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As you may be aware, we recently moved into our new three-story townhome. But we have a slight problem. It seems I have custom home taste on a production home budget – I blame all of the fantastic interior designers I’m friends with. So, prior to moving in, we had several interior alterations. Most of our additions are completed but a few are still in the works. These changes don’t include the roof deck – which was basically a blank canvas for us to customize. We will address the roof deck once it is finished.

As a reminder, we bought the townhome in drywall. Our production builder – like many – had several design center options and upgrades. Naturally, I’m in the business so, of course, I had a few changes that were outside the production builder scope. Some were major and some were minor.

Major Changes

Kitchen

The most significant change we made was to add a series of cabinets to the kitchen. It was a suggestion by our new home sales consultant because, as it turns out, others added cabinets there. And those who know me, know I’m nuts about kitchens having a place to hide counter clutter. In a single-family home, we add “Messy Kitchens” to the plans to hide the mess. That wasn’t an option here.

Instead, my additional cabinets had to hide my counter clutter. We added an 18” cabinet that sits on the countertop to hide my coffee pot, coffee grinder and espresso machine. (Yes, I am a caffeine achiever)

We also added large pull-out drawers to hold our small appliances like the toast, blending and mixer. An additional twist was these cabinet were up against the stairs going to the third floor, so they needed to follow the angled wall of the stairs. The result was both fun and functional.

Laundry Room

The next major change was in the laundry room. We decided to stack the washer and dryer so I could add wet hanging. We also added cabinets to the room. But I have found the typical cabinet over the washer and dryer are virtually out of reach because of the depth of the appliances. Instead, by running the cabinets perpendicular to the machines, I was able to get both my wet hanging rod and storage that I could reach. Because this was an after-market alteration, the dryer hose connection is fully exposed but that made a great place for the clothes hamper.

Powder Bath

This room is a work in progress. The room is ample in size. However, my only option was a pedestal sink rather than cabinet and sink. Rather than custom cabinets, we utilized the enormous selection of preassembled cabinets from Home Depot. And with those cabinets come extra storage. But wait – there’s more. We also discovered Home Depot has prebuilt linen cabinets – which I am going to fill up as we’re still struggling to completely downsize from our single-family home. We couldn’t find the exact same design for the vanity and the linen cabinet so we one in white with black handles and one in black with chrome handles. Delivery is schedule for this week.

Minor Changes

Lighting is a huge focus for me. It can not only make a home feel more beautiful but it also helpful for, well, people my age.

Primary Bath

We added three features to the primary bath that I just love! Two are a lesson learn from newly built hotel rooms – a back lit mirror. The light from the mirror is awesome and flattering. We also added a lit magnifying mirror for me to apply my makeup. So convenient.

Lastly, I wanted a night lite in the toilet room, but we would need to add an outlet for it. Instead, our contractor friend installed this awesome light switch with night light feature on a sensor. Hence it only turns on at night. Sweet.

Switches as step lights

By why stop at just the toilet room? Remember this is a three-story townhome. Why not turn each light switch at the top and bottom of each flight stairs into a night light. We also added this feature to a couple of strategically located outlets.

Never enough light

Our kitchen came with LED strip lights under the upper cabinets in the kitchen. Perfect task lighting. But why stop there? We also had glass door cabinets stacked over the uppers. Adding lights to those adds another layer of light to the kitchen. And let’s keep going to the newly built cabinets across from the island. Since that area is open to the third floor, there was no conventional lighting available. So, we added the LED strip lights to the under side of the cabinets / shelf and to the inside of the cabinet holding the coffee pots. Brilliant – literally.

Lastly, there was our pantry. Sadly, it is not a walk-in pantry like my previous home – but only a 2’ deep strip closet. Adding lights to the ceiling of this closet is problematic as it is a fire hazard (think paper product against a warm incandescent light bulb). It would also only effectively light the top two or three shelves. But without a light in the pantry, the lights of the kitchen behind you cast a shadow into the pantry making it dark. Ah – since we had the LED transformer, why not add the LED strip lights to the inside of the door jam from floor to ceiling? Now all the shelves are brightly illuminated. Better yet, add a motion sensor switch that turns on the light when you reach in. That will never get old!

Lessons Learned

Production builders are always struggling with what is included, what is not and what is an option. I get it. That’s what make it a production home. But a post-consumer inquiry could reveal that the kitchen was short on cabinets which had been a deterrent for the sale of our unit. The same is true for storage. Just because it is a townhome doesn’t mean people don’t need storage space. With the awesome roof deck, there is no attic storage, so the holiday décor is currently in the garage. And if the builder has a product that appeals to 55+ buyers, having an illumination package pre-priced and available could be an awesome upgrade.

Bottom line, our townhome is in an awesome location and, with my access to industry experts, I was able to the unit more livable.