Remodeling Tips & Resources | Ember Works Rochester NY

Jun 5

How to Live Through a Remodel: A Survival Guide for Rochester Homeowners

There's a moment in almost every remodel when the novelty wears off. The coffee maker is living on a folding table in the dining room, there's a fine layer of ...

Jun 3

Garage Conversions in Rochester: Adding Living Space Without Building an Addition

Take an honest look at your garage. Is it sheltering vehicles — or is it a climate-controlled-ish warehouse for bikes you don't ride, a snowblower, and boxes you haven't opened since ...

Jun 1

Aging in Place: Bathroom Designs That Work for Every Stage of Life

Here's a question worth sitting with: will the bathroom you have today still work for you in fifteen years? For most Rochester homeowners, the honest answer is no. The tub ...

May 30

Lighting Design for Kitchen Remodels: The Layers That Make the Difference

Walk into a kitchen remodel that feels off and can't quite say why? Nine times out of ten, it's the lighting. The cabinets are beautiful, the quartz is flawless — but ...

May 28

Pergolas, Privacy Walls, and Shade: Finishing Touches That Complete Your Deck

Rochester summers are short, glorious, and earned — we sit through five months of gray skies and lake-effect snow for the privilege of July evenings on the deck. So when those ...

May 26

Adding a Basement Bedroom in Rochester: Egress, Code, and Comfort

Your basement might be the most affordable square footage you'll ever add to your home — it's already built, already under roof, and already heated (sort of). For Rochester families who ...

May 24

Adding a Home Office: Smart Remodeling Ideas for Working From Home in Rochester

Remember when "working from home" meant balancing a laptop on the kitchen table while the dishwasher ran? For thousands of Rochester-area professionals, remote and hybrid work isn't a temporary arrangement ...

May 22

What Permits Do You Actually Need for a Remodel in Rochester, NY?

Few words make a Rochester homeowner's eyes glaze over faster than "building permit." It sounds like paperwork, fees, and waiting — and let's be honest, more than a few remodels in ...

May 20

Double Vanities and Smart Storage: Bathroom Upgrades Rochester Couples Love

It's 7:15 on a Tuesday morning in Brighton. Two adults, one sink, one mirror, and exactly zero patience. If that scene sounds familiar, you already know why the double vanity has ...

May 18

Sunrooms and Three-Season Rooms: Bringing More Light Into Rochester Homes

Let's be honest about Rochester: we love it here, but the sun can feel like a rumor between November and March. With some of the cloudiest winters in the country ...

May 16

Quartz, Granite, or Butcher Block? Choosing Countertops for Your Rochester Kitchen

Few decisions in a kitchen remodel get debated at the dinner table like countertops. They're the surface you touch every single day, the biggest visual plane in the room after ...

May 14

Deck Railing Options: Style, Safety, and What Monroe County Code Requires

Railings might be the most underrated decision in any deck project. They're the part of your deck you actually see from inside the house, the part your guests lean on ...

May 12

The Right Order of Operations for a Whole-Home Renovation

Renovating your whole house — or most of it — is a completely different animal than redoing a single bathroom. The projects overlap, the trades stack on top of each other, and ...

May 10

Turning Your Rochester Basement Into a Home Theater or Rec Room

Somewhere under your Rochester home, there's a floor of square footage you've already paid for and probably aren't using. Maybe it's holding boxes of holiday decorations and a treadmill nobody's ...

May 8

Heated Bathroom Floors in Western New York: Worth the Investment?

If you've ever stepped out of a hot shower onto a freezing tile floor on a January morning in Rochester, you already understand the appeal of heated bathroom floors. When ...

May 6

In-Law Suites and Multi-Generational Additions: A Growing Trend in Rochester, NY

Across Rochester and Monroe County, more families are asking the same question: what if we all lived under one roof? Maybe your parents are ready to leave the big house ...

May 4

Kitchen Island Ideas: Storage, Seating, and Smart Design for Rochester Kitchens

Ask Rochester homeowners what they want most in a kitchen remodel, and one answer comes up again and again: an island. It's where homework gets done, where guests gather while ...

May 2

Outdoor Living Season Is Almost Here: Deck Features Worth Adding This Year

Every Rochester homeowner knows the feeling. The snow finally lets go, the first genuinely warm weekend arrives, and suddenly everyone in Monroe County is outside at once — grilling, gardening, and ...

Apr 30

Before You Finish That Basement: Moisture and Waterproofing Basics for Rochester Homes

A finished basement is one of the smartest ways to add living space to a Rochester home — a family room, a home gym, a guest suite, a playroom that keeps ...

Apr 28

Restoring a Historic Rochester Home: What to Preserve and What to Update

Rochester is one of the best cities in the country to own an old house. From the grand Victorians near East Avenue to the Arts and Crafts bungalows of the ...