• Project Location: Grayslake, IL
• Remodel type: Cabinet Refacing
• Type of door style: Lancaster Profile
• Remodel style: Modern
• Color: Summerflame 3DL

For more information about this project, please visit Kitchen Solvers of Grayslake’s Gallery page.

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SEATTLE, WA — Bathroom remodels are the most popular project for homeowners to tackle, with consumers seemingly willing to pay a premium for “spa-inspired” bathroom features, a major new research study has found.

According to the study, conducted by the real estate website Zillow, more than half of the homeowners surveyed would consider a bathroom renovation in 2022. Buyers also are willing to pay a premium for spa-inspired bathroom features such as curb-less showers (3.6% price premium), heated floors (3.2%) and free-standing bathtubs (2.6%), Zillow said.

Kitchen remodels are also widely popular, with Zillow’s research finding that 46% of homeowners would consider that project in 2022.

“Luxury kitchen amenities were must-haves over the past year, and that will likely continue as people spend more time cooking and eating at home,” Zillow said, adding that 72% of the homeowners surveyed will consider at least one home improvement project in the coming year.

“Most homeowners say they plan to stay in their current home for at least the next three years, and while uncertainty, pandemic precautions and affordability concerns keep many homeowners in place, most are willing to consider improving their current home,” said Manny Garcia, a population scientist at the Seattle-based Zillow. “From adding a backyard cottage to improving a bathroom or renovating the kitchen, most homeowners say they would consider at least one home improvement,” Garcia observed.

Creating more livable space is a consideration for many homeowners, Zillow survey data shows. Projects that are highest on their wish lists for 2022 include adding or improving an office space (31%), finishing a basement or attic (23%), and adding an accessory dwelling unit or guest house (21%), company researchers said.

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Kitchen Transformation by Kitchen Solvers of Emerald Coast

Project Location: Shalimar, FL

Remodel type: Cabinet Refacing

Remodel style: Modern

Door Style: Shaker door in Supermatte

Countertop: Quartzite

Countertop Color: Berwyn

For more information about this project, please visit Kitchen Solvers of Emerald Coast’s Blog.

Find a location near you.

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The kitchen is the heart of any household and one of the most used places in the house. A commonly asked question we get is, “How can I remodel my kitchen without breaking the bank?” Whether we like to hear it or not, regardless of how big or small your remodel is there will always be a price attached. However, we don’t want this number to halt your kitchen remodeling dreams. Here are a few cost-effective kitchen materials for your next remodel.  

Kitchen Flooring 

When it comes to kitchen flooring a great budget-friendly option is installing vinyl flooring. Vinyl plank flooring is water resistant and scratch resistant. This material can be crafted and manufactured to resemble any material. It’s well known for being made to look like hardwood flooring. Plus, an extra bonus is that vinyl maintenance is simple and easy to care for.  

Laminate Countertops 

A fan favorite for inexpensive kitchen materials is laminate countertops. In earlier years, laminate was known for scratching easily. However thanks to our current technology, laminate is quite durable and resistant. With advanced printing techniques laminate countertops can mimic stone, and they’re so accurate you can hardly tell the difference from the real thing. 

Tile Backsplashes and Countertops 

If you’re in the market for something resembling stone, tile is a great substitute. Tile is not only inexpensive, but it also comes in a variety of colorful or natural-toned designs. This gorgeous material can save you a significant amount of cash over custom-cut slabs of stone. Ceramic tile is both crack resistant and impervious to moisture making it a durable addition to any kitchen. Ceramic tile in a kitchen is glazed to provide extra protection in combating drops and stains. 

Kitchen Solvers 

We want your kitchen to feel like home. Here at Kitchen Solvers, it’s our goal to ensure you have the Most Pleasant Remodeling Experience. From choosing your kitchen’s color palette to deciphering which countertop material is the perfect fit, we are here to answer all your question on this process. Feel free to call us today for your kitchen consultation or read some of our latest blog articles like Confused about Cabinetry? A guide to a Cabinet Reface or Replace! or Classic Kitchen Color Palettes. 

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WASHINGTON, DC — Breaking an eight-year trend, there have been more single-family homes under construction in recent months than multifamily units, according to the National Association of Home Builders, which predicted additional gains in single-family construction in 2022.

Despite some cooling earlier this year, the continued strength of single-family construction in 2021 means that there are now 28% more single-family homes under construction than a year ago, said Robert Dietz, chief economist for the Washington, DC-based NAHB.

