This or That? How to Make Common Renovation Design Decisions for Your Home

Taking on a home renovation design is exciting and stressful at the same time. How do you decide on the perfect design for your home with so many options available?

Planning is essential for avoiding common mistakes along the way, from carports and garages to skylights and bifold glass doors. What’s your vision for your home improvement? What stylistic elements do you prefer, and do they fit with your neighborhood’s other homes?

Knowing what meets your and your family’s needs the best is the first step in making the right design choices.

Things to Consider When Renovating Your Home

Renovating your home is often an expensive, time-consuming endeavor. That’s why it’s critical to consider several factors before jumping to any design project. It would help if you asked yourself the following questions:

• What kind of lifestyle do I lead, and will this home improvement add functionality to my day?
• Is this project suitable for the climate I live in?
• Does my income reflect the budget for this renovation design?
• How will my family benefit from this upgrade?

Once you’ve thought these things through, you can begin the process of researching local contractors to help you start planning for your home remodeling design. 

7 Remodeling Design Options to Choose From

Every home improvement project has several pros and cons that determine how you should base your decisions. Here are seven renovation design ideas you’ll need to choose from for a successful renovation design. 

1. Carport or Garage

You may have to decide between building a carport or garage. The average American drives a car for less than an hour a day, so it’s essential to have a safe area to park your vehicle.

Garages offer better protection from the elements and are more secure than carports, protecting your car from potential theft. Carports are open structures with an overhead that shields your vehicle from the weather.

How you choose between a garage or metal carport ultimately depends on where you live, your budget, and your other needs, such as storing yard equipment or other household items. One benefit of a carport is the fact that it can’t accumulate clutter, so it’s a great way to keep things neat.

A carport could cost as little as $700 for a single-car slot, while installing an attached garage may run upwards of $26,000, depending on the specifications. However, garages tend to incur a positive return on investment (ROI) regarding resale value. 

2. Swimming Pool or Hot Tub

Is there anything sweeter than a dip in the pool on a hot summer day? How about relaxing in a hot tub in the dead of winter? Either option is a delight for homeowners who enjoy waterside relaxation alone or with guests.

However, you may have to make a tough decision regarding climate and outdoor space. Homeowners in warmer regions, such as Florida, may prefer a swimming pool over a hot tub. After all, there tend to be more hot months throughout the year. Meanwhile, those who live in a typical four-season location may opt for a hot tub for year-round use.

Likewise, hot tubs take up less backyard space and can be tucked away in tight corners. While both a swimming pool and hot tub require maintenance, a pool will need weekly cleaning, whereas a hot tub usually needs to be cleaned every few months.

3. Neutral Colors or Bright and Bold

A fresh coat of paint does a lot for a house and is an excellent way to tie your individual style and creativity into your home. However, you may face a decision between neutral or bright and bold colors on your walls.

Painting is an easy fix if you make the wrong color choice, but it can be a hassle and costly if you need to repaint. On average, it costs between $1,200 and $3,900 to paint the interior of a home. 

Certain colors can alter your home’s resale value if you’re looking to sell your house shortly. According to Zillow, it’s best to avoid extremely bright colors like orange, lime green, purple and hot pink. 

Instead, opt for neutral and earthy shades that make your home feel cozy and comfortable, like white, off-white, beige, or gray. You can always paint an accent wall if you’re determined to add a pop of color or offset your neutral walls with colorful furniture or upholstery. 

4. Wall Cabinets or Open Shelving

Should you have upper cabinets or not? It’s a difficult decision to make. Many kitchens are trending open shelves in place of cabinets, but storage still matters to homeowners.

In the 2022 Houzz Kitchen Trends Report, 65% of homeowners replaced all cabinetry in their kitchen, while 29% chose a partial upgrade. Of that, 25% of homeowners added cabinets. 

Renovating your kitchen to replace upper cabinets or swap them out for open shelving ultimately comes down to personal preference. 

Open shelves offer a minimalist look that makes smaller kitchens feel more spacious. They’re also a great way to display your unique dishware set or decor. However, they require frequent cleaning and consistent organization.

Cabinets offer greater functionality and versatility in terms of design. They also provide lots of storage to hide excess kitchen clutter and are customizable. If you can’t decide between upper cabinets or open shelving, you can always include a wall of cabinets with glass doors. 

5. Large Shower or Bathtub

Assuming you lack square footage or the budget, you may need to choose between a luxury shower stall and a bathtub for a bathroom remodel.

Costs range widely for each, as well. The national average for a bathtub installation can vary from $963.80 to $1,700.55 for labor and materials. On the other hand, showers can range between $1,000 and $6,000 and sometimes up to $10,000 for a customized stall.

If you already have a tub and rarely use it, it may make more sense to get rid of it, increase your square footage and enjoy the perks of having a large, luxury shower stall instead.

However, let’s say you have young children or prefer the occasional spa-like soak at the end of a hard day. Adding or keeping a tub could be your best option. In that case, upgrade your bathroom aesthetic with a freestanding or clawfoot tub.

6. Skylights or Bifold Patio Doors

For a long time, skylights were all the rage. However, homeowners have been finding new ways to bring the outdoors in over the last couple of years.

Skylights still have many benefits. For example, modern technology has improved their energy efficiency, delivering excellent indoor-air ventilation, solar power operation, smart sensors, and natural light. The average cost to install a skylight is $2,000, although that price may increase depending on labor, accessibility, and roofing materials.

Bifold doors that lead out to the patio are becoming increasingly popular. They let in plenty of natural sunlight, are aesthetically pleasing, and offer continual indoor-outdoor living. They’re also known as accordion-style doors and typically run between $3,000 and $10,000.

7. Deck or Patio Addition

According to a 2021 International Casual Furniture Association (ICFA) survey, 78% of Americans are upgrading their outdoor areas. If you’re one of those homeowners who value outdoor living, your renovation design decision may come down to a deck or patio.

Both offer a beautiful backdrop and entertaining area for hosting family and friends. A deck may provide more visual appeal than a patio if you have a great view of water or mountains. On the other hand, if you’re looking for greater backyard privacy, a patio may be the way to go.

You may decide to include a fire pit feature on your patio for those cooler evenings. They’re also typically less expensive than decks due to the materials used. Regardless, it’s a good idea to speak with a contractor to determine what’s best suited for your outdoor lifestyle, budget, and location. 

Making the Best Design Decision for You

Ultimately, your renovation design choices must best reflect the vision you have for your home. It’s not an easy decision, but hiring an expert and speaking with others who’ve done similar projects can help guide you throughout the renovation process.

In case you have any architectural, structural, HVAC, and MEP design including fire sprinkler design requirements, or need a home renovation design, feel free to contact us.  We provide you with the full permit set design + T24 for your request.

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Author’s Bio

Rose Morrison is the co-founder and managing editor of Renovated. Blog calendar planning, article writing & editing for construction and home improvement topics.