Did you spend a lot of time indoors over the winter, staring at all the things in your home that could use some updating? We have some good news for you. Even if you missed National Home Improvement Month in May, we’ve got some tips and advice to help you get started sprucing up your home.
Where should you start? Take a look at those to-do lists, Pinterest boards, and Houzz Ideabooks you’ve been keeping and make some decisions. What project would make the biggest difference in how well your home works for your family? What would make you the happiest to check off your list?
Photo courtesy Elkay
As the weather improves from spring into summer, maybe one of your top home improvement goals is to spend less time and money on routine home maintenance, and more time doing something fun with your family. This is a great place to start! Here are some suggestions:
Kitchen
In the kitchen, quartz countertops such as Silestone are taking the place of granite and marble because composites are just as sleek and shiny, but particularly durable and virtually maintenance-free. Replace the top-mounted sink with an undermount quartz or stainless sink that’s easier to keep clean because you can wipe spills and crumbs from the countertop directly into the sink, and there’s no crevices to catch dirt. Add a high-quality faucet that won’t break or peel in a year’s time.
Mudroom by Metro Building and Remodeling Group
Mudroom
This is the time of year when families get busy. And what better time than now to set up a place just inside your side or back door to handle the sports equipment, backpacks, pet supplies, and of course muddy shoes. The mudroom, also called a Drop Zone, is becoming a staple in our homes, and once you have one you’ll find that keeping your home clean and organized just got a lot easier. The area can include a locker-style unit for each family member, coat hooks, cubbies, a bench, a shelf for keys and packages, and an easy-to-clean tile floor.
Bathrooms
For a low-maintenance bathroom, your goal is to is eliminate grime, reduce grout, and get rid of glass. Use solid surface materials on walls and in showers, or choose large-format tile to vastly cut down on the amount of grout. One 24”x48” porcelain tile covers the same area as 72 4”x4” tiles! A walk-in, doorless shower can be designed using a minimum amount of glass, or none at all. Also, it might surprise you to learn that a high-quality fan/vent with a timer can cut your workload by removing moisture from the room. Less moisture means less mold and mildew. Voilà, less scrubbing!
Photo courtesy Kohler Co.
Outdoor Living
A deck is meant to add to your enjoyment, not your workload. Decking materials have come a long way and there is no reason to build a deck now that requires lots of maintenance. Composite and engineered materials such as TREX® Decking and AZEK® Deck Boards not only eliminate annual maintenance like staining, sealing and checking for rot or loose nails, they also provide long-lasting freedom from warping, rotting, splinters, stains from spills, and damage from the sun, moisture, and insects.
Photo courtesy Trex® Decking
If you want to go one step further, you can also remodel how much time and money you spend maintaining the yard by replacing some of that lawn with something you might enjoy more. Adding a porch, remodeling your patio into an outdoor kitchen, or building a new sunroom will treat you to living space you can use throughout the year.
So, let’s get started!
Call us today to schedule a consultation for your next project. We are an award-winning team ready to create a space you love.
