Black Friday Weekend Special: Free Appliances with Your Kitchen Remodeling Project

Some homeowners delight in the details of kitchen remodeling: the floors, the backsplash, the countertops! For some homeowners, however, the devil is in the details.

Whatever your inclination, there's no doubting the challenge of planning a kitchen remodeling project. The sheer diversity of choices can stymie even the most enterprising homeowner. And then there's the challenges of the project itself!

MKBD writes this blog to simplify the process. Please browse our archives for a collection of blogs about bathroom and kitchen remodeling. And if you'd like to suggest a topic for a future blog, please do leave a comment.

Our goal to ease the remodeling experience does not end with this blog. As a full-service professional remodeling company, we strive to make the home remodeling experience fruitful and enjoyable!

Whether you want a strikingly contemporary kitchen, a bathroom fit for a spa, or an entire house remodeling, we can help! We employ designers, suppliers, installers, and contractors to create unparalleled value. We finish our projects on budget and on time.

How do we succeed while so many other remodeling companies fail?

The answer is simple: we value customer service.

Every member of our team is guided by one goal: to provide every customer with a stress-free remodeling experience. We understand your time is precious; your ideas are unique. We want to help you accomplish your remodeling dreams.

For this MKBD project in Fort Washington, PA,  we removed a load-bearing wall in a century-old home. In the hands of MKBD, what might've been a kitchen remodeling nightmare turned into a pleasant dream: today everyone who enters this home is drawn to the kitchen.

A stress-free experience is the inspiration behind our new deal: FREE KITCHEN APPLIANCES with a full kitchen remodeling project!

Just in time for the holidays, we're offering all the appliances you need for a fully-functioning kitchen FREE! Why FREE kitchen appliances, you ask?

 Most kitchen appliances are dramatically overpriced. When homeowners shop for appliances they're subject to mark-ups--mark-ups that MKBD is not subject to. With our extensive industry experience as well as our connections with premier appliance manufacturers and distributors, we've learned how to procure the best appliances at the best prices--and we pass the savings to our clients. 

For this Philadelphia-area MKBD project, our clients specified professional grade appliances to complement the luxury materials: the maple kitchen cabinets, the solid granite countertops, and the natural stone backsplash and floors.

Te true value of a kitchen remodeling project is expert craftsmanship. Appliances are made in industrial factories by nameless workers. Your new kitchen floors, cabinets, and countertops, however, will be built and installed by expert craftsmen familiar with your unique needs. Even then, you can be sure our FREE appliances will exceed your expectations. As the examples above prove, we deal only with quality manufacturers and suppliers. 

Prefer to Source Your Own Appliances?

If you're interested in sourcing your own appliances, we recommend choosing the best appliances for your specific needs. Do not pay for what you do not need--or want! Let us help you find the best appliances for you.

We understand how to match each individual with the most suitable appliances for his/her unique lifestyle. Today, most appliances come with a variety of features. Of course, these features boost the price. We partner with our client's to make sure they're not paying for needless bells and whistles.

For this MKBD project, the family choose their own appliances, including a Wolf range, replete with five burners for some heavy entertaining!

FREE Kitchen Appliances with any Full Kitchen Remodeling Project: The Details

At MKBD, we partner with our customers to provide competitive prices. And now, for a limited time, we’re leveraging our buying power to offer you a tremendous deal: FREE kitchen appliances with a full kitchen remodeling!

To qualify for this offer, you simply have to schedule a FREE, no obligation kitchen design consultation—a value in itself! During our brief consultation, we will help you draft the kitchen design and layout of your dreams. Best yet, all consultations include a FREE, no obligation estimate.

Call now to take advantage of this limited time offer: 215-355-474.

Five Signs You Need to Remodel Your Kitchen

Some homeowners make a decision to remodel or renovate after years of deliberation. For others, the decision is relatively spontaneous. In both cases, a certain event usually inspires the final decision: a windfall of money; a change in lifestyle; or, perhaps, a structural issue that needs immediate attention.

At MKBD, we're happy to educate our clients about all aspects of the remodeling process. (This blog is a perfect example). However, we do appreciate deliberative clients. Whatever the instigating "event," deliberative homeowners often enjoy an easier remodel. In remodeling, of course, studious planning translates to success. 

