Built for today - Home, Furniture & Design - ReviewJournal.com
By ANDY SAYLOR
SPECIAL TO HOME
Posted: Oct. 20, 2011 | 2:03 a.m.
When asked the question, "Why do people remodel their bathroom or
kitchen?" the most common answer is that "redoing the bathroom is the
easiest and least expensive way to improve or increase the value of your
home," said Corwyn Frierson specialty manager at The Home Depot in
Henderson. "When people are trying to maintain the value of their home
we see more and more attempts to stay in their home and update the
look."
One of the latest trends is to shop and buy items for
home-improvement projects online and then pick them up in the store,
Frierson said. The customer can spend as much time as he or she needs to
make a more informed decision by looking at the choices and then see
the way it will look in their own rooms. After placing the order, it can
be picked up at the store usually within two hours, he said.
Another
great idea from The Home Depot is the ability to select paint colors
online. A program provides shoppers the opportunity to print out a
sample paint chip at home and hold it against the area to be painted
before making their final choice and picking it up at the store.
The
Home Depot is also offering Vanity Insanity, where designers pair sinks
and vanities in today's top styles, giving customers ideas about the
many options available to change the look of their bathrooms.
"Price
is a driving force when people are remodeling but it is not always the
deciding factor. Midrange pricing is the norm," said Frierson.
"Decorators
and homeowners alike are choosing to explore the new materials that
were not available before," said Stephen Leon of Soleil Design
International of Las Vegas. "Some of the new porcelain tiles look
exactly like leather or wood or stone and are amazing," he said.
Ease
of installation is another driving factor according to Mike Klimek of
Pro-Handyman Service of Las Vegas. "I see more and more people doing
their own work and replacing faucets and fixtures. Little old ladies are
changing light fixtures. None of it is really hard if you have a little
time and can read instructions."
Peter Schor, of Dynamic Results
Inc. and a bath and kitchen industry educator, spoke recently about some
of the new bath products available.
"Turning the shower into a
'spa retreat' is one of the top five trends in baths today. Why? These
preplumbed shower columns (panels) ... use the existing shower valve.
You remove the shower arm, quick connect to the half-inch connection and
fasten to the wall -- all in 15 minutes or so."
He said the units
were tested under normal water pressure and were engineered to work
effectively. Plus, they come in a wide variety of colors.
Another great idea Schor mentioned was a fogless shaving mirror that fits into the shower and uses LED lighting.
Delta
Faucet, one of the cutting edge innovators in the industry, is offering
a Touch2O technology faucet for the bathroom or kitchen that is easily
installed and can be activated with a touch of the hand. Its Touch2O XT
simply requires you wave your hand in 4-inch field to activate.
Ali
McKinney, production marketing manager for Delta, said the big change
she sees is the "greening" of the water system or the water efficiency
necessary to meet the expectations of the public while still meeting
government regulations.
"It's going green without giving up the experience," she said.
McKinney
said, "CalGreen is the latest standards for faucets, set down by the
state of California. California actually requires no more than 2.0
gallons per minute, far exceeding the federal standard of 2.5."
While
Delta received a Water Sense Partner of the Year Award recently from
the Environmental Protection Agency, it continues to make strides
forward in meeting the needs of the buyer without sacrificing style. The
latest requests from buyers is to increase specialty finishes, such as
nickel or champagne bronze. Putting these finishes on contemporary
styles helped develop a new style labeled "Mountain Modern," McKinney
said.
Kathryn Gallagher of The Home Depot says that "According to a
2010 Fredonia study, bathroom renovations are among the most popular of
home-improvement projects. They enhance convenience, add to the value
of the consumer's home and are perceived as a smaller financial
investment and more scalable project. Remodeling a bath or adding a new
one is one of the top ways to increase a home's value. Homeowners are
updating their baths now so their homes are ready to sell when the
market rebounds."
All of the trends and ideas seem to point to the
economy and the ability of homeowners attempting to stay in their homes
to hold the value of their properties during these trying financial
times. Homeowners want to keep the value, but they may be taking a bath
in the market. For just a few minutes, however, a great shower like the
"In2ition" from Delta can make it all go away.
