Major home improvement projects are always an adventure. The pandemic, however, has made careful planning for a home remodeling or renovation project more important than ever before. Lead times are longer, materials costs are high, and crews are busier than ever before. That doesn’t mean you should shy away from a remodeling or renovation project. Planning, though, is everything. If you’re beginning your process towards a home addition, we’ve asked one of our architect partners, Rob Busch at drawing dept architecture and design for his top tips on first steps to make the process of major home remodel, like an addition, go as smoothly as possible.

1. Collaboration is key.

   Build a strong team of advocates who have your best interest at heart. A team of close collaborators will allow the project to be viewed through various lenses; design, jurisdictional parameters, budget, schedule, etc. An architect and general contractor are your key allies and they can flesh out the rest of the team.

2. Manage risk.

A good team will never sacrifice vision, vision, and aspirations easily. But those goals should be informed by budget and schedule. Multiple pricing exercises can help manage risk. Consider a very rough estimate from your architect and/or general contractor from the outset. Next, consider preliminary pricing estimate after the design development phase, but before construction documents.

3. Transparency is the best policy.

Be transparent with your collaborators about your aspirations and construction budget. Prioritize your goals and understand what is a must and what is a want. Your team will want to accomplish all of your goals, but if the aspirations and budget are misaligned, there needs to be a plan forward.

Our team is ready to help bring your home improvement plans to life. We’re happy to jump in and work with you or your architect, or we can make help make recommendations as you begin to build your team and plan your project.

The team at The English Contractor frequently hear our founder, Craig Russell, explain that the home is likely a family’s biggest investment. Any time our crew gets involved, we’re helping a household grow their investment, with a feature that adds equity in use, or with an update that will help the house capture top dollar when it’s time to sell. We’ve tapped into a local expert, fellow member of The Scout Guide Cincinnati, Erin Satterwhite with Comey & Shepherd for some insight on the best updates to make to your home to maximize your investment.

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Unless you’ve been living in a hole, you are aware how crazy the housing market is in Cincinnati and nationwide right now! Houses are flying off the market at a record pace at a record price. You’ve heard stories how friends had multiple offers on their homes where buyers waived inspections, appraisals, and even offered their firstborns as collateral to win a home (ok, maybe the third is an exaggeration.). So you might be wondering, is it even worthwhile updating my home when the market is this hot and buyers are this desperate?

Yes. If you want to receive top dollar for your home, even in a seller’s market as strong as this one, there are a few simple renovations you can make that will appeal to as many buyers as possible and bring in an unthinkable selling price for your home.

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Kitchen

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

White on white on white. You’ve seen it on all the home shows, in the home magazines, and in your friends’ homes that you admire. Gone is the natural woodwork or dark countertops. We want it as light and bright as possible! Does this mean you need to drop 50-75k on a full kitchen makeover? No! Have those cabinets painted white, swap out the hardware for an updated look, and consider replacing your countertops with something lighter. Voila! You’ll have millennials drooling over your home.

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Bathrooms

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

Bye bye, Grandma. Hollywood lighting, colored tile, and little soaps in the shape of seashells on the counter are out. While they may make you nostalgic, it’s time to update those bathrooms. Tile work can take more time but is so worthwhile to a buyer. Swap out that glued on mirror or old medicine cabinet for an updated framed mirror, update the lighting from 80’s glam to something more modern, and consider a new sink- you don’t have to spend a million dollars to update a bathroom and it will give you so much bang for your buck!

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Flooring

Carpet- RIP. IT. UP. Carpet is OUT. And if you have it in a bathroom or even a kitchen (yes, if you can believe it- we’ve seen it!) rip it up immediately and set it aflame. Also, consider having your entire main living space be updated to hardwood or a even a faux wood option to bring those buyers in. If you do have carpet, save it for a bedroom! And if it’s been there for a few years and has any smell or stains, it’s time to lay down new carpet. Get a neutral gray or beige and call it a day.

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Paint

Pretend this is a black and white movie. Buyers want the walls to be as neutral and light and bright as possible. You may be thinking that gray is all the rage, because it was a few years ago. But now it’s greige. Yep- a combo between gray and beige. Bold colors make buyers nervous even though it’s a simple remedy with a few strokes of a brushstroke! But, don’t turn off potential buyers with loud wallpaper and colors.

