What should a homeowner consider before embarking on a renovation project?
They need to consider the budget. They’re not going to be able to do a kitchen or a bathroom within $5,000. People might think, ‘Oh, I’ll just get an estimate [and choose the lowest],’ but you want good quality materials, and you want good quality labor. You want contractors that actually have a warranty, and they’re experienced and they’re doing everything up to code. ... If you need an actual good remodeling project, you have to trust the people that are working with you. [Work done by] people with good experience, quality and warranty ... will last longer.
[Costs] will depend on the size of the kitchen or bathroom and what features they want, so a small kitchen might start at $10,000-$12,000 and go up from there, and a basic bathroom remodel is going to start at around $8,000.
Remodeling does have a lot of steps in it. They need to know what’s involved—plumbing, electrical, tiling, demolition. If you just want to change the tile in the bathroom, that’s not considered a remodel. If you want to convert a tub to a walk-in shower, that will involve more. Remodeling means you’re changing some features to newer features; you’re not just resurfacing some stuff.
Why is it important to keep your home updated?
It’s like a car requires regular maintenance. After a while, it’s going to have a lot of mileage and have some problems, so you might have to get a new engine, for example. It’s the same for remodeling—after they use it for a while, there’s wear and tear that can affect the functionality of the bathroom. There’s no such thing as a lifetime warranty; everything has an expiration date, even your shower and your kitchen.
Any kind of remodeling in the house is going to increase [the value]. I would recommend [prioritizing] whatever is the most needed. For example, if you want to sell a house and it doesn’t have a good shower for the new owner to use, remodeling the shower or the whole bathroom [will increase the value].
What are some common trends in kitchens and bathrooms right now?
For kitchens, shaker-style cabinets, ... most people like quartz countertops right now. Backsplashes and other tiles are mostly porcelain, which is more durable than ceramic. Same thing for the bathrooms—what’s trendy right now is large-format tile. It does have less grout lines [and] different shades that can meet customers’ tastes.
