Remodel design 101: Taking the long view

Remodel design 101: Taking the long view

When my wife and I had our first child, like most parents we were completely absorbed in this incredible little angel we had. To that end, we were willing to do almost anything to insure our babies well being and happiness! Would any parent want less than this? Not likely. We went out and bought furniture, toys, and books to create the perfect nursery. It was wondrous, and we basked in it.

Now that same precious “bundle of joy”, stands a half a head taller than me, and outweighs me by a fair margin, and has more facial hair than I do. The difficult thing to convey, is how quickly this all came to pass. One day a squirming cherub faced infant in my arms, the next day a toddler, a week later, high school….. all just that fast!! Really, I’m not kidding one iota! Don’t believe me? Well, just you wait and see…

An early client I worked for had two young daughters, probably 4 and 7 years old. My own son was about 4, and I have a picture of him standing in front of their house. I had taken him with me when I tape and photoed (He was bored silly, and I did not repeat it.)

We designed a nice but straight forward 2nd floor on the house. Two bedrooms, a bath, plenty of closet space, and a common area for study and hang out space. Those two little girls are grown women now, college graduates both, with their own families.

I did not know it when I designed that remodel to their home, that those two little girls would grow up in those rooms till they moved out on their own. It’s kind of humbling really, realizing that the decisions that we make at the design table have such long lasting implications.

These are the kinds of considerations that should inform our decision making when we design a remodel. Time passes so quickly, and we better get it right, because it’s going to be that way for a long time. That same family was a repeat client. After about 4 years I was invited back. We expanded the master bedroom suite, pushed out the family room and moved and remodeled the kitchen. They still live in the home that we created together. They are three generations now, rather than a young family…. It’s grandma and grandpa’s house now… and what could be more important than that?

1 Comment

  1. Janine 5 years ago

    Thanks for finally writing about >Remodel design 101:
    Taking the long view | Orchard Home Design <Liked it!

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