Renovations With Paige: Part 1
When my husband and I drive past a house that needs a little love, he likes to turn to me and say, “look at that house, it has such good bones!” The tongue-in-cheek comment is the exact line I used on him when we purchased our home in 2018. I give him a side-eye and a smirk because although he is being sarcastic, the comment is true! I show plenty of beautiful, newly renovated homes that are amazing! But, to me, there is something so special about a home you can make your own, and that is exactly what my husband and I decided to do. What I have learned over the last three years is that saving and budgeting for projects takes time and patience. Each project brings new issues and headaches, but in the end, the labor of love is all worth it because the home is uniquely and perfectly you. In this two-part article, I reflect on my experiences and what I have learned through the process.
Part One: Advice on where to start, who to hire, and where your money is best spent. Where should I even begin?
If you are lucky enough to be currently living in the house you want to renovate, think about how you live in each individual space. Which rooms seem to be working well, and which rooms don’t quite function the way you need them to? For us, our kitchen was number one. It had not been touched since the 70s, complete with vinyl flooring, double swinging doors, and paper composite countertops. We also needed space on the main level to function as a home office, mudroom, and we wanted to add a half bath.
I recommend thinking through the things you feel like you are missing or what would work better. Then, hire an architect who is willing to work through a few different designs with you. If you have bought a house that needs work prior to you even moving in, focus on the rooms that give you the best return on your investment – kitchen, primary bathroom, and an office/flex space.
Who should I hire? My number one piece of advice is: you are not a contractor, a project manager, a decorator, etc. Your number one priority should be investing in the right people. Hiring the correct people makes the entire process run so much smoother, and your experience will be better – they are worth it.
I personally hired a contractor who had a project manager dedicated to my project. I also hired an interior designer with a background in renovations. She was able to manage the process and answer questions that were way over my head, like where to place individual recessed lights in the ceiling and moving outlets and switches a few inches one way or another because of X, Y, or Z reasons. Contractors are just working on getting the job done, so it was nice to have an interior designer on my team who was working through design and functionality to make sure I was getting the most out of the space.
Where should I spend my money? As with most things in life, you get what you pay for during a renovation, but that doesn’t mean you need to splurge on everything. This coincides directly with hiring professionals. They will be able to advise you on the things and places you should spend a little more and the places where you can spend a little less. For example, I loved the backsplash tile my interior designer initially found. However, it was three times more than I had budgeted for. With her help, we were able to find a much more budget-friendly option that, with a few grout and placement tricks, packed the same punch as the expensive option.
It is easy to get caught up in wanting everything to be perfect. My advice would be to spend money on the rooms you spend the most time (or will spend the most time) and the rooms you enjoy the most. For us, we had a screened-in porch that I thought we would use all the time. After two years in the house, we have maybe used it twice, and it started to become a place we collected and left things. I knew the room would be better suited as a mudroom, office, and place to add a half bath. So, we decided to focus our money and energy on our kitchen and enclosing the porch. Two fairly large-scale projects; I knew I would not be able to do everything exactly how I wanted, so I needed to make careful decisions on where the money would be spent. I do believe there are things worth “splurging” on that end up making a huge difference in the quality and feel of the renovation:
Real, solid wood kitchen cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling. I recommend using a high-end cabinetry company for your project. They will work with you to design the perfect layout.
Countertops that don’t look like “fake marble.”
Real hardwood floors.
Removing walls to make kitchen or gathering spaces larger (or at least appear larger.) We have seen a slight departure from totally open concept homes, but open space in kitchens and entertaining rooms are always a good idea.
In Part Two, we will explore more of the design choices I made and why I made them with my interior designer Caroline Goree of Madigan Schuler. See you next week!
