Remodeling Archives - Page 20 of 22

5 Most Forgotten but Vital Home Addition Tips

Whether you’re adding a bathroom to a bedroom or expanding a wing of your abode to accommodate a home office, the construction project comprises a million details. To make sure you don’t overlook important details, here are five most forgotten but vital home addition tips.

5 Most Forgotten but Vital Home Addition Tips

Some life decisions require big, exciting changes.

A new baby, moving from an office to a work from home setup, starting up a home-based business, or retirement. All these open up unchartered territories you eagerly anticipate. And they all necessitate a revisit of your existing home’s layout.

Sometimes, remodeling will do. But there are unique circumstances that call for addition or expansion.

Before you get caught up in a whirlwind of design, palette, and lighting options, you must first deal with the practicalities. These involve obtaining permits, drawing up a budget, and hiring a contractor.

Stay on track by keeping a planner that stores all your ideas, needs, wants, costs, and pertinent phone numbers. Also, consider these:

1. Make Sure to Follow Building Laws

When adding a structure to your home, there’s nothing worse than finding out you can’t push through with your original plan just because the local building department doesn’t allow it. So, it is highly recommended that you check the zoning restrictions in your area first before you even draw the initial sketch.

At times, home additions do not require securing a formal building control approval or planning consent. However, there are still regulations you must follow regarding what, where, and when you plan to build.

These rules differ for each municipality. The best place to obtain them is from your local building department.

Why is it important to adhere to these statutes? Two reasons:

First, it will greatly affect a purchaser’s decision should you decide to sell your home in the future. No one will warm up to the thought of buying a property with a part that was illegally built.

Second, it’s an important consideration if an accident happens (knock on wood) and you need to file for an insurance claim. Your coverage may be limited, or zero, if your structure didn’t follow building rules.

2. Factor in Long-Term Costs

After ensuring that the home addition you have in mind is within your zone’s building regulations, your next step is drawing up a budget.

This requires meticulous planning and canvassing. From the contractor and building materials to the paint and finishing touches, you must include every little thing in your list of expenses to avoid holding up your project. Adding a 10% contingency fund will also cover unexpected overhead.

But don’t stop there. Think of the future beyond construction. A home addition will increase your energy bills, including cooling and heating necessities. Additional square footage also raises property taxes. Having a bathroom in the structure entails more water consumption as well.

3. Add Value to Your Property

Consider your home addition as an investment. It involves costs so it must consequently provide a return, whether in resale, refinancing, or credit.

Most homeowners don’t realize that returns on additions are lower than that of remodels. The amount varies between 49% and 65%.

However, consulting an appraiser can drastically increase your numbers. They could advise you on the ways to enhance the value of your structure, like including standard amenities and using energy-efficient materials.

4. Hire Professionals to Do the Job

Don’t give in to the temptation of scrimping on the designer and builder, thinking that the project is just a simple addition anyway. Rather, get into the mindset of building the structure from scratch, independent of your existing home.

You’ve been too accustomed to the way your house looks and it might be impossible to view the expansion from a different perspective. On the other hand, a professional design-build firm will be able to see possibilities you haven’t.

When you get a team of experts who can handle your project from the planning and designing stage to the construction and application of finishing touches, two wonderful things will happen:

One, your home addition won’t appear like an appendage. Professional contractors examine the style of a dwelling, the lifestyle of its inhabitants, and the traffic flow of the household. This process allows them to build an addition that gives the impression that it has been there all along.

Two, a reputable design-build firm will work within your budget while taking care of critical items, such as plumbing, electrical, and necessary permits.

5. Tell the Neighbors

Just like any construction work, adding a structure to your home involves noise and strangers frequenting the neighborhood. All these have an impact not just on your family but also on those living around you.

It pays to maintain a good relationship with the folks next door. Inform them personally of your plans, especially the timelines. This way, they know what to expect and won’t be caught by surprise, and you avoid conflict.

Let them know as well that your communication lines are open if something happens and directly affects them. Give them the names and numbers they can contact during such situations.

As a gesture of appreciation, invite the neighbors over for a housewarming of sorts when your home addition is done.

Choosing the Perfect Builder for Your Home Addition

Hands down, your choice of contractor is the most important decision you will ever make while adding an addition to your home.

Getting it right the first time prevents the headache of unforeseen expenses, misunderstood instructions, major mid-project changes, and extended deadlines.

The best way to achieve this is by hiring a one-stop firm that offers a complete line of services from design to finishing. Dealing with just one company saves you time, money, and ensures completion at your set date.

