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Despite black granite, remodel a success
It has been over a year since my home remodeling project
was completed. The four months of disruption have become
a distant memory-- I hardly remember the dinners in
the garage, the cold temperatures in the family room
and the dust! Well, okay, I do still remember them.
Quite well, actually. Especially the dust. But anyway,
that part is long over. Faithful readers of my column
will recall that my husband and I spent quite a long
time in the planning phases of this project, and, in
general, I am thrilled with the results.
One of the best things we did was eliminate the "step-down" family
room. Raising the floor to the same level as the kitchen
added several usable square feet of living space. Another
good decision was to add skylights and solar tubes.
Having so much natural light is wonderful. We installed
dimmers on most of the incandescent lighting fixtures,
giving us a lot of flexibility.
While most everything went smoothly and according
to plan, I do have a few regrets. I regret not having
a lighting designer create an official lighting plan
for the kitchen. As a result, there was some miscommunication
with the electrical contractor about the fixtures.
For example, my husband wishes we had specified smaller
recessed can lights. We got six-inch cans, which are
fine, but smaller ones would have been more stylish.
He also would have liked to see more dramatic accent
lighting.
I regret the selection of white carpet in my office.
I love the look, and I thought I could keep it clean.
Wrong. We are just not the "take your shoes off
in the house" type of family. Next time I'll know
better!
Also, I have a love-hate relationship with my Absolute
Black granite countertops. While they look great, they
require a lot of elbow grease. If you want to see every
fingerprint, every smudge, and keep track of exactly
how much grease accumulates on the counters while you
cook, get the black granite.
Most of the regrets I hear from people who have remodeled
have to do with choice of materials and money. For
example, one person wishes she had gone with higher
quality materials in her children's bathroom. She thought
she was saving money, but because of the high use of
this room, what she chose is already starting to look
worn.
Another wishes she had chosen less expensive kitchen
appliances and put that money toward hardwood floors.
A third wishes she had not gone so "neutral" with
her selections. Her kitchen is lovely, but she feels
it is too ordinary.
The moral of the story is this: Make your decisions
carefully, do your homework and spend time talking
with friends, contractors and design professionals.
Shortly after my kitchen was completed, I submitted
before and after photos to a design magazine. Women's
Day Specials Home Remodeling Magazine selected my kitchen
for an upcoming edition and photographed it last July.
The magazine will hit the stands on June 7th.
This article first appeared in Alameda Newspaper
Group papers on May 13, 2006.
Go
back to the list of decorating columns.
All articles copyright 2003-2008 Anna
Jacoby.
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