Walk-in closets are a great option for a custom built home plan.

Benefits of Adding a Walk-In Closet to Your Weston, MA, Custom Built Home Plan

May 26, 20160

When you’re working with your contractor on a Weston, MA, custom built home plan, you probably agonize over such details as the layout of your new kitchen, how many bedrooms and bathrooms your home will have and how large they will be. Do yourself a favor: don’t underestimate the importance of having functional closets. If you incorporate walk-in closets into your southeastern MA home improvement plans, you will eliminate agony down the road as you settle into your new home. Here are four benefits of walk-in closets.

Clutter Control

If you appreciate a tidy bedroom, you’ll love being able to store your clothing, shoes, bags and accessories, all conveniently in one space: your bedroom closet. You’ll be able to say goodbye to under-bed storage bags, unsightly door hooks and treks across the house to retrieve apparel and accessories from other closets in your home. When you have a spacious, well-organized closet, you’ll know where to find things quickly.

Efficiency

When you design your own home in Weston, you can design closets that have enough space to store all of your clothing, shoes and accessories; hang a full-length mirror and place a chair or bench. In other words, you can design a closet that can easily double as a dressing room. You can try on different clothing combinations until you’re happy with the look and better yet, rather than dropping the discards onto the floor, you can hang them back up right away to avoid a mess.

Walk-in closets are useful when you design your own home.

Design your own home with walk-in closets.

Ideal Hiding Place

Especially if you have children, when Christmas, Easter and birthdays approach, you may find it challenging to hide gifts and goodies where they’ll be away from prying eyes. The top shelf of a walk-in closet is always a great hiding spot when you want to keep surprises from being spoiled.

Increased Resale Value

Even if you don’t have 50-plus pairs of shoes or a huge wardrobe, many people do. One day you will probably sell your home. For many potential buyers, spacious walk-in closets are a big plus. Sometimes, lack of abundant closet space is a deal-breaker.

Things to Consider When Designing A Walk-in Closet

Obviously, a walk-in closet should be large enough to fit your clothing, shoes and accessories and allow you to comfortably walk and try on outfits. Additionally, it should have lighting that is bright but doesn’t generate too much heat. Chandeliers and pendant lights are great choices for a luxurious look and feel. Make sure to incorporate heating and air conditioning vents into your closet to keep the space comfortable. When designing your closet, in addition to creating space for hanging rods of various lengths and heights, consider incorporating built-in shelving, drawers and shoe storage cubbies. Built-ins maximize efficiency by making optimal use of every square foot of space.

If you’re ready to begin designing your dream home, we invite you to contact us at Colony Home Improvement. We have experience in remodels, additions, renovations and custom built floor plans in Weston and the surrounding areas.

Make the right choice with home improvement contractors.

home additions, room addition

Why Ranch Homes Are Ideal for Remodeling or Room Additions

May 19, 20160

Classic American ranch style homes are common in suburbs from coast to coast. Ranch homes are prized for their spaciousness and for the fact most sit on relatively large lots and boast conveniences like attached garages. Times have changed since many ranch homes were built in the immediate post-war era, however. Many owners of ranch homes crave more living space and are interested in making aesthetic improvements to their ranch homes’ exteriors. If you’re one of those owners interested in revamping your ranch home, you’ll be glad to know home improvement contractors in Wellesley and the surrounding areas will confirm ranch homes are ideally suited for remodeling.

A ranch home remodel can be a lucrative option.

Reasons to Remodel Your Ranch Home

If you’re trying to decide whether to sell your ranch home and purchase a home that better suits your lifestyle or to remodel your existing home, here are a few arguments in favor of remodeling.

Many ranch homes can easily be renovated to achieve a more open floor plan simply by removing non-load bearing walls.
Ranch homes are known for their solid construction. If the “bones” of your home are strong, why risk moving into a newer construction home that may not be as reliable?
Ranch homes are historic homes! You can retain your home’s retro rootsand remodel it to meet your changing needs.

Up or Out? That Is the Main Question

If you’re considering embarking on a ranch home remodel in Wellesley or the surrounding areas and your primary goal is to add more living space, you have two options. You can build up (contractors often call this a “pop-top” addition) by adding a second story or you can build out by expanding at the back or side of your home. Building up can literally double your home’s square footage without changing its footprint. You’ll have the ability to design whatever bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and family room configuration you wish. Building up will also significantly transform the exterior of your home.

