Preventing remodel remorse

If you've been glaring at your home's outdated kitchen or bathroom for years, you may have a very clear idea of what you want from a remodeling project. You may think you have no use for an architect.

Perhaps, but architects - at their best - can do far more than produce slick drawings that eliminate what we don't like about an existing space.

MORE THAN EXPENSIVE DRAWINGS

Remodeling is often driven mainly by what a homeowner doesn't like in an existing room, rather than a whole new approach to make that space all it could be. So, all those homeowners may get is an improved version of the old room, with new surfaces and appliances and minus the mistakes and eyesores.

And if that's all you want, a qualified remodeling contractor should do just fine, as long as it's safe and legal.

But an architect, if asked, should give you some choices about what can be done beyond erasing the old design's flaws, said architect Bob Lanning . "Sometimes I prefer to give multiple approaches, drawings. There are always multiple ways to approach a problem," said Lanning.

That's where an architect's vision, the ability to imagine what can be done to reconfigure or optimize that space comes in.

THE VISION THING

A good example of the benefit of veteran Tucson architect Leo Katz's ability to imagine what could be was his approach to a recent kitchen remodeling in a Midtown home. Asked to overhaul the 1940s-era home's narrow galley-style kitchen, he went far beyond new appliances, upgraded cabinets, countertops and better lighting - but not far beyond the budget. He recommended taking out the wall between the old kitchen and living room, something the homeowners hadn't considered. The result: An open, modern kitchen that, for the roughly $2,000 additional cost to take out the wall, not only opened up the kitchen as a welcoming space, but had the effect of creating an entirely new living room as well. The new continuous space seemed far larger than the combined square footage of the two formerly separate areas.

Architect Chris Evans calls this the "holistic approach" to design work, and said an architect should ask questions, as well as pose solutions to problems with the client's space. "Sometimes I don't think the clients see the whole picture. You're doing a renovation on part of a house, or an addition, but how does it work with the rest of the house? What are you after?"

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Preventing remodel remorse