Kitchen and Bathroom Renovation Tips for a Gorgeous Home
It’s been said time and time again: if you only have the budget to renovate select rooms in your home, choose the kitchen and bathroom.
Of course, if there are glaring safety oversights that need to be addressed, those should be taken care of first.
But if you’re looking to simply remodel for style value and aesthetics, these two key rooms should be at the top of your renovation list.
That being said, it’s still important to be strategic when considering what to spend your money on.
Even if you’ve limited yourself to upgrading just these rooms, there is still so much choice that it’s easy to get carried away or to have difficulty choosing which enhancements will be worth the investment.
Not to worry – here at Shamrock Plumbing, we’ve worked in enough kitchens and bathrooms to know what pays off. Here are 4 simple kitchen and bathroom renovation tips for a gorgeous home!
Consider Energy Efficiency
If you’re going to be renovating anyway, now is a great time to rethink your energy consumption.
There are plenty of changes you can make in your kitchen and bathroom to conserve on energy expenditures and avoid hefty bills in the future.
In the bathroom, low-flush or dual-flush toilets make great efficient alternatives to older models.
Low-flow shower heads accomplish the same thing.
Installing faucet aerators onto your sink taps will help you save water without weakening the stream.
In the kitchen, consider upgrading your appliances.
Old refrigerators, freezers, and dishwashers use up significantly more energy than recent innovations do.
Even newer models can be switched out for Energy Star® certified appliances.
You can also take a look at the windows in these rooms and ensure they’re double-glazed and caulked.
With enough energy savings, you’ll have more to spend on future renovations.
Don’t Snub Linoleum & Vinyl
If you can, incorporate a gorgeous flooring material into your kitchen and bathroom. For kitchens, solid hardwood is the gold standard, with engineered hardwood being a close second.
In the bathroom, top-of-the-line options include marble, ceramic, slate, and limestone.
However, if these luxurious finishes are out of your price range, there’s no need to snub the budget-friendly options of linoleum and vinyl.
Back in the day, these materials were unsightly and cheap-looking. These days, manufacturers have made significant improvements, and the resulting options resemble natural, upscale materials much more convincingly.
The final look can be just as tasteful and sophisticated as more expensive flooring choices.
Avoid Passing Fads
If you frequent home improvement websites or read their magazines, chances are you’ve come across articles telling you what you must have in your kitchen or bathroom for the given year (or even month).
They’ll tell you your home will be embarrassingly outdated without this costly renovation or that designer appliance.
When you’re choosing your upgrades, avoid this type of time-bound advice and opt instead for something you genuinely find appealing.
If you’re being told you have to have granite countertops but you prefer butcher block, go with your own instinct.
Their advice will change a month from now anyway.
If you can, choose classic, timeless styles that are always elegant over trite trends.
Add a Beautiful Backsplash
A beautiful backsplash can work wonders in a bathroom or a kitchen. Not only are backsplashes lovely to look at, but they're also functional too.
Apply strips of subway tile, glass mosaic, copper, or travertine around your bathroom mirror and behind your stove.
In fact, a backsplash can be added to any stretch of exposed wall susceptible to steam, cooking splatter, or other forms of moisture.
With the right backsplash, you’ll likely receive compliments from visitors and save yourself the trouble of scrubbing stains or addressing water damage on wood walls.