SFGate

Mona Ives Emily - I thought Houzz guidelines were not to post "before" pictures?!

Emily Hurley You can absolutely post them in the discussions. In fact, I highly encourage it. :) That guideline is just for project photos on your profile.

ikwewe This will be fun! Let's see, how about Before pix of my master bath. Actually,it was so hard to get pictures of it, I only have post demo construction pix. It started as a half bath in the garage, 1960s vintage tile and blue fixtures. We demolished a makeshift access the prior owners had constructed, moved the water heater, took the original walls down to half height and widened the doorway, then built out a new shower and room for the washer and dryer stack. We had to raise the floor three inches to match the bedroom floor.

ikwewe After, we kept the original vintage tile and fixtures, and the medicine cabinet and vanity, as the house is very retro in design and we got all the furniture with it too. We coordinated the new tilework by doing the floor and back wall of shower the same as the rest of the house, then found some great pebble and seaglass to blend with the blue in the original. The vanity was refreshed with new paint, and we added a new light fixture above it, as the old fluorescent one was not great for looking in the mirror. The faucet I picked at Lowe's and I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it, but the design was right for the water theme of the room.

Emily Hurley Wow!! I love that tile! I don't think I've seen that before.

ikwewe Pix of new shower and inside laundry, door to master bedroom. It was a lot of fun and added so much value to our use of the house. Water heater was formerly where the washer and dryer is now. It was moved and built into a closet behind the shower, along with the new HVAC system.

Project Partners Design, Inc. Here's one I worked on that makes an ordinary kitchen into an extraordinary kitchen. [The details are in my Houzz portfolio under the project Stately Style.] I just love the homage to the family dog on the custom-painted hutch piece!

Shannon Ggem ASID- Ggem Design Co LLC Emily! I've got some!

I think the biggest change in this project came with the lighting, we added a very substantial skylight and directional cans, vintage feel goosenecks over the sink, a vintage central fixture and under cabinet lights. It made a huge difference in the feel of the space.

We also reused the post war American made metal cabinets- we used them on the dock of the same home (pictured in blue below) and the beam you see in the kitchen was split to lay flat, so we used the splits to create a countertop for the dock counter. Loved recycling those elements!

They correspond to these:

Emily Hurley @Project Partners Fantastic! That hutch is great. Totally agree. Love the transformation.

ikwewe Here is the tile on Houzz, American Tile sea glass blend:

Emily Hurley OH cool! Is that how you found it?

Project Partners Design, Inc. Here's another one that is near to my heart. We were thrilled to get rid of the green fixtures in this guest bath. We actually recycled them through a local salvage yard and they paid us for them because they were in mint condition! [Details on my Houzz portfolio under Out with the 50s.]

ikwewe Emily, no, I saw that afterward. I had my pinwheel tile all picked out and walked into Buffkin on Merritt Island and there was the pebble and seaglass right out front. I fell in love on the spot.

Iyare I Backyard BEFORE

It was an empty wasteland... waterlogged, dead grass, absolutely nothing and no reason to be back there.

ikwewe I love how people are reusing and recycling these great pieces! I have some more examples from my kitchen where we opened up a paneled wall, moved a kitchen bar to fill the space and recycled the paneling for the living room back and side of the bar. That project added a lot of light to our house and fixed a bad traffic design, having to walk around the bar to get to the dining table from the kitchen, plus we moved the refrigerator to where the bar originally was, and that opened up the kitchen floor amazingly.

Iyare I Backyard AFTER

Now, its my little retreat. Its very relaxing and the sound of the water from the pond is very soothing. Next up... SOME OUTDOOR FURNITURE....

Iyare I KITCHEN BEFORE.....

I had a bland kitchen. It was boring, dated, and didnt go with the rest of the house.

Iyare I KITCHEN AFTER (Progress.....)

I have a few more things I would liike to do like put roman shades over my windows, work on clearing the clutter on the counters, and a new fridge. But it makes me a lot happier than the previous one did.

k8saw Bathroom before and after, sorry for poor quality on before.

Iyare I I love your backsplash k8saw... its beautiful!!

dalma darling What a fun topic - I love seeing what everyone has done. I'm always so inspired by you all! Here's our garage transformation. We converted our 2 car garage into a bar / office.

Check it out here:
http://www.houzz.com/discussions/152991/Before-and-After-Garage-Renovation

Archevie Design The original house was a double wide modular on a raised foundation. Most of the work was done by the owners - while they lived in the house with little kids! People never cease to amaze me.

ikwewe Dark living room and dark cramped kitchen, BEFORE

ikwewe Opened up kitchen and living room, AFTER. We wanted to keep that time capsule 1964 decor, furniture came with the house. We re-used the real cherry paneling on the living room side of the bar, and have since added some stained glass pendants above the bar. The first shot shows our new backsplash of 1960s ceramic tile from Japan that I found on eBay,

ikwewe Iyare I, your yard is amazing! It does not look possible that the Before and After pix could even be the same yard. Love the water feature! Did you use the concrete patio as a base, or tear it out?

Iyare I Thank you!! Im very happy with the way it turned out. I used the concrete patio as a base and expanded out.

BeautifulRemodel.com Before photo

BeautifulRemodel.com After photos:




Thanks!

