By Don Strong
Brothers Strong Inc.
You know you want to change the look and feel of your house, but if you are going to spend the money to remodel, you want to do a job that won’t either be outdated in a year or a design that is garish and outlandish to look at every day.
How do you find the right design?
First, homeowners need a vision when it comes to remodeling their home. If you get a lot of traffic through the house, consider hardwood floors. Do you entertain in the kitchen? Then expand the kitchen and add an island or some comfortable chairs.
If you look to your bathroom as a place to escape the world, add a whirlpool tub or a deluxe shower with multiple shower heads.
To find that vision, it is helpful to look at magazines, books, newspapers, and homes of family and friends.
The following contain an infinite supply of ideas:
- Magazines: There are number of magazines catering to home improvement, living and remodeling.
- Web sites: In today’s technology-based world, Web sites have become great resources for people looking for ideas and researching projects.
- Information to order: You can request free or inexpensive literature by completing the mail-in coupons inserted in magazines.
- Sketches and floor plans: No two remodeling projects are the same, but you can gain insight into how another homeowner solved a space problem by studying sketches and floor plans.
If you are confused by plans and drawings (many people are), imagine yourself in the middle of the room or space on the plan.
This kind of visualization helps reduce distractions and encourages concentration.
- Manufacturers: The most obvious places to find information about new products and how you can use them are on manufacturers’ Web sites and in advertisements.
- Books: Browse a bookstore with a well-stocked home improvement section, but beware of books telling you to be your own remodeling contractor. Unless you are skilled and licensed in all the trades, you could get in over your head quickly.
- Newspapers: Many newspapers publish regular sections devoted to real estate, home design and remodeling.
- Friends, family and neighbors: Do you know someone who recently remodeled their home in a style you admire? They still may have a product manuals, magazines and other helpful information you can borrow, as well as practical advice drawn from his or her experience.
- Remodeling professionals: Your remodeler can offer planning assistance with his or her library of product manuals, magazines, brochures and blueprints. This is one of the advantages of choosing a remodeler as soon as possible.
- Suppliers: Lumberyards, hardware stores and other suppliers can be valuable sources of information.
This article was provided by a member of the Greater Houston Builders Association’s Remodelors Council. For more information contact the Greater Houston Builder’s Association, c/o Remodelors Council, 9511 Sam Houston Parkway N., Houston, TX 77064; www.ghba.org/ remodelors.asp; or 281-970-8970. The GHBA Remodelors Council meets every second Tuesday of the month at 11:30 a.m. at the Hess Club. |