While "deliberating" is not the same as "planning," homeowners who have thought about remodeling for some time usually come to the design table equipped with knowledge and studious opinions. 

On other hand, some clients come to the design table with problems that need immediate attention. Often, these clients have ignored the slow deterioration of their kitchen--and then, suddenly, the deterioration hits a peak! 

To avoid this unhappy circumstance, we suggest looking out for possible signs that you will want or need a remodeling project soon. 

Five Signs You Need to Remodel 

Old Appliances

Old appliances offer a clue to the general condition of the kitchen. If the appliances are old, the floors, cabinets, and countertops are likely old, too. As a cue, then, old appliances are simply one easy-to-discern sign of an outdated kitchen. 

But outdated appliances don't merely look old; they act old. Do you have an old, noisy refrigerator? Well, noise is the least of your problems. An aging refrigerator wastes excessive energy while providing lackluster service.

The same is true of most outdated appliances, including your oven, dishwasher, and microwave. New, energy-efficient (Energy Star) models can provide substantial savings in energy while offering a new, refreshing level of functionality (no more spoiled veggies).

Ahh, new appliances. In this MKBD project, the new refrigerator and Bosch double oven provided a new level of functionality--and pleasure.

Improperly Grounded Outlets

In older kitchens, improperly grounded outlets pose a safety (and efficiency) concern. Unfortunately, many homeowners are not able to easily discern this potential problem.

To test your outlet, purchase a circuit tester or a multimeter set to an AC voltage appropriate for your outlet. You want to make sure, too, that all wall outlets are equipped with GFCI outlet protection. To ensure safety, you need one GFCI outlet as the first outlet of a branch--the outlet closest to the breaker.

At MKBD, we can easily address any electrical safety concerns. Give us a call: 215-355-4747.

Like old appliances, improperly grounded outlets are clues to the general condition of the kitchen: if they're old, the kitchen is likely old.

Old Floors

Your kitchen floor is the literal and figurative foundation of your kitchen. Cracked tiles or warped floor board will effect not only the function of your kitchen but the aesthetic appeal of the space.

Like improperly grounded outlets, old floors can present safety concerns, like slips and falls. On the other hand, old floors also pose aesthetic concerns; in a word, their ugly.

A new kitchen floor can be one a beautiful and enduring investments. For the kitchen area, especially, new floors provide a new "foundation" to build upon.

In this Bucks County-area project, hardwood floors replaced old cracked tiles--the result is a safe, beautiful, and durable new floor. 

Old Style

While not necessarily a functional concern, old style can compromise your well-being. A frumpy, old kitchen with outdated cabinets and old, dull paint does not necessarily send an enticing welcome. Does our kitchen bore you? Do your elements feel frumpy?

In recent years, manufacturers have developed new, intriguing materials for your countertops. Over time, tastes in paint color change. Old floors might speak of a different era. All of these style problems can be addressed by a remodeling project.

When you update your style, you inject new life into a space.

Old Design

Today's kitchen often function as the center of family activity, a place to meet and eat. Current designs promote this function, opening the space, and often combining dining and cooking areas.

An older design might feel cramped in comparison. If you find yourself avoiding your kitchen, you're probably not simply avoiding of cooking and cleaning--you're avoiding the claustrophobia of your outdated design.

 In this Bucks County MKBD project--the open floor plan created a dynamic space to cook and eat.

FREE In-Home Remodeling Estimate!

If you have any questions about your next kitchen remodeling project, please feel free to call MKBD for an individualized consultation. Let's talk budget and more! Call now! 215-355-4747.

Better yet, check out our Free In-Home Remodeling Estimate on this very blog!

Make it Modern: Add Space to Your Old, Small Bathroom

Does your bathroom feel like an afterthought? In many older homes, this is precisely the case. Until the 1980s, at least, homeowners wanted spacious bedrooms--often at the expense of the bathroom.

For most of the 20th century, in fact, the bathroom was viewed as a utility room, a minimalist space to do your duty and leave. Many bathrooms were added to home designs only after all other rooms, seemingly crammed into the leftover space.

