Project of the Month

Every month, Elite Home Remodeling will highlight a past project to showcase some of the best home remodeling practices in the Northern Virginia area.  This month, Elite will be highlighting some major renovations to a laundry/mud room in Oakton.

The picture above shows the renovations done to the laundry/mud room.  The goal of this project was to create as much storage space as possible while creating a beautiful and designer space.

One of the best parts of the project was the new granite counter tops and backsplash added to the new cabinets.

These fantastic floor-to-ceiling pantry cabinets actually sit up on an 8″ riser.

Look at all of these cabinets and drawers!

The counter top actually extends beyond the cabinets.  To support the counter top, a metal support bar had to be installed to hold up the counter top.

A laundry room wouldn’t be complete without a sink.

A few wall cabinets attached to a box-out steel column make use of all nooks and crannies.

Be sure to come back in September to check out the next project of the month!

Water Efficient Home Remodeling

Everyone talks about water efficiency and rebates, but not many home owners property managers realize the huge savings and environmental benefits associated with upgrading to more water efficient fixtures.  Anyone can easily cash in on cutting water usage while helping their community become more environmentally friendly.

If you’re hesitant about the upfront cost of retrofitting, don’t fret!  There are plenty of government rebates that allow you to receive financial assistance to implement water-efficient systems.  Here are some of the best ideas available for even the biggest water hogs:

Toilets.  Replace your old toilets with a dual flush or low-flow toilets.  These dual flush toilets can reduce the typical 1.60 gallons per flush to a reduced 1.28 gpf.  If you replace your toilet, you are eligible for a $75-$100 rebate.  Just this simple fix will save you $1,000 in water and sewer charged over 10 years.

Laundry.  Apartment communities can save 330% more water, or 8,216 gallons of water, per year per unit by using a common-area laundry room instead of an in-unit washing machine.  Giving tenants the responsibility of using community laundry facilities make the tenants use the machines smarter and more efficiently.

Irrigation.  Rain water is free, why not utilize it as much as possible?  Install smart controllers that will turn off when its raining and only turn on when the grounds really need watering.  Plus, be sure to install drip sprinkler heads to reduce the overall cost of irrigation.

Showers and Faucets.  According to a recent study, approximately 73% of water used in a typical shower is hot water.  Low flow shower heads and faucet aerators can reduce water consumption.  Reducing water consumption not only reduces the amount of water used, which saves overall water usage, but it also reduces hot water usage.  The hot water usage is especially important as this is the most costly water.  Installing high-efficiency shower heads will save about 7,800 gallons of water per year in an average household!  That is an absolutely amazing number.

Kitchens. Energy Star dishwasher models save both water and energy. There are cash incentives up to $3,000 for replacing inefficient kitchen equipment with water-efficient equipment.

Be sure to give Elite Home Remodeling a call today to find out how we can help you with your new renovations and remodeling projects as well as how we can help you save the environment while saving money!

 

Remodeling on a Budget

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need loads of cash to remodel or renovate your house.  There are plenty of projects that Elite Home Remodeling can do for you without breaking the bank.

A great way to update a boring laundry room or mud room is to add a built-in bench, some new shelves or some beadboard paneling.  These great additions will not only provide plenty of organizational and storage space, but you will get plenty of new design elements out of a once boring room.

In the kitchen, upper cabinets are a great way to increase the amount of storage space.  Having taller upper cabinets allows you to not only store more things in your kitchen, but it will also make your room look taller which in turn gives your kitchen more value.  Another great tip for your kitchen remodeling project is to refinish or reface your existing cabinets.  This is a small fix that can make your kitchen look brand new.  Plus, doing something as simple as changing the cabinet door hardware can give your kitchen a new style.

If you are looking to do some work in your dining room, a great and less expensive way to improve the look of the room is to add some chair railing and wainscoting.  Keep the profiles of these trim features low and you will be surprised at just how affordable they really are.

Sometimes staying flexible is the secret to renovation success.  No matter what room you are looking to remodel, always be on the lookout for discounted materials and fixtures at specialty stores.  This is a great way to keep the overall cost of your projects down.  Even ask your contractor if they have any leftover materials from previous jobs that they can use on your job.

Just because you are on a budget, does not mean you have to sacrifice style and elegance in your new renovations.  Keep searching for unique and creative solutions and you can have a great looking home.  Be sure to call Elite Home Remodeling to find out how we can serve you today!

Upgrade Your Laundry Room

Whether your laundry room is the size of your closet or the size of your garage, it is about time you did something to it to actually make you enjoy doing the laundry.  Here are some great ideas from Elite Home Remodeling to make your laundry room the first place in your home you want to show off to guests.

Did you know that the average household does 6-8 loads of laundry per week?  That’s about 6 – 12 hours per week where the center of attention in your home is the laundry room.  In comparison, most people spend about the same amount of time per week in their kitchens.  Yet almost no attention is given to the laundry room.

No matter where your laundry room is located, Elite Home Remodeling can really make your laundry room stand out.  We work with our clients to design a floor plan that gives you everything you could ever need or want.  Laundry rooms today can average more than 50 square feet and are filled with organizational storage, new technology, and great design.

New technology has made washers and dryers less noisy, so it is common to have a laundry room serve double duty as a mud room or craft room.  We also encourage home owners to set certain “zones” within the laundry room.  It makes doing the laundry a little less daunting if you have a place for folding, hanging clothes to dry and ironing.

If your laundry room is in a cramped space – use the walls!  It is a big square footage saver to stack the washer and dryer or have a built-in ironing board that folds down from the wall.  Check out our inspiration boards to find some ideas for your next laundry room.

Let’s be honest, doing laundry is still a chore, but you might hate it less in an organized, bright, cheery room!  Talk with Elite Home Remodeling today to find out how we can serve you.