping piece. Just like with the dresser vanity above, we suggest hiring a professional.