Selecting Your Project: Imagine, Brainstorm Ideas and Plan!

You've put up with an outdated kitchen long enough. Maybe you've decided that you've taken your last hand-held shower in that vintage ball-and-claw bathtub. Or you could just be sick of tripping over visiting family and friends camped out in the sleeping bags of your living room floor. If you're dreaming of a new kitchen, bath room addition or other space, this will guide you through the exciting process of home remodeling.

MOST POPULAR ROOM REQUESTS

Kitchens
No resource on remodeling would be complete without a discussion of the most talked about room in the house-your kitchen. If you are the beneficiary of a kitchen from the 1960s or earlier, you might want to replace your simple plywood box cabinets with the sleek limes of European-style cabinets. Perhaps your existing floor plan no longer meets your needs. Today's remodelers are experts at developing and creating efficient kitchen layouts. Because the kitchen is the most lived-in room, new remodeling projects can come close to matching the excitement of a kitchen transformation.

Bathrooms
If you look at the pictures in magazines of bathrooms before they are remodeled, you'll likely find several common elements. In addition to dark, cramped quarters, you may see a medicine cabinet with integral lighting, a worn cast-iron tub, a wall mounted-sink and maybe even a stand-up radiator. Today's spacious and more lavish baths can incorporate freestanding, open showers, semicircular showers, multiple vanities and wood-framed mirrors.

Bedrooms
Dreaming of a master bedroom suite? Most older homes lack the kinds of luxurious spaces found in today's newer homes. If you long to create a special space, consider the following questions:

• What will you use the room for? Sleeping, reading, listening to music, bathing, rocking the baby, watching television, sitting in front of the fire?
• Beyond the bedroom furniture, what other pieces will you need to achieve the room's purpose? Couches, chairs, armoires, built-in desks, shelves?
• Do you have adequate storage? Would you like a walk-in closet?

Bedroom planning in your home need not be confined to the master bedroom. If you are creating a nurser, design it with your child's furniture needs in mind. Perhaps your kids have outgrown choo-choo trains and bunny rabbits and you need to update the decorating in their rooms. If they are school-aged consider the following:

• Study Habits. Do they need desks, bookshelves and computer equipment?
• Social Life. Do they have frequent overnight guests?
• Storage Requirements. Clothes, books, games, computer supplies, sports, and hobby equipment, and other possessions have a way of multiplying. Do your children have adequate storage?
• Need for Privacy. Consider dividers for privacy if siblings are sharing space. For example, one homeowner had a loft designed and built in her newly remodeled family room specifically with her kids' sleepovers in mind. At bedtime, they can climb a ladder and enjoy their friends' company without distracting other household members.

Home Office
If you're self-employed or a telecommuter you may need an efficient office space in your home, Before creating your home office, answer these questions:

• Where will you locate your home office? Can you take space from a spare bedroom, basement or attic?
• What type of work will you perform there?
• Will clients visit your home office? If so, will you require a separate entrance? Your main entry may work well for welcoming clients, but you may prefer a separate entrance with direct access into the office.
• What equipment do you need? Phones, fax machines, copiers, computers, printers answering machines and other electronic devices may require electrical upgrading.
• What type of office furniture, cabinets and other storage will you need to function efficiently? Desks, file cabinets, bookcases, chairs, lamps and printers stands take up precious space. You want to consider built-ins.
• Do you have to meet any special zoning requirements? Check the building codes in your town. Special regulations may govern home offices.
•  Do you have sufficient parking?
• How do you work best? Are you most comfortable working in isolation? Do you need to monitor the activities and whereabouts of small children? Is soundproofing necessary?
• Have you provided adequate ventilation? Where are the windows? Do they open?
• How will you heat and cool the space?
• How will you light the space? Does work require a wash of general lighting or will you need task lighting? Do you prefer natural or artificial lighting?

LET THE DREAMS BEGIN
Whatever the reasons for remodeling your home, however large or small the conversion, remodeling requires planning, professionalism, patience and a sense of humor.
 Remodeling is a personal matter and no two projects are exactly alike. However you can use these thoughts as a springboard for brainstorming your own ideas. So sharpen your pencil , set your imagination in motion and let the dreams begin!