Photographs by Michelle Slatalla except where noted.
The day we finally moved into our remodeled house–after the city inspector had tromped through with a picky checklist and the contractors had hauled away their debris mountain and the plumber had been called back twice to coax the hot water heater to actually produce hot water–was one of the happiest I remember.
The house was so perfect, with its glossy dark floors and creamy marble counter tops and sparkly glass doorknobs, that it felt like we were moving into a life-sized dollhouse. The beauty of a remodel is you get to re-imagine your house.
Picky problems that could have been avoided if only you’d paid a tiny bit more attention during the actual remodel. Sometimes I sit outdoors on my beautiful new bluestone terrace, for instance, and I start to get irritated because there’s no flower bed between the bluestone and the house.
Do not install a marble backsplash behind your stove. Yes, the sunlight glints on mine (Above) and makes me happy every time I look at it.
If you cook a lot (as my husband and I do) and you roast things at high heat (as we do) and smoke wafts up through the vents (as at our house), then a marble backsplash is simply too much work to keep clean.
2. Get the ones you really want even if they cost more.
Photograph by Mimi Giboin.
The ice dispenser doesn’t work right, and then the ice freezes up in the chute, and then the motor or the condenser burns out and the whole front of the thing has to be removed to expose a gaping cavity of wires and darkness while the repairman tries to figure it out.
And then parts have to be ordered. Now I stand in front of that casement window every day, doing dishes, and I hate the crank.
4: Make sure your bathrooms have natural light. Our master bathroom (Above) has a big window, and lovely sunlight.