BeautifulRemodel.com Before photo:

BeautifulRemodel.com After photo:

Sheila kitchen before

Sheila kitchen after

TPA Architecture, Inc. Venice bungalow before

TPA Architecture, Inc. Venice bungalow after

Colours & Concepts Interior Design/Build Kitchen remodel before and after pictures by Colours & Concepts Interior Design. For more pictures see www.coloursandconcepts.com

Kevin Before and After... (sorry the image is so small)

Clifford Renovations & Restorations Just finished this'un...turned a 1950 into a 2012 : )

Clifford Renovations & Restorations some more..

World Contracting LLC here is a small bathroom here in Chatham, NJ before

World Contracting LLC and after

Clifford Renovations & Restorations last one : ))

World Contracting LLC and one of the built in storage

momof5x Has anyone else noticed where like during construction of a room how tiny it looks until you have completed the project ( painted it etc) then it looks fine? Good example is in before and after pics Ekwewe has shown above. I have notice this with our new home too, the rooms looked so small but once completed, look normal.

Clifford Renovations & Restorations Kitchen Before c:1950 and after 2012

Clifford Renovations & Restorations as seen through the adjoining dining room I created with raised panel wainscoting (excuse my tools please: )

Advent Home Solutions Inc Before and after family bathroom reno ... thanks in part to carpenter ants eating through the exterior sheathing.

Advent Home Solutions Inc Before and after of a large deck reno ... more carpenter ant / rot damage lead to this one.

Advent Home Solutions Inc From layout with lots of wasted space to very functional modern home ... all within the existing exterior walls.

Advent Home Solutions Inc Very dated master bathroom ... one of 3 bathrooms & 1250sqft of slate (including stairs) in mountain side townhouse renovation.

pattimay Everyone has done amazing jobs. It's nice to see these because most photos we look at are for those that have money! Lots of it.

Beverly 1980's kitchen. My husband and I redid it entirely by ourselves on a strict budget. This is the before picture.

Beverly 1980's kitchen. We added molding to the cabinets and painted them. Added backsplash. Painted, yes, painted the laminate countertops w/a product called Giani Granite and purchased new appliances

Lucy Ananiadis Before- I was going to get rid of this drab pine dresser because i wanted white built in shelves
After - Then I decided to give painting it white a go... we should all think more about recycling our things before getting rid of them

ikwewe Betty, interesting about the painted formica! I am fussing about countertops and can't
make up my mind. I added new backsplash (above) but still have the old Formica tops, which do have a little wear, a gouge and a bad seam. Can those be filled in and then painted over, do you know? And how is the paint wearing?

cdeb Old coop bathroom gut renovated. Small. Used stone tile accented by porcelain. painted wall seapine and kohler revival fixtures.

cdeb A 1900 home in Brooklyn gut renovation in progress. A photo from 1938, 2012 and the plan for renovation.

summilux Before this was a home darkroom. Over the years, until the digital age, I either had a home darkroom or ready access to one. This one, although it came with the house was in absolutely the wrong location

cdeb FL Kitchen Family Room before and after.

Renaissance Kitchen and Home Wow, these are great "Before and After" photos.
I would love to share a dramatic kitchen project will you.

This project was a 100 yr. old Stone Colonial with 90" ceilings. We took a spare room out above to create a two story kitchen with a balcony above.

I am very fortunate that I have great clients that have the faith in my firm to let our vision become their reality.

Thanks for letting me share these fun projects.
Please check out some of my other projects at www.interiortrend.com

Torry manzo
Renaissance Kitchen and Home

summilux After- from darkroom to breakfast room and extension of the kitchen. The floors, cabinets, table, sideboard and winefridge enclosure are DIY. Wife did the painting.

A D Construction We love before and after images - they really tell the "story". Here are a couple of pictures of our own home we renovated (Shannon Malone did a Houzz Tour - Japanese Style California Beach House).

COASTROAD Hearth & Patio Sometimes the transformation is so complete it is difficult to recognize that you are looking at the same spot . . . you can see the concrete driveway in the background of both photos.

Renaissance Kitchen and Home Emily,
This can become addicting! I just found a project that converted a small dated colonial bathroom into a Zen Spa Retreat.

Had to share it!


Torry Manzo
Renaisance Kitchen and Home

COASTROAD Hearth & Patio - Here's another fairly dramatic one, changing from a "builder" fireplace to something more appropriate in this post-and-beam home:
.

Wolffe Interiors Our ongoing labor of love, and my first whole house design - a little foreclosed bi-level ranch in a nice neighborhood. I think the neighbors are happy we rescued it. Before - light gray with a gambrill roof and portico, after - we restored the roof to original shape, and a new facelift of rockaway gray siding and faux rock face under the portico.

Wolffe Interiors Here's the rest: Planning the interior layout has been a great experience.

Sabrina Silvernale I have a house full of "before and afters," but my most recent is the laundry room, which is also a mud room as it leads to the garage and basement living area. We wanted to have access to the pipes and ducts for possible service, but hide them, too. So, we built a pegboard wall with a niche for the appliances. Fresh paint, a homemade chalkboard and key holder, wire cubbies, and shelf complete the wall. A shoe bench and coat rack add needed storage. The space is casual and lighthearted as well as functional for us.

Blake Wood Whole house remodel in Denver, CO. House had a bit of an identity crisis, looking like the Brady Bunch house on the outside and very traditional on the inside. Here are my
Kitchen Before and Afters.

Blake Wood Here is a shot of the kids bathroom I designed.

Blake Wood And here is the living room.

Blake Wood Master Bath

Blake Wood Family Room

Blake Wood Exterior

ourfarmhouse previous house before and afters...