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Home Office

After a year of people working from home, it’s important to feature the flexibility of your home to reflect the same. How often do you REALLY use your formal dining room>. I’m guessing it’s just where projects get piled up and it’s dusted off 1-2 times a year. Turn it into an office! Or, do you have an extra guest room? Have you REALLY had any guests in there? Put a desk in there and show the versatility of the space. Having a home office is one of the most requested items by buyers, even as the world reopens!

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These simple updates will help you get the most attention on your listing and drive up that sales price! None of these projects require a ton of time, a big budget, or a big mess! And once you do them, just be prepared for a multitude of showings and your home will be the hottest home on the block!

The team at The English Contractor is proud to announce this special achievement. We have been named 2021 Contractor of the Year by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry in Greater Cincinnati.

Residential Bath Under $25,000

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

We worked on this project in collaboration with the team at Evolo Design, which included taking an awkward layout and making it amazing, with a corner shower tucked in between two separate vanities. Wrap around mirrors maximized the effect of pendant lighting. Quartz countertops and backslashes highlight the wall mounted faucets. The grey vanities offer plenty of storage, but really bring out the wow factor in the chevron-patterned marble floor.

Residential Bath $75,001-$100,000

Inspired by the homeowner’s love of horses, this owner’s suite bathroom takes farmhouse chic to an entirely new level. Our in-house carpenters crafted this custom vanity complete with a long trough sink and dual faucets. The custom-designed barn door mirrors slide on tracks to give additional storage. The floor adds incredible detail with black and white pattern, but is heated to provide additional comfort.

Residential Interior Under $100,000

This room might be small, but it packs a big punch, serving as a a backdoor entryway, mudroom, laundry room and dog wash. Our carpentry team designed custom cabinetry, which included plenty of storage and easily accessible cubbies. A new dog shower adds a special element for the four-legged inhabitants of this home.

Residential Interior $100,000-$250,000

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

We loved bring the plans made by drawing dept and Jamie McMillan Design to life in this Hyde Park home. The challenge was to modify the layout and add a modern kitchen that would pay homage to this home’s historic heritage. This project included opening up the back of the home, while maintaining special detail, like original wood trim and detailed windows.

Residential Kitchen $100,001-$150,000

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

We partnered again with Evolo Design to renovate this Terrace Park kitchen, which included new Subzero Wolf appliances, upgraded cabinetry, quartz countertops, and beautiful brass and glass open shelves.

Residential Exterior $50,000 - $100,000

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

This project located in a 100+ year old home in Madeira connected the indoors to the fabulous back yard, thanks to exquisite planning from the drawing dept. We added on a large covered porch with a two-sided fire place, and extended the existing patio, giving these homeowners lots of entertaining options. We also converted an existing garage into a fun bonus room, complete with a full bathroom.

Residential Kitchen $60,001-$100,000

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

We were thrilled to be call in to work with drawing dept to bring new life to this kitchen. One of our favorite details are the chartreuse cabinets, which highlight a coffee nook adjacent to the breakfast area.

Residential Landscape Design/Outdoor Living Under $100,000

Photo: Ross Van Pelt

Our final win for the Greater Cincinnati NARI awards was another great collaboration with drawing dept. We constructed an expansive deck, which gave these Hyde Park homeowners lots of outdoor entertaining options, including a gas-fueled fire pit.

The goal of each and every project is to totally delight our customers and show off the talent of our architect, design, and supplier partners. Awards like these are just icing on the cake. Is your home worthy of an award-winning project? We want to hear all about it. We can put together the team to make it happen.

Here’s a home that now checks all of the boxes, inside and out. Chef’s kitchen with ample storage, an enviable mudroom, a sunroom outdoor living, not to mention new siding, windows and doors. The list goes on and on, including phase two of our project, which includes a grand master bathroom renovation.  And that’s before we even get to the brand new garage. The coup de grace. The icing on the cake. The feature that made us feel so especially lucky that we got to be the home builders who got to bring it all together.  These homeowners are really happy with their new space. But you know who else is happy—we are because this space takes our portfolio to the next level.

 Let’s start outside and then work out way in. (We’re saving the garage for last, so keep reading!) This Hyde Park home got quite the facelift, as well as a spacious new addition. It went from white to grey with siding from LP Siding, for renewed curb appeal in an instant. Our partners at Marvin provided the new windows and doors from their Marvin Essentials line. The good bones of this house really shine through with new windows and siding—all the character and none of the “old house” maintenance. A stroll around to the back of the house reveals a new, low-maintenance, IPE deck. The stone accents, provided by Semco Outdoor, and the deck railing, from EADS Fence Company, makes this outdoor space seem more like a roomy extension of the house than a run-of-the-mill deck. The steps of the deck lead to a new patio, perfect for grilling and dinner al fresco.

