No renovation should be tackled without lots of planning, but knowing where to start with any project, especially if you’ve never done one before, can be a challenge. While bathrooms are typically small rooms in the home, by comparison, that doesn’t equate to a small renovation project.

Before cabinets and walls are demoed, flooring is ripped up and the old toilet carted away, do some research to know what you need, what you don’t, what you love, and what you can live without.

Here are six considerations to take into account before you begin your bathroom remodel, whether it’s for a small powder room, large master bath, or something in between.

1.Build a budget: Every renovation project needs a target budget. With home improvement, the sky’s the limit when it comes to fancy fixtures and finishes or ideas you can dream up. The best way to hone in on your renovation specifics is to set a budget. Some experts recommend bathroom renovations cost no more than five-to-10 percent of your home’s value. No matter what budget you set, be sure to stay true to the value of your home, being careful not to overspend for your neighborhood.

2.Address the layout: One way to keep costs in check is to keep the same footprint of your bathroom, meaning the toilet, sink, shower and tub stay in the same place, eliminating the cost of moving pipes. However, a renovation is the best time to dream. If you want to take square footage from an adjoining room to convert a powder room to an en suite master bath, changing the location of the plumbing might be the only way to achieve your goal. Either way, take time to evaluate the function of the space and design it to meet your needs.

3.Question the status quo: One vanity or two, shower and tub combo, separate shower and tub, no tub and only a shower – the options are endless. Many homeowners are choosing to eliminate the bathtub because it is used so infrequently, and create a beautiful shower surround instead. And when it comes to the shower, do you want one showerhead or two? A glass surround or a shower enclosure? A renovation is the time to question the current set-up and transform it into anything you want.

4.Challenge the lighting: Before you change anything in your current bathroom, use the room at night and determine if you have adequate lighting. There’s no better time to add lights to any space than when the walls are open. Do you want can lights through the space or a simple overhead light with fixtures above the vanity? Keep in mind overhead light will cast a shadow on your face, so vanity lights should always be mounted inline with the mirror.

5.Maximize the space: Notoriously small spaces with many functions, bathrooms require lots of storage. Do you want a stylish mirror or a vanity, and can that vanity be recessed into the wall? Do you want a double vanity with plenty of storage, or a sleek pedestal sink to create the illusion of more space? Is the room large enough for other cabinetry, in addition to the vanity, and can those cabinets be recessed as well?

If this is a home you will retire in, the bathroom renovation might be an opportunity to maximize the space for the future, too. Taller toilets and vanities can help with aging, reducing the distance required for bending for the knees and low back. A walk-in shower with grab bars also should be considered.

6.Add a little luxury: From radiant floor heating to towel warmers, add some luxury features during the renovation. Electric resistance heat panels under the floor can warm your bathroom tile with the flip of a switch. Towel warmers can be strategically placed, and waterfall faucets, elegant light fixtures, and other little fancy finishes can turn your renovation project into a masterpiece.

Don’t skip the planning step in a bathroom remodel. In fact, starting the planning earlier than you think and spending a little more time considering all the options is the best way to guarantee a successful renovation project. Include an experienced professional contractor in your process, then relax and enjoy your new spa-like bathroom.

Whether you’re a busy mom packing lunches, making dinner on-the-go and filling endless bellies with snacks, the empty nesters looking to upgrade, or single and living in style, quartz countertops have features for everyone, making them the hot trend in kitchen countertops.

From durability and maintenance, to trendy color options and high-end style, quartz should be number one on your list for countertop consideration when it comes time to renovate or upgrade your kitchen, and here’s why.

Man-made durability
Quartz is a manufactured countertop option made from ground quartz mixed with resins, polymers and pigments. This manufacturing process makes quartz more durable than other hard-top surfaces, even natural stone, which means it’s less prone to chips and not as fragile.

Some manufacturers of quartz also provide a warranty on the product, something that won’t come with natural surfaces.

Beautiful style
As part of the manufacturing quartz, pigments can be added to the natural quartz, giving it more color than natural stone. Subtle hints of greens, blues and yellows give quartz a more versatile color palate and can make matching any kitchen design a breeze.

In addition to color choices, patterns in the quartz can be made more intentional during manufacturing than those in natural stone. This can make hiding the seams much easier, giving the look of a single solid surface. There also are more finishing options for the edges of quartz countertops.

Low maintenance
The resins and polymers included in the manufacturing process for quartz not only make it durable, it means there is no need to seal the material as is the case with other surfaces. With quartz, you won’t have to worry about having a contractor in your home every five to seven years to reseal the tops.

Because quartz is non-porous and doesn’t require sealants, it also resists staining from oils, wine, sauces and spices more than other tops on the market. And maybe more important than staining, the non-porous surface means that it’s easier to keep quartz countertops free of germs, viruses and bacteria, because there’s no place for them to hide. Simply cleaning with soap and water will keep your countertops clean and safe for everyone in the family.