The kitchen cabinet part was a $100 refresh...meant to be temporary until we had a larger budget, but it changed things so much we never had to dive that deep.
The sunroom was a similar budget.

ourfarmhouse ...and the exterior...

ourfarmhouse current house before and afters (work in progress)...

dining room

ourfarmhouse bathroom...temporary fix

Sometimes when you can't get the crust from the previous owners out, you've got to tear it down to the studs:)

(we'll do it up big later, but for now this makes it liveable).

ourfarmhouse guest room...traveler's suite

ourfarmhouse kid's bedroom...retro cowboy

ourfarmhouse half bath...new aged tin ceiling, etc.

ourfarmhouse living room...too much white to rich, dark chocolate

ourfarmhouse master...fresh green

ourfarmhouse and finally, the nursery...room for three

SalvageArtisan ourfarmhouse - way to go! you've been busy...looks amazing!!

astraea This has been my favorite discussion on Houzz so far!! My house was totally gutted & updated about 12 years ago, by a previous owner, and for the most part I love it. The only thing I don't like, is a "Jack & Jill" bathroom, which I'd like to have hall access & be much lighter/brighter. Right now, I'm waiting for design ideas from one of the highly rated companies on Angie's List .. and their projected cost! About the only thing I want to preserve is the "iris window"!

remmyliz Before: Old 1950's bath...blue tile everywhere. I mean everywhere.

remmyliz After: Sheetrock, wallpaper, travertine floors. Demo-ing tile floors and walls-not fun.
But is worth the sweat.

astraea Before I moved in, the home office, main bathroom & one of the children's bedrooms were painted a dark royal blue! Talk about "sucking the light out of rooms"!! At least the main bathroom is a cream color now!

ikwewe ourfarmhouse, that was a ton of decorating and some rebuilding, and with TRIPLETS! Amazing. I saw the before pix and thought 'this looks pretty good, hope they don't rip out all the character' but you went right with that character and made it even better.

Maury Jones Exterior makeover of a ranch

The owners wanted to update the curb appeal of their ranch style home. The home is located in the flatlands of Illinois (Frankfort) and looked very flat with the surrounding landscape.

The addition of gables, stone, and prairie style windows now make this home rise above the country landscape!

ikke This was my blue bathroom. I wanted to get rid of the clutter and tranqualize my bathroom with the right colors. I extracted them from the floor tile colours to put everything in balance. The sinkcabinet I made myself.

ikwewe Ya know, ikke, I Love turquoise, but that bathroom is too eyepopping by far. Love the change, and that you kept the sink and countertop. Is that a terrazzo floor?

ikke those are tiles

ikke And from another direction. I'm so proud!

lpierson58 My project was completed in July 2009. I'd forgotten just how much my landscaping has grown in these past three years! The most current pic was taken this morning. I just finished trimming back my knockout roses yesterday morning, so no blooms. :(

Nob Hill Design - Allied ASID 30 Year Old Kitchen Remodel by Nob Hill Design
www.nobhilldesign.com

lisaj1354 First floor bathroom. It was hideous - complete with a pink, non-working plastic bath surround and falling down ceiling fan.

Before:

lwaylett Love our new stone fireplace! If you look beyond the fireplace you'll see walls and soffits now all gone! Sure opens everything up!

lisaj1354 And after...with a combo ceiling fan/heater that keeps this freezing room nice and toasty. My contractor was fabulous.

sas912 I bought a 1925 house on South Beach that had been neglected for many, many years. It took some time, but gradually, I worked to restore it to a semblance of what it was before.

ikwewe Sas, lucky you! She has beautiful bones. We are working on a neglected house along Indian River, but it is much more plain. Are the two pix on the bottom the before and after of the same room?

sas912 Yep. Before and After living room just taken facing different directions. I had the plaster beams and the concrete fireplace painted in a faux finish to look like wood and I added cheap tall baseboards which were painted the same faux finish; then I painted the detailed moldings with a sort of a "French" finish to add some depth so the details of the plaster work would pop out. The window in the After photo was custom made to replicate the original window design which had been replaced and hidden by the cheap aluminum windows the prior owner had put in.

Beverly Hey Betty, regarding painting formica countertops. I used a product called Giani Granite. It comes w/a sealer. However, after a year, there were some scratches. I sanded it, touched up the places and resealed it w/Hellsman clear polyurathane. Now, it's pretty indestructable. Still love it.

ikwewe Thank you, Beverly. I just tuned into Giani's website and watched the how-to video, very inspiring. I may try that, if I can seal up the damaged spots successfully. http://gianigranite.com/learnhowcountertoppaint.html

haitisarah We've worked on five houses for us and four of the kids.

Here's the before on our house, a couple during, and now. When we bought it, it was for sale as a "tear down", but it had good bones.

haitisarah Here's our second effort: a little cottage in our backyard. It was totally gutted, so there was less to tear out. We called this one "the gang clubhouse" because of the graffiti on the walls and its reputation in the the neighborhood.

haitisarah This third house is for our daughter and her family. We called it "the meth lab" when we first saw it. While we were renovating, we found (among other things) a very large snake carcass coiled around one of the roof vents.

ikwewe Wow, Sarah, it looks like you are really adding value to some neighborhoods!

maryjeanparker Here are some pictures of our house remodel. The ones that say "Before" and "After" are our house. The really fancy house at the bottom is not ours, ha ha. http://overtoncustomconstruction.com/remodels.htm

haitisarah House number four is for another daughter, and we're still working on it. Outside, we've tamed the climbing rose and worked on the porch and added a dormer. Inside, we still have the stairway, living room, office and front powder room to finish. It was gutted down to the studs when we bought it.

