High Tech Affects Remodeling Considerations
Faucets and handles for sinks, baths and showers have become artistic elements available in countless designs.
Lighting options can provide the backdrop of a perfect ambiance, but may require non standard bulbs that are more expensive or not easily available. Nowadays, there is such an incredible array of supply options that it’s mind boggling.
More considerations come in the form of lumber from quickly grown trees as well as things like photographic computer designs in flooring.
Fast growing trees have wider growth rings creating lumber that warps easily. Shopping the do it yourself building supply places often necessitate sorting through the stacks to find acceptable lumber. If a hired contractor is doing the remodeling, this phenomena will be reflected in the charges one way or another.
Global warming theories dictate prudence in water usage, so now we have toilets that flush with one quart of water. The toilets I chose for a building project in 2007 require the handle to be held down for a few seconds. Sometimes they need an extra flush.
So what impact does this all have on the remodeling scene? A lot. What it all boils down to is looking at the whole picture. Don’t let the glitter of wonderful design elements override the functional aspects. The function is what you have to live with on a day to day basis.
Stumbling through the unexpected goes hand in hand with technology and how it can affect a remodeling project can be surprising. Product improvements are showing up at rapid pace, and it’s really easy to learn the hard way that a product is totally experimental.
Remodeling often entails replacement of old flooring. Computerized photo replicas of wood grains, tile, and other three dimensional effects are visually spectacular. Some sheet flooring comes with padding which is nice. But watch your step with flooring choices because of unexpected pitfalls that could await.
A beautiful tile-look flooring installed in a kitchen/family room oozed up rings of solid pigment mirroring four circular marks under the feet of the refrigerator. The vibrations from the motor evidently created some kind of strange alchemy between the pigments and the vinyl.
A different slate look flooring with a matte surface absorbed accidental paint drips which could not be fully removed. So if there’s painting involved in the remodeling job, cover this type of surface carefully.
I prefer using a singular unit kitchen sink since I have a dishwasher. It handles larger equipment like pots and pans better. I found that a certain high rise faucet in combination with the single unit sink could accommodate tall buckets that I bring in filled with garden produce.
Now I know that all high rise faucets are not created equal. To get the burnished nickel look, I ended up choosing a lesser curve in the high rise faucet. As it turned out, the different angle cuts down on the water pressure. This is a fine point – but again – a daily function that I have to live with. My old circular faucet shape yielded better water pressure
Remodeling can be fun when choosing the color samples, and coordinating counter tops and flooring looks, but don’t forget the big picture is what you have to live with when the project is finalized.
