# Guide me



## sophiaedward123 (Jul 12, 2012)

Hello everyone,
I'm Sophia Edward from USA. I am planning to remodel my small house where I have two bedrooms and not that much big the change I want is to make this big one bed room and some changes in kitchen and bathroom as well. As bathroom occupies more space so I was thinking to do something different and thought to increase the space of bedroom? But I am confuse now :sad:, can any one give me advice how I can make home beautiful and attractive? I will be waiting for your responses.


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## ErnestoArriola (Jul 30, 2012)

*making a beatiful space*

Hi Sophia, There is a place on the internet name Houzz home design, in this place you can find more than 50,000 photos, you can see the different categories they have, bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchen, living room, and others, and you can find some ideas from your proyect, in this place you can create and acount to keep the photos in an ideabook, with the comments that I call attention, and depending on your computer skills, you can use a program, google sketchup 8, to simulate 3D space before you spend a dime, it is easy to learn it just takes time, greetings and good luck with your project.


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## ErnestoArriola (Jul 30, 2012)

*Sketchuo 8 how to use*

Hello sophia, want to add that on you tube you can see what you can do with Google SketchUp 8, and search video tutorials that teach you how to use it, greetings.


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

sophiaedward123 said:


> Hello everyone,
> I'm Sophia Edward from USA. I am planning to remodel my small house where I have two bedrooms and not that much big the change I want is to make this big one bed room and some changes in kitchen and bathroom as well. As bathroom occupies more space so I was thinking to do something different and thought to increase the space of bedroom? But I am confuse now :sad:, can any one give me advice how I can make home beautiful and attractive? I will be waiting for your responses.


Sophia,

Before the pretty, first there's "structurally sound." A lot depends if the existing wall between the bedroom and bathroom is weight bearing or not, how many electrical circuits and any plumbing in that wall.

Second, most of the time if it's weight bearing, then you are going to need to draw something up and get a remodel permit. That all depends on where you live. Some areas are a little slack on that while others are sticklers. How the bathroom is laid out and it's accouterments, etc. Some are more expensive for that permit than others. Ex- Where I used to live it was $25,000 for a building permit and $2,500 for a remodel permit. This county I live in now is $800 for a building permit and they're flexible on remodel permits (on a case by case basis) if even needed. IMHO I feel the reasons they require that is to make sure it's safe and they want to know if they can raise your property taxes.

Once you get a structural plan of what you want, then you get to the details of the pretty. Most of the pretty is in design- the trim, the wall colors, textures, the flooring, window treatments, windows themselves (bay, bow or garden box windows)... Trim can be used to draw in that visual to a focal point you want to showcase. It can be used to make something plain into something beautiful and elegant with a touch of class.

Kitchens are in the layout, kitchen appliances, sink, cabinets, counters, flooring, trim, windows. You can never have enough cabinet space nor enough electrical outlets in a kitchen. A sink is usually near a cutting space and the stove. (You don't want to have to walk back and forth from one end of the kitchen to the other to cook.)

One note is that most real estate agents will agree that the selling point on most houses is the kitchen and bathroom. You can devalue a house by making a bathroom into a closet... That also goes for combining 2 bedrooms into 1. Technically, it would then be a 1 bedroom home. So think about how you want to lay things out, that they are pleasant, convenient and functional.

Architecturally, trim is usually somewhat modest in a small home, although I have done crown molding atop cabinets, plinth blocks and corner blocks with rosettes for door casings, windows casings miniaturized to match, matching or contrasting baseboards, etc... that really brings out an elegant look to small homes. Or elaborate or traditional with multi-layered crown mouldings, chair rails, picture rail mouldings, plate rails, shadow boxes, wainscoting, fireplace mantles, stool and apron window trims, cornice mouldings, stacked baseboards, etc. So decide on basic to elaborate trim types in which profiles. Next choice on that would if it were to be stained hardwoods or a paint-out. 

Look around sites like Home Depot and Lowes. Go their stores. (I'm not sure what stores comparable are close to you.) They have people there that their job is "design"... and they have examples there. (I'm somewhat visual) Doesn't mean you have to buy there, but you can get an idea of what you want, right?

You haven't filled out your profile here, so I have no idea of your skills or the tools you have.


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