Thompson Tips | 03.7.16

The Best Kid and Pet Friendly Flooring Options

If your household includes children or pets, your flooring can take a beating. You should select a material that can withstand the wear and tear of little feet and paws running around and the accidents that will inevitably occur. Fortunately, today there are many great choices you can make without sacrificing style and comfort.

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Love Where You Live | 02.21.16

10 Common Kitchen Design Mistakes

Don't make these common kitchen design mistakes when remodeling your home. Kitchens are the most used room in the house and the most popular to renovate. A kitchen remodel is a great investment, and it pays off by improving function and boosting your home's value. It's easy to get wrapped up dreaming about colors, selections, and other design esthetics, but it's extremely important not to put finishes before a function. When your design is well planned and thought out you can avoid making common kitchen design mistakes.

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Thompson Tips | 12.18.15

10 Kitchen Safety Tips

The holiday season seems like the perfect time to post a little reminder blog on kitchen safety tips. With the kids being home from school and family and friends visiting, your kitchen will be getting more traffic than usual for the next couple of weeks. It’s always better to be safe than sorry and take steps to prevent accidents in the kitchen, so we’ve compiled a list of safety tips you can easily implement in your home.

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Thompson Tips | 11.21.15

Five Ideas for More Fun & Less Stress this Thanksgiving

Turkey Day is coming and we are super excited! I'm sure all of you have your plans underway for visiting family or hosting a Thanksgiving feast at your own home. The gathering of multiple family generations and friends is great fun, but can also be a bit stressful for the hosts who have to plan and orchestrate the big event. We have a few great ideas to help make your Thanksgiving all fun and no stress!

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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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Love Where You Live | 08.30.15

12 Ways to Spruce Up Your Kitchen That Won’t Break the Bank

Does your kitchen look dated? Could it use some updates to make it more functional? Just like any other room in our house, as time passes it may need a bit of sprucing up. With as much time as we spend in the kitchen, you want it to be visually pleasing and user-friendly. To help, we’ve put together a list of updates that you can implement with a relatively small investment.

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Thompson Tips | 03.21.15

Thompson Remodeling's Spring Home Maintenance Tips

Well, it's officially Spring! Finally, warmer weather is on the horizon. 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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Thompson Tips | 11.21.14

Bundle Up Grand Rapids! Here's Your Winter Weather Forecast & Cold Weather Tips.

This winter is expected to be colder than normal and according to the Farmers’ Almanac, snowfall will be above normal in most of the region, with the snowiest periods in mid-December, early and mid-January, and early February. An El Nino track can also bring heavy rain this winter. So how can we prepare for the winter? Grab a mug of hot cocoa and read through our cold weather tips!

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Love Where You Live | 11.6.14

Thompson's Interior Painting Guide

Recently we blogged about why paint is a great and inexpensive way to make a big impact on a room. Now that you’ve picked out your colors let’s talk about how to make it all happen. With our step by step interior painting guide, you'll have beautiful walls in no time.

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Love Where You Live | 10.10.14

Let's talk about green flooring options

Eco-friendly green flooring is a great way to green up your home, but how do you decide which application to go with? Manufacturers have provided more gorgeous options in the last few years to accommodate the high demand for eco-friendly options. Before you invest in new floors that will literally get a lot of foot traffic, let’s discuss the pros and cons of these most popular types of green flooring.

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Love Where You Live | 10.3.14

Thompson's Tips for Exterior Painting

A fresh coat of paint is much more than just a change of color. The paint covering the exterior of your home is a protective layer, and over time the natural elements wear it away. Most homes will need a fresh coat every 5-10 years, or when you start to notice cracking or peeling paint. Painting the exterior of your home is a big job and one that is important to do accurately.

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Love Where You Live | 09.27.14

A simple guide to flooring options

Flooring is a selection that you will need to make for nearly all types of remodeling projects. There are lots of options available and each has distinct pros and cons. We’re dedicating this blog to reviewing the most popular flooring options and providing you with the pros and cons of each. When making your flooring decision, you will want to consider your budget, the style you’d like to evoke, and the function of the room. Also, think about the users and amount of traffic you expect the room to get. Children and pets can weigh heavily on your selection, as well as high traffic areas versus low.

