Interior Remodeling
Pros and Cons of the Comfort Height Toilet – LaGrange
What are the pros and cons of the comfort height toilet – LaGrange? How will 1-2 inches of height on the toilet make it more ideal? Let us check it out and see why! I hope you enjoy my podcast below that I made on this topic and I go in much greater depth too on this topic. Enjoy!
Pros and Cons of the Comfort Height Toilet – LaGrange
Can there be a significant difference while sitting straight down on a comfort height toilet? Exactly how can one to two inches of height on your toilet enable it to be more desirable? I wouldn’t have believed it personally until I installed a comfort height toilet (in some cases described as a raised toilet) at my house. After using this elevated restroom, then utilizing the typical height in a different bathroom in my house, that absence of 2 inches made me genuinely feel like I was falling on the floor. Comfort height toilets are the greatest!
What’s a Comfort Height Toilet
I probably would not have believed it myself up until I got a comfort height toilet (quite often known as a raised toilet) inside my house. Shortly after using this specific raised toilet and after that using the standard height toilet inside of a separate restroom around my home, that loss of 2 inches made me feel as if I was plunging to the ground. Comfort height toilets are undoubtedly the most ideal! Seriously!
What’s the Difference Between a Comfort Height and a Standard Height Toilet
Let us inspect a handful of real benefits and accessories that you should think of if upgrading your bathrooms with brand-new toilets:
- Comfort height toilets are roughly 2 inches taller than your standard toilet. As you get on in years, it is so much less troublesome to get off the throne to stand. Trust me. I suffer from poor knees, and this is truly a life-saver!
- During the same occasion of installment, get a soft-close toilet seat. You will certainly like that it really is truly quiet and probably will not make any noise at all.
- They now come with lighted toilet seats and even built-in air fresheners. And while it might sound funny, the built-in seat may be an ideal “night light” for safety when you are going up in years or with regards to the smaller children that get out of bed in the middle of the night.
- Do not forget to buy a brand-new supply hose upon installment.
I hope you have liked this quick video on the pros and cons of comfort heigh toilets. And discovered the positive reasons to update your current toilet (or maybe each of your toilets) located in your home to comfort height toilets. You never will regret this decision.
Don’t forget, if you need an estimate on installing a toilet, give me a call. My team and I have been serving Hinsdale, Oak Brook, La Grange, Darien, Western Springs, Burr Ridge, Hawthorn Woods, Lake Bluff, and all of the Chicago area for 30+ years.
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Transform Your Bathroom on a Budget – New Lenox
When it comes to remodeling the bathroom, a person doesn’t need to break the bank in the process. Let’s look over several strategies to restore specific parts of one’s bathroom to make it up to date by using a cost-effective system in mind. Especially when it comes down to how to transform your bathroom on a budget – New Lenox. Click on the orange play button below to hear Mark’s podcast on this very topic where he goes in-depth on this topic.
Transform Your Bathroom on a Budget – New Lenox
When it comes to redoing the interior of your home, you do not need to spend a lot of time on it. There are a handful of concepts and ideas that you can use to refresh some of the space in your bathroom to get it updated while keeping an economic strategy in mind. One of these areas is the vanity in your bathroom. And there are three easy steps that you can follow to keep the vanity updated.
- Painting
- Door Handles & Hinges
- Cabinet Refacing
Bathroom Vanity Makeover
Painting— This is certainly a great economic strategy as an alternative to installing a new vanity. If the current vanity is in decent condition but is merely outdated, then you can add a fresh coat of paint. This is the most affordable way to upgrade your bathroom.
Hinges & Door Handles— If your cabinets are in good shape or if you just painted them, then choose some brand new hinges and door handles. Believe it or not, this is another good strategy to help renew the look in your bathroom!
Cabinet Refacing— When it comes to refacing, all you need to do is paint the “skeleton” or frame of the cabinet, then install all new doors on it afterward.