haitisarah House number five is, alas, just getting started. It's the stone house we've posted for ideas, so we have dreams of a beautiful house, but right now we're in the mess stage of gutting the interior. It is for our youngest son to live in for three years while he's in that town for college. So far, my before photos would be obscured by an out-of-control wisteria and piles of trash. My after photo would just look tidier, but like we have an unbelievable amount of work ahead of us. Want to take a peek? This is not for the faint of heart. There are nice trees....

mousemaker my kitchen before and after

digidana how do you post a pic in here?

mousemaker sorry, here's the afters

Emily Hurley HI Digidana, You can attach it to your post. Just click the attach images link.

digidana found it! wow, sorry, it doesn't appear til you click on the box...i was looking everywhere!

here's the new dining room. we knocked down the wall on the left and opened it up to the hearthroom, changed the little window to a sliding door for more light and access to the deck, raised the ceiling a bit, etc. the kitchen is next!

digidana a different angle...

digidana here's the hearthroom before, during, and after.

digidana took down the paneling, new drywall, opened up the wall and arched it. saved the old doors to make a new coat closet.

digidana the "green" bedroom. removed the carpet, new drywall on back wall that was paneling. the whole rest of the room was wallpapered, even the ceiling. we discovered why when we were removing it. apparently the roof head leaked at one point so some of the drywall was crumbling. new drywall, take out the lovely green shag, repainting....and we made the headboard.

haitisarah Ikwewe, yes, the neighbors near all of the houses love us. One of the most gratifying experiences has been to have the children of former owners come by. They tell us their stories as they walk through and are so glad to have the houses be a real home again.

Leslie Kreger Before and Afters of the 1968 traditional two storey we recently renovated....
Exterior and Living Room:

Leslie Kreger Dining Room & Stairway/Foyer:

Renaissance Kitchen and Home Sometimes even a mild reconfiguration of items and a change in materials can transform a out of date room into a stunning transformation. We were able to basically just change out the outdated cabinetry and plumbing fixtures and add a few new items to transfor this "builder special" into a Serene Bathroom Retreat. This is a great example of "Budget Friendly High Impact Design".

Thanks for allowing me to share some photos with the group.

Torry Manzo
Renaissance Kitchen and Home

Space Harmony Before/After Bathrooms

Space Harmony Before/after Kitchen

Space Harmony Before/After Entrance and Corridor

Space Harmony Before/After Bedroom

Space Harmony Before/After Condo Styling

Savena Doychinov, CKD/Design Studio International Dear Emily, so glad you asked! Please visit our website (link on my profile page) and here, just in case: www.customkitchenandbathdesign.com . Check out our Before and After section - you'll see some truly amazing transformations of kitchens and baths.
Last year, I received the 2011 NKBA Design Award for Best Before & After Kitchen. This project is represented by 4 Before and 4 After photos. And earlier this year, Houzz.com awarded me one of the the Best of 2012 Award for Bathroom Design in DC Metro area.
This bathroom (5' X 7.5') is a size familiar to millions of homeowners and they really like what I was able to achieve in that space. It has been put in many ideabooks and it has also won the 2011 NKBA Baltimore / Washington chapter Design Award for Best in Class Small Bath. Please feel free to drag the Before and After photos for the above and any of the other projects in that section if you want to show them in this discussion or to call me / email me with any questions you may have. Thank you for this opportunity to
show you some of our work!

colbyjayne When a tenant in our friend's rental unit did not inform him of a water leak, we went in later to find an extensive amount of mold, ruined floors and water soaked cabinets. Our friend decided it was a blessing in disguise and gave us the opportunity to design a new kitchen (among other things) for him! We turned the little kitchen into a galley kitchen and took it down to studs. We think it turned out pretty good :) Here are the before

colbyjayne And here are the afters

Emily Hurley Awesome transformation! That's a great update.

colbyjayne These before pictures aren't that good, but the after is pretty good :)

colbyjayne And the afters. We're not designers, so judge accordingly :)

Emily Hurley I like it!! I think you created a great space here!

Get Back JoJo Before left //After Right

Get Back JoJo Niche before///Niche after:custom bar and storage

Get Back JoJo Dull closet Before//AFTER: proper Genlteman's wardrobe custom closet

Esther We I purchased my 1970 split level with a view in 2005. Since then have made many updates to the home including a 50 year architectial roof, seamless aluminum gutters, triple pane windows, new paint, and a revision of the current deck structure which includes Trex Transcends Decking and Clearview Glass Railing. We love our home's new look and it gives us a reason to be outdoors more now.

Beverly Before Dining room makeover. Typical matchy, matchy big box dining room set.
After- favorite piece, is the early 1900's sideboard.

Renaissance Kitchen and Home Here is an example of how a different countertop and accessories can really change the feel of a room.
I had the please of designing this kitchen and istalling the original kitchen with green corian countertops.
I also had the pleasure of redoing the countertops with Golden Granite and
changed out a few accessories which added to the new granite color and completely changed the feel of the kitchen.
This is also a great example of "budget friendly high impact design".

Torry Manzo
Renaissance Kitchen and Home.