Build outs, also known as bump outs, are usually less expensive by about 25 percent than build ups. This remodel usually involves constructing a “U-” or “L”- shaped addition or enclosing a carport. Build outs are only feasible if your home’s lot is large enough. Additionally, for larger build-out projects, you’ll usually lose a sizable portion of your yard. Either option will deliver more square footage and a dramatic change to the exterior aesthetics of your home.

There May Be a Third Option

If you are contemplating a ranch home remodel and your home has a basement, you could pursue southeastern MA home improvement plans that call for a basement remodel. Large basements have immense potential. A skilled contractor can transform your home’s basement into a warm, inviting living space or add bedrooms and bathrooms. Don’t overlook this valuable square footage if you’re considering a remodel.

Whether you are interested in extensive second-story additions or simple room additions in Wellesley, contact us at Colony Home Improvement. We can transform your run-of-the-mill ranch home into a true showpiece you’ll be proud to call home.

Make sure your outdoor kitchen addition is kid-friendly.

home additions, kitchen remodeling

How to Make Your MA Outdoor Kitchen Addition Kid-Friendly

May 12, 20160

If you are planning to design your own home in Scituate, congratulations on choosing an outstanding place to put down roots and for opting to build your dream home. If you want to maximize the enjoyment you’ll get from your new home, make sure your southeastern MA home improvement plans include an outdoor kitchen. You’ll use it more than you realize! If you have children or plan to host friends, neighbors or relatives with children for backyard barbecues, do yourself and your guests a huge favor: Design your outdoor kitchen to be kid-friendly. Here are some things to think about during the design phase.

Flooring

Every kid is different but most of them love to roughhouse and run. With the wrong type of flooring, kids, an outdoor kitchen and a pool or hot tub (or rain or sprinkler water) is a recipe for disaster. You may love the look of tile or stained, polished concrete. You will not love the look of skinned knees, chipped teeth or worse when kids slip and slide across it. Texturized flooring like pavers and flagstone is a much safer alternative.

Countertops

Not only do running and roughhousing kids risk slipping and falling on a slick floor, they also risk running straight into the edge of your countertop. That can lead to a nasty gash on the forehead. Rounded countertop edges will do less damages than angular ones. Additionally, expect kids to spill on your countertops. Opt for a low-porosity, easy-to-clean material.

Consider an outdoor kitchen when you design your own home.

When you design your own home, consider an outdoor kitchen.

Placement of Appliances and Accessories

One of the biggest risks of having young children around an outdoor kitchen is accidental burns. Typically, kids don’t incur these burns by looking for trouble and mischief. They are injured when they go to grab a juice box from the outdoor fridge or wash their hands in the outdoor sink and accidentally brush up against a hot surface. When you’re designing your outdoor kitchen, think about the things kids will want to access most, such as the fridge, bathroom, sink and seating. Separate the grill, outdoor fireplace, pizza oven and fire pit from kid-magnet appliances and accessories.

Seating

You can easily keep an eye on the kids and have a degree of blissful separation if you design a kids’ seating area. Depending on the age of the kids, that could be an outdoor island with bar stool seating or a cute kid-sized table and bench situated away from anything hot or fragile (and away from the big-screen TV, unless you plan to use that to distract them rather than watch the Red Sox or Celtics.) Actually, it might be a great idea to incorporate two TVs (one for kids and one for adults) into your MA outdoor kitchen addition!

Whether you are in need of a room addition in Scituate or plans for a new kid-friendly outdoor kitchen, Colony Home Improvement will deliver. We have more than 40 years of experience and thousands of happy clients, and we would love to add you to that list. Contact us for a free consultation!

Add value to your home with a garage addition.

garage remodeling, home additions

Is a Dover, MA, Garage Addition Worth the Investment?

April 7, 20160

One of the main considerations of any remodeling project is its potential return on investment (ROI). Typically, when homeowners think about remodeling, they think about bathrooms, kitchens and second stories. However, the most popular home remodel in Dover and the surrounding towns is often a garage addition. There’s a compelling reason for that. Typically the ROI on a new garage is about 64 percent. That’s higher than the typical ROI on a new bathroom, which is about 56 percent.

Why a Garage Addition Is a Smart Addition

If you’ll park your cars in your new garage, they will be protected from the elements and out of sight for potential criminals. In other words, your garage could save you money on repairs or insurance claims. Additionally, by having the space to store tall ladders, wheelbarrows, lawn mowers and other bulky equipment and tools, it’s likely you’ll be more inspired to tackle your own yard work and maintenance projects rather than hiring a contractor. This can save you significant money over time. Likewise, having a place to store clutter where it’s out of sight and protected is priceless.

Your home improvement plans can include a garage addition.

