Home Additions and renovations in Dallas & Toronto

Karen Homes provides home additions and renovations in Dallas & Toronto

By

Bathroom Renovation Options: How to Pick the Right Vanity

When renovating your bathroom, one of the most important decisions you will have to make is what type of vanity to install. There are couple of basic designs available in Toronto, and an almost limitless choice of colors and materials from which they can be made. To help you choose the perfect vanity design for your bathroom, we are going to discuss the two basic types of vanity unit available and what you need to consider in the way of aesthetics and practicalities when choosing one for your home.

Buying a Vanity for Your Bathroom Renovation Project: Points to Consider

The two basic types of vanity unit available are freestanding and built in. Before you hit the shops or make an appointment with a local renovation expert, think about the following points:

  • Your Bathroom’s Dimensions – Homeowners with spacious bathrooms generally tend to favor built-in vanity units. This is because, although they take up more space, they provide a greater surface area as far as the countertop is concerned and more storage space than their freestanding counterparts. If, on the other hand, you are starting a bathroom renovation project that involves a particularly small or oddly dimensioned room, you will probably find that custom-built, freestanding units offer greater flexibility as far as designs that make the most of the available space are concerned.
  • Aesthetics – If you prefer more contemporary styles as far as home décor is concerned, a built-in unit will result in cleaner, more minimalistic lines so will probably be your best choice. For those who like traditional or period interior design motifs, freestanding vanities will look more authentic and blend in with the rest of the décor more effectively.
  • Location of Plumbing – Assuming that you are going for a vanity unit with an integral basin, you need to consider the positioning of the existing hot and cold water pipes when making your selection. Moving existing pipes or installing new ones will add a fair amount to the overall cost of your bathroom renovation so this is something you should avoid doing unless absolutely necessary. Usually, freestanding units offer a little more flexibility in this regard, especially if you have one custom made to your specifications.
  • Durability – A well made, built-in vanity unit will often last longer than a freestanding vanity of a similar quality. This is simply because the surface area that is exposed to wear and tear from passing traffic is naturally smaller. For homeowners with young children, this is a factor worth considering. On the other hand, if you are confident that nobody in your house is likely to damage your new furnishings through clumsiness or boisterous behavior, durability will not be a major consideration when choosing a new vanity unit for your bathroom renovation.

Budgeting for Your Vanity Unit

While you can find a good selection of mass-produced units in local stores, a lot of homeowners in Toronto are choosing to have their vanity units made to order nowadays when starting a new bathroom renovation project. Although this obviously costs a little more,  it gives you much greater freedom of choice as far as the design and construction of your new vanity is concerned.

If you have plenty of money to spend, you will probably want to choose a unit that features either a natural stone or manufactured quartz countertop, as such vanities will be able to withstand many years of ordinary wear and tear with no outward signs of damage. However, if you are working with a small budget, laminate surfaces are an acceptable alternative worth exploring.

By

Kitchen Remodeling and the Importance of Getting the Right Cabinets

The core of any kitchen remodeling project is the cabinets. It is the cabinetry that will make or break your new design so it is vital that you choose the right style, materials and colours for your new kitchen. In this short article, we are going to take a look at some of the most important factors to consider when making your selection. With a methodical approach, taking each factor into account before making a commitment to purchase any particular cabinets, you can ensure that your renovation project is a complete success.

Consider These Factors Before Starting Your Kitchen Remodeling Project

Before you approach a local Toronto contractor to discuss your new project and the possibility of having custom cabinets designed and built to meet all your requirements in full, you will of course need to be very clear in your own mind what these requirements actually are.

