How to design a bathroom remodel—and when to start.

Ensure the success of your bathroom renovation by working with an Eheart professional. 

 

One of the best ways to maximize enjoying your space and increasing your home’s value at the same time is a bathroom remodel. A good remodel will fix any damage, wear and tear, save you space, increase your home’s value and usher this well-used room into the current decade.

 

Most people remodel their bathroom every 10-15 years. A good indicator it’s time for an update is when the bathroom is showing signs of damage like grout failing, mold/water issues, or a plumbing issue. That said, you don’t need damage to want a new look—with styles ever changing, we totally understand the desire for a cosmetic facelift.

 

Regardless of your reasons, our designers can help make your dream remodel a reality.

 

The best way to start is to reach out to Eheart Interior Solutions for a complimentary in-store consultation to discuss your project wish list and build a budget with one of our expert designers.  

 

We will then set up a time to come to your home to take measurements and begin putting together a quote for your project, with a few different budgetary options for you to pick and choose from.  

 

It’s wonderful to have a beautiful bathroom, but often the things that make up a quality remodel are behind the walls. Using excellent quality waterproofing systems and underlayments beneath your installed surfaces is a great way to preserve the life of your project for many years. Our designers will help you think through things like towel placement, storage, and safety features (such as grab bars). You may also want to include some luxuries, like a heated tile underlayment or bidet toilet seat—treat yourself!

 

From there, you’ll meet with your designer again to review the design and pricing in our showroom, and set up follow-up appointments as needed to refine the details. Once the details are solidified, orders are placed and the work will begin. Your designer and project manager will be with you every step of the way, coordinating design to installation and beyond.

 

Working with a design professional streamlines the process of having your bathroom remodeled, so you can focus on the fun parts and leave the heavy lifting to us. 

 

Contact us today to set up your free consultation. 

How to Choose Living Room Furniture

how to choose living room furnitureA comfortable living room invites people to gather, hold conversations, and enjoy each other’s company. It’s important then, that you spend some time considering what furniture pieces make the most sense in your living room. Below, you’ll find some helpful ideas on how to choose living room furniture.

The Main Furniture Pieces

Flexibility makes a lot of sense when it comes to furnishing your living room. Individual pieces that can be moved around allow for occasional rearrangement – either out of need when hosting a large gathering or out of the desire to simply mix things up. We also recommend, when purchasing living room furniture, that you keep the colors neutral for the main pieces. Neutral colors last longer in terms of trends and can be accented with throw pillows allowing you to add different splashes of color and mix things up easily..

The Sofa

When it comes to the sofa, size matters. Most sofas range from 84” – 90” and will fit a variety of spaces. If you have a smaller area, you can find more petite sized sofas in the 75” – 80” range. Do know, that an overstuffed sofa, although comfortable in the show room, will often appear massive and out of place. And, even though they are quite popular, a sectional may be too inflexible when you want to rearrange for a gathering or bring a Christmas tree into the space. Often times, you can achieve a similar look and feel with two sofas.

Also, think about how many people you want to seat on your sofa. If you choose a sofa with three cushions, three people will naturally sit there. If you get one with one or two larger cushions, you can often seat up to four allowing for more seating flexibility.

The Chairs

In terms of chairs, we recommend chairs that are attractive both from the front and the back. We also recommend chairs that have arms on them. People like to lean. Once again, flexibility is key when selecting chairs. You’ll want to be able to float them in the room or place them in a corner. Look for chairs that are 30” – 38” wide. Anything bigger takes up a lot of space and becomes too big to be useful. Look for chairs that seat one person comfortably.

The Ottoman

An ottoman allows for a little variety, and a comfortable place to rest the legs. Your ottoman doesn’t have to match your furniture. You can add some texture, patterns and color to the area and play with your ottoman more easily than with your main pieces of furniture. Once again, think about where you will keep the ottoman and how large it is. It should be a very flexible piece of furniture.

The Coffee Table

We love the look of a square coffee table, but let’s face it, they’re not very flexible. We almost always recommend a rectangular table due to the flexibility for different placements around the room. Don’t purchase the largest table you can find. You want people to be able to walk around it comfortably in relationship to the other furniture pieces in the room.

