| thompson remodeling grand rapids mi (7)

I’m excited to share the news that Thompson Remodeling has won a Best of Design award from Houzz! This marks our second year in a row for this particular honor, which makes this award even more significant. Our design build firm was chosen by the more than 40 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than one million active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals.

Every year when Remodeling Magazine releases its newest Cost Vs. Value Report we study it to see which projects have the top recoup value in the Grand Rapids area. This annual report compares how popular remodeling projects are retaining their value at re-sale throughout the country. The studies are broken down by geographic area and are based on professional remodelers completing the renovation.

This year, Pantone’s color of the year selection really makes sense to me. Greenery is a bright, yellow-green that reminds me of springtime, especially a beautifully manicured lawn and new growth on trees and shrubs. It’s a color that signifies rebirth and renewal. Perhaps more than any recent year in memory, this color is very reflective of what we all hope a new year has in store for us.

Project Story: This master bathroom was out-of-date and the homeowners couldn't wait to see their retro vanity and flooring disappear. The existing white tiled countertop made you feel like you had time traveled back to the 70’s. The homeowner told us the bathroom felt “gross” and the counters was really hard to clean. They wanted to update the space to be more cohesive with the rest of their home. She had a very specific design aesthetic: light, clean, and airy. Updating all the finishes and improving the shower footprint were critical to a successful design.

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!

As you plan your remodel and make all the big selections like flooring, countertops, or cabinetry it’s easy to forget about the finishing touches that will add detail or improve function in a space. Fortunately, these small but important details won’t break the bank. In fact, they are often the things many homeowners end up loving the most about their remodel.

Several decades ago, it was commonplace to install hanging kitchen cabinets that could be accessed from two sides. Typically they would be hung beneath a bulkhead and would partially block the view in and out of the kitchen. In the case of this Grand Rapids remodeling story, the kitchen included this design element as well as bulkheads above all of the cabinets and doorways. Our clients requested a design that would make their kitchen feel more connected to the rest of their home.

The before and after photos of this bathroom remodel are so dramatic they will make you look twice! Many Grand Rapids homeowners have an outdated bathroom or two in their homes that they want to update. For this project, our client's requested a major refresh of their main bathroom without making any structural changes. Aesthetically, they wanted the bathroom to be done in whites and grays, but still have a masculine feel.

How would you rate your bathroom storage capacity? Do you have enough room for all of your toiletries, grooming tools, toilet paper, and towels? Most Grand Rapids homeowners feel their bathrooms are lacking in the storage department. It’s one of the main problems we work to solve when creating a bathroom design for our clients. Even though we are working with some of the smallest spaces in the home, our design team knows how to maximize every inch to accommodate each homeowner’s storage needs.

Every year I’m fascinated to learn about new electronic gadgets for the home. But more than anything, I especially love to hear about high tech gear for kitchens. This year’s innovations are impressive and range from large appliances to small kitchen gadgets that tech savvy homeowners will love. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorites to share with you in this blog.

Most Grand Rapids homeowners have a wish list of items they would like to improve in their home - maybe a kitchen remodel, updating the powder room, adding a mudroom, and finishing the basement. Wouldn’t it be nice to have it all done at once? Would you be surprised to know that you could actually save money by having your remodeler complete the work at the same time? Yes it’s true; you can actually save money by combining remodeling projects.

Here's a remodeling story that's close to my heart. In fact, it's actually about my own home! Have you noticed how popular mudrooms remodels have become over the past several years? Well, when you have a family of five, including three youngsters and a dog, it really becomes a necessity. Unfortunately, our home didn't have one and we were in desperate need to create a space to manage our comings and goings that would connect to the rest of our home. Kristin came up with a fantastic design that not only allowed us to do just that, but it also included space for our guests and a family command center.