  • Amount of Storage Space Required – The dimensions and quantity of the cabinets you need to order will depend to some extent on the amount of space that you require to store your tinned food, dried pasta, and other relatively non-perishable cooking ingredients, as well as the crockery, pots and pans that you have accumulated over the years.
  • Dimensions and Proposed Layout of New Kitchen – The space in which your new kitchen must fit may impose certain limitations on the overall dimensions of the cabinets that you have built and installed, as will the layout that you decide to follow. For this reason, you need to consider the overall design of your kitchen remodeling project before you can settle on the final specifications for your custom cabinetry.
  • Wear and Tear – If you are living in a luxury city centre property and have no children to worry about, you can afford to consider a variety of exotic woods and other materials for your cabinet doors, materials that would probably be unsuitable for a family home. The amount of wear and tear to which your cabinets are likely to be subjected over time is an important factor to consider when choosing materials.
  • Maintainability – Staying with the subject of the abuse to which you can expect your cabinets to be subjected on a regular basis, you also need to consider how easy it will be to maintain the furnishings you choose in tip top condition. Highly polished surfaces, for example, are often a bad choice for households with very young children, owing to the fact that they smear very easily and can start to look really dirty within an amazingly short space of time.
  • Overall Style – Popular kitchen remodeling designs in Canada can be divided into two, admittedly broad, categories: traditional and contemporary. The style which you opt for will influence your choice when it comes to cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Shaker-style cabinetry is still a very popular choice among the traditionalists, whereas fans of contemporary interior décor may lean towards cabinet doors with smooth, flat surfaces, painted with simple, bold colours such as black or white.
  • The Environment – With the widespread availability of eco-friendly cabinetry materials in the 21st century, planet-friendly humans can opt to have their cabinets made from environmentally responsible timber or other materials that do not cause any damage to the natural world. If you would like to reduce your family’s carbon footprint at the same time as upgrading your kitchen, this is something to bear in mind when specifying the cabinetry.

For help and advice on forthcoming kitchen remodeling in Toronto, please feel free to call at any time.

 

By

Home Additions: The Importance of Due Diligence and Proper Budgeting

A home addition is not a project that should be undertaken on a whim but only after careful consideration and adequate research. Many Toronto homeowners have successfully completed additions to their properties in the past few years but unless you think about all the salient factors beforehand, you may not be so lucky. In this short guide, we are going to offer some pointers to help you ensure that your next home improvement project is a resounding success.

Home Additions: What to Consider Before Proceeding

Before you get in touch with a local contractor such as ourselves, think about the following points concerning your proposed addition.

  • The Overall Cost – One of the most common problems encountered by homeowners in Toronto and elsewhere who decide to extend their property is that of letting costs spiral out of control. To prevent this from happening, it is important to discuss the scope of work with your contractor before the project starts and to have a contract drawn up that specifies exactly what you are paying for in painstaking detail. It may sound like a bit of a drag but the more time you spend on planning and drawing up a detailed contract, the less problems you are likely to encounter once the construction phase of the project gets under way.
  • The Existing Foundations – The type and condition of your property’s foundations may play a part in deciding which type of home additions are practical for you to consider and which are not. If you have no knowledge of the type or state of your foundations, you can always call a building specialist and ask them to take a look at the plans and inspect your home if necessary. In some cases, upper storey additions require the strengthening of foundations, which will increase the cost of the project. If this is the case with your property, you may prefer to extend outwards rather than upwards.
  • The Contractor – The most important factor to consider when planning home additions of any type is who you are going to hire to carry out the work. You should of course limit your choice to reputable contractors with a proven track record, for obvious reasons. It is also a good idea to focus on those construction firms who specialize in domestic properties as they will have a greater knowledge of the type of problems that can be encountered when completing such projects and will be able to ensure they are not an issue as far as your addition is concerned.
  • The Time of Year – If you are considering an attic conversion, the time of year you decide to have the work done is not particularly important. However, if you are planning a home addition that involves exterior construction work, you will want to make sure that you schedule the project at a time when prevailing weather conditions are least likely to cause delays. It is for this very reason that most people schedule home additions for the summer months rather than during the wintertime.

There are of course many other factors to consider when planning an extension to your home but we do not have enough time or space to discuss them all here. If you would appreciate some expert help and advice concerning home additions in the GTA, please do not hesitate to call Karen Homes whenever convenient. As one of the area’s leading custom building contractors, we would be delighted to provide you with a competitive quotation for the work you would like done and to help you choose the best type of addition for your home.

By

Why a Multi-Purpose Basement Renovation is the Must-Do Project of 2016

Of all the home improvement projects that Toronto residents consider undertaking every year, the humble basement renovation is still one of the most popular choices and offers a great return on your investment as far as the enjoyment you get out of the extra space created is concerned. If you have been pondering how to create more living room in your home, perhaps because you need more space but are not keen on moving, this could be an excellent project for you to consider.

The Benefits of a Well Executed Basement Renovation Project

If you are still not convinced that this is the right type of home improvement project for you and your family, consider the following benefits that homeowners who proceed with such a renovation can look forward to enjoying.

