Lenny | Colony Home Improvement

Bathroom remodeling requires large decisions.

bathroom addition, bathroom remodeling, home additions

6 Important Decisions to Make Before Remodeling Your Bathroom

September 8, 20160

When the remodeling bug hits, it often hits with a vengeance. Once you’ve made up your mind to proceed with a home addition in Duxbury or to pursue bathroom remodeling in MA, you may be anxious to get the show on the road. While that’s certainly understandable, it will benefit you in the long run to spend time contemplating the specifics of your project before scheduling a time for your contractor to begin. If your next home improvement in Duxbury will be a bathroom remodel, make sure you answer the six questions below before you get started.

What Is Your Maximum Budget?

This, arguably, is the most important consideration before beginning your project. Your answer will guide how many wants you’ll be able to fit in to go along with your basic needs for the project.

Do You Want to Emphasize Style or Substance?

One important question to answer before beginning your bathroom remodel is who will be using the bathroom and for what? Will it be used by school-aged children who will be rushing to get ready and out the door in time to meet the bus? Or are you an empty-nester who values luxurious bubble baths? The answer to this question will have a huge effect on many of your choices for the room.

Bathtub or No Bathtub?

Some homeowners say they can’t live without a bathtub. Others say they rarely, if ever, use theirs. If you aren’t a big bathtub fan, deciding to go without one in your new bathroom will free up space for a larger walk-in shower, a double vanity, a walk-in closet or other amenities.

Your home addition requires plenty of planning.

Do You Want to Go Green?

In recent years, the assortment of energy-efficient lighting, low-flow toilets and water-saving faucets and shower heads has soared. You may pay a bit more upfront for green products. However, over time, expect to recoup those upfront costs in the form of lower electric and water bills. Green options are also better for the environment. If environmentally friendlier options are important to you, let your contractor know before he begins your project.

Custom or Stock Cabinets and Vanity?

Built-in cabinets and custom marble or granite countertops often cost more than off-the-shelf cabinets and pre-assembled vanity/countertop options. Before beginning your project, discuss your options with your contractor. Often, contractors have relationships with carpenters and fabricators and can negotiate an affordable price for custom cabinetry if that’s how you’d like to proceed.

What Type of Tile Do You Want?

It’s a safe assumption your bathroom will include tile. Most bathroom floors are tile, as are shower walls and floors. Decorative mosaic tiles are a popular option, but they often cost more than larger, more common tiles. If you insist on a pricey tile, you may have to compromise elsewhere in your budget.

A bathroom remodel will invigorate your space and make it more functional and more appealing to potential buyers down the road when you decide to sell. Colony Home Improvement has been completing beautiful home additions in MA for decades. We’ve completed hundreds of bathrooms of all styles and sizes. Contact us to get started on your project and to ensure it is completed professionally.

Kitchen remodeling means picking new appliances.

home additions, kitchen remodeling

How to Choose Appliances for Your New Brookline, MA, Kitchen

September 1, 20160

One of the most popular home improvement projects is a kitchen remodel. In many homes, the kitchen serves as the heart of the home. Meals are cooked, heated up or delivered and enjoyed. Lunches are prepared and packed for the next day. Conversations are had and laughter is enjoyed while all of these utilitarian functions take place. Whether you cook regularly or rarely, your kitchen is probably a treasured gathering place in your home. When you’re ready to spruce up your kitchen, buying new appliances is an important part of the project. Read on for tips on choosing three of the most used appliances for your new kitchen.

Choosing the Ideal Refrigerator

When you are in the planning stages of your project for kitchen remodeling in MA, you may visit home improvement stores or peruse magazines looking for ideas. One of the most important appliances you’ll choose is a refrigerator. Even if you don’t cook at all, you’ll want to keep your heat-and-eat foods and drinks cold! Before you decide on a side-by-side fridge packed with bells and whistles or a pricey, custom built-in unit, first you need to do your homework and decide which of the many home improvement contractors in Brookline, MA, will oversee your remodel. Why? You cannot choose a refrigerator until you have an idea what the floor plan for your new kitchen will look like. Buying a refrigerator is like buying a piece of furniture. If it won’t fit in your space, it won’t work.

Talk to home improvement contractors about your kitchen appliances.

Home improvement contractors can help you choose appliances.

