Riverside Construction Before and After Home Renovations

Featuring Riverside Construction’s “Designed for Life” Home Transformations in 2017

Whether you’re ready to remodel now or in the near future, tackling a remodel can be an intimidating process. But, seeing a home transform from bland to beautiful is often all the motivation you need to get your project started—particularly as you imagine your own home in these impressive before and after photos. Find your inspiration in these “Designed for Life” transformations we documented in 2017:

Kitchen Renovation
A central island wasn’t working for these homeowners, so we reworked the layout with an L shaped island with seating for two. The dated traditional design was replaced with fresh, sleek cabinetry, granite countertops, and pendant lighting.

Kitchen Renovation
With the help of Riverside Construction, this kitchen went from bland to grand! The kitchen was opened up to a create more efficient workspace, better traffic flow, and improved lighting. Aesthetically, the space was transformed with medium colored Hickory flooring, a honed travertine backsplash with Mosaic tile accents, an undermount Silgranite sink with Hawaii granite countertops, and full overlay cabinet doors in both dark and light colors.

For further design inspiration, view more photos and project details on this West Lafayette Traditional Kitchen Remodel

Kitchen Renovation
This small West Lafayette kitchen received a big renovation! These homeowners wanted to make sure that the remodel matched the Mid-Century style and character of the rest of the home. Riverside Construction knocked down a wall and opened the space so that the homeowners could enjoy abundant natural light and the beautiful view outside their windows. Ensuring the home’s architectural integrity, we used Mid-Century inspired materials that complemented the original wood color and style of the house, taking full advantage of the high ceilings to add more storage.

For further design inspiration, view more photos and project details on this West Lafayette Mid Century Modern Kitchen Remodel

Master Bathroom Shower Renovation
This master bathroom shower was dark and claustrophobic. Riverside Construction opened it up using double glass doors, gorgeous marble tile, brass fixtures and a bench for sitting. Beautiful!

Basement Bathroom Renovation
Riverside Construction added square footage to this small basement bathroom by removing a wall that allowed room for a functional shower designed with clean, crisp subway tile. To complete this transformation, dark gray paint was replaced with lighter tones and a new vanity was laid with gorgeous granite and all new brushed nickel fixtures.

Powder Room Remodel
From pink to perfect, this homeowner wanted their powder room to reflect their unique style preference while blending seamlessly with the architectural style of their home. Mission accomplished!

Basement Food and Beverage Entertainment Center
An old dated wet bar gets a much-needed modern facelift, complete with a beverage cooler, microwave, sink, lots of outlets and plenty of cabinet space.

Mud Room & Laundry Remodel
Whether you have a smaller home, or a large second entryway full of storage potential, one of the most envied, desired rooms in the home is a functional mudroom and/or laundry room. For this busy family, custom, built-in cabinetry was installed to accommodate each family member with plenty of creative storage potential—cubbies, cabinets, hooks for coats, shelves for shoe storage, and benches for seating. And, a bright pop of color on the wall helped to make this laundry room bright and airy.

Basement Kitchenette Addition
An unused space in a basement is transformed into a highly functional kitchenette complete with a refrigerator, microwave, sink and plenty of storage.

If you liked what you saw, be sure to like us on Facebook and check out our regularly scheduled “Before and After” posts throughout the year.

If 2018 is the year that you’re ready to tackle that remodel you’ve been dreaming about, be sure to sign up for one of our complimentary home remodeling seminars to help you get started.

If you’re ready to start a conversation about your own home remodeling project, schedule a no-obligation design consultation today. We will get you well on your way to creating a stunning living space that meets your personal design style, functional needs, and budget requirements. That’s what we do!

10 Ways to Winterize your Midwest Home

Winters here in Indiana—just like anywhere in the Midwest—can be severe. Your home is your most significant
financial investment, so it’s extremely important to prepare it well for winter. The inevitable freeze-thaw cycle, high
winds, freak snowstorms and pounding rain can wreak havoc, but there’s a lot you can do to prevent or minimize
winter damage to your home, particularly if you follow these 10 home winterization steps:

1. Inspect, Clean and Repair Your Roof and Gutters

This time of year, be sure to inspect all of your gutters and your roof. Repair any damage if necessary, and be
absolutely sure to clean out the gutters and downspouts. Fall leaves, animal nests and anything else should be
removed so that water can efficiently flow off of the roof and away from your home and its foundation.
Clogged gutters that fester over the winter can cause water leaks in your home and damage to the foundation. Not
only that, but during particularly harsh winters with a lot of snow, ice dams can form, causing more leaks and roof
damage. Ice dams often form due to insufficient insulation in the attic (see point 9). This one home winterization tip
alone can save you and your family thousands of dollars in water damage and a whole lot of hassle!

