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The Four R's of HomeWorks

© John J. Pascarella

As anyone who has ever bought a house knows, there is always something that isn't the way you want it. With a new house, it may be the color of the walls, or the dishwasher may be on the wrong side of the sink. However, with over 84% of all home sales in 1996 being existing, pre-owned homes, you may find that you don't like where a wall has been built or how the bathroom was remodeled.

For example, the house my wife and I bought in 1995 was built in 1900. The harvest gold paint and carpeting throughout the first floor and the avocado green kitchen tipped us off that the last time the house was remodeled was the early 70's. The first thing I did was paint. It was an easy choice. Over the last three years, most of the work we have done has been cosmetic: repairing cracks in the walls, painting and wallpapering. But, the time has come to begin more involved work: mainly new wiring and plumbing.

Sounds like a lot of work, doesn't it? Let me roll up my sleeves and introduce you to the four R's of HomeWorks:

Redecorate: This is part one of making your house your home. Redecorating a room could be nothing more that painting the walls a different color. Of course, you may want to put up wallpaper or new curtains. Redecorating is changing color schemes or accessorizing a room...putting the jewelry on your home.

Remodeling: Welcome to part two of making your house your home. Remodeling is a bit more involved...replacing carpet, adding crown moulding along the ceiling or refinishing the cupboards in your kitchen. Anything short of changing the structure of your home is considered remodeling.

Repair: This is the work you do for your house, to keep it healthy and structurally sound. If you look at repairs like going to the doctor when you are sick, you won't be too far off base. With an older house, the majority of the work you may be doing falls into this area. Repairs could be as easy as changing a faulty light switch, or as involved as replacing a broken bathtub drain...both of which I had to do within two weeks of moving into our home.

Renewing: This is the work done to your house for the future. There are three ways to view renewing your home: restoring, renovating or the hybrid approach. When you restore a home, your goal is to put it back into its original state...removing elements of another architectural style or replacing elements removed in an earlier remodeling. Missing elements are either rebuilt or replaced. If you choose to renovate your home, you would update your house...replace plaster walls you had to remove with drywall, change room layouts or alter the outside appearance. The hybrid approach is a blend of the two, the mix of which is determined by the feeling you want your home to have.

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