Consider a garage for your home improvement plans.

What to Consider When Adding a Garage

Before you begin vetting eastern MA premier home builders for your Dover, MA, garage addition project, you’ll need to make some important decisions about the scope of your project. Specifically, if you will be parking cars in the garage, how many will there be? Do you wish to attach the garage to your home or create a free-standing model? A detached garage usually costs less, but you may want the convenience of being able to enter your home through the garage on snowy or rainy days. What will you use the garage for, such as storage or as a work area? Do you want a no-frills manual garage door or an electric door? Do you wish to add extras like plumbing? Before you proceed, narrow your wish list so your contractor can give you an accurate cost estimate and time frame.

Choose a Contractor Experienced in Southeastern MA Home Improvement Plans

Before beginning your project, do your research and find a contractor who is experienced with local regulations and the local architectural style. For any home improvement project to be successful, it needs to blend seamlessly with your existing home and fit in with the rest of the neighborhood. Choose the right partner, and you can proceed with confidence and the expectation your new garage addition not only will be a smart investment, but will add storage space, functionality and resale value to your home. If you are ready to move forward with a garage addition, contact us at Colony Home Improvement. We can help you draft plans and complete the job on time, on budget and with beautiful results.

Why In-Law Suites for Aging Parents Are Becoming a Part of Many Southeastern MA Home Improvement Plans

January 21, 20160

Is an in-law suite part of your home improvement plans?

An in-law suite may be an important part of home improvement plans.

With the large population of baby boomers now in their senior years, many adult children are planning for the time when they will open their home to at least one aging parent. If these plans are in your future, here are some design suggestions for in-law suites that are part of many southeastern MA premier home remodeling and additions.

Why Build an In-Law Suite?

Staying Close and in Touch — Many people spend time worrying about an aging parent living alone, especially if they are unable to see them often enough. In-law suites take the worry out of being far away from an elderly parent and provide the convenience of being there when needed.
Avoiding the High Cost of Assisted Living Facilities – The cost for affordable assisted living facilities varies with location and level of service; however, residents of assisted living communities can typically expect a 4.28 percent annual increase in their base rate.
Designing for Future Use – Current and future homeowners can easily transition an in-law suite to comfortable accommodations for out-of-town guests and visits from children and grandchildren.
Increasing the Resale Value – Another upside of having an in-law suite is having the additional square footage to offer when it’s time to sell the home. Today’s home buyers appreciate having guest accommodations that are less intrusive for the host and more private for the guest.

Where to Build an In-law Suite

There are actually several ways additional living space can be incorporated into your southeastern MA home improvement plans. One of these suggestions might work perfectly with your current floor plan.

Add an extension to an existing bedroom or guest room to provide a comfortable sitting area.
Convert two existing bedrooms that have a connecting bathroom by turning one of the bedrooms into a sitting room/living area.
Build a one or two room addition with a bathroom that may open onto the family room.
If backyard space allows, build a stand-alone quarters, or a ‘tiny home,’ with a full kitchen, bedroom, bath and small living room. Future use may be the ideal guest quarters or rental space.
Build a new master suite for the homeowners and utilize the existing master bedroom and bathroom for an in-law suite.
Building a second story might be your only option for an in-law suite, although at some point you may need to install an elevator shaft or a chair lift onto your staircase.

Prepare for aging parents with the help of your home improvement contractor.

Your home improvement contractor can help you prepare for aging parents.

Features for Your In-law Suite

Depending on your particular situation, a Weston, MA, home improvement contractor can include a separate entrance to your in-law suite, which may simply be an exterior doorway to the patio area. A stackable washer and dryer, phone line and intercom system, as well as separate Internet and cable connections, are all features appreciated by both in-laws and future guests. Many homeowners anticipate dining with their aging parent so a kitchenette that includes a microwave and a mini refrigerator with a freezer drawer may be all that’s needed.

Other Considerations for Your In-Law Suite Plans

Doorways should be wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair and a walker.
A ramp for wheelchair access may need to be added to a porch.
Adequate storage should be part of the design plan.
Safety features, such as grab bars, handrails and non-slip flooring.
Separate heating and air conditioning.
Separate smoke, fire and carbon monoxide detectors.

Rather than waiting until their senior relative can no longer live alone, many homeowners are thinking ahead. If you’re planning for the time when you’ll be ‘welcoming home’ an aging parent, a Weston, MA, home improvement contractor can provide options for building an affordable in-law suite.

Colony Home Improvement has more than 40 years of remodeling experience in southeastern Massachusetts. Contact us today for a consultation at no obligation.

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