Kitchen Remodeler Tips: Designing a Home Office Inside the Kitchen

At first thought, the only person who would probably need an office space in the kitchen would be a restaurateur or a chef—but adding a home office in your kitchen is a great way to boost your productivity at home! With a home office in your kitchen, you can easily sort bills, review emails, and other business tasks while waiting for sauces to simmer. It also serves as a great place for the kids to do their homework, allowing you to get dinner started while being a few feet away if they have any questions.

If you are interested in adding a home office inside your kitchen, be sure to speak with a respected kitchen remodeler like Valley Home Improvement. In particular, you’ll want to talk about the following:

Clearance from Prep Zones

When deciding where to put your new home office, be sure you place it away from food preparation zones. This keeps the area clear for when you’re cutting the vegetables and prevents sauces from staining any important business documents. You may also want to take note of how you move around your current kitchen and look for areas you rarely pass through. This would be an ideal spot for your new work space

Bathroom Remodeler Tips: Making a Case for Installing Walk-In Showers

When it comes to bathroom remodels, homeowners may be interested in removing a bathtub or redesigning their existing shower. One of the most popular replacement options in such cases would be to have a bathroom remodeler install a walk-in shower.

Walk-in showers, similar to the ones you would find in a spa or country club, easily provide a glamorous touch to any bathroom. This is especially true when paired with beautiful glass tiles or porcelain tiles for a true spa-like look. On top of the aesthetic advantages, walk-in showers also bring the following benefits:

They Work Better in Smaller Spaces

If you are having a respected bathroom remodeler like Valley Home Improvement Inc. work on a guestroom bathroom, there is a chance that you’re working with a smaller space. In such cases, a walk-in shower is a perfect choice as it can easily be installed following the shape of a corner or the shortest wall, allowing you to maximize space. Using glass shower doors can help you make the entire bathroom appear bigger, as well as add a spa-like elegance to the bathroom that will surely impress your guests.

Kitchen Remodeler: 3 Kitchen Cabinet Doors for Every Style and Budget

Kitchen cabinet doors usually take up the most visual space in any kitchen. As such, choosing the right material, design, and type of cabinet can easily help you recreate the style you want for your kitchen.

Whether you love a classic, timeless look or a chic and modern kitchen, you will usually have to choose from three basic types of cabinet doors. Each type of kitchen cabinet door can make any kitchen truly feel like the “heart of the home”, but choosing the perfect type can help you achieve your family’s preferred style with ease:

Inset Cabinet Doors

If you identify yourself as someone who values tradition, the style and look of inset cabinet doors may appeal to you. A popular choice for kitchens in the early 1900s, full inset cabinet doors show off superior craftsmanship like no other due to its design, lending an ageless and pristine look to any kitchen. This option is best utilized when working with a respected kitchen remodeler, such as Valley Home Improvement Inc., due to the immense precision required to build and install these doors.

Bathroom Remodeler Shares 3 Ideas That Increase a Home’s Resale Value

Along with the kitchen, the bathroom is one of the most important selling points for any home. In fact, many house hunters can be turned off from purchasing a perfectly good home if the bathroom isn’t up-to-par with their standards.

Whether you are planning to move to a new home or sell your real estate investment, it’s a good idea to get in touch with a respected bathroom remodeler like Valley Home Improvement, Inc.  to have the room updated. After all, research shows that bathroom remodels typically yield a 62 percent ROI. With that in mind, you can make the most out of your remodel by taking the following ideas into consideration:

Multiroom Additions: 3 Tips to Cover All Bases from Start to Finish

Having one or two additions built into your home can add an extra touch of comfort. On the other hand, having three or more additions constructed at the same time can instantly change the dynamic and livability of your home--it may feel as if you’ve moved into a different home altogether!

Of course, planning multiple additions can be a little overwhelming for first timers. With that in mind, here are a few tips to help you in properly planning the project:

Balance the New and the Existing

Don’t forget that you’re “adding” to your home, not building a new one. The size, shape, and location of your additions should never overwhelm or “eat up” the existing sections of your home. You’ll want to try to achieve both a visual and functional balance and this is where working with experienced contractors, like our team here at Valley Home Improvement Inc., really pays off.


Professional contractors can take into account the size of your original home so that it works well with your new sunroom, laundry room, and connected garage. Similarly, they can easily make an addition look and feel as if it’s always been there rather than something hastily put together after your home was constructed.

