With every whole home remodel comes a number of challenges. To stay on top of their budget and avoid lengthy projects, homeowners often opt to divide their remodel into several phases. They might remodel the kitchen during the summer, the primary suite that winter and common areas like the living room the following year. Homeowners assume that by segmenting their remodel, they will spend less time and money overall. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. As readers will learn, whole home remodels often involve projects that extend throughout the whole home. For example, replacing old hardwood flooring, updating plumbing or painting the interior might involve every room of the house. If you plan the entire project from the get-go, you can remodel each space with the same designer and order all products at once. In this post, we outline the many reasons why approaching a whole home remodel as a one-and-done project makes the most sense. To illustrate our point, we take readers on a virtual tour of a recent whole home remodel.
This whole home remodel involved demolition, construction, electrical and plumbing updates, interior painting and so much more. Our team remodeled the living room, kitchen, primary suite, powder bath, laundry room, main hall and parts of the home's exterior. Walls in the hallway, powder bath and kitchen were either stripped to the studs or completely removed.
We repurposed some features of the home while also procuring new elements. Old hardwood flooring was replaced with durable vinyl, lighting was updated and storage spaces were enhanced throughout the home. Walnut veneer cabinetry, nickel hardware, custom millwork and sleek tiling make this home truly special.
Our team worked closely with the homeowners to ensure their new space is safe, functional, beautiful and completely up to code. If we worked on this project in a piece-meal manner, it would have been very difficult to achieve the cohesiveness you see below.
The virtual tour of our whole home remodel begins in the living room, which is subtly separated from the kitchen by a single wall. In the living room, we removed a wall, installed new recessed lights that operate on switches and dimmers, and added two receptacles. The quarter round base shoe moulding installed throughout the home is most visible in this space. We painted the entire living room and replaced hardwood flooring with Stanton Timber Land luxury vinyl planks in color Dockside. As pictured above, the cove ceiling was painted in SW7011 Natural Choice from Sherwin Williams, while the walls were painted in SW7632 Modern Gray.
From the living room, we head into the kitchen. After our remodel, this space is now warm and inviting, yet sleek and sophisticated. As mentioned above, we removed a couple pony walls between the kitchen, living room and hallway to enhance the flow of the home. In the kitchen itself, we installed a new undermount sink and pull-down faucet. We removed and then re-installed the clients' existing dishwasher and matched other appliances to its black stainless steel finish. Most appliances in this space -- including the statement-making range hood -- are from the Bosch 800 Series range.
One reason why we wanted to execute this whole home remodel all at once is that new receptacles were required for all appliances. Similarly, new circuits and switches were needed for multiple spaces. For example, our electricians installed new receptacles for the kitchen appliances, new wiring for the vent hood and new recessed lighting throughout the space.
From the kitchen, we pass through the expanded doorway through the laundry room which also includes an expanded pantry with pull out shelves. The redesign of this area of the home centered around the hiding the powder bath from view of the kitchen. The ceramic subway tile the homeowner selected for the backsplash is a more polished version of the kitchen's backsplash and helps anchor the floating vanity to the rest of the space.
Throughout the home, we both repurposed existing doors and custom-designed millwork for brand-new doors. We stripped two hall closets down to the studs and updated the primary bedroom's closets based on specs provided by the homeowners. As noted above, our team repurposed a number of items -- removing them from one space to install in another. For example, our team repurposed an interior door as an exterior door for the garage. We could have approached this whole home remodel one space at a time. However, it would have been nearly impossible to coordinate the re-use of existing fixtures.
From the primary bedroom, we head into the primary bath. In the primary bath, we installed a new shower, tile, countertop, cabinetry, hardware, lighting, toilet and plumbing features. All hardware in this space -- including the Moen faucet, shower drain and valve, grab bars, cabinet pulls and robe hooks. Like the kitchen cabinetry, all cabinets in this bathroom -- including the linen closet -- were fashioned from tight-grain walnut wood. Above the vanity cabinets is a stunning Fresca Luminosa Lighted Frameless Medicine Cabinet with a defogger and bars of LED lights on either side.
Of course, the most visually impactful feature of this bathroom is the shower. The new glass shower enclosure keeps everything contained while the large shower bench and a fixed shower head is suitable for someone 6'2." For the shower tile, the homeowners chose Portobello Ms. Barcelona Mosaic Matte 2x2 tile in Bronce for the shower niche and floor and Portobello Ms. Barcelona Vic Acero 12x36 tile for the surround.
The whole home remodel described above involved demolition, construction, interior painting, flooring replacement and updates to essential systems. Much of this work was required throughout the entire house. By approaching this remodel in a piece-meal manner, we would have cost the client time and money.
Quoting Sweeten CEO Jean Brownhill in her article “Should You Renovate Your Home All at Once or in Pieces? An Expert Weighs in” for RealSimple, Kelsey Mulvey explains. As Brownhill puts it, homeowners might want to “‘apply à la carte prices to individual spaces’” thinking they will save money. However, a whole home remodel is “‘an integrated process that involves design, demo, framing, installation, electrical, and plumbing.’” If you plan the entire project from the get-go, you can “‘get more done, in the right sequence, and [be] more cost-effective.’”
In her article “In What Order Should You Renovate the Rooms in Your Home?” for MarthaStewart.com, Lauren Wellbank agrees. Remodelers typically work their way "'from the inside (like mechanical features in the walls and floors) to the outside (think cosmetic finishes).'" Dividing your project by room disrupts this process, making the remodel more expensive and time-consuming. Still not sure if it makes sense to remodel your whole house all at once?
With 40+ years in the remodeling industry, we deeply value our client’s satisfaction. As such, our dedicated team of builders and designers at VanderBeken Remodel work tirelessly with you to bring your remodeled dream home into a reality.
As a Design-Build Remodeler, we provide full-service construction where both design and construction teams work together under the same umbrella, allowing for high levels of collaboration and unified recommendations. The value to you: priceless!
Another thing that sets VanderBeken Remodel apart from other remodelers is that we work within a fixed-investment model. This means you can sit back and relax, because what you agree to in the beginning is what it will cost in the end.
If you are interested in remodeling your Snohomish County home, schedule a call with us so we can begin the conversation.