17 HOME IMPROVEMENTS

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Improvements

Home renovation tips, suggestions for interior designers, kitchen, bathroom, flooring, doors, windows, swimming pool installers and more.

Home Improvements 230 - Make A Return On Your Investment 230

Before You Begin

Construction Management

Interior Designers 232

234

234

Indoor Improvements - Kitchens - Bathrooms 238 238 238

- Colours & Accessories

240 - Doors & Windows 240 - Curtains, Draperies & Blinds 241 - Flooring, Tile & Carpet 241 - Home Automation & Electronics 242 - Painting & Roofing Contractors 243

Outdoor Living & Gardens - Landscapers - Garden Trends 244 244 244

Swimming Pools - Pool Safety For Kids 245 245

Four key questions to ask yourself before renovating:

1. Is the project a good investment? 2. How will the project impact your home’s appraised value? 3. How long do you plan to be in your home? 4. How strong is the resale market in your neighbourhood?

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Improving the exterior and interior of your home on a regular basis is essential for maintaining its well-being over time and can also add value if you plan on selling it in the future. Alternatively, renovating a home can simply be about your desire to stay in step with modern aesthetics. Whether it is a simple, do-it-yourself project or a full-scale renovation, the Island’s impressive selection of professional craftspeople, contractors and homeware stores can help bring your vision to reality.

Make a Return on Your Investment The kitchen and bathroom(s) are two rooms you must examine carefully when you first look at a home. These rooms are usually the costliest to remodel, but they are far more likely to pay for themselves if you ever choose to sell your house. You can typically recover up to 80% of your investment when you spend your money on an upgrade to your kitchen or bathroom. However, not all remodelling projects yield a return. Swimming pools, for instance, come with an expensive installation fee and on-going maintenance costs that can quickly add up. In a warm climate like Cayman, pools can increase your home’s resale value – but only marginally and you likely won’t make a return on overall investment.

Remember that a home improvement project need not be costly, as this does not always equate to value added. Often it is the minor upgrades that are not only the most effective in improving the appearance of your home but producing greater dividends in the long run. Instead of overhauling your entire kitchen, you could repaint the walls, change the backsplash and upgrade a few appliances to give

the room a fresh new look.

When considering what the result of your home improvement project will look like, give strong consideration to how long you intend to be in your home. If it is not going to be for the long-term, it may be wise to avoid spending a great deal of money on trendy or unusual design schemes.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

> Create Your Vision - Do your research and draw on many sources for inspiration. Use traditional interior design magazines and TV shows, or websites such as Pinterest and Houzz, which are home to thousands of interior design ideas, interior designers, and trades people who will often showcase their portfolios. You can also create vision boards; a great tool if you’re working with an interior designer, as they help you to understand each other’s vision. When improving a room, you need to think about the space as a whole, rather than focusing on individual items you

like. You may like a light fixture you saw on holiday, the blinds you saw in a magazine or be nostalgic for granny’s old side table, but you must ensure that whatever you do is harmonised with existing design elements in your home. > Have a Plan - A common mistake made by homeowners is to walk blindly into projects without doing some strategic thinking beforehand, particularly about how you plan to pay for the remodel, new furniture or fixtures. First and foremost, you must have an appropriate plan of action, which should include either a written scope of the proposed project or, for more complex projects, a set of drawings that include a detailed construction schedule, providing a clear visual representation of the works required and the estimated time and money needed to complete them. > Get it in Writing - Proceeding on home updates without having an adequate written agreement in place with your contractor or project manager leaves both the scope and the quality of the work open for interpretation by them and/or the subcontractor(s). This is a guaranteed recipe for disappointment and even disaster! In addition, all of the participating parties need to have a clear and comprehensive understanding of precisely what is going to be involved.

Decide what will add the most value for the dollars spent (as it is possible to cut costs without necessarily having to cut corners), determine what order the updates should take place in, and finally assume the worst-case scenario for how much the final cost might turn out to be. > Manage Your Costs - The more detailed the information is about what you desire, the more accurate your cost projections will be. However, it is still important that you have a healthy margin of overage in place for any potential cost overruns or unexpected expenses. One easy way to keep your project in check is to banish the words

‘while you’re at it’ from your vocabulary during the course of the project. It is an all-too-common mistake that can act as a slippery slope to budgetary woes.

Stick to your original plan and avoid any unnecessary impulse additions!

> Trends vs. Timelessness - As Cayman is a transient place, consider how long you plan on living in your current home. If it is five years or less, think about styles that will help increase your resale value rather than a personalised style that may put buyers off. Or simply go for cosmetic enhancements rather than large structural projects. If it is 10 years or more, consider adopting a classic style or design that won’t date. You should also always think about long- term personal changes, such as whether you’ll be having children, and how that fits with your design aesthetic. Older houses and condominiums in Cayman reflect the various architectural and interior design styles that were popular at the time of construction. Design styles have evolved dramatically through

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INTERIOR DESIGN . FURNISHINGS . OUTDOOR HOME DECOR . UPHOLSTERY . LIGHTING . RUGS . ACCESSORIES

the years and today’s homeowner wants a chic, elegant, open-house plan full of natural light and space. Remodelling a dated residence can easily bring that vision to life. Finding ways to assess a renovation and maximise the property’s true potential via creative and affordable options is where the value of the right contractor’s knowledge and experience can really come into play.

