Bathroom Remodel
By Amy Whitesall
You started making plans for this bathroom three years ago - knock out that wall, add a little square footage, and viola! Welcome to the master suite. Ah, but it didn't happen, and that dated vanity and too-shallow tub still make you grind your teeth every time you see them.
Michigan's economy has a lot of homeowners spending with caution and drawing a sharper distinction between what they want and what they need. But local remodelers are seeing a surge in "small" remodeling jobs - usually kitchens, bathrooms and finished basements - that fall in the $15,000-$50,000 range and can revive a tired space without requiring an addition.
"I did several additions last year; this year the demand (for additions) is lower," said Jamie Trumble, owner of Ann Arbor-based Second Edition, Inc. "People are opting not to increase the size of the footprint," Trumble said. "They're saying, 'Let's invest in what we have.'"
Trumble's 11-year-old company handles everything from new construction to changing door locks, but has built its reputation on remodeling work. Second Edition recently converted a 35-year-old bare-basics Ann Arbor bathroom into a Euro style refuge, complete with an airjet bathtub that fits in the standard residential tub space, a vessel sink and a flip-down flat screen TV that can be viewed from the tub. In the kitchen, mirrors, stainless steel appliances and a stainless steel backsplash make the small galley look bigger. Kitchen cabinets that wrap into the dining room and an under-cabinet TV and radio give the space more functional versatility. For Trumble, it's all part of making the space more enjoyable for the people who live in it. "These two particular projects will have just huge grin factor for the owners," Trumble said. "Every time they walk into a room they're going to smile."
According to Remodeling Magazine's 2006 Cost vs. Value report for the region that includes Michigan, homeowners can recoup about 70 percent of their investment on a mid-range remodeled bathroom or kitchen. A finished basement doesn't add to the listed square footage of your home, and basements recover less of their costs on resale, but it is the only way to add living space without adding on.
"This is an investment," says Bob Ender of Ann Arbor's DreamMaker Bath and Kitchen, 2455 S. Industrial Hwy. "And it's one of the only investment you have in your portfolio that you can live in and enjoy. You can't cook with your bonds or sleep in your stocks." Getting involved
"Three things regulate the cost of any project," said Joe Marshall, general manager for the Ann Arbor franchise of Case Handyman, 6920 Jackson Ave. "The first is scope - how big it is. The second is your personal selection and the third is personal involvement." A homeowner's willingness to get involved - whether that means tearing out the old bathtub or driving around to stores shopping for just the right drawer pulls - translates directly into dollars and cents.
Though it's not for everyone, one of the first places homeowners can save money on a remodel is in taking on some of the tasks themselves. "We find more of our customers like to buy their own materials," said Jay Mehta, owner of Ann Arbor's Case Handyman franchise, which specializes in small to medium-sized remodeling projects. "That's fine with us. It takes away some of the headaches (of trying to anticipate their preferences)."
Mehta's company is part of the largest home-remodeling chain in the country. He has licensed residential builders and a master tile fitter on staff, so they do a lot more than fixing broken blinds or re-nailing squeaky steps. In fact, Mehta recently worked out an agreement with My Handyman in Ann Arbor that will refer remodeling projects to Case and general handyman jobs to My Handyman.
Like to get your hands dirty? Second Edition, Trumble says, works with whatever level of homeowner participation the client wants - from painting walls or installing a wood floor to a complete turnkey project.
Acheson Builders. Inc a 34-year-old Ann Arbor company, does about a third of its own designs, but also works with architects and designers, and occasionally with homeowners who want do part of the project themselves. Gutting a kitchen so it's cleaned out and ready for the remodelers, for example, can knock $1,000-$1,500 off the cost. Some people like to wield a crowbar or comparison shop, others prefer to make a couple of color choices and then enjoy the finished project, but it's important to know companies vary when it comes to working with contractors and do-it-yourselfers, so know where you fall on that continuum. And while we're on the subject of self-awareness, be honest with yourself when you set a budget. It'll save you in the long run.
"I find that people are unrealistically optimistic," says Jim Acheson, owner of Acheson Builders. "They tell me everything they want; I tell them what price range it'll be in. They go ahead hoping against hope that it won't be, and then I have to cut 20-25 percent out."
Fortunately, there's room for adjustment in just about any project, and a lot of attractive options that can help you afford the features you want the most.
Love your kitchen
Kitchen remodels range from $25,000-more than $100,000, driven upward by the trend toward granite countertops and commercial-grade appliances. But you can revive a moderate-sized kitchen for $38,000-$50,000 with careful shopping and realistic expectations.
"We're finding on every single type of job we do people are very budget-conscious," Acheson said. "It's very common to have to work through two or three scenarios before you find one that people are comfortable with."
If your cabinets are in good shape, with sturdy boxes and a layout that functions well for you, refacing can save several thousand dollars. "We did a cabinet refacing last summer that turned out stunning," Acheson said. "They had 30 cabinets, they were all melamine, so they were white, and had them totally refaced in stained maple."
Refacing, in that case, saved about $5,000 over the cost of new cabinets. That allowed the homeowner to put in a premium tile backsplash and premium quartz countertops, which offer the easiest possible maintenance.
