The Most Expensive Words in a Renovation

BY KATE LONGLEY • KATE LONGLEY DESIGNS

There are four words I hear in almost every renovation:

"No one will notice."

Maybe it's a less expensive floor. Maybe it's a different countertop. Maybe it's the stock cabinet instead of the custom one.

And to be fair, no one usually notices...at first.

The funny thing about a home is that you don't experience it all at once. You experience it every single day. You walk across the floor thousands of times. You open the same drawers over and over. You lean against the kitchen island while talking to your family.

Those little interactions add up.

I've found that people rarely regret doing a smaller project with great materials. They do, however, regret doing a bigger project and feeling like they settled.

That doesn't mean every renovation needs the most expensive option available. I don't believe in spending money just to spend money.

I do believe in spending it where it matters.

If the budget gets tight, I'd almost always rather scale back the scope than lower the quality. Finish one room beautifully instead of three rooms that leave you thinking, "I wish we had done it differently."

The other thing people forget is that replacing something is expensive. Not just because you have to buy it again, but because you have to live through another renovation.

Personally, I'd rather avoid that.

I want my clients to enjoy their homes, not create a punch list for five years from now.

Maybe that's why I think the goal of a renovation isn't to spend the least amount of money.

It's to make the best long-term decisions.

After all, nobody has ever called me and said, "I really wish I had installed a cheaper floor."

They usually call because they wish they hadn't.

KATE LONGLEY DESIGNS

Paradise Valley  ·  Scottsdale, Arizona