Creative Remodeling Ideas for Historical Homes

You’ve bagged yourself a historical home and it’s hard not to feel excited about living in a piece of history. However, the nerves often start jangling when you think about restoring and home remodeling in NJ. You want to bring the house into the 21st century but without losing the historic appeal and story. With this in mind, here are some creative remodeling ideas!

Give a Nod to the Past with Materials 

Although you need to follow modern building standards and regulations, there’s no reason why you can’t give a nod to the past with textures, colors, and materials. For example, you can perhaps remodel the fireplace so that it offers a traditional appearance. What’s more, you can use traditional light fittings and door handles. Even if you modernize the rest, these little touches will ensure that the stories of the people before you live on.

Use Creative Heating Solutions 

Often, rooms in historic homes offer lots of space (and this extends to high ceilings). While this has its benefits, it can also lead to cold evenings under the blanket. Consequently, it’s best to get creative with your heating solutions. Since this won’t affect the appearance of the property, use a split system so that you can heat certain rooms as and when you need.

Accommodate the Quirks 

The older the house, the more quirks it’s likely to have. As soon as most people spot an uneven floor, they see a huge expense. Well, perhaps you don’t need to rip it all up and start again. In the past, some historic homeowners have decided to accommodate crooked floors with adjusted millwork (this includes baseboards).

Utilize the Space 

Look online at historic homes and you’ll see all sorts of quirky bedrooms thanks to the floor plan of the original home. In one example, the owner decided to put a bed into a niche (created by the addition of a bathroom). When living in a historic home, you don’t want to lose all the character and personality. Otherwise, you could have just bought a modern home.

When a problem arises, try to view it as an opportunity instead. If you’re left with a small room after modifying the other two, for example, get creative rather than adjusting all three to be the same size.

Create a Blend of Old and New 

Speak to many homeowners of historic homes and they think that the goal is to hide all the old features of the property. Yet, you’ll be amazed at the beauty of your home when the traditional is visible alongside the modern. When remodeling, see if you can create an environment whereby the modern additions work in harmony with the older sections.

Often, it’s possible to use the original sections as features in a historic home. For example, imagine keeping the original fireplace as part of a modern living room. Some people pay thousands and thousands trying to get their fireplace to look as though it came from the 1800s.

Adhere to Your Needs 

It’s all well and good listening to advice from people on the internet, but if you listen too much, you’re left with a fragmented home that doesn’t work as one. Therefore, the final tip is to always adhere to your own needs and wants when remodeling a historical home. What do you want from the property? What modern features do you want to add? What traditional features do you want to keep?

As a bonus tip, work with a professional home improvement contractor and construction company to help you achieve your dream!

5 Reasons to Choose Vinyl Sidings

If you are proud to be the owner of a home then you need to make it functional, comfortable, and attractive not only from inside but from outside also. According to expert realtors, you can improve the worth of your property by improving its overall looks. The siding of the home can play a great role in changing the looks of your house. However, you can make the exterior of your house look more attractive in a very inexpensive way by choosing sidings made of vinyl.

However, there must be some valid reasons to choose vinyl sidings in OKC for the exterior of your home. Many people choose siding made of vinyl due to various reasons. It can be the durability and sturdiness of vinyl, a variety of colors and designs, and versatility of use as well as its energy efficiency.

The information provided in this write-up about the benefits of vinyl sidings while using it on the exterior of your house can help in convincing you more effectively.

Durability: According to home improvement experts, vinyl siding can improve the exterior looks of your house for a long time due to its insect-resistant, water-resistant, indestructible surface and fade resistant features. In this way, you can use vinyl sidings for several decades as compared to the sidings made of wood and other popular siding materials.

Variety of colors and styles to choose: Though vinyl sidings are used to decorate exteriors for long still the vinyl sidings available today are very different from the traditional vinyl sidings. Today, you can find sidings made of vinyl in various styles, sizes, and colors to choose from as per your preferences. You can replicate the looks of costly siding materials like cedar etc. by choosing vinyl siding with similar looks.

