Tired of your 20th-century bathroom? Kitchen in need of an overhaul? Perhaps the living room floors have been tread upon too long. If you’re looking for inspiration to make changes to your home, a must-see event is this month’s 11th annual Tour of Remodeled Homes, presented by the Remodelers Council of the Greensboro Builders Association.
These days, many homeowners are choosing to stay put and update rather than shop for a new home. If that’s your plan, check out the professional renovation projects on the tour.
Stop by the 18 homes featured between noon and 5 p.m. Aug. 15 to 17 to meet the designers and contractors, and compare the before photos to the dramatic makeover results. Homes feature remodeled kitchens, additions and whole-house renovations.
6205 Gold Dust Trail
Projects: Kitchen, powder room and first-level flooringRemodeler and designer: Southern Evergreen
Built in 1988, the home’s existing kitchen had laminate countertops and run-of-the-mill oak cabinets. Nora Miller, interior design manager for Southern Evergreen, reconfigured the kitchen to be functional and maximize the existing space. She relocated the refrigerator and added a center island with downdraft gas range to make food preparation more convenient. Cherry cabinets with chestnut and ebony finishes, granite countertops and a custom window seat complete the look. All the first-level flooring was replaced with Tigerwood, a Brazilian wood with dark veining throughout. An aluminum oxide finish coat makes it extra durable.
Homeowners John and Wendy Redmond are pleased with the results. “Being in the industry like I am, I had high expectations,” says John Redmond, sales manager for New Home Building Supply. “They definitely exceeded our expectations. It’s exactly what we were looking for and then some. We would never in a million years come up with some of the ideas that Nora did.”
Aside from some unexpected subfloor repairs, the project was completed in July on budget, around $62,000, John Redmond says.
3706 East Hazel Lane
Project: Kitchen Remodeler: Booe Building and RemodelingDesigner: My Dream Kitchen
Homeowners Sue and Tom Rieke were tired of the standard, U-shaped layout that didn’t take advantage of the room’s size. They wanted an updated, more functional space with lots of storage. “It was probably a typical kitchen of a 20-something-year-old house,” says Jim Booe of Booe Building and Remodeling. Not anymore. The maple cabinetry successfully blends different finishes, door styles and hardware. The island is a warm tone with distressed bronze door pulls, while the rest feature a lighter tone with oil-rubbed bronze hardware
The design by My Dream Kitchen includes a wide and deep farm-style sink, tile backsplash and custom-range hood with mantle shelf. The single window over the sink was replaced with one twice as wide to take advantage of the view of the deck and backyard.
The doorway leading from the entryway was widened and hardwood floors were added and carefully finished to match the existing flooring on the home’s first floor.
Booe paid special attention to the lighting. “A lot of what makes a kitchen is the lighting, so the electrical work is a big part of what we do.” Included are decorative pendant lights over the island, under-cabinet lighting for ambiance, task and perimeter lighting. Under-cabinet plugs are convenient and avoid unsightly outlets installed in the backsplash.
Completed about a year ago, the renovation took about seven weeks with a total cost of around $70,000.