With the best design-build team working on your home addition, you are guaranteed accountability, follow-through, and customer service even after the job is done.

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Questions to Ask Your Custom Home Builder

home addition contractors in Chalfont, PA

Building your new home is an exciting time. Nothing can compare to the experience of putting up a structure from scratch. Unlike purchasing a ready-to-move-in house, having one custom built allows you to transition the home of your dreams into reality.

Marrying Design Styles: Rustic Design + Industrial Design

Rustic Design Style Defined: Rustic design style brings you close to nature. Reminiscent of pioneers in the early days, they would most likely find it humorous how much work people put into getting the look that was their only option.

I’m sure they could only dream of the modern luxuries we have today, but rustic style doesn’t have to be absent of luxury. It is one of my favorite design styles, boasting organic shapes, natural materials, lots of wood, and accents that have been around for decades, if not centuries.

Why people love rustic: Rustic design evokes a feeling of nostalgia. It feels simple and pure. It is great for the environment because you can repurpose so many pieces.</p

DIYers can do big things with the rustic design style which can make it extremely budget-friendly.

The rustic style gives me the same feeling as a weekend spent camping. It provides a sense of peace and calm, getting you away from the hustle and bustle of the city, even if you’re right in the city center.

Who tends to like the rustic design vibe: If you love to work with your hands. If you love camping under the stars. If you love to repurpose and upcycle. If you love a wood-burning fireplace and the smell of fresh-cut hickory, the rustic style could be for you

What is Industrial Style?

What it industrial design style: Industrial style was not so much a design style, but a way that buildings looked in real life. This is the style that was built from blue-collar workers in America. And that might be why it’s become so loved. It’s raw.

It’s real. It is simple, stripped-down, and bold. While some find it cold, many feel warmth in the metals and woods that make this style what it is. You can find this style all over, from small studios to million-dollar mansions.

The industrial design appeal: Industrial design style celebrates affordable materials, eliminating the fluff. It is bare and raw. It focuses more on the essentials that the frills. While this style can be simple and downplayed, you can also add touches of elegance and luxury that elevate the aesthetic.

Who is drawn to Industrial design style: You are not a big box shopper. Ikea is NOT your friend. You love thrifting, finding unique items to use in a new or unexpected way. You don’t need a lot of bright colors to find a space warm and cozy. You love walking through historic districts and possibly abandoned buildings.

The Marriage: Rustic Industrial Style

Now for the finale! Marrying design styles: rustic style and industrial style. The two styles have a lot in common. They are both raw in their own way, stripped down to bare materials. They focus on woods and metals. One is more country, while the other has more of a city feel, but the combination is so beautiful, perfect for a harmonious home. This is one of my favorite styles, as there is no shelf-life. This is not a trendy look, it’s a classic look, with pieces that have already stood the test of time.

>Using Natural Stone, Natural Wood Cabinets, Paired with Stainless Steel Lighting, Appliances, and polished concrete countertops make this a perfect marriage of rustic design and industrial design styles. Marrying design styles gives you the best of both worlds.

Thanks for reading this article. If you are now ready to plan out your remodeling adventure.

Contact the Luxury, Bath, and Kitchen. Their focus is to be fully committed to our relationships with our clients through teamwork, integrity, concise planning and quality craftsmanship.

French Country Kitchen: Get The Look

How do you get a French Country Kitchen? Here we share a few of the top design ideas to help you create that perfect look.

French country style originates in, you guessed it, France! It is a European based style that has crossed the big lake to America. When you think of the French Countryside, you think of sunshine, lavender fields, and fresh blossoms. It is an old-world style that is still fresh and up to date.

Many people would love to design a French country kitchen, but don’t know where to get started. I’m going to give you a rundown on how to design your perfect French country kitchen and home. There are many elements that contribute to the French Country style of home decor.

The look is always rustic, welcoming, and nostalgic. This look can fit well in newer homes as well as older homes. The French Country style has such a warm and fuzzy feeling that it can fit perfectly into your home as well.

Cabinet Styles for a French Country Kitchen

I think that a raised panel or full overlay kitchen cabinet door works best for a French country kitchen.

A glaze is often preferred such as the look achieved with antique white kitchen cabinets glazed with light bronze to achieve a naturally distressed look, which is a great choice. It’s almost like starting with the perfect neutral canvas and building from there.

Colors used to decorate in the French Country style come from all over the color wheel. Beautiful Yellows and Golds, bright reds and burnt rust, grass green and hunter green, and especially blue.

