Our message in a nutshell: No, the first step to a remodel is not to call a contractor. Design comes before construction and each professional has their expertise. (Photo by Renovation Solutions) Many of our friends and acquaintances are kind
Renovation Solutions: Holiday season inspires remodels
Editor’s note: This column was previously published on deseretnews.com and on their website renovationdesigngroup.com. The holiday season is often the busiest time of year for gatherings, so it is also the time when your home’s capacity and functionality are tested.
Renovation Solutions: Housing market impacts home remodeling
The housing market is becoming a seller’s market again. Home values are on the rise and optimism abounds. Actually, according to reuters.com, the housing market saw an eight-month high in July, evidencing that the economic recovery is officially back on
Renovation Solutions: Understanding the master bedroom madness
Home design is where art meets science, function meets beauty and a house becomes home. While the average homeowner can recognize a room that looks and feels good in real life, they can rarely feel what the architect has designed
Renovation Solutions: 5 signs it is time to remodel
BEFORE: This is a good example of how an outdated kitchen can be transformed with an updated style with a remodel. (Dan Barton, Renovation Design Group) AFTER: This is a good example of how an outdated kitchen can be
Renovation Solutions: How to pull off being your own general contractor
Recently, we had a conversation with a construction manager for large commercial projects about home remodeling and construction. Shaun Johnson is starting a consulting firm to help homeowners act as the general contractor on their home remodeling projects. The primary
Renovation Solutions: 2014 expected to be a good year for remodeling
With housing prices remaining steady, interest rates low and contractors back in full swing, this is a prime time for home remodeling. The remodeling market is confident, and the economy is holding. The experts in the market analysis world say
Renovation Solutions: Three types of home improvements that increase home value
In addition to making your life better every day, home remodeling projects will ideally impact your home’s value for the better. However, your home’s value is at the mercy of the market and, in fact, some home improvements will positively
Renovation Solutions: The power of color choice
Color is a powerful element in both interior and exterior design. A room with nondescript walls can be transformed by a simple coat of paint. You can create different feelings and moods in a room just by what colors you
Renovation Solutions: Ways to fund a remodel without equity
Remodeling is a big decision. The process will impact several areas of your life and be influenced by many factors, one of which is your project budget and how you will fund your project. In years past, the financial option
Remodeling? How long the process should take, tips to speed it up
It is not uncommon to think about remodeling your home for years before taking any action. Once you have decided to actually do something, however, it is human nature to want it now. The fact of the matter is there
Renovation Solutions: Organizing, Part 2: A place for everything, everything in its place
By Ann Robinson & Annie V. Schwemmer When organizing children’s rooms, make it easy with one step to put away items. Hooks are easier than hangers, racks are easier than bookshelves, and bins on shelves are a great
Renovation Solutions: Converting your garage to living space
Finding existing space in your home to repurpose, convert into living space or reconfigure may take some creativity. We started our series on creatively remodeling existing space by discussing attic conversions. This week we are going to consider converting the
Remodel to better multitask your space
Remodeling doesn’t have to mean expensive additions; it can be more about creatively using the space you have. Multitasking rooms is a great way to use your existing space to its full potential. How do you multitask rooms? Well, you
Renovation Solutions: Liven up your home with color
The sea of ivory-colored homes with white walls and beige carpet is evidence that people are generally afraid of color. But really they shouldn’t be — at least not for architecture’s sake. The soothing and relaxing tones in this room
Renovation Solutions: Remodeling opens up possibilities
With the Fourth of July, we’ve got freedom on our minds. A very different kind of freedom is found in the process of remodeling when clients become aware that there are many options available to address their particular issues. For
Renovation Solutions: Finding the best remodeling contractors for your project
By Ann Robinson & Annie V. Schwemmer This entry remodel shows the dramatic impact a remodel can have on a house with the help of a well-selected group of professionals. (Annie Schwemmer, Renovation Design Group) Many of our clients come
Kitchens serve as the life of the family, home
By Annie Schwemmer and Ann Robinson For the Deseret News We recently heard a statement from a woman who was planning a new custom home, and something she said resonated with us: “The kitchen to me is the life of
Homeowners dodge awkward basement remodel
Finishing the basement may not be a project that most people think would need an architect. Whether or not there is a “need” depends on a variety of factors. once dreaded, partially finished space in the house is now a
10 years later, architects reflect on their story
Annie V. Schwemmer, Jared Bulloch, and Ann Robinson reflect back on the beginning of Renovation Design Group as they celebrate its 10-year anniversary this year. Daniel Barton, Renovation Design Group The year 2013 marks the 10-year anniversary of Renovation