Renaissance Kitchen and Home Here's the Golden Granite pictures.
Amazing what just new counters and accessories can do.

mpoulsom DIY JOB;
the before and afters of the kitchen, but you can't see all the details from different angles....there is shelving on the inside of the bar and the trash can space. Also 2 shelves on the living area side of the bar. we did all the work ourselves except the bamboo flooring. had a professional do that. but the total cost of this renovation has been right around $3000. Still looking for the stainless steel frig that will replace the white one. This includes flooring, appliances (stove/dishwasher), paint, carpentry/wood, cement countertops, lighting, hardware for cabinets, sink and faucet, backsplash, and electrical switches/plugs....yes, there was blood, sweat and tears involved, but i think for 2 poor artists we did okay for the money! :)

Emily Hurley Hi mpoulsom, having trouble with photos attaching? Are they jpegs? If not, try saving them as jpegs, then uploading.

mpoulsom oops sorry....the AFTERs didn't download! :) here are the AFTERS hopefully and i hope you can tell what's before and after! HA!

mpoulsom thank you emily! i'm kind of technologically challenged....but i got some AFTERS up after all! BTW, I have pretty much a whole house of befores/afters, but still finishing up some things. This house was in pretty rough shape and had never been updated, but it had good bones and I saw a lot of potential. hopefully it will be an inspiration for some DIYers....not that i'm opposed to professional help at all. professional help is the greatest when you can afford it and/or don't have the time! kudos to all the designers/decorators/contractors/architects out there! (i'm a professional artist/designer myself....so i don't want anyone to get the impression that they are not needed and appreciated greatly!

Emily Hurley Looks beautiful!! Love it! You know, if you have more transformations to share, you can always feel free to start new discussions about them to give them their own discussion threads. It's super helpful to see those kinds of before and afters from people. So fun!

mpoulsom thank you...... you are too kind! :)

PoshHaus what an awesome thread!

nancy_c Updating an unsafe, very old, wood-burning fireplace to gas.

garden3 We live in a 1000 square foot cabin on an island with no hydro or electricity. All of our power comes from solar or a diesel generator. Our water is pumped from a well 40 ft above us on a cliff.. We sit out on another cliff over the pacific ocean.... But the kitchen needed updating :)


http://www.houzz.com/projects/69044/Before-and-After-Cabin-Kitchen-Reno

mjcmartin Before / after in our family room. The bar used to be in another room that we didn't use much, and this bookcase was redundant. We had plenty of shelf space elsewhere. The kitchen is behind this wall, so the new bar now is very close to the center of the action.

mpoulsom Moirapar, you guys did a fantastic job! I absolutely love it! :)

Emily Hurley Moirapar, really beautifully done!

Mjcmartin, Love what you did!

Studio NOO Design Before and after !

Emily Hurley Wow. Really lovely.

Connie Wersal-LaVelle, Allied ASID This open floor plan allows for great entertaining. The contemporary/transitional design incorporates accessory pieces client had previously and loved.

Photographed by Kelly Povo
kellypovo.com

Connie Wersal-LaVelle, Allied ASID This larger living room was divided by placing sofas back to back. Her area has a fireplace as a focal point for relaxing with girlfriends in front of the fire. Comfortable for hours of conversation. His area has a large screen television prefect for watching the sports he loves.

Photographed by Kelly Povo
kellypovo.com

Connie Wersal-LaVelle, Allied ASID This traditional family room invites conversation with family and friends. Mixing pattern with pattern adds interest to a functional room.

Photographed by Kelly Povo
kellypovo.com

Connie Wersal-LaVelle, Allied ASID Working with the clients color palette, I created a cozy conversation area with extra dining and a place for their card club to gather.

Photographed by Kelly Povo
kellypovo.com

Paradise Restored Landscaping & Exterior Design The charming couple with this beautifully renovated farmhouse choose a dramatic waterfall and pond for front entrance . .

Transforming Rooms For hundreds of before & after photos, or unique solutions on limited budgets, see the photos at
http://www.interiordesigngreensboro.com/search?q=how+to+add+color
or
http://www.interiordesigngreensboro.com
and
http://www.transformingrooms.com

Example shown here - this homeowner couldn't afford a kitchen remodel or new kitchen cabinets, so the designer updated the look by relocating the microwave, updating the stove, adding tile, home depot lights, and a window valance for color. There are hundreds of solutions.

When you're on the blog, you can search for your area of interest by typing words in the UPPER LEFT corner on the blog, examples "recover sofa" or "how to add color" or "window treatment ideas" or "how to layout furniture". WOW, great tips!

bcreaytiv Master Bath sink area-- we raised the existing countertop, added trim and paint to existing cabinet, and installed built in medicine cabinets. Just realized this isn't the "final" after. We have since made the fake top drawers into real drawers and added off-white crackle finish hardware.

Renaissance Kitchen and Home I love all the postings and pictures big and small!
As a designer it is always great to see how proud everyone is of their renovation projects.

Congratulations to you all!

Torry Manzo
Renaissance Kitchen and Home

Mary DeGidio_Koenig I have a before and after...my bar in our family room that we use every day practically and company loves to sit there while we serve snacks and drinks!!

Mary DeGidio_Koenig The old bar top had a dated wood with a mold piece on the edge...the new granite really updated the bar and looks sharp.

julietandnikki before and after of my kitchen.

Dan Paris Massive Renovation to 100 Yr Old Beauty - The only things we kept were the stained glass window, the wood framing and concrete foundation. Everything else is new.
http://www.houzz.com/discussions/199111/Massive-Renovation-to-100-Yr-Old-Beauty--

luv2cruz41 Our b4 & after still amazes us!

