Basic Garage Remodeling To Give Your Garage Back To Your Car

Traditionally, a garage was an important addition to the house that provided shelter for the family’s automobile.  However, it seems that the average garage is now the delegated storage area. This means that the garage is the area of choice for storing lawn equipment, the children’s toys, seasonal items and spare pieces of furniture.

You have decided to take back the garage and transform it back into its intended purpose.  This will be done through your commitment towards garage remodeling.  As part of your garage remodeling makeover you have decided to not only use the garage for its intended purpose of housing your vehicle, but also to organize the garage as a storage area.

Starting With The Garage Floor

A vehicle, next to your home, is probably the second most expensive purchase that can be made by families.  It therefore stands to reason that you would want to protect your automobile from the elements.  These elements that you wish to protect your car from include hail storms, the sun, vandalism, etc. 

Therefore, the first important step in garage remodeling is to empty out the garage completely of its contents.  This will not only give you a good idea of how to rearrange the garage, but also will give you an opportunity to sort out items that you wish to keep, giveaway, or put into a yard sale.

As part of your garage remodeling process you may wish to give attention to the garage floor.  Generally, these floors are made from concrete and often detract from the appearance of the garage due to various stains.  These stains can be from motor oil, antifreeze, water damage, etc.  There are a number of methods that can be utilized to give attention to the garage floor.  One of these methods can be the application of paint to the garage floor.   Remember, the paint utilized should be a special type of paint that is formulated to be applied on the concrete.

Another method of sprucing up a garage floor is through the use of a durable garage flooring product.  Generally this product is made from polyvinyl and can be rolled out and applied.  The added value of applying this product is that any cracks or stains can be easily covered through the use of this product.  In addition, the material utilized to cover up the garage floor is resistant to the spills often associated with the storage of a vehicle.  It is strongly suggested that if utilizing this method of refinishing the garage floor that professional installers be contracted with.

Organizing Your Garage

Another garage remodeling strategy is to organize those items that will be stored in the garage.  This garage remodeling strategy can be accomplished by installing shelving, storage boards, cabinets and the use of plastic bins.

For example seasonal clothing can be placed in plastic bins, marked on the outside as to what is contained within and then stored on shelves that may be built utilizing the upper portion of the garage’s interior.  Or sturdy metal cabinets can be built and secured firmly to the wall out of the garage.  One shelf or cabinet can be specifically set aside for lawn maintenance or utilized for products that help to maintain the vehicle.

How to Estimate Remodeling Costs

There are a number of remodeling projects that homeowners can perform themselves or contract out to professionals.  Generally these remodeling projects are accomplished to accommodate the growth of the family, add to the value of the house, install new features or improve the design of the home.

Some of these remodeling projects could be the remodeling of the bathroom by installing new fixtures such as the sink, vanity, bathtub, or toilet.  Another popular remodeling project is the installation of new cabinets in the kitchen.

Before beginning any remodeling project it is important to obtain estimate remodeling costs.  These estimate remodeling costs are determined through an approximation and give the homeowner a general idea of what the entire remodeling project will cost.

There are many resources that an individual can access to obtain estimate remodeling costs.  Two of these resources to obtain estimate remodeling costs include an estimate calculator on various web sites or obtaining an estimate from a general contractor.

Remodeling Estimate Calculator

Available on certain Internet web sites are calculators that are designed to provide estimate remodeling costs for various projects within the home.  These calculators are sometimes easily accessible while other calculators require that you provide personal information to access the calculating tool.

There are a number of steps that are required to provide the estimate remodeling costs for the project that you have in mind.  Some of those steps include the answering of questions regarding your personal remodeling tastes.  These answers are then calculated using the estimated cost of labor in the area in which you reside.  Again, it is important to note that this is just a tool that provides a ballpark estimate.

Estimate From A General Contractor

The most accurate way of obtaining estimate remodeling costs is to work with a professional.  Often these individuals will visit your home and listen to what remodeling plans you have for the home. 

A reputable professional will explain what needs to be done in order for the remodeling work to be accomplished, capture the information and go back to their place of business to work out an estimate.  This estimate will include the time required for the project to be completed, labor costs, materials required and any other associated costs that may be needed for the remodeling project.  Also, an individual who knows about construction will be able to inform you of any added difficulties associated with the remodeling project.  One of these remodeling difficulties may be the fact that the wall that you want torn down may be a weight bearing wall.

Generally, it is a good idea to work with a qualified individual who has the experience and enjoys a good reputation in the community for the work that they accomplish.  Often, the estimate remodeling costs that are provided through this process can be prepared at no cost to the individual.