Quality Matters

You want furniture you can live on. Get pieces with nice quality upholstery. They last a long time. Make sure the cushions upholstered on all sides. If you do end up with a spill that won’t come out, you can flip it over and hide the stain. When you sit on a sofa, you shouldn’t be able to ffel the frame. If you do, don’t buy it. It won’t last. Look for 8-way hand tied pieces. This is a great marker of quality. There are also many performance fabrics available too. These resist spills and fading and typically last longer. If you have kids, a pet or a messy spouse, you’ll definitely want performace fabrics. They also come in a variety of attractive options these days.

Get an Opinion

We love to visit people’s spaces and walk them through how to choose living room furniture. If you’re in the market, stop in and talk with us. We can arrange a visit and help you think through your plans.

Looking more for a living room refresh rather than refurnishing? Read How to Do a Living Room Refresh.

How to Avoid Project Creep and Stop Home Improvement Mistakes Before They Happen

Not a week goes by that we don’t help someone out who is experiencing project creep. Project creep, one of the top home improvement mistakes, happens when homeowners set out to change one “simple” thing in their home only to realize, halfway in, that to do the job right, more is needed. The following example should help you avoid project creep and can be applied to a change in your bathroom, a change with your flooring, a change with anything, really.

Your Hideous Kitchen Countertops: An Example

We all hit that point where we know the kitchen countertops must go. They’re outdated. They’re worn. They’re ugly, hideous in fact. You’ve lived with them long enough and it’s time for them to go. But, you still like your backsplash – you had it changed a couple of years ago – and you see no need to change your cabinets right now. You plan to do that in a year or so.

So, you decide to move forward with just the countertops. You’ve picked out your pattern, measurements have been taken and installation has been scheduled.

But…

  • Have you considered your sink? Is your current one acceptable? What about when you decide to change your cabinets? Will it still be okay?
  • Have you considered the height difference between your new countertop material and your old ones? Will there be a gap between your backsplash?
  • Have you considered how you will slide your old cabinets out from under your new countertops when you decide to change them next year?
  • When you change your countertops next year, will you want to stay with the same kitchen layout?
  • If you think you may want to change your kitchen layout, what will you do about flooring?
  • And if you think you may want to change your kitchen layout, what about the plumbing? Will you want to move your sink? If you want to move the oven and microwave, how will you get the gas and electric lines moved?

We could continue asking questions about the kitchen, but what we really want is for you to avoid home improvement mistakes altogether by asking yourself:

“What else is related to this project?” and “What else could possibly be affected if we decide to change X?”

After you’ve asked these questions, make a list – a thorough one. You may be surprised about how things are interconnected and how changing one “simple” thing may mean changing many.

And always, after you’ve made your list, seek a second opinion. Or, if you have no idea how things are connected in the area you’d like to change, ask for help. Talk to a friend who’s been through a remodel. Talk to a contractor. Or, better yet, bring your plans and ideas with you and stop in to see us at Eheart. We’ll be happy to take a look. In the end, your project will go much more smoothly if you are proactive and work to understand the complete picture ahead of time.

Also, if you’re just starting to think about remodeling, check out our handy Home Remodel Return On Investment Guide  It’s full of stuff we think everyone, who’s doing a remodel, should think about and will definitely help you avoid additional home improvement mistakes. 

 

 

Remodel or Move? That is the question.

If you are like most homeowners, you have a list of things you’d like to change in your house. You may not have written it down, but it’s definitely in your head. In fact, if someone asked you what you’d like to change, you’d rattle off an answer with the few top things. Some of those things may be small. Some, on the other hand, may be big, like a remodel. If it is a remodel you’re thinking about, and you know you have the finances to move a project forward, then we have some things for you to consider..

Should You Remodel or Move?

Most people, when thinking of  a remodel, don’t think about moving, but in our experience, we think the “remodel or move” option must be addressed. First off, ask yourself this, “What about my home isn’t meeting my needs?” If the answer is location, it’s probably time to consult a realtor. If the answer is, “I don’t like where the staircase sits,” it’s also probably time to consult a realtor. Although we are regularly amazed at what a contractor can do to the internals of a house, there are certain structural things that financially put a remodel out of the question.