2. Seal Asphalt Driveways

The wild variations in temperature we experience here in Indiana over the winter can cause significant damage to
asphalt driveways. Water can infiltrate small cracks in your driveway during warm wet weather. When the
temperatures dip below freezing, that water freezes and becomes ice that expands, making the cracks bigger and
more expensive to fix—sometimes entire chunks of asphalt come loose, causing potholes. Regularly inspect your
driveway for cracks and remove debris. Have your driveway sealed on a regular basis (usually every 2-3 years). A
warm summer day is actually the perfect time to have this done (put on your calendar next year). Seal-coating fills
and repairs small cracks from water infiltration so they don’t get big and expensive.

3. Search for Leaks around Windows and Doors

Inspect both water and air leaks around every window and door to your home. The source of any water leaks
should be found and repaired immediately. Drafty air leaks should also be repaired with the appropriate weather
stripping or insulation to cut down on heat loss and winter energy bills. If you have screen doors, have your
contractor swap them out for new storm doors that can help prevent energy and heat loss. Also, consider updating
any older windows to more energy-efficient storm windows.

4. Protect Your Pipes

We cannot stress this one enough—burst pipes can cause all kinds of water damage and misery in the winter, but
you can take many steps to prevent this from happening:

  • Disconnect all hoses and store them over the winter
  • Drain all of the outside pipes so no water is left to freeze, thaw and burst the pipes
    Winterize your sprinkler systems
  • Make sure pipes are insulated to protect them from excessively cold temperatures
  • If you go away for the winter, make sure your thermostat keeps the heat in your home to at least 55-60
    degrees to keep pipes from freezing
  • Just to make sure, have your contractor check the pipes and water main to ensure it’s all ready for
    whatever winter brings

5. Give Your Furnace a Checkup

Have your furnace checked to make sure it is in top condition before cold weather hits. Make sure the filter has
been changed and that all of the ducts are clean, in good repair, and that there are no leaks in the system. Also,
double check that the furnace and other exhaust vents are clear of snow accumulation on a regular basis. It’s very
important to have a professional help you with the furnace, ventilation, and pipes so you don’t have any nasty
surprises during a cold snap.

6. Fireplace Maintenance

If you have a fireplace, your home and family’s safety depends on having the chimney’s swept and maintained.
Check that the damper opens and closes. Double check the condition of the bricks and mortar and, if necessary,
have a screen installed at the top of the chimney to prevent small animals from coming inside.

7. Check and Service Your Snow Blower

Before the first snow hits, you want to make sure your snow blower is ready for action. Fill it with gas and oil,
double check the spark plugs and make sure it’s otherwise in full working order. Also, make sure you have easy
access to snow shovels and that you have a good supply of de-icing salt to prevent trips, falls and accidents on your
property.

Conversely, put your lawnmower and other warm weather yard equipment to bed properly for the winter by
draining the oil and gas and draining all of the hoses before you store them.

8. Prepare Your Yard: Trim Trees and Vegetation

Have any trees and bushes near your home inspected and trimmed—particularly any with limbs overhanging the
roof or close to windows. Wild wind and ice storms can snap these trees and cause them to crash into your home.
Even if they’re healthy, limbs too close to the house can brush against the siding and roof, causing damage.

9. Insulate Your Whole House

Check all of the areas of your home where insulation might be insufficient. Improper attic insulation can cause ice
jams, for example. The walls, doors, windows, ducts, and areas where pipes or wires enter the house also need to
be checked. Improve insulation wherever it’s currently insufficient.

10. Prepare for Winter Weather and Power Outages

Blizzards, ice storms, and other mishaps can cause widespread power outages, so be prepared. Consider talking to
your contractor about installing an emergency generator. Make sure to have an easily-accessible emergency kit
with flashlights, extra batteries, an emergency radio (with a hand-crank option to help charge your cell phone),
blankets, cold weather gear (gloves, scarves, hats, boots), non-perishable (easy-to- prepare-without- electricity)
foods and extra water. If you have a fireplace, make sure you’ve got plenty of firewood stocked up.

Contact your Riverside Construction team to help you accomplish any of the items on this home winterization
checklist, even if it’s just a recommendation for a potential service provider. We want to make sure you are
prepared for winter’s worst! By following these helpful winterizing tips, you’ll have peace of mind, improve your
safety and save you money all season long!