The Home Remodeling Blog

Over the past few weeks I have written about things that drive the cost of a kitchen remodeling project. In this blog, I will attempt to  answer  ”What’s the Real cost of a kitchen remodeling project?” First I have a few qualifiers:

1) No two kitchen projects are the same – so it is tricky to compare the cost of one to another.

2) Identifying the average cost of a new kitchen is like asking how much a   bag of groceries costs – it all depends what you put in the bag.

3) My experience is based mostly on people who desire upgraded to upscale projects so my cost ranges reflect this paradigm.

Continue reading “The Average Cost of a New Kitchen” »

In my March 8th blog I wrote about the “Cost of Luxury Kitchen Design” and in particular some of the big cost drivers. In that blog I addressed mostly the construction tasks that affect a kitchen remodel
price. In this blog I will address how the selection of certain upgrade or luxury products will impact your project. Continue reading “How luxury selections affect your kitchen remodel price” »

Beth Caston, the lighting manager of Ferguson Enterprises in Chantilly, helped us compose the following article.  It covers the popular topic of kitchen lighting options.  I hope you find it informative.

Layered Lighting: Cabinet, Recessed & Pendant lighting

The kitchen is often thought of as the heart of the home.  It’s not only a space for cooking and preparing, it’s where we spend time with family and entertain friends.  Lighting your kitchen effectively is extremely important.  Fortunately there are plenty of kitchen lighting options and Unfortunately there are plenty of kitchen lighting options (I know many of you reading this know what I mean). Bright task lighting is necessary for prepping dinner, but cozy soft lighting is important when the evening is winding down.  Layering the light in your kitchen will help you achieve all the necessary light levels. Continue reading “Remodeling your kitchen: Kitchen Lighting Options” »

I have been in the home remodeling business for 27 years and have noticed three recurring questions when first meeting a prospective customer.

1. How will it look?
2. When can you start?
3. How much will it cost?

The first two questions are easy to answer. The third: “How much will my luxury kitchen remodeling cost?” is like asking “How much does a bag of groceries cost?” It all depends. Continue reading “The Cost of a Luxury Kitchen Design” »

One the biggest decisions to be made when remodeling a kitchen is which flooring to use. There are many choices: Ceramic Tile, Stone, Natural Wood (finished in place), Pre-finished Wood , “Engineered” Wood,  Laminate, Vinyl Squares, Sheet Style Vinyl, Luxury Vinyl Flooring and even Cork.  Fortunately no one flooring fits all. I will attempt to help you wade through the choices based on our experience. Continue reading “Kitchen Flooring Options” »

Last week we ended the discussion on widening doorways. Whenever I speak to people about widening doorways the discussion often goes to alternative doors or non-traditional hinge doors.

Assessible alternative doors quite honestly have limited use in aging in place remodeling. Here are some alternatives to the traditional hinge door: Bi-fold door, quad-fold door, double swing door, by-pass doors and pocket doors. Continue reading “Aging in Place – Accessible Alternative doors” »

Aging In Place – Widening Existing Doorways

Last week I started this discussion on widening existing doorways with easy to relatively easy solutions. This week I’ll continue that discussion but the solutions are more complex, difficult and costly. The following should only be performed by people who are very knowledgeable and familiar with framing carpentry. This is Not a do-it-yourself guide. The intent is to show different concepts for widening doorways. Also, if the pictures are fuzzy zoom in on them and you will see them more clearly. Continue reading “Aging In Place: Widening Existing Doorways II” »

In our previous post I talked about how most homes do not have many doorways that are wide enough for people with mobility issues. This post will focus on how to widen existing doorways. Again the reality check – there are many doorways in your home that are totally impractical to widen from a cost standpoint. The focus here is to widen doorways enough to improve accessibility and independence for those people wishing to age in place or provide better access for visitors who may need mobility assistance. Continue reading “Aging in Place: How to Widen Existing Doorways” »

Narrow doorways can be a real headache for those wishing to age in place in their own home. Most, if not all, homes built over the last 100+ years have at least one narrow doorway that makes it difficult for a person using a walking assistance device to easily and safely pass through the doorway. Our focus here will be on solutions to widen these doorways without breaking the bank. Some of these modifications you may be able to perform yourself and others will require a professional.

Continue reading “Aging in Place: 36″ Doorways for Better Accessibility” »