As another holiday season approaches, many design publications and style influencers weigh in with what they predict the latest trends will be for the coming year. If you’re planning to remodel soon, it’s a lot of fun, but not really very useful.
Here at Metro Building & Remodeling Group, we see three ways of approaching a remodeling project that we believe are the trends that should be considered before the “color of the year” or whether the finish on your faucets is brushed nickel, oil-rubbed bronze or polished brass.
#1 Every Moment Counts
In the DC Metro area, everyone is busy ─ with work, kids’ schedules and volunteer activities. No one wants to spend a lot of time or energy on home maintenance. Fortunately, there are many engineered building materials available today that will require less of your time for upkeep.
Quartz countertops are a popular substitute for granite. These composites are as sleek and shiny as granite, but virtually maintenance-free. Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) and Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) are not your grandparents’ vinyl flooring. They are beautiful, durable, water-resistant, comfortable and easy to maintain, and LVT and LVP can be used in any room in place of wood, tile or stone at a more affordable price.
When selecting exterior products, you can now choose from a wide range of materials that eliminate the need for many repairs. Exterior wood can be replaced with man-made materials such as fiber cement siding and engineered decking.
While you’re carving out time to spend with family and friends, you should also make your home comfortable and convenient for everyone. Following the principles of Universal Design throughout the home means wider halls and doorways, lever handles on faucets, adequate task lighting, and increased lighting on stairways. Make it easier for everyone to help themselves in the kitchen by adding pullout shelves, multiple counter heights, and an under-counter microwave.
A finished basement can be divided into separate rooms for kids to play and adults to relax. Even your pets can have their own built-in nooks for sleeping. A tiled bathing station in the laundry room or mudroom can make the dreaded dog-washing task much easier for everyone involved!
The “healthy home” aspect of remodeling is important too. Thoughtful building material choices can help indoor air quality, chemical sensitivities, and protect family members against allergens, mold, and mildew.
There’s no excuse for inaccessible cabinet spaces anymore with a variety of storage solutions for the kitchen. Custom cabinet organization can make blind corners and hard-to-reach upper shelves accessible and eliminate the chaos created by leftover containers and precariously stacked pots and pans.
Updating a bathroom wouldn’t be complete without vanity storage options like fitted drawers, pullout shelves, hidden outlets for hair dryers and charging stations for shavers. A built-in tile shelf in the shower will keep shampoos and body washes handy while eliminating unattractive stick-on shelves.
Since feeding your dog or cat is a daily chore, why not install a feeding area to make it easier? Add a low cabinet shelf for food and water dishes and a slide-out bin to store food more conveniently than dragging around a huge bag of kibble.
We want to make sure that your home is as beautiful as it can be, while taking into account the comfort of all members of your family, your precious time and your budget. We are thankful we can use these three criteria to make that happen. Contact us today and we can help give you a remodeled home you can be thankful for every day you live there.