A Contemporary Becomes Victorian

The second couple had an unusual project that was both interesting and unique. They moved to Spokane from Seattle in 1990, at which time they purchased their 1910 home at a cost of about $55,000. Even though the home required a lot of work just to make it livable, they bought it because of the neighborhood. It was a three-bedroom, two-bathroom, one-and a half story contemporary home with 1,900 square feet, including 600 square feet in the basement. He had been a carpenter for 20 years and both are in real estate. This project was so extreme—a major remodel since they wanted a Victorian house—that if you hadn’t seen the home before it was remodeled, you would never recognize it.

He drew his own plans and they decided to handle the entire project themselves. They started in 1991 by adding a 900 square-foot two-car garage. Work on the home actually started in 1992. Before the entire project was completed, they estimated total costs somewhere around $40,000 in materials only since the owner supplied all the labor. This project also allowed the couple to reinvest profits from the sale of their home in Seattle. Again, this home outpriced other homes in the neighborhood which are valued between $110,000 and $150,000.

Some of the products that were purchased and installed will not only save money in terms of energy efficiency but will also enhance the finished look of the overall project. For example, they selected used 2″ decking and used columns for the front porch. They added another 1,100 square feet to both floors for a total of 3,000 square feet including an additional 600 square feet for the basement and an additional 900 square feet above the garage that is used as a self-contained studio apartment (kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom—all electrical is on the house meter). The rest of the home has six bedrooms and three bathrooms.

Incidentally, the sycamore tree in the yard dates back almost 90 years and really enhances the overall transformation this house has undergone. In the early 1900s this tree, along with others (locusts, Norway maples, and elms) were used in plantings designed by the Olmsted Brothers, famous landscape architects of Brookline, Massachusetts. This firm also designed Central Park in New York City and the Stanford University campus. This particular sycamore tree was shipped in from a Boston nursery and was featured in an article in Sunset Magazine in 1967.

Check it out here.

In this economy, though, who can afford to give their teenager the room decor of his or her dreams? Actually, you can – if you get your teen involved in the planning and execution of her room redesign.

What’s more, involving teens in redesigning their own rooms teaches them valuable budgeting and home improvement skills that will serve them well when they own homes someday. Focus your teen room redesign project on teaching a handful of important skills, including:

* Budgeting – Allowing your teen to update her decor is a great way to teach her budgeting basics. Start out by deciding how much cash you’ll contribute to her efforts and how much she’ll have to come up with on her own. Help her allocate her funds by deciding what she most wants to change about her room. Can she live with the carpet if she wants to buy a pricier bed? Is the wall color OK as long as she can have new linens and drapes?

* Painting – It’s the simplest, most cost-effective way to give a room a completely new look and if your teenager learns how to paint well now, he’ll never fear the job later when he has to tackle it in his own home. If you’re not confident about your own painting skills, sign yourself and your child up for a class in the basics at your local home improvement store.

* Flooring – Installing, hardwood floors, tile and vinyl can often exceed the cost of the materials. Learning how to install carpet yourselves can be a great money-saver, allowing your teen to stretch his budget and acquire a valuable skill at the same time.

* Wallpaper murals –Unexpectedly easy to install, wallpaper murals are a great, cost-effective way to make a bold, personalized statement in any room. Look for a company, like Environmental Graphics, that offers teen-friendly images and complete online instructions for installation. Visit www.DecorPlace.com to learn more.

* Linens and drapes – The lesson here can be twofold – either how to shop for and find great linens and drapes at discount prices, or how to make your own at a fraction of the cost you would pay to buy them. If you possess basic sewing skills, you can easily help your teen tackle making his or her own drapes and linens. Or, you can both enroll in a sewing class at your local community college to perfect your skills.

Helping your teenager redecorate her room can be a great way to teach her valuable skills, refresh your own abilities and enjoy a memorable experience together.

Getting Started

* The most important step is finding a professional remodeling contractor for your job. Check out Find a Professional Remodeler on www.RemodelToday.com for a contractor near you.

* Hire a professional contractor who is familiar with the building codes in your area. Updating work that does not meet code can be extremely expensive.

* A well–written contract can prevent costly mistakes or additions to the scope of your project. It is a critical step in maintaining your budget.

* Save money by planning ahead. Go through the design process first and choose everything you want to include in the new room(s), from appliances to light fixtures, etc. This will define your budget and prevent hasty (and costly) decisions later in the project. Be sure to include all your product and material selections in the contract to avoid confusion and unnecessary change orders. Include the model, size, color, and other specifications. It is also wise to save 10–20 percent of your budget to allow for items added to the scope of work.

* The number one way to decrease the cost of your remodeling project is product choices. Look around to determine whether you can achieve a similar look with a less expensive product.

* In addition, pay attention to how labor intensive some design features may be, for example laying ceramic tile on kitchen countertops and the backsplash.

* Compare products and their prices carefully before you make final decisions. And keep an open mind when you discuss product and design ideas with your contractor.

* Make decisions based on value and quality, not just price.

* Think about staging the work being done to minimize the initial financial impact. It is often easier to create a more manageable budget by starting small and adding to the project at a later date. This will break the work into several jobs instead of one large project. The down side of staging a remodel is that you may end up paying more in the long run.