Lotz of Logic
Besides updating the vanity in the bathroom, another great way to go is to reface the tub. This is an excellent solution to do if you are thinking about moving in the next 2-4 years or in the case that you rarely use the tub. When it comes to knowing how to transform your bathroom on a budget – New Lenox, there are several easy things to do without breaking the bank. By keeping these in mind, you can do a lot with your bathroom to give it a fresh look.
Don’t forget, if you need an estimate on updating your bathroom, give me a call. My team and I have been serving Orland Park, Homer Glen, Mokena, Frankfort, Tinley Park, New Lenox, Lemont, Orland Hills, Palos Park, St John IN, and all of the Chicago area for 30+ years.
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Small Bathroom Improvements for Aging in Place
Remodeling your bathroom is a great way to update your home. And when you are remodeling your bathroom, you should plan for the future, especially when it comes to small bathroom improvements for aging in place.
Small Bathroom Improvements for Aging in Place
Custom shower bench seats are fantastic. They, as well as grab bars, are often the two most frequent requests that our company gets from the majority of our clients. That is usually because they are getting rid of old jet tubs and installing more extensive showers.
No matter what your age is, everybody can use a shower seat bench to relax on. It is also great to have a seat bench installed in your shower anytime you have an injury or may need immediate surgery because not everyone is comfortable or secure on the plastic medical seats, which you can purchase at Walgreens.
While bench seats work great, they can sometimes be a little rickety or temporary. And while the constant movement isn’t a safety issue, they can add to the discomfort of you or a loved one. So try a built-in one instead. Some built-in seat benches are made to fold down as needed and take up less space. And they are made from durable plastic, while others can get pretty fancy with being made from teak wood. Some companies offer a molded bench that you can fit into the shower space as well. It is easy to tile around them, and the seats come in different heights since everyone is built differently.
Since we are talking about comfort and since ceramic and porcelain shower seats can get kind of cold. Another great option is doing a heated seat. By installing a heater in your shower, it will make the bench seat a lot warmer when you sit down on it.
How to Design a Bathroom for Aging in Place
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Grab or safety bars. When it comes to grab bars, people often think that only older people need them. And that when grab bars are installed in your bathroom that you are aging. But what they don’t realize is that security inside the shower is a must for any generation. Grab bars are only necessary to help you get a solid hold and prevent you from losing your footing around the slippery areas.
They are convenient to have and can make getting up off of things a lot easier. Especially if you have a bad hip or knee, grab bars can also be used due to age, a medical situation, or from too much relaxing in the shower. While they don’t bring up visions of style, there are a lot of options to choose from and prove that safety and style can go hand-in-hand. They can go from your standard grab bars to a more fancy and classy style. The fancy/chic style is made of chrome, brushed nickel, or burnished bronze so that it can match the rest of your bathroom fixtures.
No matter what your age, adding grab bars to your shower is a great idea. And you won’t have to worry about sacrificing your style over substance because we can all use something to hold onto at times in the shower.
Aging in Place Bathroom Renovation
Small bathroom improvements for aging in place also include shower wands. Shower wands come in handy because most bench seats are further back in the shower. And the shower want is a great companion for it. That way, you can sit down on the bench and have the wand reach across the shower so that you can still use it. Since adjusting the main showerhead isn’t always an option for some people, then having a hand-held shower wand comes in handy.
While some showerheads come with an additional wand attached, often, the hose isn’t long enough across the shower. You need to make sure that you install one that has a hose long enough to reach the back of the shower. Especially since the point of a bench seat is so that you can sit down while showering. When you have a shower wand that has a long enough hose, you won’t have to worry about standing up and possibly slipping in the soapy mess on the floor of the shower.
Lotz of Logic
When it comes to planning your bathroom remodel, make sure you take some extra time to add in some of the above ideas. Especially if you are a senior and you want to make some small bathroom improvements for aging in place. And even if you and your family don’t need them, you will find yourself using them quite often without realizing it. Because life can be crazy and you don’t know what it will throw at you. So you will want to be prepared. Taking the extra time and labor to add in the extra convenience to your master or other bathrooms will prove to be a great benefit to you and your family.
