| thompsonremodeling.com

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.

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!

It’s summertime! We've put together a list of exterior and interior tasks to complete to keep your house in top shape. Pick a rainy weekend to tackle the interior jobs and a sunny day with milder temperatures for exterior items.

Grand Rapids has been experiencing bitter cold temperatures. In fact, yesterday it was the coldest day on record since 1994! With the continued treacherous weather conditions, school, and business closings, we hope that your family and pets are safe and warm inside your homes. If you've got a case of cabin fever, grab a mug of hot cocoa and read through our cold weather tips!

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.

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.

Folks, we are heading into the holiday season and you know what that means? Friends, family, and neighbors gathering in your home to celebrate, share meals, and socialize. If you are like me, you can’t wait for the fun to start! And for all the planners and party host and hostesses out there, the holiday season means your living room, dining spaces and kitchens are about to get some heavy use.

There’s something in our homes that often is overlooked when remodeling or decorating. We use them every day, but they have a tendency to blur into the background. Have you guessed it? It's your staircase! Certainly, the main purpose of your staircase is to take you from one level to another, but they can also serve as a beautiful architectural detail in your home. Whether it’s opening up a formerly closed staircase or changing the railings, treads, and risers, an update can really make a statement. Keep reading to see some beautiful staircases we've remodeled for our clients, including some before and after comparisons!

Open shelving is making its way into our client’s remodeling designs for kitchens, bathrooms, and even basements! Who says your storage has to be hidden? Exposed, open shelving has become a very popular selection and can be seen in all the latest remodeling and decorating magazines and websites. This storage option offers both functional and aesthetic benefits and we have some great examples to show you. We believe you'll be inspired to include them in your own remodel!

Did you know that color has a big impact on your mood? Knowing what those effects are can be really helpful in selecting paint colors for your home’s interiors. Homeowners frequently take on the task of painting their home and whether it’s one room at a time or tackling the whole house, deciding on colors can sometimes make the start of the project drag on. We’ve been doing some research on the psychology of color and learning more about which colors work best in certain areas of the home and wanted to share that insight with you. In part one, we will talk about the brighter end of the color spectrum and in part two we will cover the neutrals.

One major component of every remodeling project is figuring out how to incorporate storage options, particularly in kitchens and bathrooms. Every household accumulates “stuff” and the bigger your family is the more you will have. Thompson Remodeling has experience working with Grand Rapids families of two people to up to eight and more! We will work with you to find creative ways to accommodate all that important stuff you need to keep in each room to make it function at its best. One solution we have found to work really well is floor to ceiling cabinets. They can be integrated to match other cabinetry within a room and offer unlimited options for drawers, pullouts, cubbies and other internal organizing systems.

Every person has their own decorating style and when you begin the selections process during your remodel those preferences will take center stage. After all, this is when you get to put your personal stamp on your renovation by picking tile, countertops, cabinets, flooring, paint colors, fixtures, and lighting. How exciting! You can see it all coming to life! But what if you and your other half don’t agree on style? You like ultra modern and they prefer a classic, traditional aesthetic. How in the world are you going to get through the process and both end up happy with the result? It can be done with a little patience, willingness to compromise and guidance from a seasoned designer.