Renaissance Kitchen and Home Your job is worth being amazed over!
Congratulations.

Torry Manzo
Renaissance Kitchen and Home

mpoulsom luv2cruz41.....that is crazy! would never have known it was the same place! cha-ching! :) looks fabulous!

luv2cruz41 Thank you so much! In person it is so much different than seeing it on paper. It really was a total transformation.We really love it and still can't believe that it was aggravation free! We were expecting a nitemare! Love seeing everyones before and afters! Amazing what you can do! I also love trim details! Now we have to decide what color shutters to use. Any suggestions??? Thanks!

PoshHaus Love the green backsplash.

Joan D Emily, you got me to finally post photos of our before/after listed as an 1850 Cart House Transformation, Part 1 and, same title, Part 2 in the Before and After discussion thread. Check it out! Joan

M&R We have a small DIY project to share. We could not expand the space, so we had to make do with the tiny footprint.

M&R The back wall of the new tub/shower. (not quite complete)
While we know that it doesn't hold a candle to the beautiful spaces that we see here, we are happy with the results in our tiny cottage.

http://www.houzz.com/discussions/205515/Bathroom-update

jaynesachs Before & After of our kitchen renovation, designed around a salvaged door.
We bought a foreclosed house and needed to take on what we felt was an awkward kitchen With 12 ft. ceilings, we wanted to warm up the space and bring in an old world feel. The kitchen didn't have a pantry so we searched long and hard for a salvaged door to be the door for a new pantry. The kitchen then got designed around the look of this door which has all original hand forged straps. Everything seemed to flow from there. We now need to complete the look with the right assessories, but need to drink a few glasses of wine in the new kitchen before taking on any more challenges!

slush1422 Here is ours http://www.houzz.com/discussions/208657/Partial-DIY-Full-Kitchen-Gut---Remodel-w-Ikea

Breckon Land Design Wow - there are some great before and after pics here! Here are a couple of ours!

lwaylett 1995 Kitchen to 2012 Kitchen - Before we had the darker colors and lower ceilings with brown wood cabinets. After we have much lighter brighter colors, raised ceiling and granite counters. Also before, the formal dining area was "boxed " in partial walls and there were several entries in and out of areas. After, we removed the "box," raised the ceilings, and made every area open to the next. Totally open concept now and flows very nicely. Now I just need help to decorate the tops of my new kitchen cabinets! :-)

advikid Here's a before & after of our cottage - added a roof over the front door and Hardy plank siding. We love it!

Solena Landscape Here is a 'Before & After' of a small Huntington Beach, Ca backyard.
Designer Mitch Kalamian mixes Asian with Contemporary to match the remodel on this mid-century house and make the yard feel even bigger that it is.

Renaissance Kitchen and Home Amazing space! It's had to believe that it's the same size. It looks 10 times larger.
Great renovation.

Torry Manzo
Renaissance Kitchen and Home

Travis Robert Renovations BEFORE/ AFTER : NJ Kitchen/Family room Renovation.

This renovation included multiple walls that were removed to create an open living space... As well as a family room renovation, kitchen update, new lighting, trim, and hardwood.

astraea @Travis - So where were you when I lived in Bergen County? (LOL) Now in Monmouth .. but up on a hill!

Travis Robert Renovations @Astraea - Thanks for your interest in Travis Robert Renovations!! We hope your enjoying Monmouth...

mjkhm Still a work in progress, but it is getting there! Before and After!

mpoulsom DIY fireplace makeover....1968 ranch...brick to painted brick(temp fix) to final redo. We call it the Jenga Fireplace. It is made of smaller cuts of poplar wood pieced together and a concrete slab on hearth.
Please excuse christmas clutter.

mjkhm Kitchen before and after...we used existing cabinets.

Emily Hurley These latest posts are great!! Be sure to start your own discussion thread by posting them using the question widget at the top of the page. Select "Before and After" as the category! Great work!!

Iyare I Cheapest update yet. Wanted to create a more inviting guest bedroom so I took out the dark, witchy looking bedding and drapery and replaced them with white bedding and window treatments. It definitely gives the room an airier feel and the bed looks very inviting everytime I go in the room

Iyare I Before Houzz, black was my safe zone. Its really hard to go wrong with black you know. But after being on houzz for almost a year and logging on faithfully everyday just to read up and learn new things, I was finally challenged to do step away from my comfort zone and try something I knew I really wanted but was scared to do. I have a colorful personality but my living room where I entertain didnt reflect this because I went safe. With some great feedback from houzz, I made a change and it might not be to everyone's taste but I love the way it turned out. Everyone who has seen it in person says that they love it and dont know many people wo would be able to pull it off but its so me :)

I think that last statement is the best compliment

It still needs a little tweaking... I need to mount my speakers and I would like to find some better fitting window treatments but if I do nothing else, Im still satisfied :)

astraea @Lyare l: I bought a house where several rooms were painted a royal blue .. too dark for me, and the BR I turned into a guest room also has a huge painted baseball mural for a boy! What a difference when I had it painted BM's "Pale Teal", and filled it with white wicker & a few paisley pieces! Before on the left & after on the right.

Paradise Restored Landscaping & Exterior Design This property was a fun project to work on - the tree had to go and the patio area needed some TLC. This was the nicest couple - they had 4 small ones who loved outdoor play time - to that end, the project outcome fills objective now and for years to come.

http://www.houzz.com/discussions/265702/_msg=WW91ciBwb3N0IHdhcyBzdWNjZXNzZnVsbHkgYWRkZWQgdG8gdGhlIERpc2N1c3Npb25zIHNlY3Rpb24u/A-tree-dominated-patio-area-becomes-family

Paradise Restored Landscaping & Exterior Design Needed to ad photos in last post - I'm a bit goofy in the tech side!

egerrard Here is a before and after of a fairly inexpensive kitchen remodel.

