CONSUMER'S VOICE BLOG
Choosing Countertops for Your Home Improvement Project – Part 1
If you have ever watched “This Old House” or are glued to your HGTV or DIY channels like the rest of us, you surely know there are many choices when it comes to countertops. So, what do you choose when options abound? That is entirely up to you and your...
Common Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make When Remodeling
Ask someone who has recently remodeled what they would have done differently, and you’ll probably get a bunch of feedback. It happens to the best of us - we all just get a little wrapped up in the moment when we’re excited, and some of us neglect to do things that...
5 Steps to Remember When Getting Your Remodeling Quote
Imagine this: It's time to remodel your kitchen - you've put it off for years now, and finally have some extra spending cash to help get your plan into action. So, you do a little research online and get really excited about taking the next step. What is the next...
Quick Tips – Choosing Hardware for Your Modern Cabinets
The trick to keeping your room looking modern is to keep things simple, sleek and to the point. Typically, modern kitchens display flat-panel doors or slab doors with minimal detailing. It wouldn’t make sense to have an ornate knob throwing off the simplicity of the...
Make Your Kitchen Fit for a Chef – Design
Designing your kitchen around function, and working with the space you already have, will help you utilize the area to its highest potential. These “master” kitchens are great because of the appliances they have in them, but it’s also about the design of the space –...
Everything About the Kitchen Sink
One area of your kitchen that will be used practically every single day is the kitchen sink. It’s often where preparation of meals begins and where the dirty plates collect when the meal ends. With such a heavy responsibility, you should be mindful of a sink’s...
Placing a Second Sink in the Kitchen
If you’ve ever had a party or a family gathering at your home, you know the frustration that comes from multiple cooks in the kitchen. With several people preparing food simultaneously the kitchen sink often becomes a high demand area, and that can lead to...
Make Your Kitchen Fit for a Chef – Appliances
If you’ve ever watched a cooking show or competition, it’s pretty easy to start getting kitchen envy within the first few minutes of the show. Seeing all of those beautiful appliances - big, beautiful and made of stainless steel - and all of the awesome gadgets that...
Prices – What to Expect When Shopping for a New Kitchen or Bath
Kitchen and bathroom prices vary widely depending on everything from exact measurements all the way down to finish options. For this reason, your dealer will need you to be completely honest from the beginning about everything from your budget to your overall...
More Flooring Tips for the Bathroom
When it comes to bathroom style, there are many elements to choose from and it can often seem like a chore to whittle down the options. Don’t get overwhelmed! While there are no wrong decisions, there are those that can make life a bit easier (in the ways of...
Updating Your Kitchen On a Limited Budget
Dream kitchens always seem to scare people into thinking they can never have anything new in their space. Homeowners often think that to update their kitchen, they need to liquidate all of their assets and sell part of their soul to get anything close to what they see...
Remodel Your Home with Resale In Mind
When you first buy your home, it’s hard to believe that you’ll ever move out of it. It’s a place that you want to make your own, but as life changes and families grow sometimes you need to move. When you’re in the process of remodeling, it’s important to keep in mind...
The How and Why of Cabinet Refacing
Let me guess; you’re not a big fan of your kitchen. It’s okay. You can admit it. Unless you designed it when your home was built, or you’ve already had it remodeled, it’s probably right that there’s something about your kitchen that makes you say “Ugh!” Maybe it’s the...
How to Utilize Your Backsplash in Clever Ways
When it comes to finding free space in the kitchen, many homeowners will tell you they’re all out, but most kitchens have a large area of free space just waiting to be used: the backsplash. Kitchen backsplashes are often decorative and add to the overall design of the...
Home Remodel Tips To Save You Headaches
If you're considering a kitchen remodel, the right information can save you much time and frustration, not to mention money. Here are some kitchen remodel tips to ensure you'll be happy with the process: Do your research before you settle on a design Changing plans...
Kitchen Styles: Back to the 1940s
The 1940s – Franklin D. Roosevelt was the president and the Great Depression was still hanging on. Thanks to some power-hungry dictators around the world who had ideas of world domination and the extermination of some populations, the United States went to war. Life...
Shake Up Your Kitchen Cabinets
Are you ready to shake things up a bit with your kitchen cabinets? Shaker style cabinets are a great option when renovating your kitchen. Dating back to the 18th century, the Shaker style cabinetry was created by the Shakers, who defined themselves by their...
What to Expect with the In-Home Measure
When it comes to remodeling, there's much to think about. Decisions, time-frames, meetings, research and more. Working with a professional will ease many of the stresses for you - especially when they follow a specific, detailed process. Most dealers like to meet...
Efficient Kitchens – How to Get One
Recently, we published an article overviewing the kitchen triangle and how it can make kitchen life easier. As a refresher, the kitchen triangle is comprised of the sink, the range and the refrigerator. Basically, the concept says that these three stations should be...
Uncovering your Kitchen Style
Kitchens come in all shapes, sizes, prices and styles - and isn't that a wonderful thing? Imagine a world where there was no differentiation when it came to kitchens - everyone had the same 'ol countertops, cabinets and flooring. Where's the fun in that? The kitchen...