Choosing an Appropriate Cooktop for Your Lifestyle

Arguably, the most important cooktop consideration is gas versus electric. If your kitchen is not equipped with gas and you have no desire to invest in running a gas line, the decision is obvious. If your kitchen does have gas, you have a decision to make. Many cooks prefer gas because it allows them to specifically regulate the flame and degree of heat. Electric cooktops don’t deliver this level of control. They do, however, heat things up faster. Gas cooktops lose almost half of their heat from burner to pan. Electric cooktops lose minimal heat so they are extremely efficient.

Choosing an Oven You’ll Love

All ovens essentially do the same thing: they cook foods by delivering heat at a steady level. There are subtle nuances that can make a big difference if you cook often. Convection ovens are ideal if you cook regularly and value efficiency. These ovens are outfitted with fans that circulate heat to cook food quickly and evenly. If you use your oven primarily to bake cakes, cookies, muffins and other baked goods, you probably prefer a traditional oven. If you want to have your cake and eat it too, choose a double-oven configuration with one of each!

Not all people, couples or families have the same interests and habits. Some kitchen remodeling projects demand high-end appliances. Others definitely don’t. You know what you like, but when you’re preparing for your project, it is wise to consult an experienced Brookline, MA, kitchen remodeling contractor to guide the job. You may not cook often. If there’s a possibility you will sell your home in the coming years, though, it’s smart to give at least minimal consideration to how your appliance choices may impact your ability to attract a buyer. Not all home addition contractors in MA have the expertise to give you solid advice. Colony Home Improvement has decades of expertise guiding homeowners and delivering beautiful results. Contact us today for help with your project!

Talk to home addition contractors about keeping pets safe.

home additions, room addition

Keeping Your Pets Protected While Your Home Improvement Contractors in MA Work

August 25, 20160

When you are about to embark on a home improvement project and your immediate family includes furry friends, you need to plan ahead to keep them safe. Home remodels are noisy and usually necessitate scores of people coming into and going out of your house for days, weeks and sometimes months. Unfortunately, you can’t explain to your pets what’s happening as you can with your children. Instead, you have to take concrete steps to ensure they don’t run away or become injured or sick during the controlled chaos of your home improvement project. Here are five steps to safeguard your pets before you embark on a room addition in Westwood and the surrounding areas.

Create and Secure a “Safe Zone” for Pets

A home addition is a multi-step project. At the beginning of each day, ask your contractor for a scope of work. You’ll be able to identify what portion of the house workers will be active in. Choose a room in another part of the house as the “pet zone.” Outfit it with food, water, litter box, toys, etc. and secure your pets in this room. Post a large Keep Out! sign on the door(s) of the room with a brief explanation that your pets are inside. Better yet, lock the door if you are able. If workers will primarily be inside the house, secure dogs in the backyard if weather allows and padlock gates and exterior doors so dogs aren’t accidentally let out.

Conduct a Safety Walk Through at the End of Each Day

When your home addition contractors in MA leave for the day, walk through the rooms they’ve worked in. Construction debris, including nails, razor blades, hazardous chemicals, tacks, jagged objects, electrical wires and sometimes even discarded lunch leftovers, can harm your pet. Remove anything a dog or cat might be tempted to explore with its mouth.

Home additions require you to keep your pets safe.

Make Sure Workers Know to Keep Doors and Windows Closed

If you have pets in the house or have pets locked in a room, make sure workers know to close all doors and windows when they leave. Dealing with a renovation isn’t just stressful for pets. It’s stressful for you! Enlist your contractors’ help in keeping your pets safe because you’re not perfect!

Secure Stacks and Piles

Regardless of the specifics of your project, home additions in MA will likely require your contractors to bring in stacks of wood, sheetrock, tile and other materials. Pets love to rub up against objects to scratch themselves. Should your pet rub up against a loose stack of anything, it could come tumbling down. Not only could this damage your building materials, but it could seriously injure your pet.

Spring for Doggie (or Kitty) Day Care

If you can afford to have your pets boarded during your remodeling project or can find a friend or relative to take them in temporarily, that may be the safest option. As careful as you are, accidents may happen. Your pets are part of your family, and your new and improved home won’t be as happy without them!

If you’re looking for a reliable and responsible contractor, contact us at Colony Home Improvement. We go above and beyond, and that’s why we have a reputation as one of the top home improvement contractors in Westwood, MA.

Talk to home addition contractors about garage options.

garage remodeling, home additions

Should Your MA Home Addition Include an Attached or Detached Garage?