Turquoise, cobalt blue, light blue, and aqua tones are often present in French Country style. Pinks and whites are also popular choices. Neutrals break up the colors, like natural woods, black oil rubbed bronze or grey accents.

French Country Materials

Fabrics

Materials used in a French country kitchen are easy to spot. They are decorative and have a distinctive look, usually looking like illustrations or floral patterns. Children can be seen playing and ships can be seen sailing. These materials add the cherry on top to a perfect design. You can also find plaid and gingham patterns.

Building Materials

You will find a lot of reclaimed wood in a French country kitchen. You will usually see granite countertops or butcher block countertops. Natural materials are what you’re looking for. Roughly painted plaster walls are popular, beams as seen below, carved wood furniture detail, and simple textures.

Natural and tumbled stone are typical of the flooring or fireplace surrounds and beadboard is a popular backsplash choice or just something to accent with. Copper pots and pot racks are also typical of a French Country Kitchen. Arabesque tile also a great choice.

FLORAL

Peonies are the French country flower, in my opinion. I see them in so many French country themed rooms, and it makes sense because they look so perfect with the delicate details. The pink next to the fresh white and colorful patterns of French Country style just bring a smile to my face every time!

Kitchen Lighting

Lighting for your French Country Kitchen should be easy. Stick with wire-y chandeliers, lantern style light fixtures, circular chandeliers or beaded chandeliers.

Are you planning to have a kitchen remodeling? Is the French country perhaps your design style? Whatever your style, we can help create your perfect space from design to completion. We specialize in Kitchens, Bathrooms, and Basement remodels.

Contact Luxury Bath and Kitchen today for a complimentary remodeling consultation.

Your Guide to Wellborn Kitchen Cabinet Door Styles

Have you ever wondered which part of the kitchen cabinets exposes its beauty? It’s the kitchen cabinet door styles. Kitchen cabinets make up a big part of the feel and look of the kitchen. Wellborn Kitchen Cabinets can help.<

The cabinet doors are the most prominent aspect of your new cabinets, making them an important part of the entire design. Different styles will vary in price, with elaborate door styles attracting high price tags.

Wellborn has plenty of cabinet door styles to choose from. Whatever your taste is, e.g., traditional, contemporary, or country, there is a style for you. Let’s go through some of the Wellborn Kitchen Cabinet styles.

Raised Panel Cabinets

It has a raised rectangular-shaped center and the surface surrounding it is recessed, creating a frame-like appearance. The raised center may be surrounded by other detailing, such as a beveled edge, and/or an arched top, providing a traditional appearance, like antique cabinetry. This style looks beautiful with painted or stained finishes that play up the three-dimensional qualities. This gives an extra depth to the cabinetry.

If you want to give your cabinets some depth, then go for raised door types. Raised cabinet doors come in a variety of designs consisting of both simple and intricate detailing, depending on the room character you are going for. Raised cabinet doors are especially ideal for vintage, antique, and country decor.

Slab Front Cabinets

It is made from a single piece of material—solid hardwood, MDF, or a wood veneer. Because it is one surface with no corners or recesses to capture grime, it is easy to keep clean with the swipe of a cloth.

Slab doors are flat, simple and a minimalist look. Slab doors are solid with no framing or panels. This style is ideal for contemporary or modern decor kitchens and bathrooms.

Recessed Panel Cabinets

The recessed or flat-panel door style provides a cleaner and sleeker profile than the raised panel door. It is a three dimensional while the center panel is recessed (though still flat) and framed by two stiles (rectilinear panels at either side) and two rails (panels at top and bottom). The recessed-panel door has the most flexibility when it comes to design, and it is a good choice if you want to be able to change the look of your kitchen down the road.

These simple, straightforward styles of Wellborn Kitchen Cabinets add a sense of warmth and beauty to traditional, transitional and contemporary settings without adding the costs often associated with more complex designs.

Wellborn Kitchen Cabinet Lines

Wellborn Cabinets Inc offers over 75 different types of the door with customizable options. There are several different styles, these include raised, cathedral, slab or square.

Now that you know how to choose the different door styles in Wellborn Kitchen Cabinets, we are going to look at four popular product lines that we use; Home Concepts, Select Series & Premier Series. They also provide a high-end Estate Collection.

Home Concepts

It is an entry level line of Wellborn Kitchen Cabinets. It is ideal for home remodeling and new home construction. With Home Concepts cabinetry, you get high quality at an affordable price point. If you are remodeling on a tight budget, consider Home Concepts. There are plenty of design variations to choose from, ensuring there is something for every taste and need.

