Remodeling Guides
Great Idea! 11 Reader Remodeling Moves You Might Want to Steal
Thinking of adding storage or personalizing a room? These details from readers’ renovation projects may do the trick
Our series on reader renovations of kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms has garnered many comments, with plenty of readers chiming in about the features they love. Here, we round up some of the brightest ideas from the Reader Projects featured so far. Perhaps you’d like to try them in your own project.
2. Bathroom Mosaic in Romania
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Georgiana Daschevi rented this apartment for eight years.
Location: Bucharest, Romania
Size: 35 square feet (3 square meters)
Total cost: $850
Construction time: Two weeks, or about 60 hours
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Georgiana Daschevi rented this apartment for eight years.
Location: Bucharest, Romania
Size: 35 square feet (3 square meters)
Total cost: $850
Construction time: Two weeks, or about 60 hours
Great idea: Renter Georgiana Daschevi used broken tiles to create a bathtub wall mosaic inspired by the designs and architecture of Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona’s Park Güell. Daschevi got most of the tile for free from a tile showroom; she took broken pieces that would otherwise have been thrown out.
Read more about this bathroom renovation
Read more about this bathroom renovation
3. Budget Laundry Room Storage in Texas
Laundry Room at a Glance
Who lives here: Elizabeth and Jay Basinger and their three children, an 8-year-old and 6-year-old twins
Location: Helotes, Texas
Size: 34½ square feet (3.2 square meters)
Total cost: $115
Construction time: Five days
Laundry Room at a Glance
Who lives here: Elizabeth and Jay Basinger and their three children, an 8-year-old and 6-year-old twins
Location: Helotes, Texas
Size: 34½ square feet (3.2 square meters)
Total cost: $115
Construction time: Five days
Great idea: The shelving in this renovation was a total DIY job, and readers loved Basinger’s approach: “I looked at pictures of shelves, and I just figured it out,” she says of the work. She built three new shelves in her laundry room wall, mostly while her kids were at school.
That charmed reader Cynthia S, who left this comment on our story: “‘I just looked at pictures and figured it out’ — lady, you ROCK! Love it. Go, girl!”
Read more about this laundry room renovation
That charmed reader Cynthia S, who left this comment on our story: “‘I just looked at pictures and figured it out’ — lady, you ROCK! Love it. Go, girl!”
Read more about this laundry room renovation
4. More Light in this Kentucky Laundry Room
Laundry Room at a Glance
Who lives here: Susan and Sam Sease, daughter Brie, and dogs Oscar and Chewy
Location: Prospect, Kentucky
Size: 96 square feet (8.9 square meters)
Total cost: $1,370
Construction time: About two weeks
Laundry Room at a Glance
Who lives here: Susan and Sam Sease, daughter Brie, and dogs Oscar and Chewy
Location: Prospect, Kentucky
Size: 96 square feet (8.9 square meters)
Total cost: $1,370
Construction time: About two weeks
Great idea: Removing cabinets on one wall to let the light flood in. One reader commented that they’d rather not lose storage …
Plank paint: Barely Teal 2048-70, Benjamin Moore; cabinet paint: custom mix of equal parts Provence and Florence, Annie Sloan; cabinet pulls: allen + roth via Lowe’s
Plank paint: Barely Teal 2048-70, Benjamin Moore; cabinet paint: custom mix of equal parts Provence and Florence, Annie Sloan; cabinet pulls: allen + roth via Lowe’s
… but the Seases mounted one of the removed cabinets on the opposite wall. Sufficient storage and a brighter laundry room to boot.
Read more about this laundry room remodel
Read more about this laundry room remodel
5. A Romantic Update in Minnesota
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Jami Shoemaker and her 13-year-old son, Liam
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Size: 60 square feet (5.6 square meters)
Total cost: $9,000
Construction time: Two weeks
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Jami Shoemaker and her 13-year-old son, Liam
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Size: 60 square feet (5.6 square meters)
Total cost: $9,000
Construction time: Two weeks
Great idea: Shoemaker created an original multimedia piece for this wall in her remodeled bathroom. If you have artistic leanings, why not create an original piece to add your own personal stamp to your project?
Wall paint: Mayonnaise OC-85, Benjamin Moore; blinds: natural woven wood shade, Home Depot; tile and fixtures for bath: Menards; toilet: Menards; tub: Lyons contour soaking bathtub, Menards
Read more about this bathroom remodel
Wall paint: Mayonnaise OC-85, Benjamin Moore; blinds: natural woven wood shade, Home Depot; tile and fixtures for bath: Menards; toilet: Menards; tub: Lyons contour soaking bathtub, Menards
Read more about this bathroom remodel
6. A Double Bathroom Remodel in Switzerland
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Tom and Karen Hodgman
Location: Lausanne, Switzerland
Size: 105 square feet for master bath, 44 for guest shower and 26 for powder room, which total 175 square feet (16 square meters)
Total cost: $25,150
Construction time: Five weeks
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Tom and Karen Hodgman
Location: Lausanne, Switzerland
Size: 105 square feet for master bath, 44 for guest shower and 26 for powder room, which total 175 square feet (16 square meters)
Total cost: $25,150
Construction time: Five weeks
Great idea: This renovation created a shower room across the hall from a separate toilet room, so guests can utilize each room’s essential function simultaneously. Or as Karen Hodgman put it, “[H]aving the powder room separated allows someone to have a leisurely shower without anxious people waiting for the toilet facilities.” Seems like a brilliant solution to us!
