The era of luxurious, over-the-top home renovations and remodeling has halted. With the global economic downturn, big-bucks remodeling ventures that dramatically transformed homes into expensive living spaces are taking a backseat, giving way to the more dollar-conscious types of projects. Statistics show that activities in the home remodeling industry in the United States upped by 40% in 2011, with homeowners preferring basic remodeling over an elaborate makeover.