Considering, however that a contractor can do a lot to the interior, and your answer lies more along the lines of, “I don’t have enough space in the kitchen,” or “I don’t like the layout of the master bath and bedroom,” or “I wish the space between the living room and the kitchen didn’t feel so closed off,” then it’s time to explore a remodel.

A Set of Fresh Eyes

Once you’ve addressed the “remodel or move” question and hit on remodel as an answer, it’s time to get some help. You look at, and live in, your house each day. This makes you biased about certain things. You may not see some possibilities that someone else may see. We recommend you bring in a neutral party who does this regularly, who can look at your house and give you options you might not even consider. Preferably, that person can also look at your house, listen to your suggestions and say, “Yes, that’s possible within your budget,” or “No, that’s not possible within your budget but you might consider doing this.” You’ll be amazed at what someone else can see that you might not.

Can You Live in Dust and Chaos?

If you’ve never lived in a home during any sort of remodel, you might not realize what an impact it has on your day-to-day living. Imagine your master bath being out of commission for a week. Now imagine it being gone for four weeks. You’re sharing with your kids, trying to get ready in the morning, routines get thrown off…It can be hard. And it’s not only bathrooms. Ever thought about life without countertops and a stove? Microwaves and crockpots and takeout only go so far.

A remodel will most certainly disrupt your daily patterns.Workers will be coming in and out of your house all week and often times on the weekend in order to meet deadlines. And no matter how neat and tidy your contractor is, there will still be dust, dust and more dust. (Hint to avoid a big portion of the nuttiness: Figure an 8-week furnished apartment or short-term rental house into your remodel budget. The people we see who do this have a much better experience and the work can often move faster as the contractor doesn’t have to work around a family living in the home.)

Have Fun With It

All of the things we have mentioned take time and energy during any remodel. But once you’ve decided to move forward, for the right reasons of course, make sure to enjoy the process. Too often we see people get stressed out about colors and fixtures and floor plans and more. They lose sight of why they want to do the remodel instead of making the entire process enjoyable. Remember, you’re choosing to make your home a better one than you have right now, and what could be more fun than that?

Remember, there are other things to take into consideration when it comes to remodeling. Here’s a handy Home Remodel Return On Investment Guide we think everyone, who’s doing a remodel, should think about. 

 

 

Hardwood Floor Tips

Hardwood floors offer natural beauty, elegance, long-term value, and ease of cleaning. Here’s a list of hardwood floor tips to help you select the appropriate design for any room in your home.

 

  • Make your floor the center of attention: This technique adds depth and dimension to any room with an overall light aesthetic. Use a dark hardwood with subtle variations in graining to contrast bright lighting or light colored walls.

Hardwood Floor Tips

  • Make the room seem more spacious: Use natural colored hardwood in a room with darker walls. Bright hardwoods with less grain are perfect for these interiors and make the room seem more open and inviting.

Hardwood Floor Tips

  • Make a smaller room seem larger: By laying the boards across the width of the room, as seen in the example, you can make a narrow room look wider. This little trick can help you make the most of limited space and welcome visitors into cozy areas.

Hardwood Floor Tips

  • Achieve a hand-crafted appearance: Wire brushed or hand-crafted wood gives a distinctive appearance thanks to character markings and differences in shading.

Hardwood Floor Tips

  • Make a bold statement: Take over the room with orange and red hardwood floor tones by using a vibrant copper or russet toned hardwood. This directs visitors’ attention to the exquisite wood floors while generous lighting and bright walls offset some of the commanding presence of this elegant floor.

Hardwood Floor Tips

  • Use the same species and tone of wood throughout your home: This will make each room appear and feel bigger and provide a cohesive look. You can adjust the width of the planks for individual rooms to achieve different aesthetics.

Hardwood Floor Tips

Equipped with these hardwood floor tips, you’ll be prepared to take charge and get creative with your next floor remodel.