GUIDE CATEGORY
Around the World guides
How homes are actually built, finished and renovated in other countries: one country per piece, with real costs, rules, materials and ideas worth borrowing.
Essay
How Homes Are Renovated in Japan: Tatami, Unit Baths, 30-Year Houses and Renovation Rules
How Japanese homes are really renovated: short-lived wooden houses, tatami room sizes, prefab unit baths, condo rules on what owners can change, and ideas to borrow.
Essay
How Homes Are Renovated in South Korea: Ondol Floors, Apartment Rules and Wallpaper Everywhere
How South Korean apartments are really renovated: ondol heated floors, management-office consent, who does the work, what a full remodel costs, and ideas to borrow.
Calculators for these projects
- Tile Calculator →Estimate tiles and boxes for floors, walls or backsplashes. Combine areas, include the grout joint, add an allowance and price whole boxes.
- Flooring Calculator →Calculate flooring boxes for multiple rooms. Add waste, subtract excluded areas, and estimate purchased coverage and material cost for your product.
- Wallpaper Calculator →Work out wallpaper strips and rolls from wall size, roll width and length, pattern repeat and trim, with door and window deductions.