front entry | 12.11.17

Front Porch Remodel Spotlight: A New Entry with Nostalgic Roots

The owners of this beautiful historic farmhouse had been painstakingly restoring it bit by bit. One of the last items on their list was to create a wrap-around front porch to create a more distinct and obvious entrance to the front of their home.

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Bathrooms | 12.11.17

5 Benefits of a No-Threshold Shower

Have you seen a no-threshold shower? It’s a shower that has no curb or surrounding edge to it, making it flush with the bathroom floor. You may have also heard the terms barrier-free, curbless walk-in-shower or zero threshold, but they are all the same thing. I know what you may be thinking. Where is all the water going to go? Won’t I have a flood on my hands after every shower? No! The secret to containing the water is in the drainage system. This type of shower will have either a trench drain, which is a long and narrow drain placed where the shower door would be placed, or a center drain with the floor just slightly pitched towards it.

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Kitchens | 12.11.17

Kitchen Remodel Spotlight: Mission Accomplished!

This desperately dark kitchen was suffering from a lack of light, storage and a poor layout. The main source of light was provided by a decades old ceiling fan, the refrigerator blocked the main traffic path to and from the living room, and a sliding door was taking up prime real estate that could be used for storage.

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Thompson Tips | 03.17.23

Thompson Remodeling's Spring Home Maintenance Tips

After turning the clocks back last weekend, we've got Spring on our minds! Even though we are still experiencing colder temperatures, it's a good idea to start thinking about getting your home ready for the Spring season. During the winter our homes take a beating. The freezing temperatures, ice and snow can cause damage so it’s important to perform seasonal maintenance to keep your home in tip-top shape. To help you prepare, we’ve put together this list of spring home maintenance tips.

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Featured | 05.31.22

Exterior Renovations & Minor Kitchen Remodels Bring Highest Cost Vs. Value in 2022

Every year Remodeling Magazine releases its Cost Vs. Value Report, which provides data on how 22 popular remodeling projects are retaining their value throughout the country. We like to report the findings here on our blog for the local Grand Rapids market and compare it to the national results. For 2022, we found that the top 5 projects were in identical order to 2021s results for our local market and they closely follow the national averages. To arrive at the average job costs, the studies are broken down by geographic area and look at the average cost to complete each project type by a professional remodeler. Here are the findings from this year's Cost Vs. Value Report.

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Featured | 05.14.21

Exterior Renovations & Minor Kitchen Remodels Pull the Biggest Return on Investment in Grand Rapids.

Every year Remodeling Magazine releases its Cost Vs. Value Report, which provides data on how 22 popular remodeling projects are retaining their value throughout the country. The studies are broken down by geographic area and look at the average cost to complete each project type by a professional remodeler. We study it annually to see which renovations have the top recoup value in the Grand Rapids area. In years past, this report has come out in January, but this year it wasn’t released until last week!

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Bathrooms | 05.7.17

Be Careful Not to Make These Common Building Code Violations

May is officially National Home Improvement Month! When the weather warms up, homeowners start getting the itch to make updates to their home. Taking care of your biggest investment is definitely worth your time and is very rewarding once the project is complete. Perhaps you want to improve your outdoor areas or maybe one of your bathrooms needs some updating. Whatever the case may be, there are some important building code violations that are commonly made, unknowingly by DIY remodelers. We’d like to bring these to your attention, so you can avoid making them yourselves.

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Love Where You Live | 04.30.17

A Laundry Room that Maximizes Space & Functionality

Laundry rooms are a critical space in every home, yet they rarely get the design attention they deserve. Households of all sizes need a spot for the washer and dryer, but let’s face it, when they are shoved into small closet spaces in the hallway or tucked into the kitchen, those areas end up being a catch-all space for laundry bins and hampers and cause a traffic jam. The most functional laundry rooms incorporate enough space for your appliances, folding, a sink, and storage for detergents.

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Trends | 04.21.17

2017 Tile Trend Report

Coverings is an annual trade show that showcases the latest tile and stone products. Earlier in April, the show was held in Orlando and featured 9 miles worth of trends and exhibits. Wow, that’s a lot of floor and wall coverings! Although we didn't attend, we've done our research to keep up with the latest innovations and how designers and trendsetters are using tile. Since the majority of our remodeling projects include flooring and sometimes wall coverings, tile is a material we talk about every day. And if you are planning a remodeling project, it’s probably in your future as well. So, take a look and check out the trends that were spotted at this year’s Coverings show below.

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FAQ | 04.25.16

Windows 101 – Understanding window jargon

Every house has windows and eventually those will need to be upgraded or replaced. When you are planning to remodel, windows are always an important part of design plan. Last week I blogged about common remodeling jargon and while I was writing I realized that windows have so many terms it would be easiest to dedicate one blog to the subject.

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FAQ | 03.26.16

What you should know before you tackle a DIY demo.

Before most renovations can start, you have to tear down or demolish what’s currently in place. This can range from walls to cabinets and even tearing out old plumbing fixtures and appliances. Many clients ask us if they can do the demo themselves to save money on their project. Depending on the complexity of the demo, it’s not an easy yes or no answer. Most often we would recommend that our clients not take on a DIY demo due to the potential safety hazards you may encounter during the process. Safety is always our main concern, but there are several others reasons that you may not realize.

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Love Where You Live | 10.31.15

Does your home’s curb appeal measure up?

Thompson Remodeling's Tips for Increasing Curb Appeal Ah yes, we all know what they say about first impressions and when it comes to your home, that first impression can be summed up in two words -- curb appeal. Improving your home’s exterior appearance has two great benefits: improving your pride of ownership and increasing your home’s value. Seasonally, it’s a good idea to take a look at the outside of your home to see how your curb appeal measures up.

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Thompson Tips | 10.11.15

Tips for determining your remodeling “must-haves”.

So you’re ready to remodel your home or maybe you are thinking about it. Great! One of the first things we like to discuss with our clients is their remodeling “must-haves”, the features, specific materials, or aesthetics that must be included in their design.

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Trends | 08.23.15

Five Hot Lighting Trends in Remodeling

Let's talk about lighting trends! The lighting plan is an essential part of the remodeling design for any space. As designers, one of our top goals is to ensure that a room has adequate lighting to perform daily tasks comfortably. Once we understand the functions the lighting must perform, then we can move on to the style.

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Love Where You Live | 08.1.15

Remodeled Kitchen Spotlight: A Baker's Dream

Our clients purchased an old house in East Grand Rapids that needed several updates to make it family friendly. The existing floor plan had an expansive formal dining room that the owners had no plans to use. It also had a small and dark kitchen with a drafty breakfast nook area. Another problem with the layout was the closed staircase, which blocked both sight and sound of the children coming and going.

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