Being a professional remodeling company, it's easy to get caught up in the latest color and design trends that might come out of the east or west coasts. Luckily, we spend each work day collaborating with Illinois homeowners who help provide the constant realities of what residents really want.  So when we see an article from Elle Decor, we might be a little cautious about their 15 bathroom "Trends to Keep on Your Radar".  But among the 15, there were a few that we felt were truly strong. 

Here are our Top Three Bathroom Trends from this Elle Decor article:

Stay Bold and Tiny: Number one on their list was all about making big impressions even in small spaces. A few months back we posted this article talking about the boom in half bathrooms we've seen lately (also called powder rooms). While we are certainly a bit biased, we believe this project we completed at the start of the year in Johnsburg is a great combination of both trends, a bold powder room. 

Stay Exposed: We are not suggesting a window in your shower, but we are talking about your pipes. Number four on the Elle list details the trend we've seen in the past 24 months or so. Exposed shower plumbing (as shown below) is ideal for bathrooms that might feature subway tile, or modern marble, or even for those trying to accomplish the spa-like atmosphere that's been so popular in master suites lately. 
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Stay Neutral: While a suggestion for a neutral color palette might seem to conflict with the "bold" direction suggested above, we believe both trends are feasible.  In  the photo below, our recently completed project in Crystal Lake shows a classic look, that is both modern and timeless.  It's also highly appealing to potential home buyers, should that be something being considered in the future. 

When you are ready to share your design ideas and discuss your dream bathroom, our team is ready to talk! Contact us today or stop by our Client Selection Center in Crystal Lake this week! 

As you may have read in last Sunday's Northwest Herald, your humble team at Diamond Bath was chosen as one of the best Home Remodelers in McHenry County for 2019! Each year the newspaper presents it's readers with many business categories to nominate for their annual Best of the Fox Awards.  Being named as one of the best in our county is truly a great privilege and honor.   Founder of Diamond Bath, Jim Termanas, said; 

"We are so grateful to all the Clients who voted for us and appreciate the work that we do for homeowners in McHenry County.  It's great to be recognized like this, by the readers of the Northwest Herald, because it is our hometown paper that we've been reading for decades.  We will hang this award proudly within our Client Selection Center here in Crystal Lake!"  --Jim Termanas, Founder of Diamond Bath

Thanks once again to each and every past Client of ours who took the time to vote Diamond Bath Remodeling as one of the Best of the Fox for 2019!
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Because a significant portion of our business ebbs and flows with the local real estate market, we tend to keep a close eye on trends identified by local real estate professionals and Realtor.com.  A few days ago we took great interest in this article, posted by Realtor.com, called 9 Crucial Question to Ask Before a Bathroom Remodel Begins. We highly encourage our visitors to review the article so we don't spoil too much in our commentary below. 

As we've seen with articles written by bloggers versus those of us who are active in the bathroom remodeling industry each work day, we find the majority of these questions on the money, but a few left us wondering.  Below, we'll focus on a few questions we feel are "key", if not crucial, to helping shape your bathroom renovation or professional bath remodeling project: 

Do you want a bigger bathroom with fixtures changing locations? This really combines questions #3 and #4 from the Realtor article, but at the core of these two questions we are trying to determine is this a bathroom renovation or a true remodel?  We've dedicated a lot of time and attention to helping people understand the differences between these two options, and even wrote an entire article dedicated to the Remodeling vs Renovation topic, but this is an important question to answer for yourselves before contacting a professional remodeling company. 

Are Universal Design features helpful to those using the bathroom? Maybe it's because we are all aging, but we've started to avoid the term "Age in Place" as much as we're trying to avoid AARP membership requests.  Meanwhile, a commonly accepted phrase in the home design and remodeling industry, "Universal Design" seems to accomplish similar goals without offending those of us a certain age.  Because this has been a common conversation, and explanation, for our team to have with Illinois homeowners, in 2018 we wrote an article on Universal Design that we frequently share to help everyone understand the many advantages of this design trend. 

What's on your new bathroom wishlist? While it's easy for us to talk about great "bells and whistles" like heated floors, rainfall shower heads, double vanities, tiled shower niches, and smart bluetooth shower speaker systems that allow you to listen to your favorite music playlists or podcasts, we also realize that budget is always a concern.  Ideally, it's best for the homeowners to be in agreement on what are the absolute necessities for the new bathroom, and what might be on the "nice to have" wishlist.  Our team can help you put a price to your wishlist items so that your new dream bathroom isn't a nightmare on your budget! 

When you've answered some of these key questions, visit our Diamond Bath Client Selection Center in Crystal Lake, or call us at 815-893-0282 to schedule a free consultation in your home! 

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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