Grab/safety bars, bench seats, and shower wands are all significant improvements to have installed in your shower. Make sure that you check out your local home improvement store for these items. There will be many options in stock, as well as an array of options for special orders. Although these add-ons can add to the cost of the remodel, the convenience of it all will make every penny worth it. Not only are they useful if you plan to stay in your home for a while. They can also increase the value of your home if you want to sell it. And it is easy to donate items you no longer need to places like Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
Don’t forget, if you need an estimate on small bathroom renovations, give me a call. My team and I have been serving South Barrington, Barrington, North Barrington, Inverness, Lake Zurich, Schaumburg, Elgin, Long Grove, South Elgin, Palatine, Wayne, Deerfield, and all of the Chicago area for 30+ years.
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Choosing a New Toilet – Comfort or Standard Height
Could there be a difference when sitting down on your comfort height toilet? How can one-two inches of distance on your toilet make it so much better? Today we are talking about choosing a new toilet – comfort or standard height.
Choosing a New Toilet – Comfort or Standard Height
You are out shopping for items to replace in your home, and a toilet pops up on your mind. And you wonder if you need to add some height to the toilet. Thanks to today’s technology, there is a variety of toilets to choose from that all come at an affordable price. But that’s not all there is. Because we now have the opportunity to select a new toilet that is based on comfort or standard height.
But why is that? Well, if you think about it for a moment. Toilets can sometimes be a pain to get on and off if you are taller than you might have a difficulty where your knees are hitting the opposite wall. Or if you have a problem standing, then a higher toilet might be the ticket.
So what is the difference between a standard and a raised toilet? The difference is the height. A standard toilet, which is commonly found in many residential homes, runs around 15 inches while a custom height or raised toilet comes a couple of inches taller and stands between 16 to 18 inches. While this might seem like a lot, there is a difference when you are sitting on a toilet with an increase in height and the wonders it can do even if it’s only an inch or two.
What’s a Comfort Height Toilet
When it comes to comfort height toilets, there are several benefits and add-ons that you should
Consider when going to update your bathrooms with new toilets. Let’s start with the fact that comfort height toilets are about two inches taller than your standard toilet. And as you go up in age, it is a whole lot easier to get off the toilet to stand up. It is a lifesaver. Especially if you have bad knees.
At the time of installation, consider getting a soft-close toilet seat. You will love the fact that it is silent and won’t make any noise, especially in the middle of the night. There are also lighted toilet seats and built-in air fresheners. The built-in seat could be the perfect “night light” for safety as you are getting up in age or for any younger children who get up in the middle of the night. It is also essential to install a new supply hose when you install your new toilet in the bathroom.
Choosing a New Toilet
When you go to pick out a toilet, whether it is a comfort or standard height toilet, it can be super easy to do. Especially if you live in an area that has several large home improvement stores. Because there is such a wide variety of toilets to choose from, you have your pick on whether you buy either raised or bolt-in toilets. But that typically comes down to a matter of appearance and style.
Of course, the best way to figure out what type of toilet is best for you and your family is to try one out. Visit the local big box store that is in your area and sit on the variety of models and heights that they offer there. Make sure that as many people as possible from your household come so that you can all try out and decide on a toilet together. Since you will be using this toilet for many years, the people who live there must be comfortable with it as well. Because people are different, it is best to go with a toilet that will satisfy the most significant amount of people in the house. If the toilet is too tall for children or short adults, an easy solution to fix this problem is to provide a small footstool for them to use.
When it comes to pricing, you may find that a custom height toilet will vary in price depending on where you go shopping for one. But your local home improvement stores like Lowe’s, Home Depot or Menards, the prices are a bit more reasonable for these toilets. Between $100.00 and $250.00 are fairly typical costs that you would find for a standard toilet. And you shouldn’t be paying much more if any then that for a custom toilet for your bathroom.