Remodel the home inexpensively: By using vinyl sidings you can reduce the cost of remodeling your entire home by more than 30%. Moreover, you can use sidings made of vinyl to improve the looks of the exterior of an old house as well as newly constructed buildings affordably. It can replicate the looks of various types of high-priced siding materials within your budget. By using vinyl sidings you can give a modern look to the exterior of your centuries-old home.

Resist extreme weather conditions: Another most important reason to opt for vinyl sidings to improve the looks of your house is its resistance to extreme climatic conditions unlike other siding materials including wood etc. Especially in coastal areas, paint as well as the siding materials like wood, etc. on the exteriors of the buildings gets destroyed due to the quality of air in those regions.

Low maintenance cost: The use of vinyl sidings will not only improve the exterior looks of your home but also reduce the maintenance cost of the entire home due to the water, fade, and insect resistant features of vinyl. It neither traps moisture like wood nor it damages quickly with the impact of strong winds due to their strong and durable construction and loose installation to allow air to move around it.

Thus, you should choose the vinyl sidings for the 5 reasons discussed in this write-up.

 Home Renew Also Offers Following Services :

Window Repair OKC

Entry Doors Oklahoma City

Kitchen Remodel Oklahoma City

Vinyl Windows OKC

Contact US:

Home Renew
Address: 722 N Broadway Ave Suite 301 Oklahoma City, OK
Phone: 405-437-2104

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Kitchen Remodeling Ideas

Who doesn’t like airy, fresh and homely feeling kitchens? Kitchens are the homeliest part of every house, and they need to give that vibe. A dull kitchen can affect your mood and your desire to want to cook. If entertaining guests is something you are interested in, then a remodeled kitchen should be a priority for you.

Granite Countertops

So, if you are bored with your kitchen and it doesn’t give you a fuzzy feeling, we have come up with different ideas to remodel your kitchen completely. From granite countertops to a pop of color or addition of some beautiful indoor plants, you can transform your kitchen into a lively, happy place for an affordable price.

  1. Granite Countertops: Granite countertops are all the rage in the interior design world these days. With more than twenty shades to choose from, granite allows you to give a beautiful look to your kitchen by adding this natural stone that is naturally colorful. If sealed properly, the wear and tear is minimal for many years, and granite is heat resistant, which makes it one of the most sought after countertop materials on the market.
  1. Add a Pop of Color: A splash of color added anywhere can drastically change the look and feel of your kitchen. You can paint the cabinets in some fresh, bright color or you can paint one of the walls in a bright color. Similarly, if you are leaning more towards black and white or neutrals, a little pop of color over the countertops with the help of colorful utensils in a display can change the look.
  1. Change The Flooring: A worn, dull floor can affect the overall vibe of your kitchen. If you want to remodel your kitchen, you should also think about changing the flooring to something exciting or adding a throw-rug somewhere.
  1. The Kitchen Island: Kitchen islands are not just useful for placing stuff on and storage, they also make an excellent centerpiece for your kitchen. So, if your kitchen does not have a kitchen island already, you can get one installed. If you have one, you can add some colorful utensils, an indoor plant, or any decorative items over it to give it a lovely outlook.
  1. Make it Airy and Wide: Congested, dark kitchens tone down the whole look of the place, no matter how good you try to decorate them. So, while remodeling your kitchen, you can add bigger windows to bring in more daylight and natural air. In smaller kitchens, you can also replace cabinets with open hanging shelves to make the kitchen look spacious and airy.
  1. Have a Good Sitting Area: To give your kitchen a homely feel, you can add a cozy corner by the window with some throw pillows and cushions for reading or enjoying a quiet cup of coffee. You can also make a little dining area in the kitchen to enjoy family time while cooking or eating.

There are many other remodeling ideas too to brighten up your kitchen like upgrading your appliances, installing a coffee machine, or chalkboards. However, if you follow the ideas mentioned above, you can completely change the look and feel of your kitchen for an affordable price.

