When it comes to home renovations, patience is the most practical virtue.
For first-time home buyers, there’s a thrill that comes with the opportunity to make a space completely yours. All the unchangeable annoyances that plague a renter become solvable problems in the eyes of a new homeowner. Suddenly you can replace light fixtures, not just lightbulbs. You can swap out chipped tiles in the bathroom, transform too-high kitchen cabinets into shelves, or even take down entire walls.
With all those transformations on the docket, starting demolition the day after closing is tempting. But a slower approach can help create a home that not only looks good, but works well for you.
“It’s like dating someone,” said Katie Elliott, vice president of design at Schoolhouse, a lighting and housewares company based in Portland, Ore. “You need to date them before you live with them. Live in your home before you try to change it.”
Without taking the time to learn the qualities and quirks of a house, projects are more likely to be led by assumptions and aesthetics than function. “You know how you’re going to live in a space based on your last space, but it’s always different,” said Ms. Elliott, who lives in a 1950s house in Portland. (She painted and replaced floors before moving in, but waited three years to renovate her kitchen.)
