Our partners over at Houzz have written another great article this month that most Illinois homeowners should read.  If you are considering selling your home at some point in the next six to 12 months, then you'll absolutely want to read: 5 Remodels That Make Good Resale Value Sense - and 5 That Don't.  The article isn't just about bathrooms, but they do make it clear that when it comes to selling a home, you shouldn't overlook your bathrooms! According to the Houzz article:

Homebuyers notice bathrooms, and although all the bathrooms are important, a priority should be placed on the powder room and master bath, followed by a guest bathroom and any other secondary baths.

The only detail we might take issue with is their use of the word, "remodel".  One of our most popular stories in 2018 was this article called, What's the difference between Remodeling and Renovation? Those who spent a few minutes with this important Diamond Bath blog post found that "renovation" is a more simple and affordable "update" of your bathroom - where fixtures and electrical services remain in place. A true "remodeling" of your bathroom will likely entail moving fixtures, removing  walls, opening up windows, and changing utilities. 

About six months before putting your home on the market, contact our Diamond Bath team in Crystal Lake - 815-893-0282 - to discuss an affordable renovation plan that will update your bathroom(s) without getting into extensive design plans and expensive relocation of pipes, wires, tubs, lights or vanities. 

A few months back we decided to enter three of our bathroom projects to be considered for The Chrysalis Award, which has recognized excellence in remodeling since 1994!  This is the first time Diamond Bath has entered into The Chrysalis Award competition and we are genuinely excited about the prospect of being recognized as a top remodeling company in the Midwest!

We submitted project photos and details from three different client bathrooms based in McHenry and Lake County Illinois. The Chrysalis Awards categorize "Bathroom Remodel" projects into three price ranges:

• Under $50,000
• $50,000 - $75,000
• Over $75,000

Our submissions included one project in each of the three categories.  Our bathroom projects will be compared to hundreds of other contractors in our Midwest region, which includes the following ten states: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin. 

We will share the three submitted project photos and the results of the 2019 Chrysalis Award when they are publicized, most likely in June!

Thank you to all our wonderful clients, giving us the opportunity to listen to your desires and transform your bathrooms into unique new spaces; without you, we wouldn't be able to showcase our craftsmanship and skills. 
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At least 80% of the bathroom remodeling projects we complete each year involve some type of tile work. When it comes to dealing with moisture and humidity in a bathroom, contemporary tiles provide for the best combination of visual appeal, durability and easy cleaning. And in terms of popularity over the past decade, the basic white subway tile remains at the top of the wishlist for the majority of Illinois homeowners. 

So when we discovered this story last month, What's next after white subway tile?, we admit that we were intrigued. The article was authored by Vern Yip, an important design guru featured in many TV shows on HGTV and TLC.  Vern was also responsible for the remodeling of a Chicago loft in a recent episode of Urban Oasis. 

While we encourage all to read his story, we can quickly summarize new tile changes into three categories:

• Color
• Shape 
• Size 

We agree completely with these new trends as we continue to receive requests for all three - sometimes in the same bathroom!  Take a look at a recent project photo of ours below, a great combination of the traditional white subway tiles on the walls, hex shape tiles on the floor and a great neutral color combination in the shower niche along with just a touch of marble.  This new shower was enhanced with the corner shelf for shaving, and a recessed niche for soaps and shampoos, as well as a modern linear drain.