When it’s time to replace or purchase new kitchen countertops, use quartz as the gold standard and compare all your other choices to the durability, beauty and low maintenance benefits of quartz.

With so many decisions to make in a kitchen renovation, simplify the process ahead of time by doing your research and working with a professional contractor. A skilled and experienced contractor can help you determine which quartz products will provide the finishing touch you’re looking for in your kitchen and ensure that the installation is done right, so you can enjoy your new kitchen for years to come.

If you’ve watched a parent age, you know nothing is more difficult than having to make sacrifices that erode one’s sense of independence, especially if it involves giving up their home.

So often, a parent’s home is filled with warmth from memories and evidence of love and laughter that have been years in the making – growth charts marked on the closet trim, family pets buried under the tree in the backyard, secret hiding places for hide-and-seek, and the rosebush planted for Mother’s Day.

Sometimes aging can happen in the comfort of home, with changes made here and there to accommodate special needs. In the case of bathrooms, there are plenty of ways to make them more accessible for an aging parent. Whether you’re trying to keep your parent in their own home, or they are joining you in yours, here are six changes you can make to the bathroom to help your loved one age with ease.

Eliminate the bathtub

Replacing the bathtub with a walk-in shower is an excellent first step to make a bathroom more accessible. Walk-in showers eliminate the need for seniors to step into or out of the tub.

“If the aging parent really has a lack of mobility, you can do a curbless shower, where the shower floor is same height as bathroom floor, and there is nothing to step over,” said Doug Readnower, co-owner of Craftsman Home Improvements.

Add amenities to the shower

A seat in the shower is a must for the aging population. Some shower bases come built with a seat already molded into them. Other times, seats can be constructed out of tile, making the shower space both beautiful and functional. Shower seats also can be purchased from box stores to keep the cost of this necessity very reasonable.

Grab bars are essential in the shower area, as well. “We like to do an 18-inch vertical grab bar right at the entrance of shower, where the person would grab hold and step over the shower basin edge,” Readnower said. “We also place a 24-inch horizontal bar on the back wall, so they have something to hold onto and steady themselves, if they are standing to shower or to help them up from the shower seat.”

Install a lift-off showerhead

Oftentimes seniors need assistance with showers, and if this is the case, a liftoff showerhead can help ensure all the soap is rinsed with ease. Liftoff showerheads can be a modest investment and make a big difference.

Remove slip and trip hazarders

Any wet, smooth surface is a slip hazard, making bathrooms dangerous territory. Shower floors should be “non-skid.” Whether you are selecting a prefabricated polymer shower base or picking tile for the shower surround, work with a professional will ensure you identify the safest products for your bathroom remodel.

In addition, bathmats and throw rugs in a bathroom are potentially dangerous. If you’re living with an aging parent, removing these after each use is the best way to prevent falls.

Talk about the toilet

Toilets are the less-glamorous elements in bathroom remodels, but important changes to them can have a big impact for seniors. Comfort height-toilets are a must for the aging population. These commodes are higher off the ground, decreasing the strain on hips and knees.

Grab bars around the toilet are also a necessity, but when the toilet is nestled between the vanity and the tub, which is often the case, there was typically no place for a grab bar. However, fold-down grab bars are now on the market and can be installed to accommodate this need. 

“People we have done the [fold-down grab bars] for have really appreciated them because they thought they were in a position where they couldn’t have one installed,” Readnower added.

For high-end remodels, electricity and water hookups can give the toilet bidet-style functions and can be excellent solutions when flexibility makes routine cleanliness more difficult. Some toilets also come with heated seats.

Don’t forget the vanity

Installing bathroom vanities that are taller, usually the height of a standard kitchen counter, is an outstanding solution to decrease the bending and straining on the lower back.

“In fact, today when we remodel, that’s the vanity height of choice for most homeowners,” Readnower said. “Even middle-aged homeowners want them. When you’re out working in the yard and straining, just having a little less stress on your back is one of life’s little pleasures.”

Whether you’re looking to take on a complete bathroom remodel or just make simple upgrades to make your bathroom more accommodating for your aging parent, this list of essentials is a great place to start. When you have a basic idea of your needs and budget, contacting a professional to walk you through the process is the next step.

If you didn’t build your home, or pay top dollar for the one you’re in, chances are you don’t love your kitchen, or it needs updates. Desirable kitchens are not only highly functional, but they also reflect the homeowner’s personal style. If you didn’t design yours, you probably can think of something you wish were different every day.

Often called the heart of the home, kitchens are where families prepare and share meals, and guests congregate, so if you’re not happy with your kitchen, it might be time to consider a remodel.

Kitchen remodels can be designed for almost any budget, but no matter what finances have been set aside for the update, renovations happen best with a plan.