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Love Where You Live | 08.15.14

Get Your Creative Juices Flowing - Craft and Hobby Room Ideas

Making the time to relax and enjoy your hobbies or creative interests is important for many individuals. Whether it be sewing, painting, model building, jewelry making, photography or reading; most hobbies require a work area and storage space for supplies and tools. There are many areas of the home that are ideal for creating craft and hobby rooms. In some cases it may be as simple as purchasing some furnishings and installing some cabinets or shelving, in other cases you may choose to remodel to create just the right space. We've compiled a list of six areas of the home that work well for craft and hobby rooms. 1. Attic. Now, here's a room that can offer you some privacy from the rest of the family if your hobby requires it. If your attic isn't finished, consider remodeling to accommodate your creative needs. 2. Garage. If your craft or hobby is a bit on the messy side or requires the use of heavy tools or machinery, your garage can be the perfect spot. Consider built-ins along the walls that incorporate a flat surface for working with storage shelving or cabinets above or below. 3. Basement. If you have a finished basement or are doing a remodel, consider creating a room or alcove. If you require a lot of space, sometimes this can be found in your basement, especially if it is unfinished. 4. Bonus room. Ah yes, the room over the garage...now here's a perfect space to claim for creative activities. Typically there are larger than the bedrooms, may have weird ceiling angles, and only one window. While this isn't ideal for creating a guest room, it's perfect for a craft and hobby room. 5. Kitchen. If you only need a small space, you may be able to find it in your kitchen. Use an adjacent wall from the main kitchen and create a desk space with cabinets to store supplies and match them to those in your main kitchen area. 6. Laundry Room. If your laundry room is large enough, consider sharing this space. This space can work well for sewing, quilting, knitting, or jewelry making.

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Love Where You Live | 08.1.14

15 Ideas to Improve Your Kitchen Storage

Tame the mess with these kitchen storage ideas. Pots, pans, dishes, glasses, flatware, utensils, napkins, cookbooks, sponges, appliances, food...the list is never-ending. All of these things and more need to have a home in your kitchen...somewhere! We've remodeled lots of kitchens over the years and know a thing or two about creative kitchen storage ideas. That's why we've put together this list of 15 ideas to provide you with some great ideas to improve the organization in your kitchen.

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Outdoor Living | 07.16.14

Tips for Designing Your Outdoor Kitchen

Outdoor kitchens are a HOT trend! Homeowners are embracing the trend of adding an outdoor kitchen to their backyard living space. The Weber grill is being pushed aside for fully outfitted outdoor kitchens with top-of-the-line appliances, countertops, bar seating, and cabinets. Extending your living spaces outdoors increases your options for entertaining and adds to your personal enjoyment of your home during the warmer months. With an outdoor kitchen, the chef can be a part of the action while your guests and family enjoy the outdoors.

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Trends | 07.11.14

7 Ways to Improve the Natural Light in Your Home

Natural light in your home enhances mood, adds ambiance and promotes a healthy environment. Who doesn't want a home that's warm, inviting and healthy? One of the easiest ways to improve your home in these areas is by enhancing and improving the flow of natural light. Better use of natural light also reduces energy consumption and can lower your utility bills.

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Love Where You Live | 06.28.14

Five tips for designing the functional kitchen island

The kitchen is the heart of the home. The island is the hub of the kitchen. Kitchen islands are a key element of your overall kitchen design. And that makes sense since its placement establishes the traffic pattern and is often a main focal point.

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Love Where You Live | 06.20.14

How to set a realistic budget for your remodeling project

These 5 tips will help you set a realistic budget for your remodeling project. So you've decided you want to remodel your home. That's fantastic! Now, one of the first things you should do is develop a realistic budget. A remodeling project is a significant financial investment, one that will pay off in happiness and comfort as well as adding value to your home. To help you, we've put together a list of five tips to help you establish a realistic budget for your remodeling project.

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Love Where You Live | 06.13.14