Read more about this bathroom remodel
Read more about this bathroom remodel
7. A Young Homeowner’s DIY in Tennessee
Who lives here: Alex Nelson
Location: Gallatin, Tennessee
Size: 60 square feet (5.6 square meters)
Total cost: $2,997
Construction time: Eight weeks
Who lives here: Alex Nelson
Location: Gallatin, Tennessee
Size: 60 square feet (5.6 square meters)
Total cost: $2,997
Construction time: Eight weeks
Great idea: Tuck the toilet away so it’s hidden from the hallway view. In this case, it was a happy accident related to some other aspects of this DIY renovation. But isn’t it a nice aesthetic touch?
Read more about this bathroom renovation
Read more about this bathroom renovation
8. An Update in San Francisco
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Houzzer Christa Martin and her husband
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Size: 90 square feet (8.4 square meters)
Cost: About $35,600
Construction time: Three weeks
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Houzzer Christa Martin and her husband
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Size: 90 square feet (8.4 square meters)
Cost: About $35,600
Construction time: Three weeks
Great idea: A a pullout pantry placed between the refrigerator and the wall ovens.
Read more about this kitchen remodel
Read more about this kitchen remodel
9. A Budget Kitchen Renovation in Ontario
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Fiona Pollock
Location: Whitby, Ontario, Canada
Size: 100 square feet (9.3 square meters); 10 by 10 feet
Cost: $13,705
Construction time: Six weeks
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Fiona Pollock
Location: Whitby, Ontario, Canada
Size: 100 square feet (9.3 square meters); 10 by 10 feet
Cost: $13,705
Construction time: Six weeks
Great idea: Instead of removing a wall, the homeowner widened the door opening from 30 to 56 inches, and increased the height of the opening. This saved a good chunk of change compared with what the cost would have been for fully removing the wall.
Read more about this kitchen remodel
Read more about this kitchen remodel
10. Enjoying the Views in Washington
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Jo Ann Snover and her husband
Location: Woodinville, Washington
Size: 350 square feet (32.5 square meters)
Cost: $99,021
Construction time: Four months
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Jo Ann Snover and her husband
Location: Woodinville, Washington
Size: 350 square feet (32.5 square meters)
Cost: $99,021
Construction time: Four months
Great idea: This Seattle-area kitchen renovation has a couple of ideas you might want to steal. Like the Kentucky laundry room remodel, it removes cabinetry to make room for light — and in this case, beautiful views. To make up for losing those cabinets, the homeowners added some under-the-stairs pullouts where they stash appliances.
Read more about this kitchen remodel
Read more about this kitchen remodel
11. More Storage in Illinois
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Susan Hofer and her husband, Karl Hofer
Location: Wheaton, Illinois
Kitchen size: 216 square feet (20.1 square meters); 12 by 18 feet
Budget: $25,670
Construction time: Two months
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Susan Hofer and her husband, Karl Hofer
Location: Wheaton, Illinois
Kitchen size: 216 square feet (20.1 square meters); 12 by 18 feet
Budget: $25,670
Construction time: Two months
Great idea: When the Hofers renovated their kitchen, they had their contractor pull back the yellow wall abutting the cabinets.
That made room for adding a pretty corner cabinet in the open space, creating more storage without taking up much additional footprint.
Read more about this kitchen remodel
Your turn: What did we miss? If some of your favorite ideas from our Reader Renovations series aren’t on this list, tell us about it! We’d love to hear.
More
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Bathroom
Dream to Done: How to Build a Renovation Plan to Match Your Budget
Read more about this kitchen remodel
Your turn: What did we miss? If some of your favorite ideas from our Reader Renovations series aren’t on this list, tell us about it! We’d love to hear.
More
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Bathroom
Dream to Done: How to Build a Renovation Plan to Match Your Budget
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Beth Sawatzky
Location: Healdsburg, California
Size: 50 square feet (4.6 square meters)
Total cost: $22,026
Construction time: One month
Great idea: Adding grab bars and a curbless shower. These features anticipate the need to accommodate a wheelchair — or even just avoid the potential hazard, as the homeowner ages, of stepping over a shower curb.
“Wow — that bathroom would be a positive sales feature for a buyer of any age,” writes jannie in a comment. “I’d like to see the aging-in-place adaptations built into more homes from the get-go. Just the curbless showers and reinforced framing for super sturdy grab bars would be so much cheaper to do on the initial build.”
Floor tile: Aventis 12-by-24-inch tiles, FloridaTile; vanity: Wyndham 60-inch Hatton vanity, ModernBathroom.com; wall tile: Tea for Two 4-by-8-inch glossy white tiles and Red/Maroon Listello accent tiles, both from Crossville; towel bars: Danze Sirius; grab bars: GBS Wave 24-inch polished stainless steel; window: Milgard double-hung window with rain glass
Read more about this bathroom renovation