Remodeling Blog

Summer and late spring are the busiest times of year for home improvement projects, but some projects just make a lot more sense to complete when the weather is still chilly and the construction business is slow. If you're hoping to finish some last-minute home improvements projects before the busy summer season, we've got some suggestions that can help you decide. To learn more about how to hire a home improvement contractor, download our free guide to hiring a home improvement professional. If you're not sure which winter remodeling projects are best, check out our suggestions below. Get ready to make your home more beautiful and functional! 

While we want to help with your projects at home, sometimes it's easier to just do it yourself. As a homeowner, you should have a good set of tools on hand for little and big things as they come up. Whether you're hanging new curtains in your home, fixing those shelves, or assembling that swing set in the yard, you're going to need some basic tools for getting the job done. For the simple stuff, here are the tools every homeowner needs. 

General contractors typically work with two types of professionals during a standard remodeling project: subcontractors and partners. The relationships with partners and subs can be delicate. It takes years for a general contractor to learn how to manage these relationships effectively, to ensure that everyone gets what they need at the end of a construction project.  Whether you're new to the industry or simply seeking some information about construction industry functions, it's important to know how these three distinct groups work together as they create beautiful buildings, additions, and remodels throughout the state of Connecticut. Litchfield Builders has been in business for over 25 years, and we've learned a lot about how to maintain balance and good communication with partners and subs. We thrive on these relationships. Here's what we've learned in our time as a general contractor. 

Some people hire a general contractor when it's time to remodel. Some people do the work themselves.  ...And still others hire subcontractors to coordinate their own remodel like a general .  Which one are you? We've seen all three approaches. While there's no one right way to perform a home improvement project, there can be disadvantages to not hiring a general contractor. If you can recognize those disadvantages, you can avoid some of the common mistakes that homeowners make when they decide not to hire a general . 

The home buyer market is hot right now, and all over Connecticut, homeowners are preparing their homes for sale. One of the ways to make your home competitive in the real estate market is to update old or dated features with a beautiful remodel. During the project, it's important to research pictures of materials and potential layouts. Having these props makes it easier to communicate with your contractor, and more importantly, make decisions about your home improvement project. There seem to be endless home remodeling websites designed to inspire homeowners and help them throughout their home remodeling and decorating process, but not all websites are created equal. In this article, we'll cover some of the most useful and inspirational websites on the Internet. 

Many office-based Connecticut businesses changed their work configurations in 2020 allowing employees to work from home. While some of these businesses may maintain a permanent work from home configuration even after the pandemic ends, others are planning to come back to the office when it is safe to do so.  It's hard to know what the workplace will be like after COVID-19, but most people agree, it will not be the same. Now is a good time to plan for a safe office reopening - whether a portion of or your entire workforce is coming back. If you're considering a reopening sometime in the near future, this is also a good opportunity to remodel and reconfigure your business operations to create a safer and healthier work environment. Many things are changing. The world around us is taking a new form. With good planning and visionary thinking, your business can be more agile, more resilient and more prepared for whatever is coming tomorrow. 

Years ago, the top-mount sink, also called drop-in or self-rimming sink, was the most common sink type found in residential kitchens. Drop-ins were popular because they were practical, relatively inexpensive to purchase and easy to install - even if for a DIYer. Tastes have changed in recent years. Homeowners rarely purchase drop-in models for their kitchen renovations. In this article, we'll talk about the most popular sinks being installed in kitchens around Connecticut. It can be tough to pick the right one - especially if you're a new homeowner with little experience choosing new kitchen features. We'll go over their pros, cons and costs, so you can decide which type of sink is right for your home. 

In 2017, US census data indicated that work from home positions made up approximately 5% of the U.S. labor force. By June of 2020, that number had grown to over 40%. For many, this change happened suddenly, without planning, and in the midst of a pandemic. Some worked from the dining room table, while others set up their home office in a closet, in their living room, or in their garage. Though the work-from-home phenomenon seemed temporary at first, it is clear now that we were witnessing a sea change. For many positions and many companies, working from home will be permanent.  For those who were a part of this sea change, the time has come to make the home office a comfortable and intentional part of the home design. Below, we've listed the elements of home office design that make working from home possible. Whether you're carving that space out of an existing room, or building an addition onto your home, you're going to want some of these elements in your home office. 

Last July, we posted an article about how we were keeping our clients and employees safe during COVID-19. At the time, we were just learning the rules of sanitation, social distancing and mask-wearing to prevent the spread of the virus. The safety measures we put in place last year were successful, and we were able to operate safely throughout 2020.  Now, we're writing about COVID again - this time in regard to its impact on materials and the supply chain. These changes can affect your home improvement timeline and budget, but you can avoid delays with proper planning. To learn more about remodeling your home in Connecticut, download our free Guide to Choosing a Home Remodeling Contractor. To learn more about remodeling during the COVID-19 pandemic, read below. 

Meeting ADA standards is an unavoidable part of maintaining a commercial structure. Still, most business owners don't know what they need to do in order to be ADA compliant, or whether their structure meets ADA requirements as is.