Thoughts on Bathroom Makeovers and Renovations

One of the most common renovation projects we do is for clients wanting to remodel or renovate one or more bathrooms. Bathroom remodeling is surprisingly more enjoyable and rewarding than other makeovers in the house for several reasons. First, it is considerably less intrusive, easier, and faster than other rooms because bathrooms aren’t that big or complicated compared to your other rooms such as the kitchen. Second, it is a room with several specific and obvious purposes, so you can design it in a way that makes your life easier. Third, when on a tight budget, small improvements and changes make a huge difference in both the décor and the functionality.  Here are some considerations for bathroom makeovers and bathroom ideas:

Going Green

You can make your bathroom greener with just a few remodeling or design changes. From new water-saving toilets and shower heads, to energy efficient LED bulbs, to a repurposed and recycled driftwood mirror on the wall, you can make the bathroom look elegant while making it environmentally friendly and cost-effective.

The Walls

There are a lot of ways to change the bathroom walls to make them look and feel more personal and esthetically pleasing. By adding statement tiles, your bathroom can show off your individuality. Or you can use stencils to add your favorite quotes to give you and your guests something to ponder.

The Shower and Tub

If you have enough space, you can create two different bathing areas, one for efficient showers, the other for relaxing baths. If you don’t have the room, you can always choose to change your bathroom to have a great bathing experience. An enclosed shower with tile and a large, water-saving, shower-head will make the early morning or late night cleaning experience a more peaceful and relaxing. Adding a shower seat to relax legs and a weary body after a long day can also improve safety in the shower.

If you want a really relaxing bath, the sculptural tub is a great way addition to the bathroom. It looks sleek and lets you really soak after a long day. The look is reminiscent of tubs from a century or two back, but it has all of the modern day plumbing.

For more great ideas on bathroom makeovers and renovations, Houzz has an article on 15 Refreshing Ideas for a Bathroom Makeover.  Visit our website for more ideas and to learn about all we do to help you keep your home beautiful and functional:

http://www.bcwestbuild.com/services/home-renovation-companies/

http://www.bcwestbuild.com/services/home-remodeling-companies/

Keeping Your Hardwood Floors Beautiful

Hardwood floors have so many benefits for your home. They increase the value of your home, they look elegant and clean, and they don’t lock in allergens, dust, and dirt the way carpeting inevitably does regardless of how often you clean your carpets. What you probably may not know is how difficult it can be to keep hardwood floors clean and looking beautiful year after year.  And if you want to read a great, detailed article on Houzz on caring for your hardwood floors click here.

Know Your Finish

Before deciding what you need to do to clean or refinish your hardwood floors, it’s important to know what kind of finish they have on top of the bare wood. This is actually the determining factor in how to clean it or determine if refinishing is in order, and not what kind of wood is installed.

How Do You Tell the Finish?

There are a couple of quick things you can do to get an idea what kind of finish your hardwood floors have if your don’t know. This is especially true if you just bought the house.

• If you run your hand over it and it feels grainy, you probably have a penetrating finish with wax
• If you drop a small drop of paint remover on a corner or place that is out of sight and the floor bubbles up, the finish is polyurethane
• If you do the same thing with water and it is absorbed, either the wood is unfinished or the layer of finish has been worn away
• If instead of absorbing the water white spots appear in 10 or 15 minutes, the floor is most likely waxed – be sure to lightly damp some fine steel wool and gently rub away the white spots
• If you take a coin and scrape that same unseen area of the floor and the finish flakes off, the floor has an older finish

Easy Preventative Solutions to Keep Your Floors Looking New

• Not wearing shoes is the best way to keep any hardwood floor cleaner
• Always avoid wearing things like heels and cleats on hardwood floors
• Don’t use cleaning products that were made for tile or vinyl floors
• Use a slightly damp mop with something like window cleaner on occasion for the quick touch up
• If deep cleaning is required, clean the floors with a cleaner meant for wood and the finish that is on top of the wood

To find out more about how we help you keep your homes beautiful and functional please visit our website:

http://www.bcwestbuild.com/services/home-builders/

http://www.bcwestbuild.com/services/home-repair-companies/

http://www.bcwestbuild.com/home-improvement-refinishing-wood-floors/

Home Renovation Survey Results

When you are researching home renovation projects, one reliable resources to focus your research on is the Houzz and Home renovation survey. The Houzz and Home 2015 survey is a fantastic way to focus your time and energy to help you plan what you want to do this year and next year. The following are the report highlights, but you can also review the full report if you have time.

What the Survey is All About

The survey asks homeowners about home renovations and the eight factors to consider when planning a renovation project:

• Functionality
• Energy efficiency
• Sustainable materials
• Resale value of the home
• Cost for the renovation
• Design considerations
• Health aspects
• Smart technology

The survey looks at where homeowners are more likely to focus their attention, which can help you when you are evaluating the cost effectiveness of a home renovation project or when you are investigating the different home renovation companies being considered for the project. Anything that is considered of high importance to a homeowner is going to be something to consider when choosing your home renovation partner.

Ranking the two aspects that most people considered of high importance were improving the design of their home and the home’s functionality.

Three categories ranked very high for being incredibly important with over 60% of home owners choosing these categories:

• Improving the home’s resale value
• Making the home more energy efficient
• Reducing costs

The next three areas - health, materials, and smart technology - ranked as very important among the respondents of the survey.

Notable Findings

There were several factors that were noticed in the survey results:

• Those with an income under $50K a year ranked reducing the number of renovations to be considerably more important than those who earned over $500K a year
• Regardless of income, those surveyed found resale value to be extremely important when deciding which renovation projects to do
• Younger homeowners placed more emphasis on reducing renovations and resale value than older homeowners
• Younger homeowners ranked health considerably higher than older homeowners, but older homeowners were more likely to focus on greener solutions

For more information on BC West Building Company visit our website or call us now:

http://www.bcwestbuild.com/services/custom-home-construction/

http://www.bcwestbuild.com/services/kitchen-renovations/

http://www.bcwestbuild.com/services/home-remodeling-companies/kitchen-remodeling-companies/