Vegetable Nirvana

A Hudson County vintage bathroom remodel highlights a mint green palette and higher ceilings “After” photos by Curious Lens for Sweeten Homeowners: Homeowners posted their vintage bathroom remodel   on Sweeten Where: Hudson County, New Jersey Primary renovation:   Revamping the main bathroom in their 150-year-old home, inspired by a bygone era Sweeten general contractor Sweeten’s role:  Sweeten   matches residential renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering know-how, support, and up to $50,000 in renovation financial protection—for free. Written in partnership with the Sweeten homeowner Bathroom remodel “must-haves” Our home is a wood-frame row house in Hudson County, New Jersey. It’s 150 years old, has three floors, and 1,000 square feet. When we first visited the house more than five years ago, I fell in love with the main bathroom’s vintage mint-green bathtub. I knew I wanted to preserve it.  Our home is historic, ...

Providing deposits for contractors is a crucial —and normal—step in starting a renovation Short answer: Yes. But there are exceptions, and your contractor may have some flexibility. Below, Sweeten outlines the reasons behind upfront payment amounts, and some options for negotiating your deposit for a contractor. Sweeten matches home renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering advice, support, and up to $50,000 in renovation financial protection—for free. Why do contractors require a deposit? Deposits for contractors are critical because they essentially allow your project to begin! Your general contractor needs to secure a crew and begin ordering materials right away . They may also need to rent equipment. And your contractor can’t take on all the financial liability for these commitments themself. How much of a deposit can a contractor ask for? The exact deposit amount contractors ask for upfront varies and is especially dependent on the size of the pr...

Considering laminate wood flooring for your home? The benefits abound, from costs and style to durability With lumber prices skyrocketing, many homeowners are rethinking their material choices for renovations. One alternative to hardwood flooring, that deserves a second look, is laminate that looks like wood. Although lumber prices are starting to drop back to normal levels, Sweeten lays out what the benefits are beyond price alone to choosing laminate. Sweeten matches home renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering advice, support, and up to $50,000 in renovation financial protection—for free. What is laminate flooring? Lamination is a process of uniting layers of material by an adhesive (or other means.) Laminate wood flooring is just that–it is three material layers pressed together, using heat, to create a strong product. The base layer of laminate flooring is wood particleboard, followed by a layer with a wood image, known as the design layer. Over t...

Remodeling? Consider these modern methods to improve your L.A. home’s heating and cooling Renovating a house in L.A.’s extreme climate requires special measures. Heat is intense during the summer and water is always at a shortage. Sweeten’s L.A.-area general contractors offer advice on what to expect when renovating with heat and water conservation in mind. Sweeten matches home renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering advice, support, and up to $50,000 in renovation financial protection—for free. Heat conservation in L.A. “Heat conservation and cool conservation are the same thing,” said L.A.-based Sweeten general contractor Chen . If you can adequately cool the home, you have gone a long way towards conserving the heat, too. The best place to start conserving heat is with airtightness. Airtightness “Think of your house as a bucket of water,” said Chen. “If you have any holes in the bucket, that’s water escaping from the bucket. Airtightness is the...

A remodel in a Jackson Heights co-op delivers an open floor plan, kitchen peninsula, and spa bathroom “After” photos by Kate Glicksberg for Sweeten Homeowners: Dia, a personal trainer, and Alex, a technology executive posted their pre-war co-op remodel  on Sweeten Where: Jackson Heights in Queens, New York Primary renovation: A full-scale remodel of a three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in a 1920s co-op building, including gut remodels of both kitchen and bath Sweeten general contractor Sweeten’s role: Sweeten matches home renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering advice, support, and up to $50,000 in renovation financial protection—for free. Written in partnership with homeowner Alex Keeping their Jackson Heights remodel in view —for years We purchased our co-op roughly three years before embarking on the renovation. Our goal was to totally revamp the apartment into open-plan spaces, while preserving its period features. Like many...

This Sweeten general contractor strives to do good for others At  Sweeten , the experts in our network are experienced contractors and design pros we’d be thrilled to have working in our own homes. We check their licenses, insurance, quality of work, and customer service skills. Trust and open communication are the lifeblood of our free renovation service, and our personal connection to our experts enables us to match you to the best choices for your project. Here, get to know their personality and click to view their portfolio, including photos from past work and client reviews, so that you can hire the right team and renovate with confidence. Check out Sweeten general contractor Jennifer’s portfolio here Where are you from and how long have you been in construction? I am from Alexandria, Virginia in the metro Washington, DC area. How did you get into this industry? I was graduating colleg...

See the costs, materials, and end benefits associated with this common bathroom project ( Above ) Sweeten homeowners Ylia + André’s tub-to-shower conversion Deciding whether to convert a bathtub into a shower Bathtubs have their place, but most of us take many more showers than baths. So why were most bathrooms outfitted with a bathtub rather than a walk-in shower over the last few decades? The simplest answer is flexibility. You can take a shower in a bathtub, but not vice-versa. Also, families with children do well with a bathtub, and they’re useful for bathing dogs.  However, stepping over the tub rail every time you shower is not ideal, and is not possible for many people. If you’re ready for a change, this guide by Sweeten lays out how to convert a bathtub to a shower (luckily, it’s pretty straightforward!) Sweeten matches home renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering advice, support, and up to $50,000 in renovation financial protection—for fr...

An open-concept, two-tone kitchen remodel in Rockville creates more space for family participation “After” photos by Nova Soul Imagery for Sweeten Homeowners: Brandi and Chris posted a kitchen remodel in Rockville  on Sweeten Where: Rockville, Maryland Primary renovation: Replacing DIY storage with a unified kitchen design plan and removing a wall  Sweeten general contractor Sweeten’s role: Sweeten matches home renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering advice, support, and financial protection—at no cost to the homeowner. Written in partnership with Sweeten homeowner Brandi Renovating the Rockville-area family home Brandi and her husband, Chris, inherited her mother-in-law’s 1950s house. Though bittersweet, they were happy to keep it in the family. Chris grew up in the Rockville, Maryland house, so it held special meaning for him. Plus, the family was about to expand. Brandi was pregnant with her first, Zora, and her mom, Bernice...