Inspired Remodels, Author at Inspired Remodels

Online Kitchen Remodel Planner

By Inspired Remodels / Kitchen Remodel / Comments Off

Pinterest is great for collecting kitchen remodeling ideas. But, when it’s time to start turning those ideas into a remodel plan, you need some design tools. Nothing beats the design team at Inspired Remodels, but if you want to play around with design before you sit down with us, try one of these online kitchen remodel planner tools.

RoomSketcher Kitchen Remodel Planner

This kitchen remodel planner is free. Now, you know you can’t beat that price, but what do you get in return? Well to start with there’s a tremendous database of appliances, cabinets, finishes, countertops and cabinet fronts. You’re sure to find something that matches your Pinterest board items in this database.

We love that this kitchen remodel planner is one of the few that lets you play around with different textures, tiles, and finish surfaces for your walls. Others might let you play with the floors, but not many will let you change wall finishes without upgrading to a premium package.

There’s an App for That!

Not into sitting at the desktop or laptop when you are redesigning your kitchen? Not to worry, Houzz has an app for that. Download their app to your smartphone or tablet. Now, take a picture of your kitchen and start dragging and dropping elements on top of your kitchen.

This tool is more for a renovation where you aren’t making major changes. For example, it won’t let you take out walls or add walls, but if you are keeping the layout the same this app is fun. You can even put canisters on the counters if you want to see every little detail of your remodel.

Planner 5D

This app is available for the desktop or smartphone. You can create a floor plan in 2 dimensions and then add your other elements and view them in 3D. Hence, the 5D in the name (2D + 3D = 5D).

Planner 5D has a pretty cool feature that lets you turn your finished design into a realistic photograph. Then if you want to get social, it’s easy to share your design with the community of Planner5D users. Better than Pinterest for as a source of ideas! The Planner 5D community lets you see what professional designers are doing as they share their cutting edge designs.

Personal Kitchen Remodel Planner

Feeling overwhelmed by the choices? Don’t be. Inspired Remodels provides the personal, human touch. Our design team sits with you to create the room of your dream. Want a kitchen that is functional and fabulous? Schedule your consultation online today or call (949) 716-1938.

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.

How to Hire a Home Remodel Contractor

By Inspired Remodels / Home Improvement / Comments Off

Earlier this month we looked at hiring a kitchen remodel company. The skill set for remodeling a kitchen is similar, but there are some specific things you need to know before you hire a home remodel contractor. Chances are, your home remodel contractor will be working in more than one room. They might even add a room to your house. Here’s how to hire a home remodel contractor in Orange County.

Understand the Regulatory Requirements

Some jobs require permits and others do not. Failing to get permits when permits are required leads to problems down the road. Your insurance company may refuse to cover your house if it violates code and the costs to bring your home into compliance will probably be greater than if you had followed code in the beginning. That’s because engineers may be brought in to assess the structure.

So, just start by finding out what work requires a permit and what does not. Then when talking to your home remodel contractor, find out if they will be responsible for pulling the permits. If the contractor asks the homeowner to get the permits that’s a warning sign. The contractor may have problems with their license or insurance that will be uncovered during the permit application.

Be Honest About Your Budget

You know how much to have to spend on your remodel project. Be honest with the contractor about it. A seasoned contractor knows that you should include a contingency amount in the total budget. An experienced home remodel contractor can also tell you if your budget is realistic.

Get the work to be covered by your budgeted amount in writing. In other words, make sure you have a contract and the contract specifies the amount budgeted. You will also want to include a change order process. If during the project changes are required to the scope of the work (such as discovering a load bearing wall), the contract should include a process for approving these changes.

If the contractor excludes items from the contract, find out the value of these items to make sure you are still on budget. For example, if the project includes the installation of barn doors but the contract doesn’t include the actual cost of the doors, you need to make sure they are in your budget.

Also, remember that when it comes to home remodeling materials and workmanship the cost reflects the quality.

Connect with the Contractor

Don’t hire a home remodel contractor that you can’t personally connect with. This company is going to be in your house and they may be there for weeks.

You need a contractor with a personality and style that meshes with your own. You also need to know you can connect with the contractor when you have questions or a problem occurs. A reputable home remodel contractor like Inspired Remodels will provide you with a point person for the entirety of the project. Make sure this is a person that works well with your personality and style.

Home remodeling is stressful. Dreading a conversation, text or email with the contractor only adds more stress. So, select someone you can communicate with.

Check those Credentials and References

This is so obvious but it must be said. Check the references and credentials of the contractor. It’s easy to check a license online with the State of California and with sites such as Google and Yelp, it’s easy to find references. Be like Nike and just do it.

Orange County Home Remodel Contractor with Integrity

You won’t go wrong if you go with Inspired Remodels. That’s the home remodel contractor with integrity and a long list of happy customers and successful projects.

Author: Inspired Remodels