Oxland Builders Blog | NH Remodeling and Custom Homes

7 Ways Custom Millwork Can Enhance Your Home Renovation

Written by Brad Sawler | Aug 15, 2021 5:15:00 PM

A basic remodel may give you the features you want but might not be quite as impressive as you’d hoped. Fortunately, custom millwork can boost the appeal of your remodel without breaking your budget. Adding one-of-a-kind millwork to your renovation offers a simple way to beautify your Seacoast New Hampshire home. 

What Is Custom Millwork?

Millwork is the wood used in trim, baseboards, molding, stairs, banisters, cabinets, railings, mantels, and other parts of your home. Many types of millwork are mass-produced and available at lumberyards and home improvement stores. Unfortunately, mass-produced millwork has a few drawbacks. If you’ve ever shopped for trim or molding at a big box store, you probably had to pick through multiple pieces to find millwork that wasn’t crooked, warped, or missing a chunk of wood.

Custom millwork is created for your home and your home alone. The millwork is produced in your remodeler’s workshop and is designed to fit your house or condo perfectly, even if a straight corner is hard to find in your older home. Your remodeler will use your home’s measurements to create trim, molding, and wainscoting that look as if it has always been part of your home.

How Custom Millwork Can Upgrade Your Remodel

With just a slight boost in your remodeling budget, you can upgrade your remodel with custom millwork. Millwork offers an excellent way to:

  • Add a Finishing Touch to Any Room: Crown molding installed at the top of a wall bridges the space between the top of the wall and ceiling and gives your room a polished, finished appearance. If you live in a classic Cape Cod in Northern Massachusetts or an older home anywhere in the area, finding millwork to match your existing molding can be a challenge. Just like everything else, molding styles change over time. Chances are a big box store won’t have the style that was popular when your home was built. Luckily, your remodeler can recreate that classic style to ensure that your remodel blends in with the rest of your home.
Help Your Windows Stand Out: Window trim serves the same function as a decorative ring of frosting piped on the top of a birthday cake. Although the cake would be perfectly fine without the piping, adding it makes the dessert feel and look special. The same is true of your windows. Elaborate trim highlights your windows, turns them into design features, and showcases your view. Depending on the style of your home, you may want to choose sleek trim that complements your modern décor or might want to emphasize your home’s Victorian history with cornices and intricate molding.


  • Create Drama with Decorative Ceilings: Coffered ceilings add dimension to high ceilings with a series of sunken panels. Whether you like the classic checkerboard look or prefer a diamond or octagonal pattern, adding a coffered ceiling will make your bedroom or living room unforgettable. Trey ceilings and wood beam ceilings (above) are another great way to add unique visual appeal to your space.  
  • Improve and Protect Your Walls: Wooden wainscoting has been used for centuries to protect the lower, vulnerable parts of walls from damage and wear and tear. In addition to being easy to clean, covering your walls with beadboard or other types of wood paneling can add character and depth to any room.
  • Upgrade Your Space with Elegant Baseboards: The best baseboards are just as attractive as they are functional. Baseboards cover the space where the floors meet the walls, making it easier to remove dust and dirt. Just like molding, baseboards complement the style of your renovation. They offer a simple, inexpensive way to dress up any room.
  • Make Your Staircase a Focal Point of Your Remodel: Have you always dreamed of having a grand staircase in your home? You might not live in a mansion, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have an elegant staircase that invites plenty of compliments. Custom-made banisters, balustrades, risers, and newel posts can help you create a gracious staircase that looks right at home in your house.
  • Enhance Your Home with Built-In Features: You have to settle for “good enough” if you furnish your home with stock bookcases, desks, or cabinets. Since these types of furniture come in pre-determined sizes, they may not fit the dimensions of your home as well as you would like. Fortunately, your remodeler can make built-in bookcases, desks, cabinets, and other furnishings that fit the space in your home perfectly. Some custom built-ins, like dressers and medicine cabinets that are recessed into the wall, even offer space-saving benefits.

Could your Seacoast New Hampshire benefit from a remodel? Custom millwork will elevate your remodel, whether you’re renovating your kitchen, master bedroom, bathroom, family room, or basement. When you’re ready to proceed with your remodel, contact us and we’ll help you explore all of the custom possibilities for your home.