Room by room - thewholehomeguide

Room by room

Washing machine and dryer — what to know for your space

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Local codes, regulations, and best practices vary by region. Choosing a washing machine and dryer means understanding what your laundry room can accommodate and what you actually need. The machines consume half your laundry room

Room by room

Walk-in closet planning — making the most of the space

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Local codes, regulations, and best practices vary by region. A walk-in closet is valuable space only if it’s planned to actually work. An oversized walk-in with poor layout is just wasted square footage. An

Room by room

Utility sink installation — adding one where there isn't one

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Local codes, regulations, and best practices vary by region. Adding a utility sink to a laundry room (or anywhere in your home) seems straightforward until you understand the plumbing involved. A utility sink requires three

Room by room

Sump pumps — how they work maintenance and backup systems

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Local codes, regulations, and best practices vary by region. A sump pump removes water accumulating in a sump pit—a low spot in the basement where water collects naturally through perimeter drainage or seepage. When

Room by room

Soundproofing a home office

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Local codes, regulations, and best practices vary by region. Soundproofing a home office means dealing with two kinds of noise: sound traveling into your office from the rest of the house, and sound from your

Room by room

Soundproofing basics — reducing noise between rooms and floors

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Local codes, regulations, and best practices vary by region. Noise traveling through your home is mostly a design problem, not something mysterious. Sound travels through walls, floors, and ceilings via vibrations. It also travels through

Room by room

Small kitchen strategies — layouts and upgrades that work in tight spaces

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Local codes, regulations, and best practices vary by region. Small kitchens get a reputation for being incomplete or compromised versions of “real” kitchens. The reality is that small kitchens often work better than large ones

Room by room

Shower and tub options — what to know before you replace anything

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Local codes, regulations, and best practices vary by region. Shower and tub choices fundamentally affect how your bathroom functions and what maintenance you’ll do for years. A luxury soaking tub that doesn’t fit

Room by room

Painting kitchen cabinets — how to do it right and when it's not worth it

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Local codes, regulations, and best practices vary by region. Painting cabinets is tempting because it’s cheap compared to replacement and promises to transform the kitchen. Sometimes it delivers on that promise. Sometimes you end

Room by room

Living room lighting — layers dimmers and getting it right

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Local codes, regulations, and best practices vary by region. Living room lighting needs to handle multiple situations: bright enough to see clearly during the day, adjustable for watching TV without glare, and warm and inviting

Room by room

Living room layout and furniture arrangement

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Local codes, regulations, and best practices vary by region. A living room that works lets people sit comfortably, see each other, hear the television, and move around without navigating obstacle courses. Most living rooms don’

Room by room

Laundry room storage and organization

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Local codes, regulations, and best practices vary by region. Most laundry rooms struggle because they’re cramped afterthoughts with no dedicated storage. You’re keeping detergent, fabric softener, dryer sheets, stain treatments, and a hundred