Home Remodeling Blog

According to US News, updating kitchens and bathrooms is the best way to interest potential home buyers after general maintenance has been addressed. While kitchen remodel value can certainly be assessed based on its ability to make an entire home more attractive to potential buyers, we’ve also gathered concrete numbers on kitchen remodeling investments and resale values for the Chicago North Shore area. Of course, the cost recoup of a project is directly correlative to its scope, so we’ve divided projects into three categories: minor midrange remodels, major midrange remodels, and major upscale remodels.

1. Know Your Contractor’s Daily Schedule

One of the easiest ways to keep your sanity while living in home during a remodel is to know what to expect. This advice may sound obvious, but unfortunately, lack of preparation and unrealistic assumptions are both common for first-time remodelers in the Chicago North Shore area, and nothing is more stress-inducing than unmet expectations.

With 2017 behind us, it’s time to begin planning for the upcoming April tax season. Taxes aren’t anyone’s favorite subject, but we do have some news you’ll like: if you completed a large-scale home remodeling project with a Chicago North Shore area remodeler in the last year, you may be able to take advantage of home improvement tax credits and tax deductions for 2017. Our research shows that there are three types of home improvements that qualify for tax breaks:

If you’ve spoken with anyone who’s remodeled a bathroom, you’ve likely heard some variation of, “It turned out great! But I wish I had known _____ beforehand.” Every remodel comes with a specific set of potential headaches, but if you know what to expect ahead of time and which common mistakes homeowners make, you’ll be able to plan wisely and minimize stress. Here are the eight most common pitfalls to avoid as you prep for your bathroom remodel in the Chicago North Shore area.

Just as the kitchen has been dubbed the heart of the home, so too are cabinets considered the heart of the kitchen. Because they consume the largest visual space in your kitchen, cabinets are the most important feature to get right. Here are five secrets that will make the cabinets in your Chicago North Shore area home renovation look phenomenal.

Embarking on a remodel is a rewarding experience, but it is also challenging. There are a variety of permits, licensing, and contracts to wade through. By using a dedicated contractor, such as a design-build remodeler, the guesswork is often taken out of the equation. But what types of insurance should your contractor carry? What happens if a contractor or a subcontractor is hurt working on your house? What if you or a member of your family is hurt or something on your property is damaged by a contractor? Even the most prepared contractor can fall victim to a random accident or an unforeseen event.

1. Craft a Detailed Contract

The most crucial way to set your basement remodel in the Chicago North shore area up for success is to work with your contractor to create a detailed contract. Among other things, your contract should specify the scope of the work, material selections, and an estimated timeline for completion. 

According to a 2012 Houzz article, Shaker cabinets are the most popular kitchen cabinet style selection, and this is as true today as it was five years ago. As many of our own clients’ homes attest, Shaker kitchen cabinets in Chicago pair well with a wide variety of aesthetic styles, from transitional and contemporary to farmhouse and traditional. Yet their adaptability of design doesn’t equate to a feebleness of identity. Shaker cabinets have a strong aesthetic with characteristic features.

Tip 1: Plan Your Budget

It may sound obvious, but the first step to a successful renovation project is knowing your budget. This means both deciding ahead of time how much money you can allocate toward your project and balancing that projection with area-specific market research. (See our blog post on the cost of a bathroom remodel in the Chicago North shore area.)

Signs are like symptoms. They are physical manifestations that indicate deeper issues. Today, let’s look at seven of the tell-tale signs indicating that you need to remodel your kitchen cabinets in your Chicago North Shore area home to restore it to full functionality.