Contemplating a large-scale home improvement?

By Christa Buchanan
C & G Staff Writer

It may be cold outside, but that’s no reason to put indoor home improvement projects on hold — winter is the perfect time to focus on them.

Doing simple projects over the winter not only frees up time for more intensive projects during warmer months, but also gives relief to idle hands itching for something to do now.

“There’s been a pent-up demand for home improvements, and people are finally starting to come back out,” said Jim Plutter of Lighting One/Carpet One Floor and Home in Shelby Township.

Do-it-yourself — or with some help — designs  
Depending on one’s ability, some small-scale projects, such as adding a new piece of art or furniture to the mix, updating wall and window treatments, or even installing new flooring, can be done with relative ease and little disruption — and create a big impact without breaking the bank.

“It does depend on what room you want to change, but if you want to make a quick change, painting can change the whole appearance of any room,” said Cheryl Weted of Son Shine Floor Covering and Design Center in Warren. “Even adding a new chair to a room … or changing the look of furniture with slipcovers can freshen up a room.

“If you’re limited on funds, you can get a nice area rug really inexpensively — there are a lot of different varieties and styles. … Even just changing a picture, throw pillows or window treatments can give a room a whole new look,” Weted said. “If you have vertical blinds and you want to jazz them up, you can get some really nice rods and panels to put on the sides.”

Options for window treatments have come a long way, with myriad styles in fabric, suede, woven wood, and an innovative new panel design for door walls.

As for design trends, with so many options available, it’s pretty much all about personal taste — traditional, contemporary, French country, shabby chic, rustic, you name it — and of course, budget.

“Everybody’s got their own style,” Plutter said. “There are a ton of choices — pretty much something for every taste and every budget — flooring, lighting, fans, electric fireplaces … mirrors and accessories, things to make the house sparkle.”

While style is a personal choice, colors tend to go in and out of fashion, and there are some surprising new color palettes gaining popularity.

“Gray, which was out for a long time, is making a comeback — not so much for a whole room, but for an accent wall,” said Weted. “Reds and taupes are still going strong, but people are getting tired of browns because they’ve been around so long.”

While the mauves and seafoam greens of the ‘80s are definitely out, Weted said, the olive and sage greens of the ‘70s are making a comeback with a modern twist.

While a bit more intensive, new flooring can make a huge difference, without too much hassle, in just a few days, depending on square footage, said Weted.

Again, the choices are vast: carpets of every texture and color, natural stone, ceramic, vinyl — “The new DuraCeramic vinyl flooring is great. … It looks so much like real tile that people have to actually touch it to tell the difference,” Weted said. — and of course wood.

“Hardwood is hot,” Plutter said, citing Chelsea Plank Flooring as a popular choice partly due to its unique design of varying plank widths.

“All the wood comes from within 300 miles (of Chelsea, Mich.)  — 30 different floors in oak, hickory, walnut, maple and ash, and in all different character grades, with knots or without for a cleaner look,” Plutter said.

For those who are not so handy or confident about their design choices, no worries: There’s plenty of help available at local design and home improvement stores, which Weted noted tend to have a better selection than and prices comparable to big-box stores.

Bathroom basics and kitchen creations
Updating kitchens and bathrooms traditionally has been, and still is, high on the home improvement list.

“Kitchen remodels are great because they give you a great return on your investment,” Father & Son Construction President Mat Vivona Jr. said.

While options run the gamut in scope and price — from a complete overhaul to such simple updates as replacing fixtures and countertops, or refinishing cabinets — remodeling a kitchen typically gives homeowners more bang for their updating bucks.

The same holds true for remodeling outdated bathrooms — a popular project this winter, said Vivona.

“It’s affordable, and it’s not too intrusive because most people have two bathrooms,” he said.

A bathroom remodel can entail simply painting, switching out fixtures and medicine cabinets, and possibly installing new flooring, or to the other extreme, a complete overhaul.

While Vivona has seen more of the latter happening — “Actually, most of them (bathroom remodels) were completely gutted.” — he noted that homeowners aren’t splurging as much on high-end items as in the past.

“We’re not seeing a lot of Jacuzzi tubs anymore. … Most people are just going with regular bath tubs,” said Vivona, adding that people are also sticking with standard showers, as well.

If a full remodel is out of the question, there are a number of simple projects that can give kitchens and bathrooms a new look without breaking the bank.

Weted suggests painting walls and cabinets, switching out hardware and fixtures, or updating counter backsplashes for a low-budget update.

“If the cabinets are ugly, you can just paint them. Decorative-wise, painting the top and bottom different colors, perhaps white on the top and black on the bottom … can give the room a really modern, contemporary look,” she said.

Father & Son can be reached at (800) 380-8888 or via www.father-son-const.com. Lighting One/Carpet One, 50178 Van Dyke Ave., can be reached at (586) 739-6770. Son Shine, 31065 Ryan Road, can be reached at (586) 795-8020.