“These gains mean single-family completions will increase in 2022, bringing more inventory to market despite a 19% year-over-year rise in construction material costs and longer construction times,” Dietz said.

Ongoing single-family and multifamily housing production accelerated in November, due to strong demand, with overall housing starts increasing 11.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.68 million units, according to U.S. government figures.

Despite inflation concerns and ongoing production bottlenecks, builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes also edged higher for the fourth consecutive month on strong consumer demand and limited existing inventory, the NAHB added.

“While demand remains strong, finding workers, predicting pricing and dealing with material delays remains a challenge,” said Dietz. “Building has increased but the industry faces constraints, namely cost/availability of materials, labor and lots. And while 2021 single-family starts are expected to end the year 24% higher than the pre-COVID 2019 level, we expect that higher interest rates in 2022 will put a damper on housing affordability.”

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INDIANAPOLIS — Well­ness fea­tures, impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and an elevated awareness of indoor envi­ron­ments’ impact on phys­i­cal and men­tal health, are no longer a lux­u­ry, but rather a necessity in today’s homes, a leading wellness expert contends.

According to Dr. Jie Zhao, exec­. v.p. of Delos, a New York-based well­ness real estate and tech­nol­o­gy com­pa­ny, COVID-19 has literally reshaped the way homes – including kitchens and baths ­– will be designed, built, equipped and remodeled in years to come.

“Peo­ple are much more cog­nizant of the impor­tant role that homes play in our lives, and how these envi­ron­ments can have a pos­i­tive or neg­a­tive impact on the well­ness of their inhab­i­tants,” Jie said.

At the recent “Insights Sum­mit,” an annual event sponsored by the Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI), Jie outlined four key wellness trends that he believes will have the greatest impact on home improve­ment in the post-pan­dem­ic world. Among them:

• Indoor Air Quality: Because virus­es spread through the air much eas­i­er than by sur­face con­tact, the pan­dem­ic shed light on the impor­tance of indoor air qual­i­ty, or IAQ, as a com­po­nent of a healthy home, Jie said.

“Air fil­tra­tion is vital to the reduc­tion of par­ti­cle trans­mis­sion,” he observed. “Not only can air-clean­ing tech­nolo­gies improve peace of mind when it comes to invis­i­ble health threats like COVID-19, they also tack­le vis­i­ble parti­cles in the air such as smoke and oth­er harm­ful particles.”

Jie said that ven­ti­la­tion and/​or ion­iza­tion tech­nol­o­gy will be at the fore­front of the fight against con­t­a­m­i­nat­ed air in home spaces. ​“For this rea­son, IAQ may be the biggest well­ness trend to have emerged from the pan­dem­ic,” he noted.

• Mental Wellness: Men­tal well­ness issues per­sist­ed long before the emer­gence of the coro­n­avirus, but the amount of atten­tion devot­ed to the top­ic increased sig­nif­i­cant­ly after­ward, Jie said, noting that men­tal health came to the fore­front of con­ver­sa­tion due to iso­la­tion dur­ing stay-at-home orders.

Jie observed that one result of this for the home-improvement industry is the gen­er­al migra­tion away from con­gest­ed cities in favor of larg­er res­i­dences, more nature and less com­mut­ing time. Jie also point­ed to the effect of men­tal well­ness on increased demand in cer­tain prod­uct cat­e­gories, including home enter­tain­ment, artists’ sup­plies, sports equip­ment and pets.

• Home Offices: Anoth­er major change emerg­ing from the pan­dem­ic is the increased impor­tance of the home office.

“Many employ­ees have made invest­ments in their home offices and have got­ten used to work­ing from home,” Jie said, pointing to surveys which found that 80% of work­ers want to be able to work from home three days per week, and 92% want at least one remote work­day per week.

“There has been a rise in office fur­ni­ture and acces­sories that sup­port health and well­ness, such as the stand­ing desk or ergonom­ic key­board,” Jie said, adding that 20-25% of com­pa­nies are cur­rent­ly reim­burs­ing their employ­ees for well­ness-relat­ed home office sup­plies and fur­ni­ture, “hint­ing at the prospect that work-from-home may be around well into the com­ing years.”

