Home Improvement Archives - Inspired Remodels

Orange County Flooring Contactor Sheds Light On Common DIY Flooring Mistakes

By Inspired Remodels / Home Improvement / No Comments

Are you thinking about installing new flooring in your home? It’s tempting to take the DIY route to save a few bucks. But before you dive in, consider this: DIY flooring projects often end up costing more in the long run. Why? Because without the proper know-how, you’re bound to make easily avoidable mistakes. Ask any seasoned Orange County flooring contractor about common DIY mistakes. You will hear about these common mistakes.

Not Understanding the Importance of Preparation

DIYers often underestimate the importance of preparation. Skipping crucial steps like proper subfloor preparation or moisture testing leads to flooring disasters. Without a level surface or proper moisture protection, failure waits in the wings. The flooring fails sooner rather than later.

For example, that fabulous wood flooring that’s all the rage now requires acclimation. Whether installed by a DIY’er or a pro, wood flooring material needs time to acclimate to the environment before installation. Pros know how to open and stack flooring planks and understand how long the acclimation process takes.

Many DIY enthusiasts overlook this critical step. Their floors warp or buckle over time and only then do they call in a pro.

Orange County flooring contractor uses wood-look tile to create spa feeling with white marble walls and white soaking tub

Wood-look tile offers a waterproof alternative to wood in the bathroom

Picking the Wrong Flooring

Selecting the right flooring material for your space is crucial for both aesthetics and functionality. However, many DIYers make the mistake of choosing based solely on appearance, without considering factors like durability, maintenance requirements, or suitability for the room’s purpose. They end up with great flooring in the wrong room or the wrong house. Environment and lifestyle matter.

When you work with an Orange County flooring contractor, they serve as advisors as well as installers. These pros won’t put wood floors in the bathroom, they’ll advise you to pick wood-look porcelain or ceramic.

Pros know what flooring stands up to high foot traffic from people and pets. DIYers lack this expertise.

Flooring contractor after picture: Hardwood flooring on stairs and landing

Stair flooring is not a DIY project

Poor Measuring and Installing Tools

Every flooring pro knows the maxim “Measure twice, cut once”. Unfortunately, many DIYers fail to heed this advice. This equals wasted materials, material shortages, and a patchy appearance to the final product.

Even a small measurement error can result in gaps, uneven seams, or misaligned tiles or planks. Even if they measure correctly, DIYers often lack the skills, precision, and attention to detail required for proper installation. Complex techniques like pattern matching, seam sealing, or proper adhesive application require practice.

Poorly measured and installed flooring looks amateurish and fails to stand up to wear and tear.

after bathroom remodel flooring contractor shows grey and white pattern tile flooring and blue vanity

This tile pattern is no problem for an Orange County flooring contractor

Go With a Seasoned Orange County Flooring Contractor

Sure, the allure of DIY seems appealing. But, tackling a flooring project without the necessary expertise leads to costly and unattractive mistakes. From improper preparation and measurement errors to poor installation techniques and material selection, the risks far outweigh the potential savings.

Avoid these risks. Work with a professional Orange County flooring contractor like Inspired Remodeling. These pros bring the knowledge, skills, and tools to get the job done right the first time.

Breaking Down Custom Kitchen Remodeling Projects

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

What’s involved in a custom kitchen remodeling project? What elements are involved and how much can you expect to pay for a complete remodel? Of course, Inspired Remodels, like every other custom kitchen remodeler, tells everyone that costs vary based on your situation. But based on Forbes research, here’s what you can expect.

Cabinets

When it comes to budget, new cabinets consume a big chunk. Figure that your cabinets will take about 29% of the budget according to Forbes.

It might be tempting to shave a few dollars here, but cabinetry endures. Good cabinets may be refinished or painted over the years. So, when you figure cabinets last 20 years or more, it makes sense their cost is higher.

Labor

Those cabinets, floors, backsplashes, lighting, and appliances won’t install themselves. Expect to pay for installation labor in addition to the materials. That only makes sense.

When a licensed general contractor completes your custom kitchen remodeling project, those labor costs include the cost of the actual work plus the overhead associated with labor. This includes worker’s compensation insurance, Social Security, Medicare, etc. Don’t gripe – that’s all for your benefit.

Let an unlicensed contractor without worker’s compensation on your property and if something goes wrong, you are responsible for medical bills associated with any on-the-job injuries.