Corner Cabinet Remodeling Ideas

One of the things to consider when improving your kitchen is how you want to change the cabinetry. Because so much of a kitchen is cabinet space, kitchen cabinet remodeling is one of the most important things to do when improving your kitchen.

Your cabinet remodeling project can range in complexity from painting your existing cabinet fronts to a fully redesigned set of kitchen cabinets. One thing to contend with when remodeling your cabinets is what to do in a kitchen where you have cabinet space underneath the corner of a counter. When improving your kitchen, you may want to decide how to best utilize this space, and there are a few options.

Lazy Susan Method

One method of remodeling corner cabinets to make use of the space there is to add a lazy Susan, where circular shelves are mounted around an axle, allowing you to turn your corner cabinet's door.

The benefit to this design is that you can store things far in the back corner of your kitchen cabinets with little loss of extra space. However, due to the design of the lazy Susan, with the main support concentrated in a small area in the center, these are often not ideal for heavy things, so you must be conscious of how much load you're putting on them.

Also, including one of these in your cabinet remodeling project sometimes means making smaller openings for nearby cabinets to ensure you have adequate room for the new mechanism.

New Drawers

One interesting idea for remodeling your corner cabinets is to add drawers that pull straight out from the corner, or at a forty-five degree angle, the way most other drawers would pull out, in order to use the space in the back of the cabinet.

Your storage options are limited only by the width and depth of the drawers you have designed, and it's a way to use that corner space without much waste.

Just as with the lazy Susan, though, you may decide to alter cabinet space to the right and left of the corner to allow for wider drawers, but to balance this out, if you have another set of drawers in the kitchen, you can replace those with additional cabinet space when remodeling. Such a redistribution of how you use your space can ultimately make storage easier for you.

Do Nothing

Sometimes, the best thing to do with the corners when remodeling your cabinets is to do nothing. Some home remodeling experts will suggest leaving the area under the cabinet counters as dead space.

Even with the lazy Susan or drawers in the corner, it is often difficult to effectively utilize that corner space, so it's more cost effective to simply leave it be when remodeling your cabinets.

The dead space also leaves you an option for storing large things you rarely need to access. But whether you choose to alter the space or leave it be, you should give some thought to how you best want to alter your corner cabinets when remodeling your kitchen.

Hassle Free Kids Bedroom Remodeling

If your kids have been bugging you to remodel their bedrooms, you might be putting it off because of the hassle that goes along with the remodeling process and the speed with which children change their minds. However, there are some simple tips that you can keep in mind to make kid’s bedroom remodeling hassle free and easy.

Keep It Simple

First of all, it is important to keep it simple. Remember that kids go through phases and like one thing, which they obsess about, only to grow out of it several months down the line.

If you are going to be doing kids bedroom remodeling, keep this in mind. Even if your child likes something right now, this doesn’t mean he will like it a year from now. However, there are some ways that you can please him by adding things that are popular, without wasting time and money and having to redo it later on.

The best way is to focus first on a color, or general theme, that your child likes, which he or she has liked for their whole lives. This can be a color scheme like red and blue, or pink and yellow, along with something they enjoy, like trucks, or horses. 

Keep it simple though, and don’t overdo it. Once you have planned for this kind of theme, which should hold true for your child for several years, you can incorporate something that is popular right now that might not be in a few months by using cheap and easy items to apply such as stick on wall paper borders.

This can be a great way to get them involved in kids bedroom remodeling, and it can be a great way to incorporate something that they love. You can stick up some wallpaper, and if it is just a boarder that sticks on, when they have grown tired of it, you can do a quick touch-up kid’s bedroom remodeling and put a new border over the top of it. This is an inexpensive way to keep kids bedroom remodeling something that doesn’t take much time but makes your children happy.

The most important thing to keep in mind is organization. This should be the focal point of your kid’s bedroom remodeling. You are going to want to have plenty of places for your kids to organize things. This means that shelves, boxes, and bins are a must when it comes to kid’s bedroom remodeling. They are going to be your most important assets.

The Basic Foundation Of Attic Remodeling Plans

If you are in need of a spare bedroom or an all purpose room you may want to remodel an area of the house that is normally relegated to the storage of seasonal items.  That particular area of the house that normally serves as a storage space is the attic.

If your attic has the potential of becoming that added room, you may want to devise attic remodeling plans to help convert that room into something more useful.   In order to devise attic remodeling plans it is important to have an idea of what the room will look like or what the room will be used for.   Once you have come up with a list of suggested uses for the attic, then the planning process needs to incorporate specific modifications to make the attic as comfortable as possible.

Suggested Uses For The Attic

Before going into great depth with your attic remodeling plans, it is important to picture either in your mind or on paper how you want the converted room to appear.  There are many practical ways that the attic can be effectively utilized.

