Not So Big Remodeling: How to Achieve Big Results on a Small Remodeling Budget
These simple but clever ideas can help transform your ho-hum residence into a place of delight.
May/June 2009
By Sarah Susanka
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Excerpted with permission from Not So Big Remodeling by Sarah Susanka
Photo Courtesy Taunton Press
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I’ve spent the last 10 years traveling the country, describing to eager audiences the attributes and benefits of a Not So Big House—one that’s about a third smaller than you thought you needed but that’s filled with the personalized details that give it that feeling of “home.” Not So Big emphasizes quality over quantity and is designed to fit the way we really live. Everywhere I go, people sit in rapt attention as they come to the startlingly simple realization that a house doesn’t have to be bigger to be better.
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After my presentation, I’m often asked questions like, “What if we don’t want to build new or do a big transformation?” and “What can we do if we only have a small budget?” The Not So Big philosophy applies well to remodeling and can help achieve big results on a small budget.
The basics
There are three options for remodeling your home in a Not So Big way.
1. Work within the existing footprint. When people think about remodeling, they often begin in the wrong place. They immediately assume they have to add on and that it will cost more than they can afford. But there are literally thousands of small alterations you can make to your house or apartment as it is, without having to change the original footprint. Removing or opening up a wall, adding storage, or rearranging the way you move through a room can solve all sorts of spatial problems without resorting to added square footage.
2. Bump-out. If you’ve considered every possible change within the existing structure and can’t accommodate your needs, consider a bump-out or two. Any time you alter your home’s exterior envelope, you’re likely looking at a bigger investment of remodeling dollars. This is because the exterior surface is the weather barrier—the home’s raincoat—and it consists of an intricate combination of components that usually make it significantly more challenging to remodel than an interior space. But extending a space just a couple of feet can make a big difference to a room’s utility and aesthetics, so it is important to understand where a minimal modification to the existing footprint is worthwhile.
3. Add on just a little. This is the last step in a Not So Big remodel, and yet it, too, is often overlooked as an option by people planning to modify their houses to fit them better. It is a solution that inevitably costs more money because it involves increasing square footage. But when it is accomplished in a Not So Big way, a small addition can be a cost-effective strategy when compared with the alternatives—a substantial addition, moving or building new.
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