We discuss how to live with less stuff or how to fit more stuff (organized and good-looking) in less space, on Apartment Therapy. Sometimes, circumstances require more than just smart organizational ideas, and a household must decide if renovations or an addition is the next step.
Renovations can be as small as tearing out an old, out-dated kitchen and replacing it with a more modern look, or can be as big as rerouting doors and walkways to improve circulation. And a growing family and no desire to move could make you face the decision on whether to add another room to your house.
We’ve certainly seen a number of inspiring renovations on Apartment Therapy that were finished for lots of reasons. Some favorites are: Kimberly's Renovated Loft, Ivonne's Gutsy Renovation and Jenika and Robert's 1944 Bungalow Renovation. That’s why we’re so excited for this year’s Austin AIA Homes Tour and the emphasis that many of this year’s tour homes have on renovations and additions. We’ll enjoy seeing how different homeowners and architects approach the issue of wanting to improve the home you have rather than build new.
Are you currently facing a decision on whether to renovate, add an addition or just improve your place slightly? What factors are going into making your decision? Have you recently completed a renovation with mixed results (either not completely liking the finished product or feeling like it didn’t make much of a difference)? With the time, sweat, money, blood and tears that go into a renovation, your stories could help someone facing a similar house renovation/addition decision!
Some Apartment Therapy renovation resources:
Tips for Escaping from Kitchen Renovations
A $1527 Budget Kitchen Renovation
Sources for Small Bathroom Renovations
(Photos: Jonathan H. Jackson, Jenika Kurtz)
Chad's Guest House & Reinvented Garage 
Homemade Home: Great DIY Projects for Bedrooms from Our Tours
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Dippy Pink Rug
Wordy Thirty: A Literary Food-Themed Dinner Party
Summer Recipe: No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake
Comments (10)
When we bought our home 4 years ago, our "small renovation" ended up becoming a complete gut/rehab out of necessity, not desire.
As a consequence, and for lack of funds, we found ourselves compromising more than we wanted. Thankfully, though, our "sacrifices" are livable—we'll be redoing our kitchen in 5 or so years.
Still, considering how much we're enjoying our house, I would live through the 2+ years of drywall dust and microwave dinners all over again.
But, if you're considering a renovation, be warned: Don't tear down one wall unless you're prepared to tear them ALL down.
I agree with modtramp - be prepared to do more than you think when embarking on a renovation. Our little reno also became a full gut reno after purchasing in May.
If you have the luxury, do as much as you can prior to moving in, or just send out your stuff to storage. It makes it far easier to take another wall out or add additional electrical, or change electrical or plumbing if you and/or your stuff is not in the living space.
Finally, I cannot emphasize it enough - if you hate the flooring, spend the money and replace them, even if it is at the expense of renovating a kitchen or other area that is dated or ugly but functional. It is far harder to replace a floor after you have done other renovations. For us, compromise is going without, rather than paying a few thousand for something we don't want. For instance, we are going without any kitchen cabinetry for about six months until we can afford the kitchen cabinetry we want. A $50 steel shelving case and a re-purposed Ikea Pax wardrobe from our previous apartment will store all our kitchen items for a while.
I'm in the midst of projects for my rental:
I need to paint the kitchen walls and touch up the paint on the cabinets - I have tile for the backsplash sitting in boxes in the hall - my hall bathroom needs to be completed (floors, sink) - I need to get some tile down on the floors throughout the living spaces - and I have stuff in boxes since my projects aren't done....
...but I was in Vegas last weekend and am flying to NYC tomorrow AM - so I guess I'll try to get back into my projects next month!
For us, remodeling meant a more efficient use of our space. We have a small 1910 house (http://www.chezerbey.com) and the original layout didn't reflect how people live today (for instance, the kitchen could actually be smaller since we didn't space for a big wood burning stove in the middle of the room!). By taking out a few walls and shuffling things around, we were able to add a second bedroom and reconfigure our living/dining/kitchen space without adding a single square foot!
i love the kitchen in the first photo! can someone point me to where i can find more photos of it? thanks! :)
This is an exciting post. I have enough space, but some neighbors are going nuts from their kids increasing in number and size. Renovation may be less a pain than selling in this buyers' market.
LaurenZ, Excellent. That's far less expensive than pushing out exterior walls or making additions. Did you figure out the adjustments, or did you hire an architect, or both?
bepsf, I also want to upgrade the kitchen, baths, and floors. My excuse for not having started is that first I should replace three entry doors, and I haven't found any that meet my requirements. Happily, everything works pretty well, and I'm in no rush since I plan to stay here a good while longer.
I have a LOT of renovations in mind for the place I'll be moving in to soon, but I'm holding off on all of them.
My current excuse? (Besides money)
I'll be renting a house from my uncle, and I'm saving the renos until after I buy it. I know what I want to do, and I'll do it when it's my own equity I'm adding to.
I renovate when my father (the carpenter) has no other work. He turns up and starts knocking out walls...