Cabinet Designs in 3 “Easy” Steps
Are you thinking about remodeling your kitchen or bath? Do you feel a sudden onset of paralysis when you consider the choices and decisions that lie ahead of you? Fear not. By starting small – with, say, just your cabinet design – you can make the process easier and...
Kitchens With a Sense of 1930’s Style
If you’re thinking of remodeling your kitchen, you might want to consider looking back to the styles of yesteryear. Many kitchens from in the 1930s were not only stylish, but also practical, keeping in mind that this was the time of the great depression. In general...
Kitchen Remodeling for Investment Properties
Whatever your reason for remodeling, whether it is to update your current space in the hopes that you'll someday make that money back on a resale, or if you're renovating an investment property of some sort, your goal is to likely spend as little as possible (within...
Choosing Hardware for Traditional Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets should be one of the stand-out features of your kitchen design, providing both practical and necessary storage space in your kitchen. For this reason, it's important to the overall look of your kitchen design that you have practically and beautifully...
These Kitchen Remodeling Trends Will Make Your Kitchen Fab
Isn't it time to remodel your kitchen? After all, that's where everyone seems to congregate, despite trying to corral them in the living room. So make sure that when you're throwing a party, people are awed by your taste in faucets, floors and countertops. The easiest...
Transitioning Into The Modern Era, Kitchens From 1900 to 1920
When looking at the kitchens today, it’s always fun to think back through the eras and notice the influences in kitchen styles and trends. The period between 1900 and 1920 saw much advancement in science and technology in the United States, which came to be reflected...
General Tips for Choosing Kitchen Cabinet Hardware
When was the last time you remodeled your kitchen? Maybe your cabinets could use a change, but you aren’t quite ready for a total transformation? Refacing the cabinets may be an option, but there are other smaller changes that often make a big difference. Give your...
Multiple Colors for Kitchen Cabinets?
Fads come and go. If you jumped on the bandwagon and installed a colored plastic laminate countertop or a retractable range top, you are probably more than a little leery of flashy ideas. Not just a passing trend, mix and match kitchen cabinet finishes are a stylish...
Close Encounters . . . of the Home Improvement Kind
How many of you remember Close Encounters of the Third Kind from the 1970’s? It was a popular science-fiction movie written and directed by Steven Spielberg about a utility line worker who had an encounter with a UFO and was obsessed by visions and 5 musical notes. ...
Kitchen Triangle – Save Steps, Make Life Easier
It’s been a long day at the office. The drive home took longer than usual. The traffic was heavy for no apparent reason whatsoever. The daycare center was busy; parents in and out, kids playing, saying goodbyes, grabbing coats, backpacks, and out the door. Get in the...
Freshen Up your Spring Kitchen
There is nothing quite like the first few days of Spring weather - at least for those of us in colder climates. I'm not talking about the Spring weather we've had thus far (brrr), but rather the first few days where you know it's finally here; when there's something...
What Should You Ask Your Designer? 10 Questions
Starting a kitchen or bath remodel is no small endeavor. After you've finally saved up enough money for your remodel project (or what you think to be enough), it's time to research styles you like and professionals in your area who are worthy of handling your...
Cleaning House – It’s SPRING!
It's finally here - the moment we've all been waiting for. SPRING has sprung! Which means, it's time to get out from under the blankets (don't worry, you can leave your slippers on for now) and stop cursing that poor scared groundhog. It may feel like Phil lied to...
Where Problems Can Hide in Your DIY Bathroom Remodel
Any remodel can be complicated, but kitchens and bathrooms tend to be the most tricky. Before taking on such a major job alone, homeowners need to make sure they’re fully aware of what it all entails. Major problems may emerge during bathroom remodels, and if you’re...
Design your Kitchen to Reflect Your Lifestyle
How many times have you walked into your kitchen and felt lost in your own home? So many times we create a reflection of our personality and lifestyle in other areas of the home, but stop short of that in our kitchens. It’s easier than you might think to create the...
What’s Up With Your Kitchen? Time to Remodel
Okay, why are you thinking of remodeling your kitchen? Every homeowner contemplating this project has his or her own reason for wanting to gut their kitchen. Here are five signs it's time to remodel your kitchen: The kitchen is falling apart Do you hold your cabinets...
Designing a Bathroom for a Woman AND a Man
If you’re in the midst of a bathroom remodel plan, consider making some choices that will please your man too. Wondering where we are going with this? Well, as we all know, the master bath is somewhat of a woman’s serene, spa-like oasis from the rest of the world....
Guest Blog – 2 Easy Ways To Make Your Kitchen Eco-Friendly
Guest Blogger: Jessica Stephens, Home Improvement Enthusiast If you are considering remodeling your home for the new year you may want to think about your kitchen too. Resolutions are great and changing up the kitchen can be an ideal place to kill more than two birds...
Kitchen Details that will Help You on Valentine’s Day
Ahhhhh, Valentine’s Day – the most loved and hated day of the year. It’s kind of sad to see the overwhelming amount of negative remarks clouding social media on February 14th each year. Debbie Downers. If you’re not having a good day because no one did anything for...
Door Styles 101
Many questions surround a kitchen remodel, door style being a main concern of many homeowners when it comes to cabinets. Options abound when it comes to the types of doors that you can have on your cabinets, so we will break some of them down for you. The door styles...
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