General Remodeling Tips

* Be creative. There are often multiple solutions to accomplish a design objective, some more expensive than others. Discuss various options with your contractor.
* If all the room really needs is a facelift, make the most of changes with paint, as opposed to structural changes. Changing the color of a room can revitalize it. This is the easiest way to bring life to a room on a budget.
* Heavy or textured wallpaper can work wonders as well. You can save money by wallpapering a slightly damaged wall rather than replacing it. If the wall has grass cloth wallpaper on it, consider whitewashing it for a totally new look. Several layers of whitewash (in various shades of white) produce a clean, sophisticated look in any room.
* Faux finish painting or other textured decorative painting techniques also can hide minor damage or irregularities that flat paint won’t.
* Attempt to keep windows in their existing places during a remodeling project. Moving windows is not a cost–saving endeavor.

Finding Space

* Creating more space can be a big budget buster. Once you add square footage to a home, the price increases significantly. One alternative is to borrow space from a neighboring room (called space reconfiguration). A great place to steal space for a bathroom expansion is from the linen closet. You can make up some of the lost storage by finding small spaces in between wall studs for small niches or built–in shelves.
* You can also try borrowing space with optical illusions. There are many ways to make a small room appear larger. To transform a small bath, install a bow window or a skylight. Vaulted ceilings can be a nice touch, too.
* If you are going to expand outside the existing home, consider a small bump out of two to four feet. This may allow you to cantilever the floor joists and eliminate the need for excavation and foundation. If possible, be careful not to extend beyond the roofline, which might require a new roofline to your job.
* Whenever you are adding on new space to a home, have a heating/cooling contractor determine whether your existing heating/air conditioning system can accommodate and heat/cool the extra space. If the heating/cooling system is damaged, you will be forced to replace the existing units.

Each remodeling job is different, we offer tips for kitchens and bathrooms specifically.

This is not the track lighting from the 1960s and ’70s – those clunky and chunky fixtures in black or white that became hallmarks of contemporary interiors. Now there are a lot more choices: Track heads are smaller in size, available in traditional styles and offered in a variety of finishes including brushed nickel and bronze to coordinate with appliances and hardware. These same metallic finishes are also popular in recessed lighting trims for the same reason, according to Shelley Wang, president of WAC Lighting.

Besides coordinating seamlessly with decor, today’s track and recessed fixtures provide supreme versatility. These lighting products come to the rescue when space configurations make it tough to illuminate all areas.

Out of sight = clean design

“Recessed fixtures are generally preferred for general lighting in almost any room of the house,” notes Joe-Rey Barreau, education consultant for the American Lighting Association (ALA) and an associate professor at the University of Kentucky’s School of Interior Design.

Wang agrees, adding, “They are perfect for illuminating otherwise dark spaces where portables and direct-mount fixtures have limited capabilities and would visually clutter the design.”

Recessed lights offer flexibility in that they can be individually aimed, according to Wang. “Square downlights in singles and multiples are a great linear look that was first made popular in retail and architectural spaces, but are now found regularly in high-end homes,” she explains. “Trimless recessed lights ensure that nothing protrudes below the ceiling plane, giving a minimalist look.”

Homeowners can rely on recessed not only when illuminating hallways and kitchens, but also to supplement other light sources in family rooms and bedrooms.

Glenn Siegel, marketing director for Cooper Lighting, has observed two growing trends: an increase in finish choices and a preference for recessed, square shapes for an architectural look. “In both Halo’s recessed and track lines, we now provide updated metallic finishes that range from Aluminum Haze, Satin Nickel, and Tuscan Bronze to Antique Copper,” says Siegel.

To save on energy, plus limit awkward bulb changes on the ceiling, consumers can buy compact fluorescent bulbs suitable for recessed fixtures. Placing the lights on a dimmer will further cut electrical costs and allow the user to vary the levels of light to create ambiance. Several lighting manufacturers are now offering LED-powered recessed fixtures and hanging pendants suspended from track for even greater energy savings over time.

Where to use today’s track stars

“Almost any room in the house is a candidate for a track system,” Rey-Barreau says. Once relegated to applications such as hallways, recreation and family rooms, and basements, track lighting is now being employed in dining rooms, kitchens and bedrooms.

“Track lighting has changed from a mundane product category into one that is design-conscious and extremely flexible,” Rey-Barreau states. The variety of fixture styles and lamping choices are diversified and available in an array of bulb options.

“One of my favorite applications is in renovation projects where the lighting placement is limited by the location of electrical service in the ceiling. Since the track allows for multiple fixtures in a linear configuration, it is possible to provide electricity to the track in one spot while allowing the fixtures on the track to reach many parts of the room,” Rey-Barreau says.

“Tons of homes are built with one junction box in the ceiling, but the residents want to update the space to incorporate general, accent and task lighting,” Wang concurs. “If recessed lighting is not feasible without lowering the ceiling height, a track system is a nice alternative. I faced this issue inside my pre-war New York City apartment and the track solution came out great.”

Track systems have evolved into highly decorative and functional lighting solutions. “The most common type is the monorail, which contains a single rail of electrified cable that can be installed either in straight runs or can be bent in the field for custom designs,” Rey-Barreau notes. The monorail provides the greatest flexibility and has an almost unlimited range of fixture options. With these new systems, the track becomes very much a part of the room’s overall aesthetics.

“One of the advantages of the monorail is that you can attach both pendants and accent fixtures on it,” Rey-Barreau explains. “Therefore, in a location such as a peninsula in a kitchen or a basement bar, you can place pendants above the work surface while creating spot lighting on objects in the room.”

Terry McGowan, director of technology for ALA, also appreciates the monorail’s flexibility. “I like to use it in dining rooms, even if there’s a suspended fixture over the table. Track adds downlighting and sparkle to table settings and can also be adjusted to accent sideboards, buffets, wall art, or sculpture,” he comments. “The decorative fixtures can then be dimmed so they’re not glaring.”