Home improvement: Let your budget guide your vision

Regardless of the scope, a home improvement project takes planning and a budget, according to Jake Brown, second-generation owner of Winston-Brown Construction, of Topeka.

You dont have to blow the bank but come up with a number youre comfortable spending. We use budgets to guide you. We can add or subtract to meet your budget, Brown said. At the end of the day, if we cant work within your budget, youre not going to be happy. Have a good idea as to what you want, how much you want to spend and we can guide you through the rest.

Brown, 31, who took over operations of Winston-Brown Construction in 2007, has been around the home remodeling business his entire life. His father, Gary Brown, founded the business in 1974 in Topeka after starting smaller remodeling businesses in the early 1970s.

In the years hes worked with his father and now at the helm of the family business, Brown said most remodeling customers fall into three categories those you need to hold their hands, the weekend warriors and those who fall in between. Regardless of the type of customer or the scope, Brown said he and his staff try to take the same approach toward any remodeling project.

I ask them, what do you want and what can we help you with? he said. I let the customer explain what their vision is. I try to give them some ideas and believe it or not, try to save them money. We want them to have ownership and pride and that they helped design this because the project is in their house.

Brown said the majority of Winston-Browns projects are bathroom remodels.

Its our number one project. Big or small, it seems what we do the most, he said. That seems to be a project that isnt too far out of reach for peoples budget.

Brown said a standard bathroom remodel making cosmetic changes and installing new fixtures usually runs about seven- to nine-thousand dollars. He said a custom job - like installing cabinetry, tile work and other projects - can cost anywhere from 15- to 25-thousand dollars.

Although the majority of their projects are bathrooms, Brown said Winston-Brown covers the whole home spectrum of kitchens, decks, room additions and window replacement. He said hes seen an uptick in home remodeling projects in the Topeka area over the past couple of years, signaling a climb out of the down years of the Great Recession.

Interest rates over the years have affected the market, he said. I feel that now were on an upward trend. People are finally shaking off the rust, finally saying were going to spend some money.

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Home improvement: Let your budget guide your vision