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The sound of a sledgehammer smashing through sheetrock may get your pulse racing, but before you accidentally knock out a support wall full of wiring, take a long, deep breath and let’s ponder what can go terribly wrong with your remodel. The thing is that you can’t exactly x-ray the walls of your home to see what’s underneath -- remodels are just fraught with problems and they tend to multiply as the scope increases.
In 1986, Tom Hanks starred in a movie called “The Money Pit.” It was all about a couple’s adventures in remodeling what has to be the worst house ever. Even though it was a comedy, if you’ve ever been part of a big remodel, some of the situations the co-stars find themselves in (re: the remodel, not the rest of the story, which is clearly irrelevant) are way too familiar. Too little money, problems becoming bigger than initially assumed and chaos, chaos, chaos. But you aren’t going to jump into a money pit worthy remodeling project. Oh no. Not when there are so many awesome ways to avoid it.
You’ve lived in your home a little while and you think you sort of understand how it should flow. You’re starting to see the warts and little bits of rough that people tend to gloss over when the neighbors pop by to borrow the lawnmower. It’s not that these things make your home flawed -- all homes are flawed, they’re made from flawed materials, after all -- it’s just that your home could be better and like a skilled craftsman, you’re starting to see places where you could bring out greater potential.
Your new house is pretty awesome, otherwise you would never have considered buying it. But, there are some things about it that are a lot more awesome than others. Take, for example, that kitchen floor. You wouldn’t say it’s ugly, but you’ve seen better design harmony in a restaurant trash bin.
Light has a powerful influence over the way your home feels to you and how others perceive your space when they come to visit. It can affect how you use different areas, too. If you’re looking for a quick and relatively inexpensive way to give your home an attitude overhaul, consider relighting the place. You’ve got tons of fixture options available to help you create the exact look you’re going for without having to close rooms off to let the paint dry or the tile set.
You probably saw some really gorgeous paint palettes when you were out looking at homes, but I’m also betting there were a fair amount that were equally and painfully cringeworthy. You might have even said to yourself (or your agent) “who would think to mix these two colors?” or even “how is this paint color legal?” Sometimes they’re just that bad.
You bought your house because of the beautiful yard, the unbelievable hearth in the den, the two generous bathrooms and, of course, the enormous basement. You had big plans for that basement -- it was going to be a home theater with a pool room, all very posh, but the first melt of winter had other ideas. Was that a little bit of water you saw on the floor? Maybe it was just a shadow. Or maybe it was water… are your dreams destined to be dashed to the ground?