Lotz of Logic
Always remember to check for any defects and cracks before purchasing a toilet. This is because the toilets are often sitting in the local box store for a while in between shipping and purchasing. Because we spend so much time on the toilet, we want to make sure that it is the best and works for you and your family.
When it comes to picking out a new toilet for my own home, I would not have considered this myself personally until eventually, I put in a new comfort height toilet (occasionally identified as a raised toilet) at my own home. After utilizing this specifically built toilet and then using the typical bathroom in an additional restroom in my house, that absence of two inches made me feel like I was sliding to the ground. Comfort height is best! This is no joke.
Don’t forget, if you need an estimate on choosing a new toilet – comfort or standard height, give me a call. My team and I have been serving Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Oakbrook Terrace, Lombard, Carol Stream, Westmont, Willowbrook, Woodridge, and all of the Chicago area for 30+ years.
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Repairing Water Damaged Wood
Because of window treatment options and blinds, water damage to window treatments is often out of sight, out of mind. When water damage is noticed, how do you fix it? Today we are talking about repairing water damaged wood and how to find it and fix it.
Repairing Water Damaged Wood
Understand how to repair water damaged wood in your bathroom and kitchen is important. It is also a question that commonly gets asked. Humidity, leaking windows, excess water, and poor ventilation are more often than not the cause of the damage to wood. And when the water damage is noticed it is often too late to do anything with it. So it is important to check all of the trim on your windows regularly for water damage so that you can get it fixed earlier rather than later.
To help you remember to check your windows place a reminder on your calendar twice a year to check on all of your windows in your home. But specifically, check the windows in the bathroom and kitchen. If you do happen to notice excess water or wood beginning to either appear darker or more worn down than it typically is. Then you definitely have some issues happening. When you find the problem, then you can address what is causing it and fix it. And it really is just a matter of repairing water damaged wood trim. If you repair the wood trim fast enough, then it will not be an issue. In the event you wait too long, you could have to repair the wood pieces all together.
How To Fix Water Damaged Wood
When it comes to repairing water damaged wood, there are several easy steps to follow. The first step is checking for loose paint or stain. This is because loose or flaking paint or stain is the first sign of water damage on window treatments. But it is one of the simplest problems to fix. To determine if paint or stain is flaking or loose check the window to see if there is a leak that lets in water when it rains or freezes. If there isn’t a leak, then the loose paint is caused by humidity from the inside.
Water stains and mold are two more items that are caused by water damage to the wood. When working with removing mold, it needs to be appropriately treated to remove it. With water damage, it looks like a dark stain on the wood. To remove it, start by sanding the trim down and then use a good wood bleach to lighten the woods. Doing this often does the trick. But if the damage is severe, then using bleach won’t work, and the wood will have to be replaced.
Treating Damaged Wood And Humidity
If the bleach treatment does work, then once the wood is dry and clean from the treatment, you should put a good stain, sealer, and a top coat on it. It is best to treat the parts of the window trim that really need it. Doing this before applying the stain, sealer and top coat helps give it a more even and consistent look. This also adds ten more years of life to your windows.
Monitoring the humidity in your home is important. Especially if you have experienced a problem with it in the past. During the winter, make sure you keep an eye on how much the water is condensing on the glass in the window. If there seems to be a lot of water on the glass, then you will need to turn down the humidity. During colder temperatures, if your home is not well insulated, then it is important to keep the window trim in mind. This is because the condensation might be freezing around the window, especially in the corners if the temperatures get below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lots Of Logic
If you or someone that you know has this happening to the windows in the kitchen or bathroom. Then it would be worthwhile to take a look at the damage and determine what the damage is and then follow these techniques to take care of it. It will also help to prevent it from happening again in the future. Because if you catch it quick enough then it will be fine and if it goes too long, then the wood trim will need to be replaced completely. The same goes for having a wood fence in your backyard.
Don’t forget, if you need an estimate on repairing water damaged wood, give me a call. My team and I have been serving St. Charles, Warrenville, Wheaton, Winfield, Geneva, Batavia, and all of the Chicago area for 30+ years.
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