"THE Survival Guide: Home Remodeling" book to help you!
"Today's Home" offers Inspired Ideas For Your Home and Lifestyle, every Sunday at 4:00 pm (PT), on Today's Home.
Diane Plesset CMKBD
Bitter Surprise for DIY Home Remodelers
Rounding the corner to Halloween. The title of this post is seasonal, but unfortunately, this kind of home remodeling “Trick or Treat” happens year ’round. The “treat” is homemade. If you follow the “… Continue reading
How To Make A New Room Using Leftover Space
Classic, time-tested recipe to convert and remodel a leftover basement area, approximately 280 square feet, to be a multi-purpose bonus room for the entire family to enjoy. One … Continue reading
How to Clean and Seal Bathroom Grout So You’ll Love It (Again)
People have a love/hate relationship with tile. They love the colors, textures, varied sizes, and the wide selection of available accents. But they hate the thought… Continue reading
To Have a Healthy Environment, and a Healthy You!
A bathroom exhaust fan helps you maintain healthy air, an important part of a healthy environment that helps to keep you and your family healthy. Stale, moist air, and contaminated air… Continue reading
So Many Bathroom Exhaust Fan Choices!
Bathroom exhaust fans are often an after-thought when Homeowners are dreaming about transforming their ho-hum bathroom to have a spa-like experience. It’s easy to get excited about all of the wonderful plumbing products… Continue reading
What Remodeling Plans Are, and How They Can Help You
If you’re thinking about, or planning to remodel your home, read this. You’ll understand how detailed remodeling plans can help you achieve the best results and reduce chances for costly… Continue reading
Is Making Money More Important Than Good Relationships?
I learned from a favorite custom cabinet manufacturer about a designer who, after referring a remodeling project to him, asked for a referral fee. Unfortunately, getting/giving “kick-backs” is not a new… Continue reading
Fall is in the air; Thanksgiving, Christmas/Hannukah and New Year’s Eve are around the corner. Every year, there are news reports about home fires, personal injuries, and deaths that shouldn’t have happened. People don’t think about potential dangers because they’re caught up in all of the holiday activities. Following are hints and tips that I have (and will) talk about on Today’s Home:
HEALTH TIPS:
So Many Products! What’s the Best for You?
Selecting countertops for your new or remodeled bathroom can be an overwhelming challenge, because there are so many different products available, and your investment in countertops can vary by thousands of dollars.… Continue reading
Make Great Countertop Decisions With Great Information
There’s more to selecting bathroom countertops than comparing price. To make an informed decision and guarantee years of satisfaction from your investment, this article details the pros and cons for each material, so… Continue reading
Great Decisions Begin with Great Information
In the first installment about bathroom (and kitchen) countertops, we shared pros and cons about laminate, tile, and solid-surface materials. This segment will talk about quartz (aka engineered stone), wood, composite materials (glass, metal,… Continue reading
Get Great Information, and Make Great Decisions
We conclude this pros and cons discussion about bathroom (and kitchen) countertops, talking about concrete, stone, stainless steel, and lavastone. This information, combined with my previous article about your countertop investment will help… Continue reading
Great Bathroom Design Finds Balance
Your bathroom can be any style that blends with your home and makes you feel good. Great bathroom design incorporates comfort and safety principles before anything is selected, during the planning stage. Here are four bathroom design ideas for lighting, showers, tubs, and floors that will guarantee your comfort and safety, so you can really enjoy your new or remodeled bathroom: Continue reading
3 Recommendations to Help You
Have you heard remodeling nightmare stories shared by family, friends, and neighbors? Was your reaction a vow to never remodel your home? Time has passed, and now you’re considering a major bathroom renovation. Your new… Continue reading
“Rules are not necessarily sacred, principles are.” (Franklin D. Roosevelt)
“Form Follows Function.” (Louis Sullivan)
(FUNCTION, SAFETY AND APPEARANCE)
Did you know that Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the first architects to use the work triangle… Continue reading
Are you planning to remodel a bathroom that’s used daily by your family and occasionally by guests? To achieve the multi-use function you need and the traditional appearance you desire, plan carefully and choose durable products that are easy… Continue reading
Santa Claus or Grinch?
History Before 2008: Homeowners called design and remodeling professionals because they needed and wanted to renovate their home, or build a new home. They had high expectations and positive anticipation about finding someone to help… Continue reading
It’s NOT Either/Or — It’s BOTH!
What is a Homeowner Advocate? Many contractors conclude that an advocate always take the homeowners’ side against them, which is not true. Remodeling is a team effort. If everyone remembers this, and takes their individual responsibility seriously, there’s no need for anyone to take sides. In 28 years, there have been only five times where a dispute arose, clear evidence that the contractor had done something very wrong:
- Not providing products and services specified in the approved plans and their agreement without communication.
- Changing the scope of the project without communication.
- Not providing a written change order with additional charges explained in full before extra work begins.
- Selling products at an inflated price because “warranty service” is provided, without specifying in writing exactly what is included and excluded.
- Comingling funds, i.e., using proceeds of the current project to pay for products and/or services for a previous project.
Change Orders — The LAST Thing You Want During Construction!
You’re surprised, and feel betrayed. Just when everything seemed to be going well, your contractor says, “We’ve run into a problem,” or, “If you want it, you’re going to have to pay more.” There are (sometimes) valid reasons for Change Orders, but most of the time, they can be avoided. You do not want to feel like your home is being held hostage. Here are five ways to avoid Change Orders:
How to Avoid Change Orders
Change Orders during a building or remodeling project should be an exception, not the rule. Here are ways that you can avoid them:
Concerns for Homeowners and Consumers
On our internet radio program, “Today’s Home” we’ve talked many times about microwave ovens, expressing concern about microwave-hood combinations and drawer microwaves. Both appliances are potentially dangerous. You’ve got someone on your side, to help you make informed decisions about products that can affect your safety.
