Remodeling your bathroom comes with its own challenges. The biggest of them all is the lack of enough information. For both the client and the contractor, a lack of clarity in expectations can be a nightmare and no contractor likes being on the receiving end of an unhappy client. This is why it is so important to work with your bathroom remodeling contractor to make sure all your expectations are clear so they can provide you with exactly what you want. For most people, the bathroom is their sacred place. In fact, according to Houzz, for every five homeowners, two admitted to using their bathroom to relax. Ensuring that it remains in its best shape is paramount. Here are a few questions that you should ask a potential contractor before hiring them.

1. Do You Have A Portfolio of Previous Bathroom Remodeling Work?

Before speaking to the contractor, go through the reviews they have received from previous clients. What is the quality of their work? Closely examine the responses they give to negative reviews. Gauge their approach to conflict resolution. Compare their previous work with what you wish to see in your project.

2. Who Will Be On The Ground Remodeling My Bathroom?

Always request a meeting with the project manager – the person who knows the actual workers on your project, and will manage the specialists working on the various aspects of your bathroom remodeling project. Ensure that you also get specifics of what areas of the project will be subcontracted and get to know these individuals.

3. What Project Permits Do I Need?

Find out upfront what required permits will be needed. While at it, ask your contractor if they will obtain these permits on your behalf. A contractor who hesitates on this request might be unlicensed. Ensure you see the permits before work commences on your project.

4. Do Your Bathroom Remodeling Services Cover My Scope?

To avoid wasting time, always find out upfront if the bathroom remodeling contractor works on the entire scope of your project. Some contractors only focus on specific remodeling assignments, but not others. Find out if they are a full-service contractor.

Ensure that you get in-depth answers to the above questions. Find out how much it will cost you and payment expectations. The bottom line, hire a full-service bathroom remodeling contractor who can meet all your expectations.

Home upgrades can enhance the value of your home, but some have a higher return on investment (ROI) than others. Thankfully, you can work with a bathroom remodeling contractor to get great results. However, you may also need to work with other professionals as well. Here’s what you need to know about your options and which may be the best for your needs as a homeowner.

Why ROI Matters

ROI matters if you ever plan on selling your home and want to make a profit. For example, some renovations have a poor ROI because they cost too much and don’t improve the value of your home. Other small renovations may improve your home value more than expected.

Few will provide 100% or more of your investment because of material and home devaluation over time. However, if you’re smart and you invest in the right options, you can easily boost your home’s asking price and come away with both a better home and a better sale price later.

Which Projects Give You the Best ROI?

Let’s take a look at which of these investments will give you the best potential ROI. You’re likely to see that a bathroom remodeling contractor is a wise call when reading through this list. These professionals can provide many upgrades that improve home value:

• Minor Bathroom Change – Around 102%
• Landscaping – Up to 100%
• Minor Kitchen Upgrades – Averages 98.5%
• Attic Bedroom – Expect 93.5%
• Major Bathroom Remodel – About 93.2%
• Major Kitchen Improvement – Up to 91%
• New Entry Door – Around 90.7%

That said, these upgrades may also vary based on your area. For example, according to Money, you can get around 64% of your investment back when doing a mid-range bathroom remodel compared to the 57% for an upscale upgrade. Why the difference? Material prices. If the materials and the upgrades cost too much money, you won’t get back as much on your investment.

As you can see, you might need to work with many professionals, including a bathroom remodeling contractor, to ensure that you get great results. Talk to your team about the various steps that must be taken, including which of these ROI options will be the best for your needs.

Whether you like clean, modern lines, ornate traditional details, or something in between, having a clear idea of your personal style is important to every remodeling project. This Princeton first floor remodel has a transitional look with the perfect blend of traditional and modern elements. Let’s explore how our team used tones and textures for a home that mixes cozy neutrals with pops of color and unexpected flare. 

Crafting Defined Seating Areas

The newly open space provides a plethora of seating options — each one with its own unique look and function. Whether they’re chatting in the cozy blue armchairs or enjoying a meal in the sophisticated dining chairs, the homeowners will have no shortage of places to sit. Taking down the dining room walls gave these homeowners the open-concept area they needed. We then installed support beams that not only serve a functional purpose, but also contribute to the texture of the room and add visual interest. 

Balancing with Contrast

This sitting area in the living room offers homeowners and guests soft, plush couches and sophisticated leather chairs. The coffee table and accent table are works of art; with textured lines and spindled legs, they are great examples of how two very different pieces of furniture can work together to bring balance and character to a room.