Tips for Remodeling Your Laundry Room

Laundry rooms used to be hidden in the basement, void of any decor, and let's face it, a space you didn't want your visitors to see. Today, homeowners are choosing to move their laundry rooms to more accessible parts of the home and create attractive spaces that you can actually look forward using. Although it may seem like a really simple remodel, there are several important things to consider when designing your laundry room. We've compiled a list of tips to help you plan your laundry room remodel. 1. Make it user-friendly. Add countertops to accommodate sorting and folding. If the room has a door, ensure that the door swing does not interfere with the use of your appliances. Add a utility sink for hand washing. Flooring should be water resistant and if possible, install a floor drain. Don't forget to place a pan under the washer. 2. Incorporate storage. Add cabinets above or beside your washer and dryer to store detergent, dryer sheets, stain removers, and irons. Incorporate a built-in or pull-out ironing station to free up valuable floor space. Designate an area to hang items that need to air dry. If your laundry room is large enough, add a linen closet. 3. Don't skimp on lighting. Recessed lights or large pendant lights are ideal for ambient lighting or you can add a fun overhead light fixture if you prefer. Consider adding under cabinet task lighting to help you when tending to stains and sorting laundry. 4. Consider the noise. Be sure to add appropriate insulation to reduce noise. If your laundry room is on the second floor, floor joists will need reinforcement to handle the weight of the appliances. 5. Safety precautions. Make sure that your dryer duct is properly installed with a minimum run and as few turns as possible. You should check duct work annually for buildup. Lint filters should be cleaned after each dryer load. 6. Don't forget to add some style. Laundry rooms are a great place to use color. Choose appliances in bold colors or paint walls in vibrant tones. When adding countertops and cabinets think about how they blend with the rest of your home. You can even add a decorative backsplash and a chandelier if you like! Get creative and make it fun space!

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Love Where You Live | 06.6.14

Let there be layered light!

Layered light is the best way to enhance ambiance and the overall design aesthetic of the spaces in your home. Lighting planning and selection is one of the most important design aspects of a remodeling project. There are three basic types of lighting: ambient, task and accent. Layered lighting is the design principle of combining all three types to create a balance between visual aid for performing tasks and enhancing the design aesthetic and ambiance. A professional designer will know how to design your remodeled space with an effective layered lighting plan.

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Love Where You Live | 05.16.14

Thompson Remodeling's Top 3 Tips for a Family Friendly Kitchen

Important things to consider when remodeling a family-friendly kitchen. Let's face it, the kitchen is the busiest room in the house. Whether it's cooking meals, grabbing a snack or baking cookies, your kitchen is bound to see people of all ages passing through. Creating the family friendly kitchen to accommodate adults and children of all ages can be done. All it takes is looking at your family's habits and planning your design accordingly.

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Kitchens | 05.9.14

Cleaning Stainless Steel Appliances is as easy as 1,2,3!

Stainless steel appliances are still the number one selection for kitchen remodels. It's easy to see why. They look great, blend well with all varieties of cabinets and most countertops, and can be used in both traditional and contemporary spaces. But, anyone who owns stainless steel appliances know that they have a tendency to show fingerprints, which means the need frequent cleaning. Stainless is more sensitive than other finishes so you must use the right materials and cleansers to avoid damage to the surface.

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Love Where You Live | 04.18.14

Thompson Remodeling’s Tips for Planning A Home Office Remodel

Are you in need of a home office remodel? Today, every home has a need for some type of home office space. The type and size of the space varies depending on how and who needs to use it. Fortunately, there are many ways to accommodate home office space in your home and we’ve compiled a list of questions to help you discover some of those options.

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Love Where You Live | 01.31.14

Upgrade the safety of your finished basement with an Egress Window.

Did you know that egress windows are required in finished basements by Michigan residential code? The code states that an egress window is required in any habitable space or sleeping area in a basement or lower level that is below the fourth floor for both new and existing construction.

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Love Where You Live | 12.19.13

Thompson’s Tips for a Stress-Free Remodel

Making the decision to remodel your home is exciting. It’s easy to feel a little overwhelmed at first, so to help you prepare, we’ve compiled a list of tips to ensure a stress-free remodel.

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Love Where You Live | 03.28.09

Power of Paint

I used to hate our living room. It was all things 1960s - dingy orange wood paneled ceiling (and end walls), dark beams, a hideous front door, angular bookshelves, no light, and this silly step at the front door some architect thought would appeal to our mamalian den-dwelling need for security. You get the point, it was a weird room.

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Care & Maintenance | 03.18.09

Wood Floor Cleaner

Wood floors are absolutely wonderful. In fact, my feet are resting on the 1000 sf of vertical grain bamboo we installed in our home. Have you ever wanted to know what to clean it with? I recommend Bona Wood Floor Cleaner in the spray bottle. You can find it many places around Grand Rapids, MI. Kristin just told me a bottle lasts us about 3 months and we have a baby, a dog, and me to contend with. We use the spray bottle in conjunction with a microfiber floor cleaning cloth that velcros to a swivel head on a pole. If you need a source, I sell a small amount to friends and clients of Thompson Remodeling at the office for $8/bottle. Give me a call 616.942.1866 if you want to get started. Email is: Ben@ThompsonRemodeling.com.

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