Three Recommendations to Try for Lighting Your Sunroom in the Evening

Every sunroom has its own set of design challenges, and one of the most tricky aspects is how to light it at night. So tricky is this aspect that many homeowners tend to enjoy their sunrooms often during the day and seldom at night. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with that, Iit might be nice to consider the possibility of spending more time in the sun room perhaps straight into the evening.

Sunrooms let in natural light during the day, but it will need sufficient lighting fixtures to light up the room especially after the sun comes down. Here are some nifty ways to illuminate your sunroom in the evening.

Kitchen Remodeling Questions: Should You Splurge on a Walk-In Pantry?

A pantry is important in every kitchen because it offers the ideal place to store food supplies, kitchen appliances, and other cookware. It’s an essential feature in the kitchen that many homeowners want to have but can’t always build because of space and design limitations. Homeowners who choose to have them built find themselves asking how they could have gone so long without it.

Deciding on remodeling to have a walk-in pantry

If your home already has a pantry but is too small to be an efficient storage space, then you can simply renovate the space and put in a walk-in pantry. With a large pantry, you’ll have an easier experience storing food items as well as kitchen appliances and cookware that you may not want to keep in the kitchen cabinets or shelves.

More Innovative Alternatives for Your Bathroom Remodeling Project

Bathroom remodeling takes more than making a space look appealing—it's also about creating a functional place that makes life convenient for the people who use it. As you age, you may start to have a number of issues with mobility and functioning. If you plan to live in your home for a long time, then your bathroom remodel should suit your needs both now and in the future.

Achieving ergonomics

The first step to a bathroom remodel is to evaluate the existing space. What would you like to see improved? Do you simply want to update a feature here and there, or are you looking at a major overhaul? Regardless of the project's degree of complexity, you might want to look into making the area as ergonomic as possible, meaning storage should not be too high, tissue holders should be within comfortable reach, and faucets must be easy to turn on and off, among others.

Why an In-Law Suite Makes Sense for Your Next Home Addition Project

As the name suggests, an in-law suite provides you with the space you need to accommodate your in-laws when they come to visit. In-law suite home additions have recently grown in popularity because of the multiple benefits they offer, including improved functionality, maximized space, and better home value.

An in-law suite commonly features a bedroom, a bathroom, and a small kitchen. Design can vary greatly, depending on your needs and preferences. You can choose to have your suite as part of the house or separate from it. You can even create your in-law suite from a basement, garage, or attic that you’re not using.

Which of These Three Popular Roof Choices for Sunrooms Is for You?

Do you love spending time outdoors to enjoy the view of your garden, but can’t stand the heat and the bugs? To fully enjoy the outdoors while indoors, you can turn your garden into a cozy sunroom with the help of an experienced contractor.

If you think a sunroom addition is a good idea, one of your first considerations to make the design work is to choose the right roof for it. Among the popular roofs used in sunrooms include gable, single slope, and glass roof panels. Find out more about these three types of roofs so you can choose which one is perfect for your home addition project. 

Tips from a Kitchen Remodeler: Mixing and Matching Kitchen Materials

Combining different kitchen materials isn’t a new design idea, but it’s a very effective way to break the monotony in the space. With an interesting and effective selection, you can have complementary materials that create an attractive focal point for your kitchen. The key to mixing and matching materials is to use tones that relate while using strong contrast to make the mismatch look intentional and beautiful.

Bathroom Remodeler Gives Tips to Improve Your Bath Without Renovating

Space constraints can certainly prevent you from improving the appearance of a room in your home, but a renovation isn’t the only way to do so. Take your bathroom, for instance. Even if you can’t change the layout, you can still make the space more beautiful in so many ways. Here are four creative ways to improve the look of your bathroom without tearing down the walls.

Home Additions vs. Making the Move: Which is Right for Your Situation?

A lot of changes have happened since you moved in to your house—you now have growing children, you’ve acquired more furniture and appliances, and your lifestyle has evolved drastically for your family. You now realize that your home is smaller and no longer suits your current needs.

Instead of selling your house and moving into another one, you may want to consider a home addition. Here’s how you can tell if this type of home renovation project makes more sense for your situation than moving.

