Remodeling: Reclaim Your Creativity

There are two basic types of remodels. The first is the one you see on the commercials. You know, yuppie couples go to their favorite Home Depot/Lowes to buy all the kit of parts and put it together just like the picture in the brochure. Gee, honey - now it looks just like the neighbors. Then there is the second kind of remodel – maybe inspired by an architectural feature, or by a salvaged door, or an innovation sparked by demand. These folks are also down at the Depot - looking for just the right complement piece, the tools, the paint.

Clearly, my vote is for creativity. There is the “green” argument for reducing waste, and capturing the embodied energy in salvaged materials, but there is also another very compelling reason. It
is the act of breaking loose of the shackles of remodeling for resale, allowing some personality to shine through, and putting a little character into the neighborhood.

I grew up in a suburb of Dallas, but had it not been for learning about the Alamo in school, it could have been anywhere in the USA. Every other house the same, community pool down the street. A few years ago, I had a chance to go back to the old neighborhood. The trees had grown and softened the landscape – but the houses had all taken on personalities. New porches were added, brickwork filled in some drive areas, bay windows had been popped out. And even more personal touches - a unique paint color, ironwork fences. A visit to some old neighbors uncovered changes in walls, pass-through windows added. And the most memorable were the mosaic countertops of broken tile, the grape arbor made of old radiator pipe, and the walls finished in old plaster.

Some areas of the country are more supportive of an “individualist” culture to home design. I remember a trip to Las Vegas, New Mexico (yes, NM) where the houses seem to all be their own distinct personas, with a respectful nod to the neighborhood culture. It was refreshing, since at the time I was in Salt Lake City, where conformity is key.

Re-use of an old church

So while I understand the economic need for new housing subdivisions to have some level of sameness, must we remain bound by this forever? And so I celebrated books such as Jessica Kellner’s Housing Reclaimed, reusing old buildings, Building with Second Hand Stuff. Why build or re-build the same as everyone else – and then rely on a real estate agent to stage with unique stuff. Re-claim your Creativity! Be a Proud Dumpster Diver (aka “green remodeler”)! Learn to Re-Purpose materials for new uses! There is a wonderful world of remodel waiting – for our human consciousness to resurface.