The floor, in a creative compromise between premium and everyday materials, was done in a vinyl product made to mimic the ceramic tile. With several lines of vinyl made look like slate or tile at a fifth to a third of the cost of the real thing, this isn't you mother's vinyl kitchen flooring.
"The colors are appropriate, the texture's appropriate," said Acheson. "Interestingly, it doesn't have to be like an exact copy to work. It has to have the right colors and the right textures in a couple of patterns so it looks good on its own."
Homeowners also can save money by shopping carefully for appliances and cabinets. A kitchen full of appliances can range from $10,000-$25,000. Features like under-cabinet lighting and rollout cabinet shelves provide a lot of day-to-day convenience with minimal extra cost.
And of course there are the granite countertops. If it's not your heart's desire, foregoing that bombproof and beautiful granite can save you thousands. Granite adds $3,000-$6,000 over plastic laminate and also extends the project by at least two weeks. Quartz is comparable, and Corian, which can cost about 50 percent less than granite or quartz, falls in the middle with a price range that overlaps the more expensive materials.
Bang for your bathroom
Bathroom remodels range from $10,000-$35,000 and take 2-3 weeks, but can make a staggering difference in how you feel about the space. Ender helped Cathy Pietrasiuk of Ann Arbor turn her cold, stark master bathroom into the inviting sanctuary she'd been dreaming of for two years.
The crew from DreamMaker tore out the small, white tiles, the pre-formed shower unit, the sinks and vanity top and the old water-jetted Jacuzzi tub, which Pietrasiuk says spewed black stuff when you turned on the jets. They cleaned and re-oiled the old vanity and replaced the old brass fixtures with oil-rubbed bronze ones, which matched the new sink fixtures atop a granite vanity top. In went a new air-jetted Jacuzzi tub with special valves that keep sludge-forming oils and soap out of the air lines - a late addition to the design that Ender helped make possible by suggesting she keep the vanity. The granite vanity top was Ender's suggestion, too, a high-value feature many people don't consider for their bathrooms. But, Ender points out, because bathrooms have so little counter space the cost of putting granite or quartz in a bathroom is competitive with other materials, and the stuff is nearly indestructible.
DreamMaker is a full-service remodeling company, handling remodels from design through completion and specializing in projects done within the home's existing footprint. All products come from the three-year-old company's showroom, and Ender says the economy hasn't dented its growth at all. DreamMaker's sales have grown more than 30 percent, year over year.
The company offered just the kind of service Pietrasiuk was looking for. She's already referred three friends to them and hired them to do another bathroom in her house. "They were like one-stop shopping," she said. "There was no running around, and I didn't have to go to five different places to find a faucet."
Reclaim the basement
Unlike kitchens and bathrooms, finished basements don't have a predetermined purpose, which means they're as varied as the people who use them. One may be a home office, another a recreation room or a home theater. Wet bars and bathrooms are popular, though they can also bump up the cost by $17,000-$25,000.
But for $35 a square foot you can get framed-in, insulated walls and ceiling, doors, electrical wiring and a code-compliant egress window - basically a usable, defined space with pipes and wiring hidden from view.
"It used to be most people didn't worry about the basement," Marshall said. "Now most young families want someplace for the kids to go where they don't care if toys litter the floor for an extended period of time."
Marshall applies his 24 years' experience to help homeowners weigh the pros and cons of certain money-saving features. A drywall ceiling, for example, is cheaper to install than a suspended one, but it'll make wires, pipes and ductwork harder to get to. Carpeting is considered entry-level basement flooring and Berber holds up pretty well, but laminate flooring can cost even less and it's practically kid- and pet-proof. With a master tile fitter on staff, Marshall says Case Handyman can also do tile floors for a price comparable to carpet.
The work itself can be done in 2-3 weeks or stretch to almost 2 months. "In Michigan's housing market the only way you're going to distinguish yourself from the other houses on the block is to add space," Marshall said.
Homeowner homework
OK, so you know what you don't like about your bathroom/kitchen/basement, but do you know what you want?
Before you hire builder or remodeling company, get a good idea. "If you just moved in we recommend you live in the space for six months and see how it works for you before you spent the time and money to remodel," said Ender of DreamMaker. But that's just the beginning. Look though renovation magazines to get an idea of what's out there and what appeals to you. Go to home shows, browse through home improvement stores, tile shops and plumbing suppliers. Turn knobs, sit on toilets and take notes. "Go out, look around and see what's out there," "Marshall said." "There is no substitute, I don't care how good a catalog or internet shopper you are, for going and looking and holding the thing."
Get at least two or three estimates, and when to comes time to hire a remodeler, do your due diligence. The National Association of the Remodeling Industry's website, www.nari.org, is another good source for tips and information, but nothing beats local knowledge. Make sure anyone working on your home is licensed, bonded and insured. Check with your local Better Business Bureau, Chamber of Commerce and/or building inspector. You can also call the Michigan bureau of occupation and professional regulation's builder's division at 900-555-8374.
Check references, and insist on a written explanation of how the process will flow, and make sure you understand the payment structure up front. "It reduces a lot of anxiety if people know what the steps are," Ender said.