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The search for the perfect home is a lot like dating. See a place that interests you and make a date to check it out. Some places make you feel like you want to run away screaming (go with your gut), some need a lot of work (there are people who enjoy this in both the real estate and dating world; these people are called “enablers”), some are lovely, but on a busy street (sort of like a hottie who is incapable of carrying on an intelligent conversation). You finally find the perfect house after months of searching--well, not perfect, really. The kitchen needs some tweaking and the bathrooms are pink and a garage sure would be nice. But sometimes in real estate, as in dating, compromises are necessary (my dream guy came complete with a leaky waterbed and stained papasan chair). You make an offer (propose) and finally close (get married) and move in only to find that putting new drawer pulls on the cabinets isn’t going to do the trick and you’re now thinking the garage is very necessary. What do you do?
Meet Karen Barton, residential architect extraordinaire. After cutting her teeth at the Gucci of residential architecture firms and listening to one too many versions of “I’m Every Woman”, she mustered the courage to strike out on her own. She’s like a marriage counselor, but for houses.
Why do I need an architect when I own a sledgehammer and I watch HGTV?
That is definitely a question I don’t get a lot! Most of my clients come to me knowing they need an architect to draw up their plans because their contractor has said they need to see drawings before they can give an accurate price for the job. Architects are able to see the potential in a space, talk the client through the planning process and design according to the client’s desired functionality in the space.
Architects sound expensive-are they worth it?
Hiring an architect at the beginning of the process can save you money because often we are a fresh pair of eyes, we can give ideas the client may not have considered and we know what to communicate to the builder or contractor. Architects can help a client see how a particular room relates to the rest of the house and design for the feel of the whole house, not just a part of it.
So hiring an architect is like using a road map as opposed to just winging it?
Exactly-and with the price of construction being so high, homeowners really don’t want to waste their money making mistakes because of poor planning.
Where is the one place a home owner should invest?
You hear it all the time, but kitchens and bathrooms are really the best places to invest. Yes, you get your money out of them for resale, but also, you’re using those rooms every day and you want them to function with your life. I think it’s a mistake to be concerned only with improving your home for resale value. Make your home work well for you. Chances are, if it works well for you, it will work well for someone else!
What is the trend you love in bathrooms?
I do a lot of work in-town and space is at a premium in those homes. So I really like that I’m designing more master bathrooms without those big garden tubs. People have finally come around to the fact that they will use a really great shower with a bench and two shower heads instead of having a little shower and a huge tub eating up all the great space they could have in their bathroom.
A trend you love in kitchens?
I think the open kitchen with an island is very functional and banquets with upholstered seats are popular. It works well for the modern family and can be a wise use of space.
What is the trend you think is crazy?
I think it is so silly when clients want to have a separate room for everything: media room, den, and bonus room, formal living area-there is a lot of wasted space in that sort of design. If you are living in a house in town, you really need to use your limited space the best way you can. Formal living rooms drive me nuts because people put their nicest furniture there and they never use them except to put their Christmas tree in there. Modern families don’t entertain in a formal way anymore. Think of the place where all your friends gathered the last time you had a party: the kitchen!
What do you wish you saw more of in home improvement?
I wish I saw more people wanting to build “green” houses and using energy efficient products. Right now, it typically costs more up front to be “green” and that makes it less attractive when a homeowner is trying to cut costs. I hope as the technology improves and the use of those materials becomes more mainstream, there will be more demand.
What do you wish you saw less of in home improvement?
I get frustrated when I see homes where someone has put in a cheap renovation just to add square footage or get more for resale value. It is such a waste of resources. Be a good steward of your environment. Leave your home better than when you found it by matching or exceeding the existing quality of the home you are improving. I wish more people would have the philosophy when renovating an older home.
So let’s say I just bought a dog of a house that is structurally sound, but lacking aesthetically. Should I improve the exterior first?
When we start to talk about “value-engineered” choices, the exterior elevation improvements are the first thing to go. Most clients like the thought of living in a nice looking house, but if it comes down to curb appeal versus a better functioning kitchen or more comfortable master suite, then they choose the interior over exterior improvements. There are a lot of things a homeowner can do to improve the exterior, like painting, putting on a new roof, replacing decorative shutters with operable shutters. Adding a new front door can really make a difference too.
Talk to me about garages.
People think that garages are inexpensive to build because they are just places for parking the car and storing bikes, but what they have to remember is building a garage is like building a little house.
You’re crazy! I won’t need heating/cooling or plumbing in there!
Yeah, you might not, if you’re just going to park your car, but you still need a foundation, doors, windows, electricity, a roof and an attractive garage door and all that costs just as much as it would if you were adding those things to your house.
What if I wanted to build a room with a tiny little bathroom on top?
That costs just as much as putting one in your house.
No wonder we call you “Buzzkill Barton!”
Yeah, you do call me that…
Top Five Renovation Realities
1. Wanna test the strength of your relationship? Renovate your house.
2. Cheap and easy kitchen renovation is never cheap or easy.
3. The low-price/high-quality contractor does not exist.
4. Even if you have bad taste, it is still expensive taste.
5. The money saved by living in your house during the renovation will be spent on bad takeout and microwave burritos
~ Sheri Joseph
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