A friend and great interior designer, Lisa Furey, now becoming known as the Barefoot Designer (!) recently sent out some great tips to consider when looking at interior remodeling. Enjoy, and check out her site www.lisafureyinteriors.com, 610.688.4201.
Looking at remodeling?
No one likes to cut a budget, but when it comes to planning a remodeling project, you need to establish a realistic budget...and actively manage it. Believe it or not, there are ways to stretch your budget while still ending up with stylish results.
- Be creative - discuss your design objectives with your contractor, then come up with multiple solutions in varying price points.
- Paint, rather than make structural changes to a room, if all it needs is a facelift. Changing the room's color is the easiest way to revitalize it on a budget.
- Install heavy or textured wallpaper to a slightly damaged wall rather than replace it. If there is existing grasscloth, consider whitewashing it for a fresh, sophisticated look.
- Faux finish minor wall damage - the texture will hide imperfections where flat paint could not.
- Do not move windows unless absolutely necessary.
- Borrow space from an adjacent room rather than add square footage to your home. - -- Linen closets are often good spaces to start with, as are spaces between wall studs for niches of bookshelves.
- Optical illusions are another way of borrowing space - installing bow or bay windows, skylights or vaulted ceiling creates great transformations.
If you are going to expand the footprint of your home, consider a bump out out of 2 to 4 feet - this may allow you to cantilever your floor joists and eliminate the need for excavation. Be careful not to extend beyond your roofline as this may require the addition of a new roofline to your job.
And don't forget, if you are adding space, be sure to consult with an HVAC contractor to help determine if your system will accomodate it or if a new system maybe required.
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