Remodeling P.A.

A question we’re often asked during our Do-It-Yourself Tutoring Sessions stem from our Lancaster, PA clients watching a home improvement show and wondering to themselves; “Can I do that to my home?” or “How do I begin a project like that?”

Starting any home improvement project can seem daunting but there are some simple steps you can take to get your project under way.

First, decide why you’d like to remodel. There are several good reasons to renovate. Your home may no longer reflect your tastes or your lifestyle. Your family dynamics may have changed. Maybe you’d like to make your home more environmentally friendly. You may even be planning a move in the future and you’d like to invest in your home to make it more marketable. Whatever the reason, identify it. If there’s more than one – even better! The point is that in order for you to be thrilled at the end of the project, you need to first understand why you want the change.

The next step is to make a list of everything you’d like to have done and divide the items on that list into 3 categories:

1. Must Have Items
2. Would Like to Have Items
3. Dream Items

Once your list is complete, think about your budget… but don’t over think it! Too many people get hung up on this and never even begin their projects. You must begin to formulate what you’ll be comfortable investing in your home, but remember; until you talk with an experienced remodeling contractor, you won’t be able to take into account all of the methods that are available to help you get more out of your budget. A home improvement professional is experienced and up to date with the latest tax credits, rebates, alternative building materials, and cost saving methods that can make many of your “Dream Items” possible!

What Next?

Once you’ve created your list of remodeling projects and considered your budget, it’s time to get a professional working with you to develop a plan to make your project a reality. When dealing with something as important as your home, you don’t want to settle for just anyone. Selecting an unqualified individual or low quality renovation crew can cost you dearly in the end. Don’t trust something this important to the unqualified, inexperienced, uninsured, or anyone promising you something that you know is too good to be true. You owe it to yourself and your home to begin with speaking to a trusted professional. For more tips on choosing your remodeling contractor, check out this related post on our blog.

If you’re in Lancaster County, PA, please consider MBC for your next Home Improvement project!

Thank you,

Matt Blank
MBC Building & Remodeling, LLC
Serving Lancaster County, PA since 1999!

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When you’re feeling like you need to remodel your kitchen but don’t have the budget for it, then you must consider revamping your existing lighting system.  That is the quickest, simplest, and most inexpensive technique to update your kitchen to a design you will enjoy. One fantastic idea is to use pendant light fixtures.

If you have a kitchen island, then installing a black pendant light above the island can remodel a kitchen. In addition to this it will provide much needed focus task lighting, which would make food preparation much easier.

A new style in kitchen island lighting is Island chandeliers, which is a fixture that can span the entire length of your island. This is also popular choice for people who are trying to create a stylish look to their kitchen. You can find these fixtures and single and multilayer designs.

A Tiffany pendant light is another fantastic alternative to furnish your kitchen island. Lot of people are choosing independence due to their affordability. In addition to being affordable they are also extremely stylish and trendy. The great thing about dependence is just so many kinds available that there’s literally an option for everyone.

While chandelier lighting could be a bit more traditional, mini pendants offer the homeowner wide range of styles and materials for their lighting. This allows you to have a cost-effective kitchen design from conventional, the retro, to more modern styles. It all depends upon your personality. If the classical look appeals to you go for it!

Make sure to take your time to explore all choices available to you off line as well as on the web to find the best deal in the best light for your kitchen. There are literally thousands of choices available to you. Take the time to research and find the style that is best suitable for you!

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What is the main thing most women want in a kitchen remodel? Not surprisingly, ninety-nine out of a hundred would probably say, “More storage!” It may not be the right time for you to undertake a complete remodel, but there are many easy options for adding storage to you kitchen.

Perhaps the solution to your storage-space problem is as simple as a good cleaning out of your cabinets. Get rid of all that stuff you don’t use anymore!  Then you’ll be able to free up all kinds of space. Whether you choose to weed out those cabinets or not, following are a few other places where you may be able to create more storage options.

Look to the Ceiling
Pots and pans take up an unbelievable amount of space in the kitchen.  Why not get them out of the cabinet and hang them up? Try this simple, inexpensive idea for hanging cookware:

Find an old or new window and attach “U” bolts or eyebolts to all four corners. Hang the window from secure ceiling joists, using eyebolts, “S” hooks and chains. Next attach plain or fancy towel bars to the edges of the window.  Now you can use “S” hooks to hang pots, herbs or utensils from the bars.

The window makes a marvelous display shelf for collectibles or plants. This space can be easily transformed by adding decorative touches such as hanging wire baskets, bundled herbs to dry or other colorful displays. Try tying colorful colanders together to create a bright storage space for fruits and vegetables. A friend of mine actually stores here table goods here for convenience: her napkins, forks, knives, spoons and rolled-up hand towels (which she uses as placemats).

Take Advantage of Available Wall Space
Nail a piece of lattice or a pre-made trellis to the kitchen wall to create a unique space to hang utensils, pots and pans, dish towels or oven mitts. There are so many options—you get the idea!

Why not add shelves to your walls? This is a simple and inexpensive storage solution for any room. Finally, you can bring out and display all those showpieces—your favorite teapots, pitchers and platters—that have been taking up valuable cabinet space. So go through those cupboards and pull out any pieces that will add interest and color to the room.

Rework Your Cabinets
Do your large base cabinets seem to do nothing but collect clutter?  Then this is a simple solution for you. After all, base cabinets tend to be nothing more than big boxes. Some of these cabinets, in fact, are a whopping two-feet deep! It’s no wonder, then, that we constantly find ourselves on our hands and knees, searching for something way in the back. Although these tips are meant to assist you with base cabinet woes, they also can be easily applied to the smallest of cabinets.

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