Here is what you need to know about this Wellborn Kitchen Cabinet line.

There are 10 different Wellborn Kitchen Cabinet door styles to choose from. These styles feature different wood species including oak, maple, thermofoil, laminate, and MDF. The most popular door styles are Maple York and Layton. Both of these have a craftsman look and a recessed center panel.
The Home Concepts line also provides options for all-furniture board and all-plywood cabinets, usually the furniture board tends to be priced better.
The line offers a variety of cabinet sizes to choose from depending on your needs and preferences. Whether you are looking for a small kitchen or a full vanity cabinet for your bathroom, they are available. Remember to have the exact measurements for your space before deciding on the cabinet size. This ensures there will be no issues during installation.
Plenty of accessories to choose from depending on which type of cabinet you want. You can have pullouts, pantry racks, sliding shelves, wastebaskets rack, charging bases, and so on.
Cabinets in the Home Concepts series come with a one year limited warranty.

Select Series

The Select Series offers a variety of mid-range cabinets for homeowners carrying out a remodeling or new home construction project. In this series, you will find the perfect combination of style and affordability. You get to enjoy luxury at a price you can afford. These cabinets are pricier than those in the Home Concepts Series, but they come with added customization options and a wider variety of design, style, and wood. Here are the main features of the Wellborn Kitchen Cabinet Select Series:

The select series offers a semi-custom option where they are afforded some flexibility in design. Although you cannot get an entire cabinet custom made, you can get customized options for certain aspects of the design.
A wide variety of stains and paints with a glaze option. Whatever your style preference is or whichever decor you would love for your home, you will find the perfect cabinet in the Select Series.
Furniture board and plywood construction options are available.
A wide variety of cabinet sizes and accessories to suit your every need.
The warranty coverage for Select Series cabinets is much more comprehensive than that of the Home Concepts cabinets. With Select Series cabinets you get a lifetime limited warranty. This provides the assurance that the cabinets are durable and should anything ever happen, there is coverage in place to protect you.
Most of the cabinets come with a wood grain printed MDF back with 1/8 of an inch in thickness. All-plywood Select cabinets have a laminated plywood back measuring 3/16 of an inch in thickness.

The select series is for customers looking for an upgrade in cabinet style without spending too much money. The cabinets are closer to luxury than Home Concepts with only a modest increase in price.

Premier Series

This is the ultimate-luxury series for customers who want great style, quality, and can spend more to get it. The selection in design and style is extremely extensive ensuring that even the most unique of preferences are catered to.

Customers are offered a plethora of custom options to increase design flexibility.
There are more than 30,000 styles to choose from with a dizzying array of finish, wood, and color combinations. This provides customers with the freedom to buy exactly what they want instead of settling for their second or third choices.
Exceptional quality with master workmanship being employed at every stage of production. To back this quality, Wellborn Cabinet Inc provides a lifetime limited warranty for Premier Series cabinets.
Cabinets have a 5/8-inch dovetail drawer design to ensure durability. Furthermore, drawers are designed with a soft-close mechanism.

Wellborn Premier cabinets are a mixture of style, fashion, quality, and art. They may be some of the priciest among the three lines but they are more than worth it. For these cabinets; quality, reliability, and durability are without question top notch.

Estate Series

The Wellborn Estate Collection is without a doubt, the cabinet line that gives you the most flexibility with customizing the cabinetry to fit your needs. They have the “You Draw It” program that allows clients to bring any concept that can be drawn and turn it into reality. A truly unique offering that will allow you to transform your space into whatever your heart desires.

The Estate Collection provides “Color Inspire”, which allows for a greater offering of colors from Sherwin Williams, Valspar, and even Benjamin Moore. It gives clients the full opportunity to get exactly the look and finish that they desire.

Lastly, this line of cabinets also has the best warranty that Wellborn offers, which is a Lifetime Limited Warranty.

Quality Assurance & Environmental Protection

Over the years, an immense amount of work and skills have been poured into crafting the Wellborn name into a brand known for its strict insistence on nothing but the best.

According to the company, there are more than a hundred employees in the Quality Control Team, with over 30 quality control checkpoints. This ensures that every piece of furniture produced meets the highest standards.

Wellborn does not take a back seat when it comes to the environment. They are proactive in implementing environmentally friendly practices within their production and sales process. This includes working with similarly environment-minded suppliers, using the best technology to reduce pollution and striving to be as green as possible in the materials they use.

So whether you buy a Home Concepts, Select, Premier or Estate cabinet, you can be sure that behind it is a team that cares deeply about quality and the environment.