2021 Fall Home

Page 22 2021 Fall Home Improvement LINCOLN DAILY NEWS Sept. 23, 2021 CONTINUED u prepared to negotiate out or down on the less important elements; you might substitute ceramic or a newer material tile for marble; choose an all-in-one tub surround or shower in place of costlier materials. Decide what is most important to you and your family in the room you are remodeling. Don’t hurry. Gather your ideas, cut magazine pictures, use favorite colors from artwork or photos, and ask others what they like as a guide; decide what elements of a remodel are a priority - windows, hardware, heating and cooling, use of space, flooring, lighting, ceilings, walls, electrical, and fixtures; and use a coordinated theme of modern or some classic style. Start a budget, get specific pricing of materials and create a rough estimate of costs. When you know what you want to achieve consult a professional who will guide you on where you should spend up or scale down, can recognize conflicts with your design desires, and will allow you to do the work you might want to do yourself. This is the real-life story of a Popeye and Olive Oyl (names changed to protect the innocent and for analogy purposes, somebody needs to be the hero in every renovation,) both of whom are quite handy and experienced in basic home renovations. When the couple made their third home purchase, it was the home of their dreams. They were young yet, spry with plenty of ideas and energy, and had skills gained in the prior home ownerships. The over 100-year-old farm house offered the country solitude they sought. It had good bones and held a lifetime worth of opportunities to renovate room by room, which they began quickly and completed in a decade; except for one, two if you count the other like room upstairs they planned to do in the same period. The problem room that created a snarl was their downstairs bathroom.