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Inspired Remodels

Home Improvement

How to Hire a Home Improvement Contractor

By / Home Improvement / Comments Off on How to Hire a Home Improvement Contractor

So, the thought of a new year has you thinking about a new kitchen or bath?  Maybe you want new stairs, flooring or need a way to give a tired room a lift.  Unless you are skilled carpenter, electrician, or plumber hire a home improvement contractor for these jobs.  But hiring a home improvement contractor can be scary. A major renovation, remodel, or re-do is a major investment and you don’t want to get burned.  How do you find the right contractor for the job?

Only Hire a Licensed Home Improvement Contractor

This is first, foremost, and always the most important.  Do not hire a home improvement contractor that is not licensed.  The State of California makes this easy.  Just go online to the state’s Contractor’s License Board and search by the company name.  For example, enter Inspired Remodels as the name of the home improvement contractor and you get information such as:

  • Business address and phone
  • License status
  • Business classification
  • Bonding information
  • Worker’s compensation insurance information

home improvement contractor follows blueprints

Get Bids

Shop around and get at least 3 bids for a major renovation or remodel.  When you compare bids, make sure that all three are based on the same plans, specifications, and finishes.  That low bid for a kitchen remodel may include fiberboard cabinets while the more expensive bid may install solid wood or custom cabinets.  If one bid is so low you can’t believe it; then don’t. There is either a problem with the bid or the contractor.  Most home improvement contractors charge the same for comparable work.

Ask for Recommendations

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Ask the contractor for recommendations from recent clients.  Then call the clients.  Ask about their experience.  Was the work finished on time and on budget?  Were there any surprises?  In what condition was the home left at the end of the work day?

Some contractors view your home as nothing more than a job site.  Inspired Remodels understands the place they are working is your home.  It is stressful and inconvenient to have your home under construction. That’s why you will always be assigned a project manager to serve as the point of contact for all aspects of your job.  In addition, our crews will never leave your home a shambles at the end of the day.

Ask your friends, neighbors, an co-workers if they have any experiences (good or bad) with a local home improvement contractor.  Also, ask to see work that they have done.  They should have a portfolio of kitchen remodels, flooring or fireplace remodels, or samples of similar work.

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Inspired Remodels – More than a Home Improvement Contractor

Once you start looking, one thing will be clear.  Inspired Remodels is the premier home improvement contractor in Orange County.  Inspired Remodels is more than just a general contracting firm.  They are a complete design and build shop.  That means they do more than install kitchen appliances and floors, they design stunning kitchens.  They do more than tile a bathroom, they design a spa-like retreat.  Inspired Remodels can take your ideas and turn them into breathtaking living spaces that look good and function great.

Call (949) 716-1938 to make an appointment for your consultation today.

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Bathroom Renovation Company Gives Tips for an Inviting Guest Bath

By / Bathroom Remodel, Home Improvement / Comments Off on Bathroom Renovation Company Gives Tips for an Inviting Guest Bath

The holiday season is upon us.  If you had guests over the Thanksgiving holiday, did you make them feel welcome in every room of your home?  Inspired Remodels, the Orange County bathroom renovation company that designs and builds master bathrooms, guest bathrooms, and spa bathrooms has some tips on how you can make holiday guests feel at home in the bathroom.

Start with a Clean Slate

Start out with a squeaky clean slate.  Even if a bathroom doesn’t get used often, it does get dirty.  Dust collects on fixtures and on rugs and towels.  Make sure the bathroom is freshly scrubbed and scoured before your guest arrives.  Even if you don’t have the time or inclination to do the scrubbing yourself, hire a service to clean the bathroom.  Many cleaning services will perform one-time cleaning services.  If you are busy, this is a great task to outsource and Groupons are often available for cleaning services.

scrub and remove clutter

                                                                                                                             scrub and remove clutter

 

If you do the cleaning yourself, be sure to clean behind the toilet, where dust collects and replace linens.  Evaluate the shower curtain liner.  If it looks dirty or dingy, many vinyl liners can be cleaned in the washer with a bleach solution to remove mold and mildew.

Remove all personal items and store them out-of-sight.

Set Out Deluxe Linens

Invest in a set of luxury bath linens.  This is a splurge that will pay off for years to come.  High thread count, thick bath linens will make your guests think your home has a spa feel every day of the week.  You don’t need to tell them otherwise.

Two-ply towels are more absorbent than one-ply towels.  Don’t use fabric softener on your towels. Fabric softener leaves a coating that reduces the absorbency of the towel.  For fresh smelling, soft bath linens, use a fabric softener sheet in the dryer instead.

Think of Everything

These days, travel by air means leaving behind razors, tweezers, and full size toiletries.  Stock up your guest bath with everything your guest may have left behind or need during the stay.  They will appreciate your thoughtfulness.  Items to stock include:

  • toothbrushes
  • mouthwash
  • hairbrushes
  • razors
  • tweezers
  • shampoo
  • conditioner
  • body lotion
  • cotton balls
  • cotton swabs
  • ibuprofen
  • antacid
  • multi-symptom cold medicine
  • feminine hygiene products

Your guest will appreciate your thoughtfulness and be happy to skip an emergency trip to the store

Spa Experience on Dollar Budget

Stocking your guest bathroom doesn’t have to cost a fortune.  The dollar stores are filled with loofa sponges, bath salts, perfumed lotions, body brushes, and other spa-like bathroom supplies.

