Everyone wants to love the home that they live in and find beauty in it. One of the best ways to do this is to create a custom look in your home by choosing to complete  home renovations  by adding custom molding in your favorite rooms. The great thing about custom moldings is that they can be completely designed to fit your individual tastes and design scheme. Plus, they can give your home the comfortable feel that was always missing from it before. Custom moldings can be added to any room of your home and will work well in a variety of locations. While crown molding will help make your ceiling look higher, molding at a lower location can make the room look more finished. Molding can also give your home the character that it needs to win over buyers if you are preparing to sell. When you are looking to add molding...

Mourning the fact that all of your children are grown and leaving the nest? Cheer up by working on some  home renovations . Below, you'll find home renovation ideas that are ideal for empty nesters. Create Bigger Rooms When you have a bunch of kids living under one roof, you're more or less forced into buying a home with many small bedrooms. But now that you no longer have lots of people living with you, there's no need to settle for sleeping in a tiny bedroom. Go ahead and tear down the walls. Turn those smaller bedrooms into one big bedroom suite. Looking around at the relaxing and spacious room in your new suite will keep you from missing the kids too much. Combine the Guest Room and Home Office Yes, you'll want to have a comfy place for your kids to sleep whenever they come home to visit. However, there's...

Bathroom remodeling  is one of the two biggest and best investments you can make in your home, the other being the kitchen. An updated bathroom can bring you a return as much as 80% or even higher. To help ensure that kind of return, you need to stay up on what people want. If you're considering bathroom remodeling, keep an eye on these 10 trends: LED Lighting  - Besides being trendy, LED lights save a lot of money. Though they cost anywhere from 5 to 10 times as much as an incandescent, they last 5 to 10 times longer and cost about 10 times less to operate. LED lighting also has a wider range of light variations than the compact fluorescent lights, which even at their best give the feeling of an office or a waiting room. LED lights can create the same warmth of traditional lighting at a significantly lower cost. Water-saving Toilets...

Whether it is a new addition to the family, a new lifestyle need or simply the desire to spruce up the old homestead,  home additions  can make the difference between increasing the functionality of your property and looking for a realtor to undertake the costly process of selling your home and buying another one. But there are some rules to the process. If you want to maximize your return on investment and also enhance the overall look and feel of your home, three cardinal rules set you up for success. Go for size.  When you are considering an addition to your home,  This Old House  experts urge consumers to add functional rooms such as master suites or family rooms. Noting that “bigger homes command higher prices,” going for an adequate square footage is a must. While it is tempting to add just a small sun room, remember that these additions do...

A successful  home renovation  can turn into a taxing ordeal when easily avoidable mistakes begin to tarnish its progress. Fortunately, composing a detailed plan, before starting your remodel, helps eliminate unnecessary hiccups from slowing down or even halting your schedule. To ensure you reach your remodeling goal without facing numerous obstacles, we've listed 3 renovating mistakes that are commonly made by homeowners. Underestimating the cost of your remodel can leave you with an unfinished project. Before you start spending, sit down and hash out a realistic budget with your contractor. Remember, you need to consider every possible angle, which means you should set at least 10 percent of your budget aside for unexpected expenses. Unfortunately, neglecting to do so can leave you clamoring for money towards the end of your renovation. Also, as the project progresses, reanalyze your budget and make proactive changes before any serious money issues begin to form....

Have you decided your master bathroom is in need of a new style? Want to bring home the experience of a luxurious spa environment? Here are five stunning ways to create an at-home spa with some creative  bathroom remodeling : Drop-In Bath Tub  - If you enjoy soaks in the hot tub or natural springs, why not bring the spa effect home? Drop-in bath tubs like the  Nagano  and others take up little space, but are a luxurious addition with their appearance and home therapy use. Create walk-up stepping stairs or just add directly into the floor. Installation will need some design consideration depending on the layout of your home. Stand Alone Sink  - Taking the vintage and regal look of older mansions, stand alone sinks are making a comeback in popularity. Their beautiful ceramic bodies come in many shapes and styles, and can have an especially definitive look by customizing...

Whether your family is growing due to a new baby or you’re simply in need of more space, converting your garage into a bedroom is a fantastic project to consider. Not only is the garage one of the easiest spaces to work with for  home renovations , it can also give you an incredible amount of extra space due it’s large space. In order for the renovated space to look like a bedroom, instead of a garage, you need to complete a number of projects. Make Insulation, Heating, and Cooling Priorities While you may be thinking of new furniture you can buy for the room, you’ll need to first address making the space comfortable. Garages often become too warm or cold, depending on the time of year, making it important to focus on getting the space ready by insulating the walls and ceiling. Adding heating and cooling in the garage can...