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Home Remodeling Tips With Granite Natural Stone

Creative Ways To Use Granite During Your Remodel

remodeling home with graniteGranite is used for so many different things in today’s modern world. This is also because there are so many types of granite, although some are identified as rocks like gneiss or granite, so people may not recognize these types right away.

Granite can be used for backsplash in houses, kitchens, or bathrooms. They can also be used for slab counters with large colorful, and durable pieces. In kitchens, typically, the countertops are made from custom-cut slabs. There has been a substantial increase in demand for granite, so, contractors get the extra equipment to install them.

Many buildings are built with granite blocks. Some sides can be smoothed out of left for a rough look. Blocks of granite that are used in a windowsill and roof lines are always smoothed on all sides. Rough cut blocks are cheaper, but it depends on what look you want to have, so smoothed blocked may be the way to go.

Granite comes in so many different colors like pink, red, brown, green, black, and white. They all still look like granite but have tints in these colors. Sometimes colored granite is used in bathrooms with a specific color scheme, for example.

Crushed granite is also another form of how granite is used. It’s the most common use of granite as a subbase and base. When looking at houses from the outside, sometimes you’ll find the brick. Crushed granite can also be mixed throughout that because crushed granite is also commonly used in road construction. You may not be able to notice granite sometimes, but usually, it is there.

In homes, there is usually extra slabs leftover from your new granite countertops that suppliers do not need. You can choose to pay a little bit extra and use these additional granite slabs from things like a cutting board or shelf.

Another way is if you have a cute table but want to add some life to it, just slap on a piece of granite that is the correct dimensions, and it will look brand new. If you love the table and want a small decoration, you can use crushed granite in a bowl as a cute decoration or use crushed granite at the bottom of a vase with some flowers. Granite can also be used in gardens as garden edging. It adds a considerable amount of beauty. More than wood or stone would. Granite has a nice contrast with your flowers and plants.

Cobblestone driveways have been around for a long time. They are gorgeous and nice looking but very expensive. Concrete is more popular now because of the price, and it’s long-lasting. Cobblestone can also be used for walkways or patios.
Kitchen remodels have been consisting of granite sinks, and it is super trendy. It is a stain, scratch, and heat resistant, which makes a granite sink very durable.
Lastly, granite can be seen on a custom granite fireplace. If a fireplace is outdated or dull, a couple of slabs of granite can be installed over the existing front pieces or mantel. Granite has many more purposes and uses than many know, but it is a gorgeous eye-catching type of stone.

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Roof Repairs After Storm Damage

Dealing With Roofing Repairs After A Storm

damaged roofA partner of ours has some rental properties in Oklahoma and during tornado season they were blasted with a heavy dose of hail that damaged the roof. Depending on the state you live in, roof damage is common after a storm. Debris can fall from trees, old shingles can rip out of place, and the plywood can become damaged as a result of this.

Post-Storm cleanup brings in a lot of businesses looking to profit on roof repairs and replacement. Dealing with these guys can be a pain in the neck if you aren’t expecting the knock at your door. Basically what happens is roofing companies will send a sales team out into the field to find damaged roofs and offer a free roof replacement by navigating discussions with your insurance company. It’s legit for the most part but just becomes annoying when they all show up from out of state to make a quick buck.

Now that we got that covered, you know where I am going with this. Our partners’ rental property was blasted by hail and heavily damaged, some out of state roofers came by offering to repair the roof for the cost of the insurance claim. Again, this is legitimate but they were dealing with the renter, not the homeowner. The renters deferred them to the homeowner and proceeded to hassle him until he responded. He opted out of working with them and went with a roofing contractor in Oklahoma City that had a good reputation locally and was able to do it for less than claim.

The lessons here is to be cautious, always ask questions, and don’t take the first bid that gets presented to you. From roof repairs, siding repair,  to interior remodeling and solar upgrades, you need to get multiple quotes for your roof before agreeing to the terms of any contracts. Saving money while getting your roof repaired is an added bonus, pocketing some of the insurance money should be a priority for you when it’s time to repair the damaged roof.