A home remodel that features a new bathroom, kitchen, or other major area of your home can cost tens of thousands of dollars. However, the investment will help increase the enjoyment you have at living in your home, as well as the value and sale price of your house should you choose to put it on the market and move elsewhere. There is an important balance to seek between a functional home remodel and one that is fun, too.
You may have a list of features in your home remodel that you classify as “must haves,” but it’s often difficult to avoid getting a little carried away with the updates you’d like to see. The best renovations, remodels, and updates will come from new features that are budget-friendly and functional, as well as modern and fun.
These Features are Worth it For Your Bathroom Remodel
One of the major remodeling projects you may consider is a new bathroom. You might gut and fully renovate your master bathroom, or you might add another bathroom to your home (especially if it’s an older home with just a single bathroom).
Although a remodeled bathroom won’t usually approach the budget of a project like a major kitchen remodel, it’s still far too easy to get carried away with your “wants” and forget about what you actually “need” in your space.
“Really, when it comes to bathrooms, all you need is a functioning toilet, sink, tub and/or shower, and enough space to move around and do your thing.”
However, a bathroom remodel that focuses 100% on the functionality and doesn’t feature anything decorative or fun can reduce the satisfaction you receive from the project. With that in mind, here are a few items you may want to consider that are functional yet fun.
Double sinks. If you have the room for double sinks, they’re an excellent investment because they make the bathroom usable by more than one person at the same time. This might mean your teenagers can get ready at the same time for school, or you and your significant other don’t have to take turns getting ready for work.
Glass-free showers. There are few things less enjoyable than cleaning the bathroom, and scrubbing soap scum from the bathroom door is a huge time sink. Today’s ultra-modern showers not only feature a “curbless” design, but you can also design them without glass to reduce the effort you need to use in cleaning them.
Radiant-heat flooring. If you’re going for a major bathroom remodel, you’ll want to think about the floors and whether radiant heat might improve your wintertime experiences. Radiant-heat floors are not only comfortable when the temperatures dive in the winter, but they’re also eco-friendly and use less heat than heating the whole house in the morning.
Consider These Features for Your Kitchen Remodel
A kitchen remodel is one of the biggest projects you can consider for updating your home, and it’s a place where your every dream can come true as far as cool appliances and beautiful features are concerned.
However, it’s rare that a homeowner can spend as much money as he or she wants on a kitchen, and budgeting carefully can help you get the features you want at a price that won’t have your retirement advisor shaking his or her head in dismay.
Extra deep drawers. It’s tough to fit pots and pans in conventional drawers, and stacking them on a kitchen counter can create issues with scratches and space. An excellent alternative is a drawer that’s double the size of a traditional drawer and gets all your pots and pans out of the way.
Warming drawer. A touch that feels a little luxurious is a warming drawer. They don’t take up that much room, and they can help you keep things ready for supper when you’re preparing multiple courses for guests. They’re also helpful when you have family who won’t be home when dinner is ready (maybe a spouse has a late day at work), but you don’t want them to need the microwave to reheat dinner when he or she arrives home for the evening.
Pot filler. Although it’s definitely not a feature that will break the bank, a pot filler is an incredibly useful feature in a kitchen. Better Homes & Gardens offers wisdom on this feature:
“Why limit faucet style and placement to the conventional look and places? Here’s an unexpected kitchen feature that can go wherever you can run a cold water line. The faucet is mounted high enough on the kitchen backsplash to provide a flow of water to a big pot of pasta or soup.”
Plan Your Functional Home Remodel with Gettum Associates, Inc.
If you’re searching for an experienced contractor in the Indianapolis area, contact Gettum Associates, Inc., and make sure to download our free eBook: Seven Questions to Ask When Choosing a Remodeler in the Indianapolis Area.
