Your Vision.
Our Expertise.

Our logo is a red house for a simple reason: we help Des Moines families love their homes.

As the seasons change, it’s completely natural to get that itch to refresh your surroundings. When you truly love your home, it shows! Whether you are looking for a massive transformation or a quick weekend project, we’ve put together six ways you can demonstrate some affection for your home right now and throughout the year.

1. Remodel for Your Lifestyle

While it’s the biggest investment on this list, a remodel is the most guaranteed way to fall head-over-heels for your home again. The most common reason homeowners choose to remodel isn't just aesthetics—it’s to make a dated space work better for their family's changing lifestyle.

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2. Plan for the Future

If you plan on staying in your home for the long haul, don't rush. Sit down and create a long-term home improvement roadmap.

Pro-Tip: List out your dream projects (kitchen, primary bath, hall bath, siding) and determine your priorities. Establish a realistic timeline and begin budgeting for one phase at a time.

It is incredibly common for our clients to tackle a wishlist over the course of several years. We can help you design a Master Plan from day one, and then work through it systematically as your time and budget allow.

3. Transform with Paint

Never underestimate the power of a fresh coat of paint. If you are willing to pick up a brush and do the work yourself, interior painting is a highly cost-effective way to spruce up a room. Repaint when walls start showing wear, when the color feels dated, or honestly—whenever you feel like a change! It’s just paint, but a new hue can completely transform the mood of a space.

4. Commit to a Deep Clean

There is nothing quite like the feeling of a crisp, clean house. Throw open the windows, let the fresh air in, and tackle the spots that usually get overlooked:

• Dust ceilings, walls, casing, and trim.
• Wipe down doors, doorknobs, and light fixtures.
• Wash windows, window screens, and window treatments.
• Schedule a professional carpet cleaning and launder all throw rugs.

Because this list can feel overwhelming, break the tasks into manageable chunks over the course of a week or a month so you don't burn out.

5. Stay Ahead of Repairs

Regardless of how long you plan to live in your home, keeping up with maintenance always pays off. If you do eventually decide to sell, you won't be stuck sinking a fortune into deferred maintenance. Remember, a leaky faucet or a cracked window pane isn't just annoying—it's actively costing you money. Plus, little things like a broken doorknob or a cracked tile send the wrong message about how your home is cared for.

6. Accessorize and "Shop Your Home"

Way more fun than deep cleaning, right? If your budget allows, shop for a few season-appropriate accessories like pillows, throws, or artwork to keep your spaces feeling fresh as the weather changes. Short on cash? "Shop your home!" Swap decor, rugs, or lamps from one room to another to give them a completely new lease on life.

Ready to Fall in Love?

Whether you're ready to show your home some love with a major remodel, a spacious addition, or a stunning exterior project, we are here to help. Contact the team at Red House Remodeling today, and we’ll have you head-over-heels for your space in no time.

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Regardless of your home’s age or how long you’ve lived there, your bathroom layout should work seamlessly for your daily routine. For these West Des Moines homeowners, their primary bath presented a host of functional and practical challenges. It was ready for far more than a simple cosmetic glow-up.

On the list of must-haves: a double vanity with plentiful storage, an expanded shower and a private water closet. On the list of absolute must-not-haves: a large, dated jetted tub that took up valuable real estate. With these directives in mind, our team worked closely with the homeowners to create a custom layout tailored to the way they live today.

Resolving a Separated Layout

Before: The original layout lacked cohesion. His vanity was located inside the bathroom, while her vanity was tucked away in an adjacent hallway. Compounding the choppy flow were dated finishes—think brass hardware, arch-top mirrors and Hollywood-style vanity lighting—that contributed to a tired, older aesthetic.

Fortunately, the space boasted excellent bones, including a vaulted ceiling that added beautiful architectural height and an abundance of natural light from existing skylights and windows.

A Unified Double Vanity and Smart Storage

After: Following the remodel, the primary bath exudes a sense of calm sophistication. By removing the bulky jetted tub, we unlocked enough floor plan flexibility to give the homeowners an expansive, double vanity.

We designed the cabinetry with a deliberate configuration of doors, drawers and open storage. Drawers are generally much more efficient and accessible for bathroom storage than deep lower cabinets. The adjacent, former hallway vanity area was seamlessly converted into a dedicated dressing zone complete with sleek, built-in storage.

To complete the look, a luminous feature wall tile makes the entire vanity area feel brighter and more open, contrasting sharply with the heavy, all-beige tones of the "before" look.

High-Design Finishes: Goodbye Dated Brass, Hello Modern Gold

Rich, updated gold tones have firmly made their way back into mainstream design, and we are fully here for it. Softly opulent, modern gold tones warm up a space in a way that cool silver finishes simply cannot.

For this project, the homeowners embraced vibrant brushed moderne brass, incorporating it thoughtfully across lighting, plumbing fixtures and cabinet hardware to tie the entire room together.