• Fitness: While the spread of COVID-19 led to the tem­po­rary clo­sure of most gyms and ath­let­ic insti­tu­tions, it gave rise to new home fit­ness technolo­gies, as peo­ple sought to stay fit with­in the con­fines of their own homes, Jie pointed out.

“Com­pa­nies like Pelo­ton and MIRROR are chang­ing the way we think about fit­ness (and) com­bin­ing the phys­i­cal and vir­tu­al,” he said. “Con­sumers not only pur­chase a piece of gym equip­ment for their home, but they buy into an entire online social and con­tent expe­ri­ence.”

“I expect to see more inte­gra­tion with online fit­ness plat­forms and home décor,” he said. “Peo­ple want con­vert­ible spaces, so the eas­i­er their equipment blends with their home and lifestyle, the bet­ter.”

The post Wellness Features Termed a ‘Necessity’ for Today’s Homes appeared first on Kitchen & Bath Design News.

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DENVER — Not only did homeowners spend more on their homes in 2021, but they also completed more projects, according to a new report by Angi, the Denver-based firm that links homeowners with remodeling and other home-related professionals.

According to Angi’s report annual 2021 State of Home Spending Report – entitled The Great Shift: How the Pandemic Put Homes in Focus – surveyed homeowners spent an average of $15,680 on home improvement, home maintenance and emergency repairs in 2021, and took on an average of 14.4 separate home projects.

“The growth in home spending we witnessed continued at a dizzying pace as people have continued spending more time in their homes,” said Mischa Fisher, chief economist for Angi, whose annual report focuses on trends in home spending including drivers, obstacles, top projects and forecasts for the years ahead.

“2021 also presented homeowners with trillions of dollars of unexpected home equity and that wealth has been, at least in part, reinvested in the home through improvements, maintenance and repairs,” Fisher observed. “Pre-pandemic, people were motivated to work on their homes for a return on investment or other financial incentives. Now, they’re prioritizing projects that help their homes better suit their new normal,” she added.

The most popular home project of 2021 was interior painting, completed by nearly one in three homeowners (32%), followed by bathroom remodels (28%) and installing smart home devices (27%). Other top projects include flooring (26.7%), landscaping (24.7%), exterior painting (24.2%), kitchen remodels (23.7%), fencing (23.1%), new roofing (19.6%) and new cabinets (19.5%).

The Angi report also asked homeowners what home projects they would do if given $10,000. While the overall top project was a living room upgrade, selected by 17% of homeowners, the different priorities of men and women were clear. Male homeowners prioritized living room upgrades (18%), outdoor space upgrades (17%) and bedroom upgrades (15%), while women were more interested in kitchen remodels (21%), bathroom upgrades (17%) and outdoor space upgrades (16%).

The State of Home Spending was based on Angi’s analysis of surveys fielded to 6,400 consumers in early October, the company said.

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Showers have come a long way in design, from a basic area adorned with standard subway tile and heavy framed doors to an oasis adorned with spectacular tile and advanced shower systems showcased through stunning frameless glass surrounds. In keeping with this trend, many homeowners are removing seldom-used tubs to expand their showers, making them the focal point of the space.

While frameless shower doors remain the most popular versions, doors that feature etched designs, decorative borders and patterns are also garnering significant attention. Whether the design is contemporary or traditional, there is a shower enclosure to fit the space.

Below are some of the hottest trends in shower enclosures.

— Many clear shower enclosures are designed with minimal hardware for a streamlined look, creating a sense of openness in the bath.

— Frames, trims and handles are offered in a range of finishes, from the more standard chrome and polished nickel to the more current brushed brass and rose gold.

— As boomers adapt their homes to become safer and physically more accessible as they age, low-threshold and barrier-free showers are gaining in popularity, and easy-to-use and push-to-open shower doors are garnering more attention.

— Taller shower enclosures (at least 76”) are popular for their ability to take advantage of floor-to-ceiling tile designs.

–Matte black is featured in many gridscape and trim elements, coordinating with bath fittings in similar finishes.

–Frosted glass and distinctive patterns that blur the interior and deliver privacy to the bather are among the requests from today’s homeowners.

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• Project Location: Indianapolis, IN
• Remodel type: New Cabinetry
• Type of door style: Simple Shaker
• Remodel style: Modern
• Color: White
• Countertop: Laminate
• Countertop Color: White/Grey
• Backsplash: Subway Tile

For more information about this project, please visit Kitchen Solvers of North Indianapolis’ Gallery page.

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