If you already own the perfect lot, then you are ready to BOYL- that is, build on your lot.
Month: December 2021
Why Do You Need to Remodel Your Bathroom?
It’s Time For An Upgrade
If you are not happy with your current bathroom, it may be time for a remodel. Lucky for you, there are many different types of updates that you can make to your bathroom. From installing new tiles around the bathtub to installing a new sink, there are so many different things that you can do that will not only transform your bathroom into something beautiful but will also increase the value of your home.
Let’s look at some of the reasons why you might need bathroom remodeling.
Older bathrooms are small
Before the 1990s, bathrooms were meant strictly for doing your business and getting out. Now they’ve become a type of sanctuary or place to escape requiring more room and incorporating the latest technology, like heaters, video monitors, and touch-activated fixtures. Many people are replacing the integrated bathtub-shower with walk-in showers only. This change makes the bathroom feel more spacious and it’s more practical since more people these days are using the shower more often than the bathtub.
A newly remodeled bathroom will be a haven for relaxation
A newly remodeled bathroom may include an integrated steam room or sauna. Since some of the older bathrooms have both a shower and bath area, eliminating needing to dedicate space to a bathtub opens up the possibility of installing a sauna or steam room.
Some bathrooms are unsafe
If you’ve ever slipped in the bathtub or on the wet shower floor, you know how dangerous it can be to have unsafe footing surfaces. In older bathrooms, builders would tile everything and leave the bathtub finish slippery, making a rubber bathtub mat a necessity. Rarely would you find an older bathtub built for someone with disabilities.
When you redo your bathroom, make sure to use no-slip materials—like stone, tile, or even composite wood, which can resist moisture—on flooring and shower areas. If an older adult or someone with a physical disability is going to use the bathroom, be sure to include grab bars, extra lighting, and wider shower doorways to avoid accidents.
Everything is breaking
Given enough time, everything breaks down. From toilets to leaky faucets and cracked tiles, it’s not just ugly, it’s annoying. The beauty of a remodeled bathroom is that everything is new and you don’t have to worry about waking up in the morning with water leaking on your floor, the toilet running constantly, or the faucet having dripped all night.
If you are thinking about remodeling your bathroom, the options are endless. But what’s more important is that you choose a professional residential contractor who can execute your vision for your project. At Freccia Group, we provide professional residential construction services in Round Rock, Texas, to rebuild any room in your house.
Our team does bathroom remodeling, kitchen remodeling, and a wide range of other construction services. Contact us today to get started.
Will the New Samsung Semiconductor Plant in Taylor Affect Austin Real Estate Trends?
Last month, Samsung Electronics announced plans to build a new $17 billion site in Taylor, Texas. Samsung will open their newest semiconductor fabrication plant as part of its largest-ever investment in the US.
Samsung’s new location will be more than 5 million square meters and is expected to strengthen the value of Austin’s already-increasing property values. Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, announced, “Samsung’s new semiconductor manufacturing facility in Taylor will bring countless opportunities for hardworking Central Texans.”
Samsung’s new factory is expected to improve the domestic supply chain of logic chips used in mobile devices, 5G technology, high-performance computing (HPC) units, and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The project is set to break ground in early 2022, with completion slated for late 2024. The Taylor investment includes buildings, property improvements, machinery and equipment, and community participation commitments. With the addition of this facility, Samsung’s total investment in the US will exceed $47 billion since 1978.
After reviewing possible locations in the US, Samsung’s decision to build in Texas was based on several local factors, including the semiconductor ecosystem, infrastructure stability, and government support. Samsung favored the location’s proximity to their existing manufacturing site in nearby Austin, which is also slated for a significant expansion investment next year.
Samsung’s Taylor announcement is expected to create over 2,000 high-tech jobs and thousands of supporting jobs in the area. As part of its co-investment in the community, Samsung has committed financial support for the new Samsung Skills Center within the Taylor Independent School District. This innovative training program will provide students with career preparation in technology, while providing internships and employment opportunities at Samsung’s local production facilities.
Already on-target for another record-breaking year in residential home sale average prices, Austin and the surrounding area will remain a hot market for the foreseeable future. With the combination of population influx and low mortgage rates, the trend of double-digit property value growth seen in fall 2021 year-over-year sales is expected to continue.
Resources:
https://www.noradarealestate.com/blog/austin-real-estate-market/
Kitchen Remodeling: Why and When Should You Do It?
You’ve been overlooking your outdated kitchen for years now, thinking, “What if … ?” How do you know it’s time to make improvements—both functionally and aesthetically—to everyone’s favorite room in the home?
Allocating the finances to fund your redo could be more appealing since remodeling your space essentially adds value to your property, especially if you’re about to put it on the market. However, if you’re planning on staying in your home for at least five years, remodeling your kitchen is both a financial investment and an investment in your home life.
Here are two of the many ways that remodeling could help.
Makes the kitchen more spacious
Kitchen remodeling updates your kitchen’s style and can provide more space. Many homes built before the 1990s automatically included a formal dining room in their scope. As lifestyles have changed, that room has been used less and less. Fortunately, many floorplans located the formal dining area right next to the kitchen, now opening up the possibility of making the kitchen larger and incorporating seating in the kitchen’s island. This reflects how the kitchen has evolved from an isolated cooking-only area to a space where cooking, social interaction, and dining are all within a few feet.
Helps you organize your kitchen better
Kitchen remodeling can help with organization, too. You should be able to add storage with open pantries, wider and longer countertops, cabinets, and shelves. When people try to remodel their kitchen themselves, storage is often overlooked because people like to think about aesthetics. When you hire a professional designer, you leverage his or her years of experience to help you rebuild a kitchen that looks amazing, is more open, and has plenty of solutions that help you store food, dishes, appliances, and kitchen tools so that they’re hidden but easy to access when you need them.
How you know when it’s time to remodel your kitchen
That fact that you’re reading this blog says that you already know, but here are the top two reasons homeowners decide to redo their kitchen.
1. Little or no space
Your countertops are cluttered for a reason: You’ve got too many kitchen tools and appliances and not enough places to put them. The cabinets are packed and stacked to the point where the doors don’t close. The stove doesn’t have enough counter space on either side of it. If two people are cooking, they bump into each other trying to prep and cook at the same time. And, finally, the breakfast area where your family gathers most of the time is so far from the kitchen that it’s impossible to socialize while cooking meals. In most cases, the homes with these older kitchens have the space, but it needs to be utilized more wisely to open it up to the rest of the house. A professional designer can make this happen.
2. Worn countertops, cabinets, and appliances
Your oven is more than 20 years old. Your countertops have seen better days. Your cabinets are scratched and worn. If you have melamine or Formica countertops, congratulations, you may able to brag that you’ve discovered a lost archeological artifact!
This is the time to upgrade everything. You can replace your countertops with timeless granite or another hard surface that’s durable enough that you can cut on it. You can also replace those cabinets with wooden shelves to make the kitchen seem larger. And replacing your oven with a new smart oven can make cooking easier than ever.
If you are thinking about remodeling your kitchen, choose the right contractor that shares your vision while making sure you adhere to local building codes. At Freccia Group, we provide professional residential construction services in Round Rock, Texas, for homeowners who are ready to redo their kitchen or any other part of their home from interior upgrades to adding another room.
Our team provides kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling, and a wide range of other construction services based upon the latest construction best practices and your vision. Contact us today to learn more about how to get started.