August 22, 20160

Once you have chosen which of the many home addition contractors in MA you trust with your project, the fun part can begin! You and your contractor can come up with a Needham custom built floor plan that includes all of the special touches that will make your house the home you’ve always wanted. The devil, as they say, is in the details. Deciding you want a garage is not enough. You need to decide if you want an attached or a detached garage. Here are three things to consider when making your decision.

Why Adding a Garage of Either Type Is Smart

Once your Needham garage addition is complete, you’ll obviously benefit from having plenty of extra storage space. Being able to store your car out of the elements and away from potential criminals is another benefit. Safe from the elements and vandals, your car will look good and serve you better for longer than it would being parked outside. Additionally, a garage offers opportunities to incorporate patios or decks that can be handy when hosting parties or events. Last but certainly not least? Once you eventually decide to sell your home, you’ll discover a garage will be on the must-have list for many potential buyers.

A garage addition can be a valuable asset.

Pros of Building an Attached Garage

Attached garages are attractive for several reasons, primarily convenience. When it’s raining or snowing, you can simply hit the button on your garage door opener, drive into the sheltered space, park and head inside without getting wet. You can place an extra refrigerator or freezer or even your washer and drier in an attached garage and still have easy access to it. From a cost and construction standpoint, a contractor can incorporate your home’s existing walls and electrical wiring into an attached garage, which is a time and money saver.

Pros of Building a Detached Garage

Arguably, the biggest benefit of a detached garage is it is ideally suited for a rooftop deck or patio entertainment space or garden. With a detached garage, you often have more leeway in terms of how large your structure will be and even what it looks like. When your garage is attached to your house, you’ll need to ensure it is architecturally similar. Another benefit of a detached garage? Fumes from your vehicle’s exhaust system and chemicals you may store in your garage won’t leach into your home. Finally, if you ever decide you want to turn your two-car garage into a three-car garage or add a garage apartment, the process will be much easier with a detached garage.

Are you ready to get going on your home addition? Contact us at Colony Home Improvement. We have decades of experience planning and building amazing home additions in MA. We have before and after photos to share and plenty of testimonials from happy clients. Call us today. You will be glad you did!

home additions

Is Building Up or Building Out the Best Choice for Your Brookline, MA, Home Addition?

August 18, 20160

Once you’ve made the decision to add square footage to your home by building an addition, the next decision you need to make is where you want the addition built. While there are some homeowners who decide to tunnel down for their home additions in MA, the vast majority stick with one of the two obvious choices: building up or building out. You’ll need to weigh several factors before deciding which option is right for your property. An experienced Dover home improvement contractor will discuss these factors with you in detail. Read on for some general considerations regarding the “up or out” question.

Your home improvement contractor can help you make the right choices.

Talk to your home improvement contractor about your options.

Pros of Building Up

One of the biggest benefits of building up is it’s possible, regardless of the size of your lot. Another major benefit? Building up is usually less expensive than building out because it doesn’t require adding to the foundation or increasing the square footage of roofing. When you build up, you will need a new roof, of course, but when it comes time to upgrade that roof, you’ll pay less than you would have had you built out. Many people prefer multi-story homes because they offer options. Depending on your living situation, you can use your new floor for all of the bedrooms upstairs, just the children’s bedrooms or an elaborate master suite. You could also create an upstairs playroom, game room or workout room. The possibilities are endless! When you build up, you gain extra living space without sacrificing the size of your yard or worrying about setbacks.

Benefits of Building Out

Arguably the biggest benefit of building out is you will avoid adding stairs to your home. If you have small children you worry about falling down stairs and want to be able to keep an eye on easily or if you or someone in your home has physical limitations or who may find it difficult to climb stairs in the future, a one-story home makes sense. Additionally, from a design perspective, you can incorporated vaulted, barrel, cathedral and other unique ceiling styles in single-story homes because you don’t have to worry about creating a floor above the ceiling. Of the two options, building out tends to be the least disruptive.

One Option Is Not Inherently Better than the Other!

Lot size limitations aside, the decision to build up or build out is similar to the decision to purchase a ranch-style, Cape Cod or mid-century modern home. In other words, it’s a matter of personal preference. Be wary of home addition contractors in MA who are unwilling to work with you to deliver your vision. It’s your home and your investment. Ultimately, the right decision is the one you’re most excited to pursue.

When you are ready to add on to your home to increase its functionality and your quality of life, contact us at Colony Home Improvement. We are a well-known, well-respected home improvement contractor for Dover and the surrounding area. We have more than 40 years of experience and thousands of happy customers in the region, and we hope to make you one of them!

Author: Lenny