Tips for Home Additions: Three Popular Design Options for Sunrooms

A sunroom is one of the best ways to enjoy the sun all year-round and a good way to bring generous amounts of bright natural light into your home. Likewise, they can also be an effective way to expand your living space while creating a beautiful transition between your property’s exterior and interior elements. Of course, design is a major consideration when building your sunroom, because what you want is something that integrates seamlessly with your existing home design.

Striking a Balance Between Form and Function with a Kitchen Remodeler

When it comes to kitchen remodeling, two main factors must be considered. One is the kitchen’s form, and the other is its function. Concentrating on one factor alone can lead to a confusing-looking space, therefore the right balance between the two needs to be struck so one can bring about the uniqueness of the other.

A good example of a kitchen that achieves the ultimate in form and function is the test kitchen at Williams-Sonoma’s California headquarters, which is the home of various hosting demos, product tests, and cookbook brainstorms. Williams-Sonoma culinary director Amanda Haas and EVP of real estate and development Bud Cope explain their effective approach.

Bathroom Remodeler on Why Geometric Shapes Are Perfect for Bathrooms

Bathrooms that employ geometric shapes and patterns exude a certain simplistic elegance. Complement the geometry with clean lines, minimal colors, and traditional furniture, and you can instantly transform your bathroom into a sanctuary for comfort and cleanliness.

Geometric shapes and patterns work well for bathrooms because of certain elements intrinsic to the bathroom design, such as tiles, faucets, sinks, mirrors, and other features. Due to their different shapes, each feature can be mixed and matched to achieve the geometrical look you’re going for, from sophisticated and imposing to bright and cheery, and everything in between.

Bedrooms & Hobby Rooms: Possible Additions to Split-Level Family Homes

A “split-level” refers to a house layout popular from the 1950s to 1970s. It allows for many staggered levels inside a house, so that a residence that looks as if it has only two stories actually has more than that. Split-levels were typical for suburban homes and fit for the mid-20th century family.

These days, split-level designs may appear outdated, and some may have been even outgrown by modern family sizes and needs. As such, additions to split-levels are sometimes necessary.

Extra sleeping space

Building a street-level extension can open up an extra bedroom or two for a growing family. The new bedroom might be a good fit for a teenager who needs more personal space away from younger siblings. It can also be created as guest quarters. 

Given the layout of split-levels, any extensions might need to come with connecting stairs, so the additional sleeping areas are best reserved for grown-up family members rather than young children.

A party and entertainment level

Due to their layout, split-levels can keep living spaces neatly delineated. For example, a study can be situated on another floor and clearly separated from the kitchen or dining room, keeping quiet workspaces a bit more insulated from busier areas.

Additions can follow the same principle, which is why media, recreation, and party rooms are a great idea for split-level extensions. Homeowners just need to be careful in planning how to get platters of food up or down, to and from the kitchen.

Soundproofed hobby room

If isolated rooms are the great gift of split-level housing, then a hobby room is an equally great idea for an addition. The hobby room can be set apart from the rest of the house and be soundproofed. It can be an even better place to use as a gaming area, with clattering billiard balls or noisy video consoles, or as a music room where instruments can be played to the heart’s content.


Sources:

Popular Split-Level Home Additions. Simply Additions.

Split-Level Homes: Outdated or Underrated? Realtor Mag, September 2008.

Controlling the Temperature in Sunrooms Without Heating or AC Systems

Temperature control can be a bit tricky when it comes to sunrooms because of the amount of glass used to build the structure. Many choose to install a new air conditioning and heating system so that the sunroom is comfortably warm in winter and refreshingly cool in summer. Instead of installing a new heating and AC system, there are other ways to ensure that your sunroom always has the ideal temperature in both colder and warmer months.

Use Low U-Value Windows

To minimize heat gain and heat loss in your sunroom, your remodeler can use low U-value windows. U-value measures how a window system conducts heat. A window system's U-value is determined by its assembly, including the effect of the glass, seals, frame, and any spacers. Using a system with a lower U-value means you have windows with greater resistance to heat flow and better insulation.

Use Window Treatments or Privacy Shades

Placing window treatments and shades on windows and on floor-to-ceiling walls made of glass serve several purposes, such as preventing too much heat and light from coming in, enhancing the decor, and providing much-needed privacy. Window treatments are the ideal elements to control how bright or dark your sunroom is during daytime. Depending on your preferences and your sunroom design, you can choose among options like sheer shades, solar or sunscreen shades, vertical and cellular blinds, and curtains.