For example the attic could serve as a quiet room.  A quiet room is a space that can be utilized by family members to get away from the stresses and pressures of life.  This quiet room could serve as a safe haven in which family members can meditate, read a book or simply be alone with their thoughts.

Another suggestion for the use of an attic as part of your attic remodeling plans could be the conversion of the attic into an office.  By climbing the steps into your office area you could be physically signaling to your mind that it is time to work on a project, do office work, read a book, engage in some writing, etc. This secluded converted area could be turned into a powerful space which can be devoted to conducting both personal and private business activities.

Specific Modifications

Before beginning your attic remodeling plans it is important that there are some basic modifications that are accomplished to make the attic space usable.  Those modifications include the installation of material to provide a comfortable environment.  This comfortable environment can be established through the proper installation of insulation.

Another important aspect of providing a comfortable environment, as part of the attic remodeling plans, is the importance of providing an adequate flow of air.  This ventilation can be accomplished by ensuring that there is proper cross ventilation in the home.

Basement Remodeling Tips

When people buy homes, they may want to make some changes.  There are many things that people can change about a home.  Some things may cost more than others but changes can be made. 

The owners will want to be able to agree on some of the changes and how much money that the owners will want to spend.  Sometimes, people get a mental block and find they really don’t know what they want to do or what to change. 

If the home has a basement, the people may not be able to envision its potential.  Something that people can do to get ideas is to ask their friends and neighbors. 

Ask everyone you know for basement remodeling tips and tell them to not be afraid of tell you how they really feel.  Basement remodeling tips can help the owners think of changes that they may want to make. 

Some basement remodeling tips may be funny but there may be other tips that the people will want to make happen.  Take the opportunity to incorporate any changes that the people would like. 
The main thing that’s important is to keep the tips coming in.  Changes can be picked based off of the friend’s tips and the construction can begin as soon as a contractor is hired.

Using Basement Remodeling Tips

With all the tips that the owners will get comes some great ideas that can be incorporated into the new construction.  Basement remodeling tips can be told to the contractor who can then come up with an appraisal and plans for all of the changes.
 
Make sure that when the owners talk to the contractor that the contractor knows exactly what the owners want to do.  This will save time later, when the actual work is being done, because, if the contractor has to stop and make changes, it will slow down the completion of the project and end up costing more than originally thought.

There are a lot of things that can go wrong during construction and it is imperative that the owners and the contractor keep constant communication during the construction period.

Using basement remodeling tips to make changes to peoples’ homes can be a great way to come up with ideas that the owners would never have thought of on their own.  It’s a great way to have a home that people like to look at, as well as enjoy, for many years to come.  Allow friends to help with ideas and the home will be a part of the neighborhood where everyone talks and laughs about the entire process.  

Basement Remodeling Plans

For people who have a home with a walk in basement, they understand how nice it is to have that basement.  Besides doing laundry and folding clothes, the basement can become a gathering place for the entire family. 

This is truer in the winter because there is very little to do outside.  But a basement has the potential to be even more than it is.  A basement can be finished and can become a whole new level of the house. 
Bathrooms and bedrooms, and even a game room, can be installed in what used to be the basement.  If people want to take the plunge, they should get together and decide what the possibilities for their basements are. 

Make sure that everyone in the home agree with the changes.  Make basement remodeling plans detailed so that there aren’t any mistakes.
 
If the owners are going to do the work, the basement remodeling plans will also act as the blueprints.  If the owners plan to hire a contractor, the plans will tell the contractor what the owners want.  Either way, the basement remodeling plans are a critical aspect to the construction that is to be done.

Accurate Basement Remodeling Plans

In order to make the basement look exactly as the owners have planned it, the basement remodeling plans must be correct and everything must be to scale.  For a basement, a one quarter inch to one foot, or more, will allow the owner to see all of the detail, but without requiring a small book of plans.

If something isn’t right and it isn’t caught before using the plans, something won’t measure up correctly and it is possible that there will be an avalanche of problems relating to the initial mistake. 

Basement remodeling plans can be changed if a problem develops by correcting it and allowing for the correction of what was wrong.  By staying diligent and by following attention to detail, the owners can finish the basement and be proud of the look. 

What could have cost thousands of dollars and endless headaches dealing with a contractor, the homeowners instead can be pleased with the work that was accomplished by them alone. 

There will be long days, and sometimes even longer nights and arguments, but when it is complete, all of the hardships and sleepless nights will disappear.  What will be left is a beautiful addition to a home that used to have a square room underneath the main floor, and it will be used for many happy years by the homeowners.