Leah Witmond Before: The entrance didn't look bad, and we'd been happy with it for years, but now I needed space to park my mobility scooter.

Leah Witmond After some hard work, we've got a better looking entrance with parking space for my Spazmobile.
Here's the link to my idea book which details what we've done:

malarkey Kitchen Before & After. Quite a difference!

bonita1 Garage Before and after. For more images and a backstory to the Roger Hatton Memorial Mud Room go to http://digdeepfinishwell.com/2012/06/12/roger-hatton-memorial-mudroom-13/

Marilyn Wilkie We redid our kitchen in 2010 and did most of the work ourselves. We tore out a wall and 3 closets to enlarge it and added a skylight.

Marilyn Wilkie Here are a couple of other "before" photos.

dowbright What a great thread! Thanks, everybody.

Savena Doychinov, CKD/Design Studio International It's great to see that so many people want to improve their homes!

WineRacks.com Here's a before and after of a wine cellar we did. You can see more of our work at WineRacks.com. No space is too small to be remodeled!

savtasandy Before kitchen was basically black and white. White dated cupboards , black and white checkered back splash, black linoleum marbled with white, fluorescent tray ceiling with plastic diffuser.

savtasandy New kitchen was done by refacing existing cabinetry. NuLife Kitchens in Winnipeg, Canada did the work. They made several new sets of drawers and retrofitted the cabinetry where the microwave used to live. Our upper cabinetry is Antique Whitewash and our bottom Cabinets are Wenge. The countertop is Oyster Caesarstone, the sink is Biscotti Siligranit , the back splash is a taupe ceramic tile in shiny and matte fingers that interlock. The floor is vinyl plank Evolve flooring in a bleached maple. Our proudest update is the tray ceiling which is rounded at the edges to echo the profile of our cabinetry. It now houses a beautiful drum fixture.

digidana The pictures aren't the greatest, my camera is terrible, but here is the before and after on the living room. We coffered the ceiling, replaced an old sliding door with french, built out the fireplace about a foot (it was only abut 16" deep) and covered it in granite and wood. built the shelves up and made them match the fireplace. Took down a wall between the living room and stairs. Buh bye paneling and carpeting. The flooring is what was under the carpeting. Floors will eventually be redone with the rest of them after we finish the kitchen. New light fixtures

digidana the ceiling before and after

Pine Street Carpenters & The Kitchen Studio Before photo (top left): Try not stubbing your toe during a midnight snack run in this dark, obstacle course of a kitchen!

WineRacks.com Before/After: a before and after view of a wine cellar room we recently did. The wine racks are made of unfinished mahogany and are made right here in our warehouse in NY. We also offer free custom design and white glove delivery/install

savtasandy This is an update with better photos of the before and after of our kitchen Reno. See other longer description above in this blog. The photographer is Michael Roberts in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
http://www.dualityphoto.com/

gabybrad New ensuit bathroom. Turned out even better than expected and somehow feels bigger even though we have added a bath and larger shower area.

digidana nice! i was looking at that slate last night. i think too much can be overpowering and busy, but it looks great in there. i love the sink also!

gabybrad Thanks. Not sure if you are UK or US but its all high street suppliers and done on a modest budget. Www.bathstore.co.uk for all fittings, Tile Giant for tiles both did good discount on negotiation. amtico flooring is from a discount warehouse in Wales who are about 70% less than usual stockists. Good luck with your project.

Main Line Kitchen Design Here is a great before to after stop action video transformation:

http://www.houzz.com/discussions/352641/211-second-stop-action-video-of-kitchen-renovation

Impression Concrete Elements Here is a job I completed on a laminate counter-top with decorative concrete stained and sealed with epoxy. This job was completed in Kansas City.

Marilyn Wilkie Main Link, that was great! Thanks.

Shelley Sims/Thrive Design Before

Shelley Sims/Thrive Design After

Designs by Kav Before - Master bath

Designs by Kav After - Master Bath

Designs by Kav BEFORE - Guest Bath

Designs by Kav AFTER = Guest bath

Elisa My Bathroom, a complete DIY project!

From Blah (blue) to Ahhh (spa) :)

http://www.houzz.com/discussions/361889/Bathroom-Renovation---Before---After

On to the kitchen now........

Elisa

Renaissance Kitchen and Home Here is a great kitchen transformation that shows how you can totally change the look of your kitchen WITHOUT adding an addition or relocating everything in the kitchen. With proper planning and a good designer, you can achieve a GREAT kitchen remodel and by using "Budget Friendly High Impact" products you will achieve a magazine quality project that won't beak the bank.

Torry Manzo
Renaissance Kitchen and Home

PoshHaus WOW! Truly amazing transformation.

Joanne Herrett It is still a work in progress, but i am enjoying it, oops sorry about the dble of the one pic

Joanne Herrett this was the one i was trying to upload

digidana huge difference! very nice! we're working on ours now. can't wait to have an "after" pic! :0) how long did it take you? any learning experiences you could share?

jnb1711 Our old circa 1980's kitchen was not very functional for us. We essentially removed it and started from the floor up. Houzz has been a great source of inspiration for us. We love seeing before and after pictures and we thought it may be fun to post our own.