Today, homeowners favor larger bathrooms with luxurious amenities--and older, smaller bathrooms seem all the more outdated. As this Old House notes: "While new home baths have nearly doubled in size over the past 30 years, old home bathrooms average about 5- by 8-feet."

If you live in an older home, you might be feeling the crunch, so to speak. Of course, you do have options.

A remodeling company like MKBD can work wonders with a smaller space. A smart design can maximize the efficiency of your space; a few simple tweaks can often change the feeling of a bathroom's size--if not the actual square footage.

Another option, of course, is to borrow space from another room. Unfortunately, many homeowners balk at the idea of a bathroom expansion. The thought of knocking down walls, or sacrificing space from another room, stops many homeowners in their tracks.

In reality, demolition and expansion is a relatively straight-forward remodeling project. Just take a look at the MKBD projects below. Each presented unique challenges, yet each fulfilled the client's dreams of a modern, spacious bathroom.

Borrow Room From Your Bedroom

For many homes, the best option for bathroom expansion is to simply borrow room from an adjacent bedroom--often the master or guest bedroom. In many homes, the guest bedroom is rarely used, so borrowing a little space is often an easy choice. The decision to borrow space from a master bedroom, however, can inspire anxiety. After all, you've likely grown accustomed to the way your master bedroom makes you feel.

Would a smaller space decrease your relaxation? Would you suddenly feel cramped?

These are legitimate questions. In our experience, however, many master bedrooms would not appreciably suffer from a space downsize. Instead of focusing on what you will lose, think about what you will gain: a new, modern bathroom with space for amenities.

In this Ambler area MKBD project, the homeowners sacrificed space from the master bedroom to transform the 3x3 shower into a custom 6x3 shower with beautiful tiles imported from Italy. In our experience, most homeowners do not miss their former bedroom space. A new, spacious bathroom design is well worth the sacrifice. 

Prepare for Surprises (With a Reputable Remodeling Company)

Older homes are often full of surprises; you just never know what you'll uncover once you start demoing walls. This is why it is so crucial to work with an experienced remodeling company, like MKBD. We've seen it all--and we've fixed it all, with efficiency and timeliness.

We are especially proud of the project below, which required the demolition of old walls and leaking pipes to create a new bathroom with modern amenities.

In this Philadelphia area MKBD project, we jettisoned an old, leaking tub to make room for a new shower with a custom bench. Tiled in multi-colored natural stone, the eye-popping design also includes a shower pan of river rock pebbles.  

The key to dealing with surprises is proper planning. What turns a surprise into a mistake is not accounting for potential surprises in your budget. Many projects--like the one above--only yield problems after demolition beings. Behind your walls, you might discover mold or water damage. These problems are often only discovered after the work begins.

What was old is new: these walls presented a few "surprises," but MKBD's astute demolition team identified--and fixed--the problems quickly and efficiently. Happily, the client had planned on the potential surprises, so the budget was not exceeded. 

Borrow Space From a Closet, or Utility Room, or...

Not all remodeling expansions borrow space from the master or guest bedroom. If you get a little creative, you can borrow from other, smaller spaces to add square footage to the bathroom. Closets, especially, offer a great opportunity for bathroom expansion--especially if the closet is in a guest room or otherwise hardly used. In the MKBD project below, we borrowed space from a utility room to create a new master bedroom.

Borrowing space from an adjacent utility room, we added space to a tiny bathroom that had formerly stopped at the sink.

The picture above illustrates how even a little additional space can dramatically change the perception of a bathroom's size. Formerly a vanity, the addition of the shower makes this bathroom a master bedroom with a beautifully-appointed shower. Best of all, even though we downsized the utility room, we actually increased its functionality. The client let us know that the utility room had become a a mere storage place. In demoing the walls, we transformed the utility room into a laundry room. The lesson here is to get creative with space--and borrow, when necessary, where you can!

Free In-Home Remodeling Estimate

If you have any questions about your next remodeling project, please feel free to call MKBD for an individualized consultation. Let's talk bathroom design and more! Call now! 215-355-4747. Better yet, check out our Free In-Home Remodeling Estimate on this very blog!