Creating Functional Beauty

A gorgeous bay window provides storage space, extra seating, and a cozy nook to curl up with a book or just gaze outside. The surrounding Crestwood cabinetry features raised-panel Dakota-style doors that bring in elegant texture. These convenient cubbies could store anything from shoes to extra blankets to board games, and the shelving above is perfect for displaying a potted plant or treasured keepsake. A row of alternating textured cloth and smooth leather pillows draws the eye in and invites visitors to take a seat.

We’re so happy that the young family living in this house not only loves the way their new space looks but are also pleased with the open, spacious layout that can accommodate the family gatherings they love to host. Ready to start planning your next project? We can help you transform your home to fit your style and needs. Contact us to get started today!

Fully 85% of the nation’s homes were built prior to 1980 and are in need of home improvement. If you’re living in an older home, the time may have come when you are considering how to improve your home’s value. Home improvement can be found in many forms, but many homeowners have found that one of the best ways to do this is by building residential home additions, such as adding a sunroom, an extra guest space, or converting their unused garage space. Residential home additions vary widely, but one thing they are almost always guaranteed to do is improve a home’s value and curb appeal. The following list will describe just some of the more common resident home additions that are often added to older homes for a homeowner to consider.

The Traditional

The traditional home addition, or conventional house addition, is a structure that is built onto the existing home and that is open to the entire house. This space is considered to be multifunctional and may even have more than one designated room within it. When these are well-built, the addition blends into the rest of the house.

The Bump Out

A room addition or “bump-out” is a single-purpose room that is added onto an existing structure, such as a guest room, nursery, or bathroom. Often, this can be creating a space within a space (like enlarging a closet to make room for a small half-bathroom). Unlike a traditional home addition, bump-outs are relatively smaller (perhaps adding 50 to 75 extra feet).

The Sunroom

A sunroom is just that — a sun-filled space that is meant to be relaxed in. Unlike the previous two additions mentioned, sunrooms are often not opened up to the entire home and tend to be added to the back or side of a home and closed off from the rest of the house. Sunrooms are often made from pre-fabricated materials and the walls of the room are glass. They are also not as big as a traditional addition, though they may be bigger than a bump-out.

The Conversion

A conversion typically is made to a garage. When the garage is a two-car space, then usually one space gets walled in, central air and heat vents get added, and flooring is put in. Usually, garage conversions are to create a spare bedroom or office space. Homeowners will also convert an unused garage if necessary. Unlike other home additions, however, garage conversions have difficulty blending into the rest of the home, and they don’t increase a home’s value near as much as other types of additions.

If you’re considering a home remodeling project, you may have come across the term “design-build remodeling contractor.” While the name may imply exactly what this is, some people are still confused as to why they may consider a design-build remodeling contractor instead of doing a remodel project in the traditional way. There are numerous benefits, however, to hiring a design-build remodeling contractor, but highlighted here are three of the key benefits.

One-Stop-Shop

A design-build remodeling contractor can be likened to a “one-stop-shop” for remodeling. Remodeling projects can be very overwhelming, but what can make the process even more difficult is having to find so many different contractors to work on different and important parts of the project, such as someone for electricity, someone for plumbing, someone for painting, and so on. A design-build remodeling contractor becomes your single point of contact, who then handles the rest of the job so you don’t have to worry about finding all the right people.

Seamless Process

A design-build remodeling firm streamlines the very multilayered process involved in any home remodeling project. Because the remodeling industry is expected to continue to grow 2% annually through 2025, having a more streamlined process can streamline the process. From project design, product selection, through full construction, the design-build remodeling contractor handles it all for you and with you.

Quality Communication

When you forgo hiring just one design-build remodeling firm, you’re left juggling multiple contractors and numerous channels of ongoing communication. This can look like talking with the plumber about the problems found in the sewage system, then immediately picking up the phone to hear from the electrician that a part will cost more than previously estimated. Handling all these queries and requests for input can make an already overwhelming process become too much. The more overwhelmed the customer becomes, the more likely that mistakes will be made due to miscommunication. However, by hiring a design-build remodeling firm, the contractor becomes the homeowner’s main and only point of communication. This will streamline not just the building of the project, but also the communication of the wants and needs of the client. Better communication equals fewer mistakes in the remodeling project.

At Flansburg Construction, we take the drama out of home renovations and will handle every step of your project from design to completion. Schedule a consultation with us today.