| Thompson Remodeling (5)

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.

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.

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.

Thompson Remodeling of Grand Rapids, Michigan has received a 2016 Design Award in the annual national competition presented by Professional Remodeler magazine. Thompson Remodeling won the Gold award in the Kitchen Under $50,000 category. “This is the first Professional Remodeler Design Award for the Thompson Remodeling team and we are very excited to win in this very competitive category. This kitchen remodel was a challenge due to its size and position within the home, but our inventive design plan used every square inch wisely and even included a hidden doorway to the basement through the pantry,” said Ben Thompson, President of Thompson Remodeling.

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.

Thompson remodeling was able to help Tom and Lisa turn a disaster into a space that reflected personal style, memories, and a touch of "home".

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.

Many of our kitchen remodeling clients will ask us about painting their cabinets instead of replacing them. Often, they are considering taking on the task themselves as a DIY project. Before we can provide a simple yes or no answer to this question, there are a few important considerations. We certainly understand staying within budgets and looking for ways to save money, but sometimes painting your own cabinets may not be the best solution.

There’s no place like home. It’s where you feel safe, comfortable and cozy…and that’s a good thing. However, even inside your safe haven there can be some potentially dangerous areas or situations. Here’s our list of the top 10 potential dangers in your home.

Every industry has its own jargon, and that’s especially true of the remodeling and construction industry. At Thompson Remodeling, we make sure that our clients understand their project plans, the design and construction process, and do our best to avoid using a lot of remodeling jargon. That being said, if you are going to remodel, it’s always helpful to know the common terms used in the industry as sometimes there’s just no other way to say it!

Granite Vs. Quartz With as many kitchen and bathroom remodels we design every year, we hear this question from many homeowners and we are happy to help them make the right decision for their project. To determine if granite or quartz is a better choice for you depends on several factors and both materials have their pros and cons.

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.

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.

Bathroom remodels are one of the most popular renovation projects homeowners are interested in completing. One of the most common questions we hear when working with clients on designing their new bath space is how removing the bathtub will affect the resale value of their home. There are two important considerations that we will look at in order to direct our clients appropriately.

Remember the days when all your finishes had to match? Not too long ago, if you had satin nickel door and drawer pulls you had to have satin nickel faucets and lighting fixtures. Today, things are getting more interesting and mixing metal finishes is actually accepted and popular!