A guestroom/office can be decorated either in a cute style or made to look more professional. In either case you won’t want a traditional bed in this room.

If you have the extra money, a pull out bed or a wall bed is the perfect answer. By day, it looks like a couch,  a love seat or a wall unit and by night, it turns into an extra bed.  To be cost conscious, a futon is your best bet. Futons are less expensive, and maybe a bit less comfortable than a pull out bed but they do work well in a pinch. You can also build a wall bed that can double as an office desk my day and a bed by night, thus maximizing your available space.

But a bed isn’t really enough to make your office into a comfortable guestroom. You will still need to supply the finishing touches such as blankets, pillows, and a place to put your guests belongings.

You can save space in the office closet for this or else a nice looking trunk/table might be the answer for your guest room storage needs. It can hold your guest room blankets and pillows while working as a coffee table by day and then be moved to the side of your pulled-out bed or open futon where it will act as a night table.

Before you hire a contractor or construction consulting management firm for your next renovation project in the Chicago area, you should know a little about the new EPA standards in lead safety.  As of April 22, 2010, contractors that do renovation projects on houses built before 1978 must be certified in lead-safe renovation techniques.

Disturbing areas painted with lead-based paint can be very hazardous if the proper precautions are not taken.  Exposure to lead-based paint, which was used in many houses and buildings built prior to 1978, is especially harmful to children and pregnant women.  This is why the EPA has been working for years on standards that help reduce the danger of lead exposure during remodeling and renovation projects.

Catalyst Remodeling recognizes the importance of safe building techniques and has completed training at the National Center for Healthy Housing and has obtained the proper accreditation from the EPA for lead safety.  We pursued this vital certification because the project that you hire us to complete should not only be ascetically pleasing and functional, it should always be built with safety in mind for the construction crew as well as the homeowner.

Catalyst Remodeling is one of the first contractors that remodels homes in Chicago and surrounding regions that has received their EPA Certification.  Always ask for proof of certification.  It is very important to us that you are informed of the training and steps that we employ to complete your renovation and remodel project with safety as a priority.

For more information on lead paint and the new EPA Lead-Safe Certification Program, please visit http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/toolkits.htm.

• Why Go Green?
  • It’s easier on the earth, it lowers costs, and it provides a healthier home in which to live. According to the Sustainable Building Industry Council (SBIC), housing alone consumes 20% of America’s energy.
  • Homeowners who choose to remodel green can lower their energy consumption by 30-50%. It’s widely agreed that forests produce 40% of Earth’s oxygen, and that building supplies use 25% of its forests.
  • Remodeling green by incorporating recycled materials or sustainable species will help homeowners to tread more lightly on Earth’s natural resources.
  • Green remodeling is becoming more popular as homeowners consider health issues, skyrocketing energy costs and Earth’s natural resources.

Remodeling Green offers homeowners the opportunity to reduce home energy demands, lessen home maintenance costs, and increase comfort.

That space down under can be ideal for a game room, guest room, home theater, music room, teen room, home office, gym, or a hobby room. The attributes of privacy, quietness, and coolness lend themselves to an endless list of potential room purposes. If you have a finished basement, but it was done some time ago, perhaps it’s time to re-look at updating it to leverage it’s use to accommodate today’s lifestyle.

It can convert an old fashioned, dated kitchen into the showpiece of your home. The method of how to change the design will depend on your lifestyle and budget. Kitchen remodeling is the home improvement job that adds the most value to your house. In fact, you’ll recover 80-90% of your kitchen remodeling costs in the added value to your house.

Kitchen remodeling is something that needs to be carefully planned using the size and configuration of the room. With this one room being the hub of the home, it needs to be designed in a way that allows a person cooking to have easy access to the sink, refrigerator, and stove. It’s one of the most common home improvement projects in the U.S. Kitchen remodeling is one of the best investments when it comes to both everyday use and increase in resale value. In addition, you might be able to save on energy as well by choosing energy efficient kitchen appliances.

It is without a doubt one of the best investments you as a homeowner can make. For most homeowners, the kitchen is the most important room in the house. In Kitchen Remodeling it’s much more than choosing a paint color and cabinet style. The kitchen is the heart and soul of any house, so it’s important that your kitchen remodeling project results in a space that is functional, comfortable, and beautiful to take in all at the same time. Kitchen remodeling is one of the most intensive remodeling projects you can undertake in any house. The process involves important design decisions about cabinets, counter tops, lighting, appliances, layout, and finish treatments.

Whether your remodeling project will encompass a total tear-down and rebuild or a change of cabinetry, counter tops and major appliances, you want to work with a contractor that is consious of your budget. Kitchen remodeling is also an investment in ongoing personal pleasure, increasing connectedness between all members of the family and easing the effort (while increasing the joy) of meal preparation. Kitchen remodeling is a tricky job that requires taking into account existing architecture, plumbing and wiring, structural elements, and many other important aspects. For a project with so many considerations, it is crucial that you receive a kitchen remodeling professional ideally one that is certified by the NARI (National Association of The Remodeling Industry) who can care for all the things affected by the project, in accordance with your vision and budget. Kitchen remodeling is no small decision, so we welcome any of your questions to help you feel comfortable with us.

If you find your bath harder and harder to face each morning, it may be time for a change. Though the cost per square foot of remodeling or adding a bath is relatively high, it is still among the most popular home projects today because of the high return when the house is sold. An attractive, remodeled bathroom will return from 85% to 95% of the money invested and will also help the house to sell more quickly. Here are tips to help you plan a successfully remodeled bathroom.

If this bathroom exists only in your dreams, find a space for it. Sometimes a hall closet is dispensable and can be transformed into a powder room. If you need a complete bath, you will need to find more room – a minimum of 35 square feet. Once you know the dimensions of your room, lay them out with string in your backyard, using cardboard cutouts to place the fixtures. If the space you have to work with is very small, don’t give up. There are solutions for small spaces.

Before choosing the fixtures such as toilets, shower stalls, and whirlpools, go back to the room (real or imaginary) to consider what will be behind and under those fixtures. If you are adding a bathroom, keep it as close to existing plumbing as possible to avoid costly demolition and new plumbing lines.

The location and structure of this room is important for another reason. Will it be possible to bring in a one-piece shower stall or whirlpool that needs to go up stairs, around corners and through doors? Will the floor need structural reinforcement to hold a whirlpool that when filled could weigh thousands of pounds? If you are adding a fixture that consumes large amounts of water, such as a whirlpool or multiple-head shower, will your water heater capacity be adequate; will you need larger water lines to give the desired water pressure?

Remember, an escape requires proper planning. With a little foresight, you will be splashing around in your new bath in no time.