Install Electrical Heating or Use Space Heaters

When you don't want to add another furnace in the sunroom but still want it to be perfectly toasty during winter, you can use space heaters or install electrical heating. A space heater is a portable device that heats up its immediate surroundings. You can just store the heater away during summer. Electric radiant heating, on the other hand, can be installed in the floor, high on the wall, or in the ceiling as radiant panels. Electric mats that are installed below the surface or electric cables in the floor can keep a room warm for hours.

Use Ceiling Fans for Proper Ventilation

During summer, you can use ceiling fans and box fans to make sure that the sunroom has proper ventilation. You can also open doors to the adjoining room that has air conditioning to create cross-ventilation. Using a portable air conditioning unit is also a good way to avoid having a stuffy sunroom.

Source:
How to Heat and Cool a Sunroom, modernmom.com

Adding Living Room Comforts in the Kitchen with a Kitchen Remodeler

The kitchen can be a versatile space. Because you and your family spend a lot of time in the kitchen, making the area as comfortable as possible is a worthy investment. Cozy seating and a collection of personal photographs on display can make your kitchen a very pleasant and relaxing area, much like your living room.

To create this kind of space, your kitchen remodeler can take inspiration from your living room design. Taking elements from your living room and incorporating them in your kitchen will also make the transition from one space to the other seamless.

Comfy Sofas and Built-in Seating

Making space for a comfortable sofa in your kitchen is a good idea especially when you're used to hosting dinner parties that often end up in the kitchen anyway. Instead of placing a bulky sofa in your kitchen, you can have built-in banquettes or island seating instead. Meals are going to be more intimate with a banquette, and it can even double as your desk when you need to work while you prepare a meal.

Island seating, on the other hand, are very portable. You can tuck them underneath the kitchen island and simply pull them out when you have company.

Rugs and Other Fabrics

Placing a vintage rug on the kitchen floor or using kitchen-friendly fabrics can add visual interest in a space that's usually occupied by appliances and hard surfaces. A rug that's worn with time can also give the room a feeling of warmth, much like how it does when placed in the living room.

Personal Mementos and Beautiful Accessories

To make the kitchen feel as cozy as your living room, having built-in cabinets that also contain personal mementos like old photographs, some trinkets from your travels, and your favorite books is a refreshing idea. 

Source:
This kitchen trend — homey comfort — takes its cue from the living room, Los Angeles Times

A Bathroom Remodeler Shares Some Interesting Trends and Revelations

If you’re thinking of renovating your bathroom for a much-needed upgrade, the latest U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study reveals that thousands of homeowners share your sentiments. Homeowners want stylish spaces with luxurious features, which can be achieved with a professional bathroom remodeler through any of the following means.

Replacing Major Bathroom Features

The same Houzz study reveals that more than four in five homeowners replace major features in their bathroom, such as the floors, countertops, and sinks. The showers are usually upgraded, too, in favor of replacing tubs or tub-shower combos. Most homeowners opt for materials like ceramic or porcelain tiles, marble or travertine tiles, and stone slabs made of granite or slate for a beautiful finish.

Increasing Shower Size

According to the renovators surveyed in the study, 75% of homeowners retained the size of the bathroom, and 68% of those remodeling their shower are increasing its space. Some would even make room for trendy items like large rainfall showerheads and request a 50% increase in the size of their showers. This would make it necessary to adjust or modify the rest of the bathroom features, so the overall look of the space is chic.

Installing High-Tech Accessories

Many homeowners are also keen on improving their bathroom through high-tech features like “smart” or automated showers, mood lighting, and self-cleaning toilets. These accessories help make showers more enjoyable to use, more relaxing, and easier to maintain. They turn the bathroom from a simple, utilitarian private space into a truly posh and luxurious asset of the home.

What’s important to note is that almost all of the homeowners surveyed by Houzz—90% to be exact—fulfilled the remodel with a professional. The master bathroom renovation is considered a major project, so enlisting a skilled remodeler is a must for the project to be smoothly and successfully carried out.

Sources:
How People Upgrade Their Main Bathrooms, and How Much They Spend, Houzz, August 10, 2016
Houzz Bathroom Report Sees Size and Style as Major Remodeling Drivers, Remodeling, August 10, 2016