White toilet between a white shower base and a white vanity with a dark veined counter, on a dark gray tile floor

Toilet Clearance Is Three Measurements, Not One Number

Toilet clearance isn’t one number. It’s three measurements: the space from the toilet’s center out to the side wall or vanity, the open floor in

Kitchen with recessed ceiling lights, two lit pendants, sage-green cabinets and a lit backsplash under the upper cabinets

Kitchen Recessed Lighting Starts With the Job Each Light Does

Give each light a job before you choose a pattern, a size or a count. That’s the order that keeps kitchen recessed lighting from being

Kitchen with a vaulted ceiling, broad island, row of stools and tall black range hood

Multi-Generational Home Designs for Every Stage of Life

Homeowners are looking for ways to create spaces that can adapt to changing needs while remaining functional, comfortable, and welcoming for everyone who uses them.

Kitchen with a dark island, sage-green cabinets, a black range hood and a light wood-look plank floor

Flooring Before or After Cabinets? How the Floor Installs Decides

According to one flooring maker’s installation FAQ, how your new floor installs decides the order. For a floating floor, that maker says to install the

Bathroom with a glass-enclosed shower walled in green rectangular tile, a white veined tile floor and a double vanity

What’s Better in a Bathroom, Porcelain or Ceramic Tile?

Neither label makes a tile better on its own. Porcelain is ceramic tile. What separates the two in the porcelain vs ceramic tile comparison is

Brushed-metal wall plate with two round shower control knobs beside a vertical rail and a braided hose attached at a wall bracket

Thermostatic vs Pressure Balance Shower Valves Solve Different Problems

If your shower will run one showerhead on a supply shared with a laundry room or kitchen, a pressure-balancing valve guards against the sudden change

Black furniture-style bathroom vanity with a light countertop, open shelves and folded white towels

A Furniture-Style Vanity Looks Custom. Here’s What It Gives Up.

For most households, the built-in cabinet vanity is the right call. It holds more of what a bathroom has to store, and it meets the

Wood-grain bathroom vanity with a rectangular vessel sink and round mirror

Check the Finished Sink Height Before Ordering a Vanity

The height that matters isn’t printed on the cabinet. It’s where the sink rim ends up once the cabinet, the countertop and the sink are

Small white kitchen with a double window over the sink between shaker upper cabinets, a gas range and an over-the-range microwave

Test the Storage Plan Before Losing a Kitchen Window

Keep the window unless a real storage count says otherwise. In most small kitchen remodel designs, that’s the right default, and it holds until a

Corner kitchen cabinet with a two-tier wire pull-out rack extended from the cabinet

Lazy Susan or Blind Corner: Which One Fits Your Kitchen?

You have two real options for the dead corner in a kitchen layout. A lazy Susan is a rotating shelf that spins inside the cabinet

Bathroom double vanity with two undermount sinks and a long mirror, beside a glass-enclosed shower and a drop-in tub

Does Your Bathroom Have Room for a Double Vanity?

Measure the wall before you pick the cabinet. NKBA’s planning guideline puts two sink centerlines at least 36 inches apart, each one at least 20

Stainless-finish gas range with rear controls between white cabinets

Slide-In vs. Freestanding Range: What Your Cabinets Decide

A freestanding range is a finished box that stands on its own between two cabinets. A slide-in is built to sit inside the counter run,

Cream kitchen cabinets beneath boxed soffits with recessed lights and a ceiling fan

Kitchen Soffit Removal: What Is Actually Inside That Box?

Sometimes that box above your cabinets is hollow and it can come out in an afternoon. Sometimes it’s carrying a duct trunk, a plumbing vent

Green kitchen cabinets surrounding a broad white range hood and central island

Will a Ductless Range Hood Actually Clear Your Kitchen Air?

A ductless range hood doesn’t clear your kitchen air. It filters some of it and hands the rest straight back to the room. A recirculating

Heating cable arranged across red mesh floor mats

Is a Heated Bathroom Floor Worth It Before the Tile Goes Down?

A heated bathroom floor is usually worth it, but only if you decide on it now. Electric floor heat is a thin mat of resistance

Double vanity with brown wood-grain cabinets, two mirrors and wall sconces

Embracing Nature in Home Design: How to Create a Healthier, More Beautiful Home

Today’s homeowners are increasingly focused on creating home designs that support their lifestyles and promote wellness by creating a connection to nature.

Clarksville Tub-to-Shower Conversion