A Vacation Getaway--to Your Bathroom!

How do you feel about your bathroom design? If your design is outdated, you might feel bored or annoyed. Bored of the dingy lighting, the muted colors. Annoyed by the grimy grout lining your shower, your leaking toilet, your loose tiles. Many homeowners experience these feelings on a daily basis--and yet, change seems unattainable.

After all, a bathroom remodeling project can be expensive. According to the website, Remodeling, in 2015, the average cost of a mid-range bathroom remodeling project is $16,724 (with a resale value of $11,707). The average cost of an upscale remodeling project is $54,115 (with a resale value of $32,385).

With these numbers in mind, many homeowners balk at the idea of a bathroom remodeling project. However, the numbers themselves--specifically the resale value-- also reveal a fundamental truth about remodeling: it's not always about the money.

Of course, these numbers don't tell the whole story. A remodeling project can increase your home's value. A new kitchen, for example, might be the deciding factor that motivates a buyer to bid on your asking price.

If you're planning on living in your home for some time, however, the choice to remodel should not be merely financial. Think of your annoyance. Now imagine a new bathroom with clean grout lines, an efficient toilet, and beautiful new tiles.

A remodeling project can transform your bathroom into the room you never want to leave: a private, vacation-like retreat.

This is the case with the remodeling projects below. In each case, the homeowner came to MKBD with a vision informed by a specific place--a vacation. By recreating the feeling of these spots, we brought the vacation home, to the bathroom.

The Shore at Home

For this project, our clients wanted to re-create the ambiance of the Jersey Shore. More than a mere ambiance, however, this design aimed to duplicate a specific seaside bathroom. From the sand-colored tiles to the coastal accessories--even the additional of a laundry room, this space is faithful to the airy, quirky designs you often find on the Jersey Shore.

Large sand-colored floor tiles were a must for this MKBD-exclusive coastal design, which replicates the muted tones of a certain Jersey Shore bathroom. While blue is a popular coastal color, many seaside bathrooms have a simple palette. 

Another must: coastal accessories. When trying to recreate the ambiance of a certain place, the choice of accessories is often as important as the choice of color.

 The quirky design of many Jersey Shore homes means that you often find odd combinations, like a laundry room in the bathroom!

A French Countryside Bathroom

The French Country design is a popular bathroom theme. For these homeowners, however, the design was meant to be an intimate remembrance of family trips to the South of France. 

In the project below, we did our best to pay homage to our client's family trips. In the end, the old world rusticity and warm color palette transformed the bathroom into a holiday retreat. Now, to visit the South of France, the family merely needs to step into the bathroom!

To capture the look of Southern France we sourced vintage pieces, like this vanity and mirror, which lend this beautiful bathroom a rustic feel. The vanity's marble top complements the backsplash and green walls.

Our client was specific about getting the right shade of hunter green. We love it. The checkered glass tiles, which run around the entire bathroom, add texture (and contrasting color) to the palette. And of course, the clawfoot tub was a must for the French Country.

An Italian-Inspired Bathroom

Traveling is one of the best ways to discover inspiring remodeling ideas. We've had more than a few clients travel to Italy and return with ideas for new bathrooms. The Italian style is, at once, timeless and luxurious, and since its based on a simple aesthetic it can blend seamlessly with today's refined modern sensibilities.

A portico window in this Italian-inspired bathroom beckons the Italian city of Bologna, famous for its portico designs.

Zooming out from the portico, you see a step-in tub from Toto (reminiscent of the Roman baths) buttressed by a Roman column, and exquisite Italian tiles lining the space. Here we see how an Italian design can utilize inspirations from different epochs, old and new. The tub is a modern fixture that is meant to illicit an ancient bathing custom.

A Decora cherry vanity is a timeless piece that blends seamlessly with any style.

Free In-Home Remodeling Estimate

If you have any questions about your next remodeling project, please feel free to call MKBD for an individualized consultation. Let's talk bathroom design and more! Call now! 215-355-4747. Better yet, check out our Free In-Home Remodeling Estimate on this very blog!