Remodeling Done Right: Insights from HL's Pros
Tap into our decade of experience transforming Houston homes. Our blog is your go-to resource for expert tips, design inspiration, and practical advice to guide you through your remodeling journey. From kitchens and baths to outdoor living, we'll help you maximize your investment and bring your vision to life.
HL Remodeling & Construction BlogYou asked three or four Houston contractors for quotes. Now you’re staring at numbers that don’t seem to match the same bathroom. That gap almost never comes from a contractor padding profit. It usually comes from what’s actually in the number. You need to learn how to compare bathroom remodeling…
Use 1 CFM for every 100 BTU of gas burner output. That’s the starting point. For electric and induction ranges, multiply your kitchen’s square footage by ceiling height and your desired air changes per hour instead. Then check that number against duct length, hood width, and Houston’s 400 CFM make-up…
You’ve scrubbed that shower glass every weekend for months. It still looks cloudy by Wednesday. That’s not a cleaning failure. Houston’s hard water is actually changing the surface of your glass, fixtures, and grout. No amount of elbow grease can fix that on its own. The good news is this…
Yes, in most cases. If you’re moving plumbing lines, adding electrical circuits, or touching structural walls, the City of Houston requires a permit before that work begins. Paint and a tile refresh usually don’t need one. Are you trying to figure out what your own bathroom remodeling project needs before…
Yes, a bathroom remodel does increase home value in Houston. If you’ve owned your home for a decade or more, you’ve probably run the numbers in your head more than once. Here’s the straight answer: a well-planned bathroom remodel typically returns 60-70% of what you spend when you sell. This…
Moving plumbing during a bathroom remodel is worth it when it fixes a real layout problem. It’s not worth it just because it would be nice to have. That’s the short answer. But it also depends on a few facts: your foundation type, how far the fixtures are moving, and…
A safe aging in place bathroom comes down to four things: a curbless shower with no step to trip over, grab bars mounted where hands actually reach for balance, a comfort-height toilet, and slip-resistant tile made for wet floors. None of this has to look clinical. A well-planned bathroom remodel…
If you live in Memorial, a contractor has probably already walked through your kitchen. They looked at that wall between the kitchen and the formal dining room. Then they either lowballed a number or changed the subject. That’s not an accident. A kitchen remodel in this neighborhood runs into the…
Do you own a Heights bungalow? Then you already know it doesn’t act like other Houston houses. A kitchen remodel on paper turns into a project with its own rules once you’re standing inside a 100-year-old frame. Before you sign a contract, it helps to know what’s really behind that…
Bathroom waterproofing is a membrane, either sheet or liquid-applied, that sits between your tile and the framing behind it. It seals the shower pan, walls, curb, and niches so water never reaches the wood framing or subfloor. Not every contractor handles this the same way, and the method they choose…
