When to Remodel Your Home

Sometimes you don't need a new home, you just need a vibe, with a more modern bathroom, kitchen, and living area design. When that's the case, a home remodel is the answer. Learn how to increase the value of your home by bringing in the professionals. Fixing up an old house starts with an initial consultation where you outline the current problems facing the home design and talk about what's expected out of the remodeling process.

 Knowing When to Remodel Your Home

When you look around the home, do you find outdated items you no longer see reflected in design magazines and store catalogs? It may be time to give the home's style a facelift and bring it into the current decade. Update the high-value projects, such as adding solar energy for home power to go off grid, or just to get a break on the energy bill every month. Before bringing in the professionals, stop to flip through some magazines, catalogs, and websites to decide which design style best suits your tastes.

Renovating Kitchens

Family kitchens are one of the most-used rooms in a home, and one of the first rooms to start looking dated. Kitchen designs change as quickly as technology advances, and when looking for ideas on how to increase the value of your home, adding new technology is a sure winner. A set of new appliances and a good cabinet refinishing can be all that's needed to update the look.

For an older home, a complete kitchen remodel may be in store, offering many ways to increase the value of home spaces. When doing a remodel, invest in some quality finishes for surfaces, fixtures, and hardware from the start, and the kitchen will stay looking current for a long time to come. This means opting for granite, quartz, or another hard stone countertop, and adding quality cabinets in a neutral finish.

Don’t forget the small details. The cabinet and door hardware acts as the jewelry of the space, so take the time to find a style and finish that reflects your style. Finally, fill the kitchen with high-end appliances featuring energy-efficient designs and the convenience of Smart Home features.

Updating the Bathrooms

Like the kitchens, bathrooms are a clear reflection of the age of a home, and often not in a classic way. If the home has pastel subway tiles or crystal-cut faucet knobs, there's a good chance it's time for an update. Tile designs have changed a lot in recent years. There are even tile designs that look like hardwood flooring.

For bathroom renovations, typically, a whole re-tiling is in order. This could mean a new shower, bathtub, toilet, vanity, sinks, and mirrors as well. To keep costs lower, shop ahead, buy in bulk, and keep all the main components of the bathroom in the same place.

If you're looking for a whole new layout, plumbers may be needed to move plumbing lines, increasing both the budget and the timeline of the project. When it comes to ways to increase the value of an older home, expanding the bathroom and adding spa-like fixtures is a great way to set your home apart from the rest.

Modernize the Contemporary Living Areas

When everyday living spaces look like a flash from the past, a renovation is a great way to refresh the space and bring your home back into the current decade. A quick living room update is one of many ways to increase the value of the home, indoors and out. Living spaces are often less expensive to renovate than kitchens and bathrooms because they don't have as many big-ticket appliances and fixtures. They can be found as a formal living room, den, family room, or even as an outdoor patio build.

Refresh the Flooring

One of the biggest tell-tale signs of an older home is the flooring. Hardwood flooring can usually be sanded and refinished to breathe new life into it. Other types of flooring may need to be ripped out and new flooring installed. Luxury vinyl flooring is a great choice for any interior room of the home because it is affordable, commercial-grade, and waterproof. Ceramic tile, hardwood, bamboo, and cork are all popular options, as well.

Choose Your Colors

A new wall color throughout the home can help make all the rooms look more cohesive. To feature an accent wall or accent color, make sure it is complimentary in hue. Paint is a relatively inexpensive update, so it's great for when you're wondering how to add character to a home.

Consider Eco-Friendly and Smart Home Designs

When a home is undergoing a remodeling process, it's the ideal time to think about the functionality of the home and what you can do to lower the carbon footprint. Sometimes, knowing when to remodel your home is about looking at the kind of drain the home is on utilities and electricity. Incorporating solar energy for home use will help to lower the monthly utility costs. 

Look for Smart Home features in every element added to the renovation design, including doorbells, appliances, lighting, security, thermostats, vacuums, and more. With Wi-Fi-connected elements, they can be controlled from the convenience of a cell phone, even when the homeowner is away.

When an old home renovation is done right, it can reflect the classic influences of the home design while providing modern technology any homeowner will appreciate. Having up-to-date technology featured throughout is a great way to increase the value of your home by elevating the appeal of the design. 

Timing A Remodel

If you’re wondering how long do renovations take, the answer is that it depends greatly on how much work needs to be done and how many rooms are being renovated. A simple kitchen facelift can take a matter of days, while a complete rethinking of the floorplan could involve moving walls, installing new floors, and more. For larger projects, expect the process to take weeks or months.

Keep in mind that any renovation project may uncover some underlying issues with the home, such as rotting beams, termites, or faulty wiring. Every repair and restoration that can be made will add to the many ways to increase the value of home integrity. Pad your budget with a little added money to account for any surprises that may come up as the work takes place.