Set a basket with spa supplies on the edge of the tub to encourage your guests to soak travel stress away.

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Stock Up On Spa Supplies

 

Repair and Replace

If you have been putting off replacing worn or leaking faucets or shower heads, this is a great time to make those repairs.  Some leaky faucets just need a new washer.  Here’s how to make this simple faucet repair.  Shower heads can be replaced in just a few minutes.  Leaks waste water and money.  Leaks also add to hard water deposits.  If your toilet leaks, check the fill valve and the flush valve.  These parts are also easily replaced.

Leaks waste water and money. Stop leaks.

Bathroom Renovation

It’s too late to renovate before your holiday guests arrive.  But it isn’t too late to start planning for a bathroom renovation.  You will be ready to start the new year with a new look for your guest bathroom.

Inspired Remodels is the bathroom renovation company that will work with you to create a guest bath to wow even the most finicky guest.

bathroom renovation creates a stunning bath

Call (949) 716-1938 to get started today.

 

 

Kitchen Renovation Ideas to Fall in Love with this Fall

By / Home Improvement, Kitchen Remodel / Comments Off on Kitchen Renovation Ideas to Fall in Love with this Fall

Thinking about renovating your kitchen before the holidays?  Inspired Remodels, the premier kitchen renovation company, has some ideas for touches that will give you a kitchen to fall in love with this fall.  Just take a look.

 Use Patterns in Your Kitchen Renovation

Chevron patterns are everywhere.  We are finding them in upholstery, wallpaper, textiles and now they are even showing up in tile.  Check out this chevron pattern we recently installed on a backsplash.

Chevron Tile Pattern installed by local kitchen renovation company

Backsplash Tile in Chevron Pattern

This is tilework is practical, easy to clean, and adds timeless style to the kitchen.  Notice the use of grey?  Grey is the new white in interior design.

 Another popular pattern is achieved with subway tiles.  These traditional 3 x 6 tiles are available in an incredible color palate and their appeal is timeless.  Your kitchen renovation should be about creating a kitchen that you will fall in love with again and again. 

gray glazed subway tile used for backsplash in this kitchen remodel

Grey glazed subway tile has timeless appeal

When you stay with classic colors and lines you get a kitchen that is ageless.  Simply update the fixtures, lighting, and cabinet hardware when you are ready to freshen thing up. 

Task Lighting to Love

Your kitchen needs to be more than beautiful; it needs to be functional as well.  Having enough light to tell the parsley from the cilantro makes a real difference in the way your food tastes! 

You can make the most of natural light and augment it with lighting for ambience but the key to a kitchen you love is task lighting.  Task lighting gives you the light you need to get the job done.  Chopping, kneading and mixing are easier and safer when you can see what you are doing.

Lighting mounted under the cabinet is a way to add light to your work areas.  Notice how this kitchen renovation gets a lighting lift with under-cabinet lights.

under cabinet task lighting

Lights under the cabinets and pendant lights provide task lighting

pendant lighting used in kitchen renovation to provide task lights

Pendant lights provide task lighting

Pendant lights are another fabulous way to provide lighting over an island or prep station.  Pendant lights direct the light exactly where you need it.  They are also available in a wide variety of finishes and shades to match any décor.   When you are ready to update, just change the shade and it looks like new lighting.

Little Touches – Big Impact

Sometime it’s just the little things that make you fall in love with your kitchen.  Cabinet door knobs and drawer pulls are more than just a way to open the door/drawer they are an inexpensive way to highly customize your kitchen and make it yours.

Cabinet Hardware.  Just take a look at this drawer pull.  Yes, it is functional, but it is beautiful as well.  Same for the cabinet door knobs.

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Pulls and knobs are like jewelry for your cabinets

Personalized Storage.  Make sure your kitchen renovation company understands your cooking style.  Incorporate storage where you need it most.  Do you like to stand over a simmering pot, stirring, tasting, and adding a dash of this or a touch of that?  If so, the unique storage drawer have you falling in love with your kitchen every time you cook.

pull-out-spice-rack

Pull Out Rack Keeps Spices Close at Hand

Storage can also be used to transition from the kitchen to the living area.  This kitchen remodel included a transitional space that provides storage and display space and doubles as a wine bar too.  Perfect for the family that entertains from the kitchen area.

 

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Renovate Your Kitchen this Fall

If you are ready for a kitchen renovation that will give you a kitchen to fall in love with this fall, pick the kitchen renovation contractor that designs and builds.  Pick Inspired Remodels.

Inspired Remodels will help you come up with a personal design that provides timeless appeal and can be easily updated in the future.  Need some inspiration?  Talk to one of our designers.  They are experts at listening and turning dream kitchens into real kitchens.

Call (949) 716-1938 or Contact Us to schedule your consultation.