bathroom remodel tips Archives

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Kitchen and Bath Contractors Tips for a Smooth Remodel

Kitchen and bath remodeling requires thinking about everyday activities in a different way. While your new rooms transform, so does your life. Follow these tips from kitchen and bath contractors to live with minimal disruption during the remodeling process.

Kitchen

Set up a mini-kitchen either outside or inside. If outside, you can make use of a propane grill or Coleman Stove. You can even use electric appliances under covered, dry areas when the weather is nice. Thankfully in Southern California, that’s most days.

Inside, designate a space as the temporary kitchen. If you have a utility sink and a front-loading washer and dryer, you have a water source and flat surfaces for preparing and cooking food.

Courtesy Ninja Appliances

Lean heavily into multi-cooker devices like the Ninja multi-cookers that operate as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, air fryer, and food steamer. In place of a multi-cooker, you can use a large toaster oven as your oven and toaster. Either way, make sure you have a mini-microwave and portable fridge.

Invest in disposable utensils, plates, bowls, and cups. No, it’s not the most eco-friendly way to live through a kitchen remodel, but it will save your sanity.

If the laundry room is a no-go space, give your bathrooms a hard look. Look for a water source and flat surfaces

Bathroom

This one is a bit easier. Whether the bath contractor works in the master bathroom or a shared or spare bathroom, you’ll be down one set of sinks, toilet, and bathing area. Most Orange County homes have more than one bathroom. That makes doubling up easier. Easier, not easy.

To make it easy, plan bathing schedules in advance. Split bath and grooming times for family members between mornings and bedtime. If you have a large or busy family, don’t be afraid to post a schedule and make sure everyone sticks to it!

shower caddy showing towels, brushes, shampoo, and conditioner bottle

Get organized & portable with a shower caddy

Use portable storage containers. Shop online or visit your local big box store and look for personal hygiene caddies marketed for dorm living. They make the perfect vessel for organizing and storing your personal care products while you are using a second bathroom.

Don’t forget to take advantage of your gym’s shower facilities. Feel free to use the shower even if you didn’t work out first. Go ahead, you paid for the membership, take full advantage of it!

Design Build Orange County Kitchen and Bath Contractors

Inspired Remodels offers full design and build services. Not all kitchen and bath contractors provide full services.

As design-build contractors, Inspired Remodels provides you with a single point of contact throughout the remodeling process. Remodeling disrupts lives, but working with skilled, caring, and respectful contractors minimizes the disruption.

Before hiring a contractor for a kitchen or bathroom remodel, ask how they will minimize the disruption.

Kitchen and Bath Contractors Tips to Preparing for a Remodel

Remodeling your kitchen or bath is exciting. But it’s also disruptive and frustrating. Experienced kitchen and bath contractors, Inspired Remodels, wants every remodel to be as stress-free as possible. When you follow these tips, your kitchen or bath remodel will be much easier.

Living During a Kitchen Remodel

Plan on living without a kitchen for at least a month. If this is a major remodel, it may be longer. You can’t eat out three meals a day for over a month, so use this plan:

Set up a temporary kitchen

Turn a spare bedroom, living area, or even the garage into a temporary kitchen. Move the fridge in there along with a coffee pot, small microwave, and a toaster oven. If you don’t have room for your full size refrigerator, invest in one of the small dorm-sized fridge/freezer combo. You don’t need much freezer space, but you will want a few ice cubes here and there and may want to store a small container of ice cream. After all, it is stressful to have your kitchen under construction. You may want to self-medicate with a cocktail or some ice cream. If you normally eat in the kitchen, set up a temporary eating area as well.

Buy disposables

Go ahead and buy disposable napkins, plates, forks, spoons, and knives. There are even biodegradable options available these days. Even if you don’t like to eat with disposables, you will like washing dishes in your bathroom sink even less.

Plan for disruption

It’s going to get messy. An experienced kitchen and bath contractor knows how to contain the dust and debris. Talk to them about this plan before demolition begins. Think how the disruption will affect your pets. You may want to start feeding them in an alternative location before work begins.

Surviving a Bathroom Remodel

A bathroom remodel isn’t as disruptive, as you generally have more than one bathroom in the house. You only have one kitchen.

