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February 16, 2010 Home & Garden 15 comments
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Sure, you'd like a better kitchen and bath, but remodeling sounds expensive. And for many of us, now isn't the best time to throw several thousand dollars into a home improvement project.
But what if you could make a big impact with a few well-chosen moves? We consulted leading experts Sarah Susanka and Fernando Pages Ruiz to find the best ways you can make your home look and work better without breaking the bank.
Susanka is an architect whose best-selling "Not So Big" series prompted the Washington Post to nickname her "the J.K. Rowling of home-design books." Pages is a veteran general contractor and author of "Affordable Remodel: How to Get Custom Results on Any Budget."
1. Ground your plans in reality, not fantasy
For every facet of your remodeling project, consider not only whether you can afford it, but whether you would ever really use it. Do you need a professional-quality range if you're not much of a cook? Would a wood-burning fireplace, as nice as it sounds, require too much maintenance and cleaning compared to a gas fireplace?
"We do so much for the life we'd like to have as opposed to the life we have," Pages says. Try instead, as he puts it, "to make the way you actually live a little more comfortable."
2. Choose wisely when deciding between quality and price
You want to save money where possible, but don't skimp in the wrong places. One factor to consider is ease of replacement. In the bathroom, for instance, a key valve behind the wall of the shower is the sort of thing you want to be able to install and forget about for years. A showerhead, on the other hand, is so easily replaced that it can be smart to save money there. Fortunately, there are plenty of relatively inexpensive options that will look good and perform well, including several from Moen.
3. Creativity can be outsourced if necessary
A creative eye can help you transform a kitchen or bathroom with a few artistic touches, but what if that's not your forte? Instead of hiring an interior designer to oversee the whole project, try spending a few hundred dollars on an hour or two of consultation. The key is doing the prep work yourself - finding a bunch of things you like and letting the designer help you figure out which of them might work together and how.
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