If you’re remodeling because you’re ready to sell your home, it’s better to keep colors neutral and update carpets and flooring with easy-to-clean materials that will match many styles and colors. There are also rooms and areas that are more suited for a full-scale remodel, such as the kitchen and bathroom. Here are a few ways to get the most out of your home remodeling project before you go to market.
If it’s been some time since you updated the kitchen, start your remodel project there. Both bamboo flooring and natural stone are popular products that will last and that clean easily. Choose neutral colors if you’re selling your home or go bold with your favorite colors if you’re updating everything for yourself.
Update the appliances to energy-saving appliances. For a larger kitchen or a kitchen that you will enlarge, consider a French door fridge with a double freezer drawer and a gas stove with six or eight burners, complete with a double oven. If you must go with electric, consider a stovetop and purchase a double oven that is built into the wall.
When looking at new cabinets, you might consider upper cabinets that go to the ceiling. However, keep in mind that the top shelves are harder to reach. For the bottom cabinets, choose a set with drawers. This ensures that you have the right amount of space for the items most used and stored in the kitchen.
If your bathrooms are cramped, consider enlarging them. Use adjoining closet space or add on to the house so that you can redesign the layout for the bedrooms and bathrooms. If you’re adding on, consider combining two small bedrooms into one large bedroom, den or office space with its own bathroom.
Choose natural stone tiles for the showers. They last for a long time, and if you choose neutral colors or even browns, they’ll match many color schemes and stay in fashion longer. Update the toilets to water-saving, high-pressure flush toilets. Update the vanities to something decorative instead of the typical square vanity with a single sink and cabinet, especially if you are enlarging your bathroom.
Consider adding a stand-alone shower in the master bathroom and adding a jetted tub. Large 5-foot showers with two or even three shower heads are popular. When you choose flooring, go with a natural stone tile that will withstand the humidity better. Add an exhaust fan with heat built into the fan. These are perfect for the winter months when the bathrooms always feel cooler than the rest of the house.