Even so, stock up on santizing gel and dry shampoo. When you’re sharing a sink and shower, you’ll find that the sanitizing gel and/or baby wipes are perfect for a quick clean up. Dry shampoo reduces the number of time you may need to stand in line to use the shower. As an alternative, you can always wash your hair in the kitchen sink.

Hang a mirror in an area with good lighting. This will come in handy when the working bathroom is occupied and you need to put on makeup or fix your hair.

If the cat’s litter box was in the bathroom undergoing remodel, you’ll want to make sure you move that a few days before the renovation so kitty gets used to the new spot. Having workers in the house is usually stressful for pets. Moving the litter box is also stressful. Moving the box in advance reduces the chances of accidents.

Kitchen and Bath Contractors Recommend

No matter what type of project you do, it won’t hurt to get away for a few days. Living with a kitchen or bathroom remodel may set your teeth on edge if you are compulsively neat and orderly. Even the untidiest among us may get tired of the disruption. Plan a small vacation to get you out of the house and away from the chaos for a few days.

Speaking of days, plan for disruptions. Every project, no matter how carefully planned, usually has its bumps in the road. If you are prepared for things to go wrong and for the budget to go over 10% to 20% it will be less stressful when it happens.

When you are ready for a remodel or update, call the kitchen and bath contractors that see your home as more than a job site. Inspired Remodels understands it is an honor to be invited into your home. You’ll get one point of contact for the entire project and communication will always be open and honest. Call (949) 716-1938 or Contact Us online today.

Bathroom Renovation Company Tips for Surviving Your Remodel

By Inspired Remodels / Bathroom Remodel, Home Improvement / Comments Off

You’ve likely spent months with magazines and Pinterest. You know the HGTV schedule by heart. Your bathroom remodel is one of the most highly anticipated events of the year. Now the contract is signed, a construction date is set and reality sets in. Your bathroom is going to be under construction for some time. You need a bathroom! Here’s tips to survive a remodel from a bathroom renovation company that’s seen the good, bad and ugly of people coping with construction.

Avoid Major Renovations

This doesn’t mean you should avoid performing major renovations. It means you should avoid them. If more than half of your house is going to be under construction at one time, you should consider moving out temporarily.

It’s hard enough to live without a kitchen or a bathroom. But, if your kitchen, bathroom and bedroom are all under renovation at the same time you should probably move out. It’s a great time to take that vacation you’ve been planning.

Just make sure that your kitchen, bedroom and bathroom renovation company know how to reach you while you are gone. That way if problems or questions arise, they can be solved before you return.

Think of it this way, you’re probably going on vacation for a week or two this year. Why not do it during remodeling if a major portion of your house will be unlivable.

Memberships Matter

Got a membership at the local gym? Then take advantage of the shower and bathroom facilities while your bathroom is out of order.

Pack a bag with your personal care essentials and make it a habit to shower at the gym. Many gyms even provide hair dryers!

Honestly, the gym management doesn’t care that you didn’t work out. After all, they’ve got your monthly membership fee and that’s what matters to them. Shower at the gym in the morning before work or in the evening when your day is done.

Plan Carefully

Plan with your bathroom renovation company very carefully. Before work begins, remove all items from the bathroom that you need on a regular basis. Talk to them about how they will contain debris and dust while they are working. Windows should be open if possible. Not only should doors be closed, but a containment area should be set up if sanding is involved.

Talk to the contractor about protecting your HVAC ducting system from construction debris. If your unit runs while construction is underway, dust will be picked up from the areas under construction and deposited all over the house. If the climate must be controlled to protect the materials being installed, then the AC might need to be left on. In this instance, make sure a thorough cleaning of the blower motor, coils, and ductwork is performed once work is complete.

Bathroom Renovation Company that Cares

Inspired Remodels knows your home is more than our work area. Your home is your castle. We pledge to minimize the stress involved with a major renovation. Get a single point of contact for the entire project, get designers and remodelers that work as a team, and get a truly inspired remodel of your bathroom in Orange County. Call (949) 716-1938 and schedule a consultation today.

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