Ask the audience: tips for our remodel?

Here’s the plan for our main floor; the existing layout is on the left, and the changes are shown at right. Upstairs will see some major changes too.

Thursday was an exciting day for Lonnie and me because we finalized the plans for our remodel, which starts in January.

We’ve been anticipating this project for more than four years, and it’s almost here! We are excited, but we are nervous too—nervous that we will overlook something we ought to change or choose the wrong paint or discover some $25,000 unforeseen issue (this is an 80-year-old house, after all).

So today I’m asking you for suggestions. When you’ve built a house or remodeled, what were some of the best decisions you made? What decisions did you regret? What features (like soft-close hinges, perhaps) were worth the additional costs? Which ones weren’t? What other advice could you give us? •