Separate and distinct rooms continue to be replaced by open-concept rooms, combining kitchens and family rooms as a shared social space with plenty of room to do everything from homework to entertaining. Simplification of design, by way of cleaner lines and more natural and timeless elements, such as wood and stone, as well as the modern reflective elements of steel and glass, have also become popular incorporations into the contemporary remodelling scheme. > Be Green - Green living has made its way firmly into home construction as consumers continue to become more aware of the long-term savings and other positive implications associated with an energy efficient approach. Logical additions to current green Caribbean design and retrofit remodelling schemes incorporate energy-efficient low emittance windows, smart glass (also known as electrochromic glass), cool roofs that reflect the sunlight away, solar energy generation, LED lighting, rainwater harvesting tanks and cisterns, greywater systems, tankless water heaters, permeable pavers, drought-tolerant and native plants, no or low-mow grasses and use of reclaimed wood for remodelling and new building. Learn more by chatting to one of the experts listed in the Being Green chapter.

CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

If your renovation project requires any structural, framing, demolition or remodelling work, then you may want to consider employing a construction manager. An experienced construction manager will be able to offer advice on how to improve the layout of a room or home and make the most of a space. They will also be able to advise on the best materials for your project in terms of both sustainability and on-going maintenance to ensure that the renovation lasts and retains its value.

For a complete list of construction management companies, see the Building in Cayman chapter.

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Over 30 years experience of providing quality cabinetry, design and installation.

INTERIOR DESIGNERS

Hiring an interior designer doesn’t have to be an expensive luxury. More often than not, a good interior designer will save you money in the long run, especially if you’re new to decorating and renovating. Just some of the benefits of hiring an interior designer are:

> Training and Experience − A designer can take the reins on the project, will foresee problems and ensure everything is done on time, on budget and as per your vision. Even if you can’t hire a designer for the whole project, consider having a consultation with one. > Creativity − While you may think you know your likes and dislikes, an educated, skilled designer knows what questions to ask and what to look for in a client’s life story to glean details about personal tastes that can be used to create your dream.

> Established relationships − Designers have close working relationships with subcontractors on-Island. They’ll know who is right for your project and who will offer the best value for your money.

> Importing Furniture − They can coordinate deliveries and budget accurately for shipping, duty and other miscellaneous costs so there are no surprises. Also a designer will know which vendors are the most reliable. > Space Planning − A designer can help choose correctly proportioned furniture for your space. This is particularly important when ordering furniture from overseas that cannot be easily

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returned. Some architectural firms also have in-house interior designers, as do several construction companies.

A Squared Designs Tel: (786) 501 8808 Email: design@asquareddesignstudio.com www.asquared.ky SEE AD PAGE 2

Chalmers Gibbs Architects Tel: (345) 949 2727 Email: lara.adams@chalmersgibbs.ky www.chalmersgibbs.ky As a part of a multidisciplinary architectural practice, their team of interior specialists provide services in corporate, hospitality, institutional, commercial and custom residential design, both in new build and renovation projects. SEE AD PAGE 256

Design Studio Unit 18A, 48 Market Street, Camana Bay Tel: (345) 945 4977 Email: info@designstudio.ky www.designstudio.ky and www.designstudiointeriors.shop Design Studio is an award-winning interior design firm with locations in both Turks and Caicos and in the Cayman Islands. Their scope of services include residential and commercial design with retail showrooms offering furnishings and accessories, as well as resources for custom orders from a wide array of international suppliers. SEE AD PAGE 233

Diamond Interiors Tel: (345) 321 8138 Email: info@diamondinteriorsky.com Diamond Interiors offers residential interior design services. They are focused on providing their clients the ease of making their home more than what they have imagined. They offer an array of services that will meet your home design needs, including Space Planning, Home Décor, Furniture, Purveyor, New Builds, Renovations, Concept Planning and. Home

Staging. SEE AD PAGE 254 Interior Design Group (IDG) 7 Mile Shops, 215 West Bay Road, SMB Tel: (345) 745 4305 Email: design@idgcayman.com www.idgcayman.com IDG is a full-service interior design firm that handles each project aspect from beginning to end using a customised approach to planning all elements – from interior layouts, kitchen and bathroom designs, to finish selections, molding and trim details, lighting, and furnishings. IDG will create a beautiful, functional space for your home or business that reflects your style, whether through a complete build, renovation,

or stylish additions. SEE AD INSIDE FRONT COVER

Living.ky Pasadora Place, Smith Road, George Town Tel: (345) 233 8700 Email: sales@living.ky www.living.ky Living.ky offers a complimentary interior design service as part of their custom furniture packages. Their team of on-site design experts will develop digital floor plans and product visualisations to help you create your ideal

space. SEE AD PAGES 12, 231 & 253

MJM Design Studio 62 Forum Lane, Camana Bay Tel: (345) 743 4656 Email: info@mjmdesignstudio.com www.mjmdesignstudio.com For MJM Design Studio creating INSPIRING & functional spaces to live, work, play and grow in is the essence of architecture and design. The firm’s timeless, elegant designs are influenced by fundamental design principles which adapt to simple and clean modern ideals.

SEE AD PAGE 254

Trio Architecture Tel: (345) 525 0777 Email: mike@trioarchitects.com www.trioarchitects.com Services include: architecture, interior design, engineering, schematic and conceptual design, construction administration, and

more. SEE AD PAGE 251