Creating a Spa-Like Shower Experience

Sitting side-by-side opposite the new vanity area are the expanded shower and the private, enclosed water closet.

The shower features a striking, blue-gray marble-look tile that perfectly illustrates how a thoughtful material choice can transform a functional space into a lavish, spa-like retreat. When designing your own space, don't be afraid of a darker, more dramatic tile. It can actually make a bathroom feel larger by blurring the visual edges of the room.

The designer's secret? Contrast is key. Pairing a cool-toned tile with a warm metal finish like brushed brass creates a dynamic, engaging and balanced design.

Ready to Transform Your Space?

Are you ready to personalize your primary bath for the way you live today? Whether you are looking for targeted aesthetic upgrades or a complete footprint redesign, the design-build team at Red House Remodeling is here to guide you through the process. We handle both the design and construction to deliver a well-planned renovation that increases your daily comfort and long-term home value.

Reach out today for a consultation or join us at one of our upcoming local Kitchen & Bath Remodeling Seminars. Let's work together to help you Love Your Home.

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This 1913 gem is overflowing with the historic character that makes its Des Moines neighborhood so coveted. However, its traditional two-story layout faced a modern hurdle: a total lack of main-floor accessibility. For homeowners who love their community and wish to age in place—the ability to live independently and safely in one’s own home for years to come—a creative footprint rethink was required.

By introducing a main-floor primary suite, we transformed this historic beauty into a lifelong sanctuary, proving you never have to sacrifice vintage charm for future-proof functionality.

Expert Guidance for Lifelong Living

As a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS), Red House Remodeling owner Ben Trannel brings the specialized expertise necessary to balance home safety with high-end aesthetics.

"We’ve partnered with numerous families to enhance their independence, ranging from streamlined shower conversions to expansive, full-scale additions," Trannel explains. "Our process is rooted in the design-build philosophy: we start by understanding a homeowner’s vision, then engineer seamless, buildable solutions that ensure their home evolves right along with them."

Unlocking Potential Off the Rear Footprint

Before: Since the existing layout was already generous, converting an original main-floor room was a possibility—but doing so would have disrupted the home’s historic flow and the spaces the family loved most. Instead, our team designed a primary suite addition off the rear of the home. This new addition seamlessly integrates a spacious bedroom, a full bath and a walk-in closet complete with washer and dryer.

The addition also served as the catalyst for a total kitchen transformation, providing the extra square footage needed to create a functional culinary heart of the home. To bring this vision to life, Red House Remodeling teamed up with frequent collaborator Becky Leu of Leu Interiors, ensuring the new construction felt like a natural extension of the original 1913 craftsmanship.

Designing a Seamless Transition

After: The hallmark of a successful addition is the seamless marriage of old and new. By creating a purposeful new transition off the dining room, the primary suite feels like an organic evolution of the original floor plan rather than an afterthought.

Accessibility was woven into every transition. We widened the kitchen entryway to enhance flow and paired it with a redesigned, inclusive dining area. To ensure visual cohesion, materials were carefully selected to mirror the home’s historic character—from the warm interior finishes to an exterior that blends with the existing 1913 facade.

A Reimagined, Multi-Zonal Kitchen

The kitchen was transformed from a cramped, L-shaped footprint into a zoned space that maximizes every inch of vertical storage. While the range and refrigerator maintain their familiar placement, we introduced a dedicated "clean-up zone" on an adjacent wall, housing the sink and dishwasher for a more efficient workflow.

A third multi-purpose zone currently serves as a sun-drenched desk and breakfast nook—a favorite sanctuary for the homeowner’s plant collection. This area was purposefully designed with a generous width to comfortably accommodate a wheelchair if needs change down the road.

To honor the home’s heritage, the new cabinetry features a stained oak finish that celebrates the rich wood grain found throughout the rest of the 1913 structure, beautifully paired with elegant antique gray quartz countertops. While the overall lighting layout was completely modernized with recessed and under-cabinet fixtures, we intentionally integrated the family’s favorite heirloom pendant above the desk. At Red House Remodeling, we love finding a beautiful new home for the meaningful details that already hold a place in a family's heart.

Seamless, "Invisible" Accessibility in the Primary Bath

The new ensuite bathroom serves up traditional elegance alongside "invisible" accessibility—proving that safety features can be as beautiful as they are functional.

Equipped with strategically placed grab bars and a sleek, low-threshold shower, the space also features a clever design secret: the vanity doors currently conceal a laundry basket, but the cabinetry is engineered to be easily removed for wheelchair clearance in the future. By mirroring the stained oak and quartz finishes found in the kitchen, the suite achieves a serene, harmonious aesthetic that provides the perfect backdrop for beginning or ending the day.

Love Your Home for a Lifetime

Whether you are finally building the gourmet kitchen of your dreams or designing a primary suite that ensures you can stay in the home you love, remodeling is a transformative journey. No matter if your motivation is a creative "just-because" or a functional "must-have," our team is here to help you love your home for a lifetime.

Reach out today to schedule your consultation.

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