Renaissance Kitchen and Home Thanks for the compliment digidana,
This kitchen was part of an entire first floor renovation.
The kitchen portion took about 8 weeks from demolition to completion.
If I can give you any advise it would be in my expert opinion to carefully chose all your materials and check the compatibility to all other items being used in your project BEFORE starting the project.
This will allow you to work out any complications before construction or mechanical change begin.
Also, if you are working with a contractor, please include him in on all your products and layouts so he can make the needed suggestions or modifications to your project BEFORE he gives you a final quote.

Finally, if you are dealing with a designer, try to provide them or have them help you with an accurate project budget. This will allow them to guide you in the right direction as far as material and labor costs are concerned. They will also be able to control the layout that is best for your budget.

Please feel free to see more of our "Budget Friendly High Impact Designs" at www.interiortrend.com
or look at our Houzz profile page.

Hope this helps and best of luck on your project.

Torry Manzo
Renaissance Kitchen and Home

jnb1711 Here is our finished project. The placement of the appliances works much better. The addition on a bench allowed us to increase our seating within the kitchen. It was a lot of work but we are so pleased...

Renaissance Kitchen and Home Hello jnb1711,
Great job! Love the choice of cabinet color and wall paint combination.
The dark table and oil rubbed light fixture add a great contrast.
I especially like the bar stools. The light fabric goes well and the dark wood is a great accent.
Where did you get the Barstools?

Torry Manzo
Renaissance Kitchen and Home

jnb1711 We lucked out in finding those bar stools in a store called HomeSense here in Canada. It was one of those stores that if you see it and like it you need to buy it then...otherwise it may not be available again. Thank you for your comments.
Your company/business has had some remarkable transformations as well. Very inspiring!

4isablessing @jnb1711, is the wall where the stove is flanked by two openings?

jnb1711 @4isablessing...yes our stove is flanked by 2 openings. There is a hall on the left to go to the front entrance hall and the one on the right with a glass door to go to the formal dining room. Our kitchen had to contend with 3 doors in total, 2 windows, and an opening to the family room.

Purcell Quality, Inc. Townhome kitchen before and after, contemporary and open concept after.

Renaissance Kitchen and Home Hi Houzz contributor's,
Here is a mild master bathroom transformation, which included new finishes and fixtures without all the cost of major mechanical moves. This allowed our client to put the money into the products and not the construction. The staff at Renaissance Kitchen and Home also used "Budget Friendly High Impact products" to give this project a Magazine quality bathroom and control the total costs.

Torry Manzo
Renaissance Kitchen and Home

Marilyn Wilkie Torry Manzo, very pretty. I'm liking the wallpaper. Very feminine space and I like the fact that you thought about their budget.

Renaissance Kitchen and Home Thanks Marilyn,
The first thing a good designer does is think about the client's budget, that sets the stage for their design.

Shalini Ganguli Before pics www.shalinistyle.blogspot.in and www.Facebook.com/donetheshaliniway

Shalini Ganguli After pics
Www.shalinistyle.blogspot.in
Www.facebook.com/donetheshaliniway

Shearer Painting & Wonderfulcolors.org

Shearer Painting & Wonderfulcolors.org Exterior restoration

huberhouse1886 Shearer Painting. Wonderful job. What paint do you recommend? We have a similar DIY project in SW Missouri--bringing the whole exterior down to bare wood. Each completed section brings satisfaction. What paint do you recommend? We are using a boiled purified linseed from overseas, but we are plagued with mildew on it.

Overland Remodeling & Builders Before (2 left), After (2 right)

Overland Remodeling & Builders Landscape, Hardscape, patio cover with roman columns

Shearer Painting & Wonderfulcolors.org H1886...you can email directly happy to help but want to drill down re: linseed oil and mildew.
John@shearerpainting.com

House of Holland - TX Southlake Remodel 2012 1
Southlake Remodel 2012 2
Southlake Remodel 2012 3

Befores of front formal/man cave

House of Holland - TX Southlake Remodel 2012 1
Southlake Remodel 2012 2

Afters with a close-up of the cast stone fireplace surround in process

Murals by Morgan There is nothing like a well placed, well painted, mural!
Before - My client's apartment window looked out onto the side of a neighbor's garage: a big, blank wall.

Murals by Morgan After- Now she has a blooming, low maintenance garden to look out onto while she eats her breakfast!

ecci Handcrafted natural wall panels that deliver the look and feel of raw nature into your home. Look here for the endless possibilities: http://eccidesign.com/?utm_source=analytics&utm_medium=online&utm_campaign=vp4

Keesee and Associates, Inc. Rear Exterior / Porch Remodel BEFORE

Here's a home we've remodeled. They wanted to open up and add more space to their back porch.

Keesee and Associates, Inc. Rear Exterior / Porch Remodel AFTER

And here's the after! Their open-air porch really extends their space and makes it a little more of an everyday escape.

Keesee and Associates, Inc. Lakeside Home Remodel BEFORE

Here's one of our other favorite remodels. You can really see the difference a change makes.

Keesee and Associates, Inc. Lakeside Home Remodel AFTER

Those open, flowing spaces make such a big difference. New floors, more windows and better lighting really help to makeover a tired, dull space.

cwgreen19 Dining room before

cwgreen19 Dining room after

Steven Corley Randel, Architect Before and After Photos

http://www.houzz.com/discussions/414515/Hawaiian-Condominium-Transformation

Lauren M Kitchen