You’ve just unlocked the equity in your home with a new home equity line of credit and you’re looking at the possibility of remodeling a few rooms or converting the garage space. You’ve even spent the last few months sifting through resources like Houzz, Pinterest, and numerous design magazines in hopes of finding that perfect design idea that complements the style of your home while still meeting your basic needs. You’re feeling a bit overwhelmed and the task is starting to become a bit time consuming, but you’re determined to stay sane, organized, practical, and patient as you look for ways to transform your home. Sound familiar?
Whether you’re a new homeowner or simply looking to improve the space you are currently in, we’ve taken the liberty of providing a few home remodeling makeovers for your consideration.
First of all, let’s begin by taking a look at some of the advantages of remodeling an existing space in your home or utilizing your existing garage space for the conversion.
The advantages are seven-fold:
1. The structure is already in place
2. The proximity to your existing residence is already there
3. The attachment to the existing residence is not an issue
4. The time frame for construction will be shortened
5. Any extension of utilities should be shorter
6. The overall construction cost should be much less
7. If done properly, the marketability and value of your home appreciates
Kitchen
The kitchen area is perhaps the most popular space to remodel among homeowners for its profound impact and value it can bring to the home. Some of the more common improvements can include removing outdated wallpaper, repainting the walls (Use lighter colors to open up and enlarge smaller kitchen spaces) or cabinets, adding new light fixtures, installing new cabinets, installing new countertops with finer materials such as granite, replacing the sink or faucet with something more up to date, updating the appliances (refrigerator, oven, stove, microwave, etc.), creating more counter space with a an island counter, and adding some new wood or tile flooring to compliment the space. Your budget will determine the scope of what you do in your kitchen, but adding one or more of these improvements will go a long way in transforming your kitchen and with the right tools, can be accomplished fairly quickly.
Home Office
Opening up a room into a home office can be a very desirable option too. If you’re a businessperson who wishes to shorten his or her commute and spend more time in the comfort of their own home with family members and pets and less time sitting in traffic this would be the home remodel option for you. Remodels of this nature generally consist of repainting the walls with at least two colors, adding chair-rail and base trim, creating built-in bookshelves that serve for your reference library along with a credenza or filing cabinet system, built-in desks, double doors into the office adding a grand effect that establishes the image you want as a professional, window walls extending the outside to the inside allowing the space to feel larger, sitting areas with comfortable armchairs for casual meetings, storage closets or entire rooms that serve as a work area supporting the office space (copy machines, supplies, etc) as well as keeping the office presentable for those important meetings, new light fixtures with “downlights” creating the professional appearance to reflect your desired image, finishing the walls off with professional-looking paintings and wall decor. And lastly, utilizing larger, more comfortable office furniture, along with relocating or adding extra electrical outlets as needed are just a few of the popular improvements that can take place in a home office remodel. The key is to determine early on how many “built-ins” you want to include as this will determine how space is used later down the road when a home office is no longer required and a guest bedroom becomes more of a priority. Apart from any electrical outlet installations or any custom built-in bookshelves or desks, the majority of a home office remodel can be easily accomplished yourself.
Entertainment Rooms
Entertainment Rooms are by far some of the most challenging, yet fun spaces to remodel. This room can be anything from a simple home theater space to a full-out entertainment room with all the amenities. In addition to the usual finished walls and flooring additions, some of the more common improvements include pre-wired sound systems, wet bars, large flat-screen TVs, half bath for added flexibility and convenience, minimal window space to control both light and sound transfer for the optimum environment for theater space, vaulted ceilings depending on the space, optional fireplace for warmth and ambience, custom built-in shelving, cabinets for media storage, added drapes to darken a room where windows are present, light fixtures with dimming capabilities, and a plethora of furniture choices such as couches, tables and chairs, and game tables. All of this, however, is dependent on the space, your budget, and whether you’re working with an unfinished space (like a basement or existing garage) that can be customized completely, or a previously finished room that limits the changes can be implemented.
Conclusion
The kitchen, home office, and the entertainment room are just a few of the more common remodels. Others might include the master bedroom, master bath, guest bedroom, combinations, studio apartments, sound studio room, family rooms, and baby rooms for that “new arrival.”
If you need more space in the home and don’t necessarily want to move or relocate, we offer some great ideas and solutions. Remodeling your home can be challenging, but is also very rewarding and can be fun at the same time! I know multiple homeowners who have had the opportunity to express who they are and what they are all about through the process of remodeling their own unique space. Whether you live in a home on acreage, or situated in a subdivision, there are spaces in your home that can be tailored to better fit your lifestyle and needs while ultimately increasing the value of your home for future resell.
gfh Architecture, planning and graphics has over 30 years of design experience and expertise specializing in custom residential and accessory dwelling units throughout California and the Central Coast. If you’re considering the idea of remodeling your primary residence or property, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We can help you create your next cost-effective design with our in-house experts and our wide-range consultant base. Regardless of the scale or type of project, our enthusiasm remains.
Have a similar type of project in mind?
Contact us today to see how we can best serve you on your next building project.
Tel: +1 (805) 466-7674
E-mail: gary@gfharchitecture.com
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