A great question. Something that many homeowners who are ready to begin a big project may be asking. The short answer is, if you didn't see this coming, yes. A  general contractor  is an important facet to getting a big job done, organizing all the details, managing the sub-contractors, and ensuring the quality of work.  General contractors work in a different realm than sub-contractors. They use the "big picture," and have their hand in every pot going on. Their specialty isn't relegated to simply electrical, plumbing, or building, they have years of experience coupled with vast knowledge of the entire building process. They step in to make sure the job's done, and will not leave until you are satisfied. Self-Contained If you chose to hire a general contractor from the onset, what you get is a complete and organized team. That's because general contractors typically have their own crew, who are...

The average bathroom doesn't have a lot of space to move around yet it's one of the most used rooms in the home.  You deserve a larger bathroom to eliminate the cramped style through  bathroom remodeling .  Here are some ideas to inform your contractor about making the most out of the space. Rearranging the layout of the bathroom is a good idea.  The current layout makes the room feel small because of it.  A simple rearrange can make it feel larger.  Moving the vanity or bathtub to the opposite side will make a difference.  However, consider wires and plumbing.  Make sure you have enough funding to move important components around.  If the money is available, it is something to consider. Another idea is to trade or add items that open up additional space.  Trading in a vanity for a sink pedestal or changing the size of the shower/tub combo will...

Bathrooms can easily be cluttered with towels and toiletries. Those planning a  bathroom remodeling  should keep organization in mind when designing the new bathroom. It may not be possible to increase the size of the bathroom when you remodel but increasing storage space is feasible. Consider these tips. Shelves and Cabinets An obstacle to keeping a bathroom clean is not having a place to store necessary items. If all of the items needed daily are kept on the sink counter, it will be cluttered and difficult to keep organized and clean. Adding a shelving unit can help provide necessary storage space. If enough room is available a storage cabinet unit or cupboard provides significant space for storing bathroom items out of sight.  Mirror Replacing a mirror with a medicine cabinet provides significant storage space for small items such as contact lens cases, lotions, nail clippers, etc. It is often possible to...

So you're planning a big  kitchen remodeling  plan. Great! Nothing adds value to your home than an updated kitchen packed full of amenities. A kitchen should be functional without being dated, be fancy without looking pretentious, and be classy without forcing it. Sound complicated? It's not. Here are some tips to help you get that kitchen you've always wanted, without the stress you've anticipated. Wide Walkways Try to envision your new kitchen with at least 36" wide walkways. This will help it later you plan to add an island, or plan to expand the kitchen in size. For areas around stoves and cooktops, try and shoot for a larger berth for safety, somewhere near the 42" range. Microwave Height For kitchens with mounted microwaves, adjusting for height should be priority. There is no standard, rather, whatever fits the home-chef in question. As a rule, though, shoot for at least 15" above...

Major home improvements can seem very daunting to homeowners, and in some cases dealing with electrical, plumbing, and construction issues is simply not possible. So while many projects around your home can be easily completed by you or contractor who specializes in that area (like a deck or installing a hot tub), for large, extensive, or complicated projects (like an entire kitchen or bath remodel), it's always best to ask a professional for help. Here are 3 benefits of hiring a  general contractor  to help complete your next job. Project Management   Don't want, or have the time to worry about overseeing and managing all aspects of a large home improvement project? Then hire a general contractor. The general contractor is in charge of all aspects of the process. If plumbing needs done, the general contractor will hire a plumber. Wiring? The general contractor will hire an electrician. They are in...

Beginning the renovation of any room in your home can be a great way to breathe new life into your house and also to enjoy the value of your home increasing. In order to make a drastic difference in value and to have a space that you enjoy, it's recommended to look into what you can do during  bathroom remodeling . By remodeling one bathroom in your home or all of them, you can have bathrooms that look and function beautifully and are going to increase the value of your home for when you decide to sell.  Using high-end finishes is a cost-efficient way to make your bathroom look expensive without spending a ton of money. This could mean purchasing fixtures such as sink faucets and a glass shower panel that looks beautiful instead of spending a ton of money on larger pieces. Taking into consideration the latest trends for remodeling...

The secret to a successful relationship with your  kitchen remodeling  company isn't really that much of a secret. In fact, it may be simpler than you think. First, don't be afraid to ask questions.  Ask your local hardware store for recommendations, ask your friends who have had remodeling work done for recommendations, and, if you see a business having remodeling work done, ask them as well.  Most people will be glad to give you their opinions about work they've had done.  Be sure to ask about the good and the bad, and pay attention to things you hear over and over again.  If you hear most people talking about cost overruns and late completions, you might have a better experience than they did, but probably not.  If everyone talks about great quality work, you might have a bad experience, but probably not. Second, make sure that your potential company is licensed...