If you’re looking to make some significant changes to your kitchen, but your budget is tight, keeping existing items can save on costs. Appliances, flooring and cabinets are all high-cost items. Another possibility is to do your renovation in phases. If you’re considering this option, it’s important that your cabinets are replaced before selecting and installing new countertops.

Here are four reasons why replacing the cabinets before the countertops is a must in any kitchen renovation.

1. Solid foundation: Cabinets provide the foundation for your countertops. If you’re looking to upgrade your kitchen, odds are you’re considering a solid surface or stone counter, like quartz or granite. Stone and manmade countertops are very heavy. If your existing cabinets aren’t structurally sound or level, mounting new counters on top will be problematic. If you’re hoping to resurface or paint your existing cabinets for a cost-effective solution in your kitchen upgrade, be sure to have the integrity of the cabinets confirmed before proceeding with this option.

2. Too fragile to move: Some homeowners assume you can purchase fancy new countertops to make a big impact, and then have the cabinets replaced at a later date. This isn’t an option. Natural stone and man-made countertops are very fragile, and once they are set in place, very few fabricators would be willing to move them at a later date because the chance of damaging them is too high. If you attempt to have the countertops moved at a later date, in most cases, you also will void your warranty.

3. Locks layout in place: Once the countertops are ordered, your kitchen layout is locked in place. While you might think your work triangle – sink, range, fridge – is highly functional (and you might be right), kitchen designers can make subtle changes to your cabinets. Adding a spice rack or hidden trash can, or extending the counter to create a peninsula, when they design the new cabinet configuration might not be possible if the countertops are already in place.

4. Finishing touches: Beautiful new countertops deserve to be accented with a custom backsplash, and backsplashes can only be installed after the countertops are securely in place. Once the backsplash is installed, moving the countertops to replace cabinets would not be possible without damaging the backsplash.

When it comes time to update your kitchen, the first step is calling a professional contractor. Kitchen renovations are full of critical decisions to ensure you will be happy with your investment far into the future. Don’t risk a costly mistake or renovation fiasco by attempting a kitchen upgrade DIY style. No matter what your budget is, starting with a solid plan is the only way to guarantee success and satisfaction with a kitchen renovation.

Kitchen remodels are usually thought of as synonymous with luxury: spacious kitchens with room for a large island, plenty of counter space to incorporate a separate prep sink, double ovens, lavish lighting, and lots of fancy fixtures and finishes. But sometimes practical, useful solutions for storage can bring their own element of luxury. If you’ve got a kitchen on the smaller side, don’t put off upgrading because of size.

Just because your kitchen isn’t big on space, doesn’t mean it can’t be packed with useful upgrades that turn your small, so-so kitchen into a dreamy space. Here are some kitchen upgrades that can pack a powerful punch when it comes to storage solutions.

Sign-up for spice solutions

Pull-out spice drawers are an upgrade that can be added to any kitchen. These tall, slender drawers fit between standard base cabinets. They don’t require a lot of space to incorporate and can accommodate the variety of spices used by gourmet cooks.

Say goodbye to scattered silverware

Tired of your plastic silverware drawer insert? This crumb-collecting solution to keeping silverware organized can receive quite the upgrade. Silverware drawers with beautiful, built-in wooden trays are a vast improvement over the standard plastic tray and can be stacked two-deep, so that the top organizer slides out of the way to reveal a second level for additional silverware or knives.

Tuck away garbage and recycling

Trashcans are an eyesore and take up useful space for moving around in the small kitchen. If you’re sick of trying to hide your trashcan under the kitchen sink and have no place to even consider putting a recycling bin, adding a pull-out trash and recycling station is ideal. A standard cabinet front door actually functions like a large drawer and slides out to reveal an area big enough for two decent-sized trash bins. Use both bins for trash, or save one for recyclables.

Hide unsightly sponges

Make use of the “fake” drawer under most kitchen sinks by adding a small tip-out tray just big enough for the scour pad, sponge and bottlebrush.

Turn things on their side

Stacking baking trays, muffin tins cooling racks and other large kitchen items takes up valuable kitchen real estate. Plus, when it comes time to remove the cookie sheet on the bottom, everything on top has to come out first, which is less than ideal. Including dividers in one of your cabinets allows you to turn baking sheets and other essentials on their side, sliding them vertically into and out of the cabinet with ease.

Stop stacking pots and pans

Including a pullout organizer for pots and pans eliminates the strategic stacking-and-nesting game that takes place in most kitchens. These pull-out organizers come in a few different designs and styles — some allow pans and lids to hang from the top of the cabinet and pull out, while others use a shelving system that stacks pots without having to nestle them inside one another.

Don’t put off a kitchen remodel because you don’t think you have the space to create a dream kitchen. Incorporate some smart storage solutions, add some fancy finishes, and you’ll be amazed at how easily you can upgrade your small kitchen.