Careful planning is essential to achieving desired results in a remodel project. The challenge is to create a functional home or room design that fits your life style and budget. A creative remodel approach can accomplish this objective without tearing out the whole house and starting over.

Many people automatically assume that the only answer to their remodeling dilemma is a room addition. Before jumping to that conclusion, careful consideration should be given to all the intended uses of space by your family and the constraints and opportunities the existing floor plan has to offer.

Almost all existing houses were designed for and sold to the generic families from past decades. The contractors and builders made assumptions about the intended uses of each room in the floor plan. Their assumptions from years past may not fit your current life style, personality and daily activities. This often results in an inadequate floor plan loaded with unusable space.

The first step in a remodel project is to draw the existing floor plan to scale and begin generating remodel alternatives on tracing paper. Try to consider separate zones for different activities like living, sleeping, entertaining and cooking. Optimizing the existing space will minimize the cost of the remodel and replace the majority of unusable space with functional areas.

Many older houses have a lack of sufficient lighting and to make matters worse, they were decorated with dark colors. Adding skylights and/or glass blocks is a good way to introduce a soft natural light. Remodeling with lighter colored materials updates the feel of a room and better reflects light. Small cut up living areas can be inexpensively remodeled by replacing the wall separating the family room and the dining room with a built in credenza. This is a good way to make the room feel much larger without losing the definition of the areas. The remodeling possibilities are almost unlimited.

Whatever your remodel budget, it is important to spend time up front evaluating your family's needs and desires for proper space planning. A well-done remodel will make you proud of your home represents an improvement in attractiveness for resale. In the meantime, you will have the pleasure of enjoying the benefit on a daily basis. A clever remodel is more than an investment, it is a quality of life improvement!

"We were particularly pleased with your professional advice on cost-effective answers to mechanical, plumbing and electrical issues during the remodel." Joyce and Marvin Goldman - Davis, CA

California Contractor License Number:  607344

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