But be careful when you walk through the Marvin Essentials doors. You’re going to have house envy. The new deck leads to a brand, new kitchen. And it is a stunner to say the least. Custom cabinets, finished in a crisp, clean, white, reveal tons of organized storage, with pull out drawers and an appliance garage. The central island is painted with a custom Sherwin Williams grey, which makes the apron front farmhouse sink from Kohler really stand out. 

Glass-paneled upper cabinetry flanks the impressive ventilation hood, for a modern farm house look. The commercial-look range is from Thermador, as well as the paneled dishwasher, which beautifully blends into the cabinetry. The granite countertop from Ohio Valley Stone ties the grey of the center island and the white of the surrounding cabinetry together perfectly. 

A special nook in the kitchen can become a bar for entertaining—just add an ice bucket! The undercounter beverage refrigerator from Thermador is nestled in this corner next to a pull-out cabinet, which houses libations now, but could also store glass drinkware or serving pieces. The lighted cabinet above makes this corner is a great detail, making it a focal point during parties or special occasions. 

 From the kitchen, the layout of this addition flows into a cozy, light-filled sunroom. Serving as a connector to outdoor living or family space, this kitchen now truly is the heart of the home. If you can pull your eyes off the kitchen long enough, check out the room’s vaulted ceiling with exposed beams. We love adding these types of custom detail to our homes.

 People always say that a kitchen is what makes a house a home, but we all secretly know that it’s really the mudroom, right? With a spare refrigerator, washer and dryer and plenty of cabinetry that complement the kitchen, this room really keeps this house in business. The secret here is that this room used to be the kitchen. We modified the homeowner’s existing cabinetry to continue the look and feel of the kitchen. The additions of new countertops, a sink, cubbies and a built-in desk make this room a real workhorse. 

Pretty much a dream house, right? 

And we haven’t even gotten to the garage yet.

The English Contractor team built this new structure from the ground up. It’s a 3-car garage that actually can fit 6 cars. How can that be? Magic? 

It’s magic, all right. The magic of car lifts. Just when you thought the garage space couldn’t get any better, take a look at the epoxy floors, courtesy of American Sealing Experts.

The lush landscaping so beautifully accentuates the details of this home. We wish we could take credit for that, but this homeowner is a talented landscape architect—and it shows. New home amenities with real character.

 It may look finished, but we’re still working away on this home. It could be that these clients love us enough that they never want us to leave. Or it could be that this house has such a special place in our hearts that we’ll keep taking new projects. Either way, this project continues. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better.

Are you ready to turn your house into your dream home?

Did you know that The English Contractor is a Marvin Authorized Replacement Contractor? We’re proud of our relationship with Marvin and to install their windows and doors in so many of our projects—as well as in our own homes.

We’ve been installing Marvin windows and doors for years, so it’s a product line we’ve come to really know and trust. True, there are lots of contractors or builders can install your windows and doors. The English Contractor team, however, goes the extra mile to receive additional training and education about the products we really believe in. We never stop learning or getting better—and we never want to—so we can deliver meticulously well-crafted whole home renovations and new builds with the best possible products around, time after time. 

In addition to being well-built, durable and energy efficient, Marvin products are a thing of beauty. When evaluating new products to use in our clients’ home renovations and new builds, we look for a company with staying power. Marvin is a family-owned company that has been in business for over a hundred years—and counting. They stand behind their products, and so do we, from the selection through to the installation and beyond.

 Every home renovation project is unique. If your home renovation includes new windows, we’ll help guide you through what can seem like a complicated process. Marvin windows are available in both full-frame replacement and insert replacement versions. With availability in custom sizes and the Marvin guarantee of quality, leading technology and lasting dependability, we know that no matter your style or the scope of your project, Marvin has an option that will work in your home.

 Of course, if the scope of your project is just to replace your windows and doors without a full scale renovation, we’ll give you the same guidance, customer service, attention to detail as we would on a whole home renovation, taking into account your home’s esthetic, the intricacies of installation and budget. With any project, we treat your home like we would our own.

 Are you ready to renovate?

Is it time to replace your windows and doors?

Do you want to learn more about our partnership with Marvin?