As we reported here recently, when it comes to professional bathroom remodeling, the more space you have, the more imaginative you can be.  But when it comes to half-baths, also known as powder rooms, it takes a lot more skill and experience to complete something truly stunning.  Back in January, we shared this fresh half-bath our team completed in Johnsburg, IL!

So it didn't come as a surprise when we read this month's article from Realtor.com titled, The 7 Biggest Bathroom Design Trends Making a Splash Right Now, to see Half-Baths at the top of their list.  Another important trend that could easily be missed is right the under the Vintage Rugs (#7) are hex shaped tiles.  As shown below, we've just complete two different bathrooms, one in Cary and one in the Lake In The Hills, featuring hex shaped tiles! 

If the time has come to change your bathroom to something you adore rather than dread, contact our Diamond Bath team online or by calling our Client Selection Center in Crystal Lake today - 815-893-0282!

As we turn our clocks ahead this weekend, we "spring" another hour closer to tax season.  For many eager homeowners, tax refund checks may mean a family vacation this year, a new TV or potentially even that spa-like bathroom you've been dreaming of!  But what if that tax refund doesn't cover the entire bathroom remodeling investment? 

We are happy to share some general details about how the majority of Diamond Bath clients pay for their projects, and define some options that you may not have considered.  

Payments Over the Remodeling Process:  The first thing to note is that our projects commence with a minimal 20% upfront deposit of the overall estimated cost.  If your bathroom remodeling project were estimated at $15,000, your initial deposit would be just $3,000.  Two additional payments over the course of the project are defined ahead of time, and we conclude with a final balance upon project completion.  Please beware of companies that require massive upfront deposits (50% or greater) or that have you paying 100% of the estimated price before the project is completed. 

Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOC): Years ago, a home equity line was the most popular way to pay for professional remodeling projects but, as outlined in this article by the Chicago Tribune, people are a little more gun-shy following the economic bubble from a decade ago. None the less, the tax-deductible interest on HELOC loans continues to be appealing for some homeowners we work with. 

Financing:  Our new partners at GreenSky Financial offer three different payment options for signature loans that are fairly quick and easy to obtain. Select the plan that makes best financial sense for your family and approval can be provided within in minutes.  As we make progress with your remodeling project, GreenSky provides the approved payments only you authorize. 

Credit Cards: Within the state-of-the-art Client communication portal we use for our project management, we can also securely accept credit cards at the appropriate point in each remodeling project.  Since some clients are still uncomfortable with putting their credit card details online, we always offer the ability to stop into our Crystal Lake offices for on-site payment processing during regular business hours. 

Cash & Check Discounts:  While most of the payment methods above are both comfortable and convenient for consumers, the financial reality for business owners is slightly different.  It's well known that accepting credit cards and offering financing packages comes at an expense to every company.  That's why we have always offered an on-time payment discounts for Clients who elect to pay with checks or cash.  Be sure to ask your Diamond Bath representative about it! 

After many years in the remodeling business, we realize that paying for home improvements is something that every homeowner must contend with. We work diligently with each client to make certain that our payment requests are in alignment with the progress of their remodeling project.  We encourage all potential Diamond Bath clients to spend a few minutes on our new Reviews page to get a good sense of how highly satisfied our customers actually are! 

Earlier today we added a new video to our home page to welcome all new website visitors! The purpose of the welcome video is to quickly explain our company, our location and the amazing reputation we've established by serving the remodeling needs of homeowners in Lake and McHenry county Illinois for so many years. We spent a good portion of the one minute video showing a montage of our recent customer reviews and recent accolades from nationally-known companies like Angie's List. 

But also prominently featured in the video are a series of photos of our teams. Diamond Bath employees who work both in our Crystal Lake Client Selection Center and our teams working in client homes each work day.  Since the video goes by pretty quickly, we want to dedicate some time and space (below) for photos of our team members you might talk with by phone or who might be working on your new bathroom at this very minute. 

If you are considering professional bathroom remodeling later in 2019, please be sure to Share our new video with other family members so they get to know us equally as well!

While we will wait until the weekend for the champagne celebrations, our entire team in Crystal Lake is excited to announce some impressive news delivered this week: Diamond Bath has been awarded the Super Service Award by Angie's List! This award for our professional remodeling work completed during 2018, represents the fifth year in a row that we've been bestowed with this honor. 

For those who may not be familiar with the Angie's List awards process, only companies that meet some strict eligibility requirements are considered, which ultimately are companies who maintain an "A" overall grade rating - for recent grade and during the review period.  Candidates must also be in good standing with Angie's List and undergo additional screening. 

Having been partnered with Angie's List for 12 years now, and have received nearly 90 member reviews during that time, we can attest that just getting this recognition once is not an easy feat. Further, putting together a run for five years straight is truly an accomplishment we will all be highly proud for the rest of 2019!  And you can count on our team to make certain that all Diamond Bath Clients are beyond satisfied with our services and treated with the utmost care so that we can share this news again at this same time in 2020! 

The first time you meet with the Diamond Bath team, we all seem very inquisitive. We take the time to ask many questions to make absolutely sure that what we deliver a professionally remodeled bathroom that not only aligns with your stated goals, but also with ideas you have.  To make our initial design consultation queries a little easier on future clients, we want to share the following sequence of questions, as suggested by our partners at Houzz: 

1. How much time do you spend in your bathroom, include morning, afternoon and evening?

2. What is your daily routine and how does your current bathroom space hinder or slow that time spent? 

3. How many people actually use the bathroom being remodeled? 

4. How many more years do you plan to live in this home, or is a future resale likely? 

5. Do the people most likely to use the new bathroom have any health challenges, like vision problems, balance issues or arthritis, that should be considered in our new bathroom design? 

6. How important is it to have a new bathroom that is easy to clean and keep well-organized?

7. What special amenities does your new bathroom need to include?  We've spent a lot of time on this subject, and suggest reading our "2019 Remodeling Resolutions" post for the top five most common requests from Illinois homeowners. 

We suggest printing this post out and discussing each question with family members so that when you contact the Diamond Bath team or visit our Client Selection Center in Crystal Lake, our questions can be addressed confidently and make our mission of achieving your dream bathroom a reality in 2019! 
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