  • A Space for Messy Hobbies – If you love building your own furniture from high quality timber but you rarely do so because your garage is too cold or too hot for most of the year and you don’t want to make a mess inside your home, converting your basement into a space that can be used as a workshop is an excellent idea. The great thing about using below grade rooms for such a purpose is that once you come back upstairs and shut the door, the whole area is out of sight and out of mind. You never have to worry about having to rush around clearing everything away in the event that unexpected guests should arrive at your front door.
  • Alone Time for All the Family – Living as part of a large family can be great fun but there can be times when individual members just want some quality alone time and finding somewhere to chill out becomes a problem. By hiring local contractors to carry out a tasteful basement renovation in your home, you can make sure that there is always a comfy space where people can relax and listen to some music in solitude whenever they want a couple of hours away from the rest of the family.
  • Lower Heating and Cooling Costs – If you should decide to use the new space in your basement as your main relaxation area, you could stand to save a significant amount on your annual utility bills. The positioning of below grade rooms means that they are naturally easier to keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It is for this reason that many people used such spaces as wine cellars in years gone by and there is of course nothing to stop you from storing a collection of fine wines in your basement today if you so desire.
  • Maintain Existing Outdoor Space – Homeowners who decide to create extra living room by extending their property outwards have to make do with a smaller yard or garden in return for the extra space they create inside. A basement renovation, on the other hand, involves no such compromises, which makes it an excellent choice for those who really enjoy being outdoors in the summer but who start to feel a little cramped in their homes once the weather turns colder.

Wherever you happen to live in Toronto, converting your basement could be a great way to create more usable living space in your home. If you like the idea of turning what is essentially dead space as far as many homeowners are concerned, into an area that all the family can enjoy, feel free to call and request further information about basement renovation projects whenever you have a moment to spare.

By

Top 5 Things to Look for in a General Contractor

When the time comes to embark on a renovation or addition for your Toronto home you’ll want to make sure you hire a reputable general contractor to oversee the process. It may be tempting to try and save a few dollars by handling oversight of the project yourself but you’d be well advised to resist that particular temptation. The general contractor will know your type of project inside out, will be able to get you a good deal on materials and make sure the job gets done properly.

Selecting the Right General Contractor for Your Project

So general contractors are important. But how can you tell the good general contractors from the bad? Here are 5 things to look for.

  • A low pressure approach – Every contractor wants to secure enough work to keep their crew busy and make a decent profit but some lose sight of the real goal – customer satisfaction – in their quest for cash. If you’re feeling pressure to sign a contract red flags should go up. It means the contractor is more interested in getting their hands on your deposit than in listening to your ideas. And there’s no way that will lead anywhere good.
  • Appearance – If the prospective contractor shows up for your initial conversation wearing a T-shirt and driving an old, beat up car more of those red flags should go up. Good general contractors understand the importance of a clean, professional appearance. If they’re not going to bother looking good for the first meeting what are they going to look like when they show up to do the job?
  • Preparation – If the prospective contractor shows up to your first meeting with nothing more than their phone it’s not good. They should anticipate that you’ll ask them about licenses and liability coverage and have that information ready. They should also be ready to show you photos of past projects and supply you with references. In addition, they should be taking notes so they won’t have to start from scratch again if you decide to hire them.
  • Personality – While the most important thing is their ability to do the job keep in mind that you’re going to be working closely with this person for months. If it seems they’re more interested in texting others than in listening to you it’s not a good sign for your future working relationship. Likewise if they adopt an air of superiority and shoot down everything you have to say you’ll probably want to take a pass as well.
  • References – There are more than a few contractors out there who will hem and haw and delay when it comes to the issue of references. They may come up with what seem like logical arguments for not supplying them – like protecting the privacy of their clients – but don’t buy it. Any reputable, reliable general contractor will have plenty of references and will be happy to share them with you. If they don’t, you should take a pass.

In addition it can be extremely helpful to the whole process if the general contractor has their own stable of craftsmen on the payroll. It facilitates communication, discourages disputes, promotes a higher level of quality and keeps everything moving forward in the smoothest fashion possible.

At Karen Homes our objective on every project is the same: complete customer satisfaction. We employ the best tradesmen in Toronto and oversee every aspect of your home renovation or addition project so that the final product exceeds your expectations in every meaningful way. Your home is your largest, most valuable single asset. Don’t gamble with its future. Hire Karen Homes for your kitchen, bathroom or basement renovation or to build that dream addition.