Forbes research shows labor is about 17% of the total cost.

Appliances

New appliances can run from several thousand to tens of thousands, depending on your taste. A cheap oven (who wants that?) can be as low as $400 but a Wolf all gas range can cost $4300 or more. Same applies to your refrigerator and dishwasher. A basic dishwasher clocks in at $300 but a Miele will cost $1,300 or more.

Appliances last, and the more you pay generally the higher quality you expect. Appliances don’t last as long as cabinets, so they consume less of the budget. Forbes research finds that all new appliances are about 14% of the budget.

Countertops

The remaining double-digit percentage of the budget comes from your countertop selection. Figure about 10% of the budget will be spent on the countertops.

On the low end, ceramic tile countertops can cost as little as $10 to $30 per square foot. On the other end of the spectrum, marble runs $60 to $200 per square foot. In between is your butcher block, composite, granite, and quartz.

All the Rest

The remainder of the budget will go to flooring, backsplashes, lighting, sheetrock, hardware, and faucets. If your custom kitchen remodel includes new windows and doors, expect to pay more than the average cost.

So, what do you recoup in value? The national average return on investment for a custom kitchen remodel is 52% to 71%. The greater the overhaul, the lower the ROI. That’s because the more you spend, the less you get back. In other words, a complete redo that changes the floor plan and moves doors and windows generates a lower ROI than an update that replaces cabinets, appliances, and countertops.

Custom Kitchen Remodeling Pros

Ready to talk turkey about a kitchen remodel? Make an appointment with the pros at Inspired Remodels. Orange County brings their remodeling inspiration to Jason and Joe Mueller and then watches as this brotherly duo brings them to life.

Schedule a consultation today.

Custom Cabinets for Orange County Kitchens and Bathrooms

By Inspired Remodels / Bathroom Remodel, custom cabinets, Home Improvement, Kitchen Remodel / Comments Off

Inspired Remodels installs custom cabinets throughout Orange County. Get the most from your kitchen and bathroom space and opt for custom cabinetry. Because most Orange County kitchen and bathroom remodels involve semi-custom cabinets, the cost is probably less than you imagine.

Inspired Remodels offers custom cabinetry from three main brands: Schrock, Decora, and Waypoint.

Schrock Custom Cabinets

Schrock custom cabinets come to you proudly from Ohio. Feel good about including American-made products in your kitchen and bathroom remodel.

As part of the MasterBrand family of cabinet makers, Schrock operates as a semi-custom cabinet maker. This means the cabinets are made upon order, but feature your choice of cabinet door styles, finishes, hardware, and extra features. By standardizing these features, they can deliver made-to-order cabinets at an affordable price point.

custom cabinet for kitchen in cherry finish

Functional End Cabinet from Schrock Cabinets

Look to Schrock for extras like appliance panels so your dishwasher disappears like magic, base microwave cabinets to free up valuable counter space, and functional end cabinets to recover what is often wasted space.

Decora Custom Cabinets

If your design wishes include trendsetting finishes and special touches, look to Decora Cabinets. Like Schrock, Decora cabinets come from the American Midwest. But, instead of Ohio, Decora comes from Indiana.

Decora offers a wide range of colored cabinet finishes. In addition to traditional wood tones, Decora includes greens, blues, deep grays, and even a berry color option in their finish portfolio.

In addition to a large variety of cabinet finishes, Decora offers moldings and decorative accents to complete the look of your custom kitchen or bathroom.

Waypoint Custom Cabinets

Waypoint comes from the American Woodmark company. This large cabinet manufacturer includes a portfolio of cabinet brands. If you’ve seen the Hampton Bay brand in a local Home Depot, you’ve seen American Woodmark products.

Waypoint serves as the custom cabinet arm of American Woodmark, making custom cabinets from hardwoods like cherry and maple. This isn’t the stock product you find in the big box store. They offer many cabinet styles and finishes. Look to Waypoint for many white and grey tones in addition to sage, navy blue, and black.

Designing Your Cabinets

As part of the design process, Inspired Remodels works with you to create a custom cabinet layout that maximizes kitchen or bath space while giving you that new, fresh updated look. It all starts with a consultation at our design studio. Schedule your appointment today and see how custom cabinets work for you.

1
2
3
…
26
Next ›