Holiday season tests your home the most and sparks remodeling discussions
The holiday season is often the busiest time of year for gatherings, so it is also the time when your home’s capacity and functionality are tested the most. This is when you learn (or remember) you really could use that
New countertops are quick, painless upgrade
Here’s a quick and easy way to upgrade your home: Install new countertops. Installing new countertops does not require moving walls, making structural changes or imposing drastic disruptions to your life. The actual disruption can be limited to just one
Built-in seating gets you more out of your kitchen
Last week, we started our kitchen remodeling series in honor of Thanksgiving — the holiday with the most time spent in the kitchen. Beyond Thanksgiving and other holiday gatherings, modern families are actually spending more time in general in the
Renovation Solutions: An architect’s tale of the Frankenhouses
In honor of this ghoulish holiday, we want to resurrect a favorite scary tale: “The Story of the Frankenhouses.” Spooky decorations may add some Halloween flare to this recently remodeled porch, but nothing is scarier than An Architect’s Tale of
Defining space with ceiling design
One of the main goals of architecture is to clearly and beautifully define and differentiate space in a home. While adding a wall is one way to do that, it is not the only way. Today’s families want houses that
How to create better interior views
Removing a section of wall and adding a window in the wall behind it made this space feel much more open and inviting. (David Price, Renovation Design Group) Architecture is often associated with how the home is viewed from
Tips for designing a welcoming home
It is difficult to put into words what it feels like to come home. “Home” looks and feels different for everyone. However, there are similarities in the elements of architecture that create that welcoming feeling of “Ahh, we’re home.” Before:
Designing the perfect ‘away room’
Because our homes are filled with electronics, televisions, computers, appliances and people, our homes are filled with noise. When a majority of the public space in a home is open, it is helpful to maintain a small space that can
Remodeling should focus on comfort, not size
So many times, clients come to us asking for more space. However, most of the time it is not more space that they actually need. It is better space. Do you use every room of your house every day? How
Using design elements in your home can renew life : By Annie Schwemmer and Ann Robinson For the Deseret News
Architects have numerous design tools at their disposal to evoke positive emotions. Good architects know when to use each one and can expertly apply combinations of them to change the lives of their clients. There are three general areas
Renovation Solutions: How to survive a renovation
Many of those who remodel choose to stay in their home while it is being renovated. In terms of saving money, this isn’t a bad idea. It is definitely more cost-effective than renting a place for the few months your
Renovation Solutions: Remodeling lessons learned from office renovation
We recently renovated a space and moved our office. This has been a good experience in the same way that a surgeon should occasionally have an operation. We are in the business of uprooting people’s lives, temporarily, and telling them
How architecture can change lives
Happy clients are the measure of our success. We enjoy having our work published and earning design awards, but we get our most direct rewards from our happy clients. Nothing is more rewarding than to hear how our work has
Bringing light inside the home with skylights
Studies show that when people live and work in a well-lit environment, they are happier, healthier and more productive. Natural lighting can also be another way to save on electricity, since it provides free light and warmth. This design technique
Renovation Solutions: Truth about updating kitchen without a full-scale remodel
A full kitchen replacement consists of demolishing and removing everything in the room, including the sheetrock, so that the walls are open and the plumbing piping and the electrical wiring are exposed. When the work crews cut into the
Doing a kitchen remodel in phases takes planning
Last week, we began a discussion of how to tackle a major kitchen overhaul in several stages to try to defray some of the cost of such a major undertaking. As we noted, according to Remodeling magazine’s 2011 Cost vs.
Adding central vacuum system to the home
While we often think about the aesthetics of our dream houses, we may not spend enough time researching some of the more technical/mechanical elements that could contribute to making our daily lives easier. No matter how beautiful a home is,
Finding a design style is a revealing process
A person’s design style is as unique as his or her own personality. It may not be what is advertised on the billboards or what you grew up with, but rest assured that you have a style — you just
Renovation Solutions: Expert advice on creatively maximizing your space
Multitasking: the performance of multiple tasks at one time, describes a lot of our lives. From the dubious practice of talking on our cellphones while driving to the mom trying to feed the baby while getting the other children out
Renovation Solutions: Top home-improvement trends of 2012
At this time of year the design community starts the trend talk, discussing home-remodeling trends they foresee for the coming year. Most trends are dictated by consumer priorities, lifestyles and the economy — in other words: demand. Other trends are