Costly mistake to remodel before moving in?
sun2007
11 years ago
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annzgw
11 years agoUser
11 years agoRelated Discussions
How long before you discovered your first major mistake?
Comments (35)Hi all, Oh, the mistakes! We've never built a house before but had a pretty good idea of what we wanted. Like many here, I want to say, if there's a mistake going in, STOP IT before it multiplies! I came up to our house site one day and they were starting with the window trim. They had done two, and they were mitering the corners instead of doing square corners with a little overhang. I thought, "well, they've already started..." I really dislike them. I can live with it, considering, but they irk me every time I see them. Mistake two was my fault: granite tile on the bathroom counters. I really like granite tile, but even though this looked great with my cabinet and tile samples in the showroom, I absolutely HATE the way it looks in the bathroom (could be because I--and everybody else) LOVE my ceramic tile on the floor and in the shower. This granite is coming out and DH is going to tile (his first job) the counter with the ceramic. I AVOIDED mistake number three, getting the wrong kitchen counters! I was SOOOOO lucky I couldn't find the Uba Tuba color I wanted, then I couldn't find a Tropical Green in the right size...what I really wanted all along was soapstone. Thanks to this forum I am assured it is the right choice. Even though we'll have to travel quite a distance to get it and DH will have to fabricate it himself (and we'll have to find strong friends to help), we'll actually SAVE money 'cause we'll do it ourselves. I'm not sure he's too happy about it, but I think he'll go along if I do all the legwork. - Magpie...See MoreHow to avoid costly mistakes while building a house?
Comments (29)How many generations are sharing the house? We have a 3 generation household so we made sure my mother-in-law had a comfortable bedroom. Have you thought logistically about who can share a bedroom long-term when you thought about how many bedrooms you need? Is anyone planning to get married and move in with a bride within the next several years? Are they included in the 12-15 people? Will everyone be eating meals at once? Will there be space to accommodate that? Do the women in your family cook or do you hire a cook? Do you hire someone to clean? Do you send out your laundry or wash it at home? Do you need room for a dryer or do your dry it on the balcony or outside on a line in the garden? These are things the women in your family will consider in the design if they take care of household chores so if they don't hire the work out make sure you consult with them about kitchen design and whether or not the space will be easy for them to clean....See MoreKitchen remodel design dilemma - Please help before we move ahead!
Comments (16)That kitchen makes no sense at all. You have only 3 mimsy little sections of countertop to work on (besides the island). But the island is clearly designed primarily for eating. Think of this: When you're baking or prepping a turkey, where do you put the big stuff as you work? You have no counter section big enough to hold the turkey pan and the bowl of stuffing as you fill the bird, no counter section big enough for a cookie sheet and a stand mixer. And don't suggest doing the raw turkey on the island, because there is no sink there for it and the island is for eating; you don't want raw turkey goop on the island. You have no continuous countertop flow between the sink and the stove (because of the oven), so every drippy thing has to be carried across the floor because there's an oven in the way. Slip hazard. And with the freezer, pantry, and wine/coffee bar 25 feet away, it gives the sense that the whole 625 sq. ft. space is kitchen. There's no place to put a dining table that allows it to have its own space. It will always look like a kitchen table, caught in the cross traffic between two 6-foot doorways. Do-over....See MoreCondo remodel: Help us avoid mistakes!
Comments (51)One thing I’m struggling with (might make sense to do a separate post) is the master bedroom and dressing area. I know I want rugs there and under the bed, but not sure if they should match? Coordinate? Also wondering about a room divider. The previous owners had IKEA track panels and they look much nicer in the photo than in real life. I’m not really a fan of barn doors, plus there are currently door on 3/4 walls, so adding another doesn’t seem like a great idea. So maybe get track panels again, but mount them differently?.. And I have zero ideas about a light fixture to replace the way too low swagged chandelier they used to have. Here are the old listing photos and current status...See MoreUser
11 years agosas95
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11 years agoazmom
11 years agoaidan_m
11 years agopoobaloo
11 years agoGina_W
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11 years ago
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