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Before and after: Stylish century home

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Before and after: Stylish century home

By
Liza Finlay
Photography by
Stacey Van Berkel Haines

Embracing both the past and the "current," P.E.I. architect David Lopes takes his historical home from dark and dull to bright and airy.

Architect David Lopes' secrets to renovating success.
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Take your time in the design phase. It's important to live in a house for a while before renovating, so you can walk through your design. Take note of routines, high-traffic areas and where the best natural light comes from.

Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions. Ask contractors, designers, electricians -- whomever. Sometimes the most innocent question can lead to uncovering very important issues.

Always have a design drawing. Or at the very least have a list that you can use to work out an agreement with your builder. That will help reduce areas of future conflict and cost overruns.

Don't get stuck on perfection.
There will always be something that you would do differently next time.

Read more in Homes and Interiors

1 Comment

  • by
    klm3337
    on 2009-10-09
    Reply to this comment

    Beautiful bathroom - what is the paint colour? It looks like the perfect brown/taupe that I have been searching for!

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