When the Atchleys decided to build a new house in Lawrence, Kan., they purchased the building materials with their credit card and used the reward points to take a trip to Ecuador when the house was finished. This is surely an unusual way to finance an exotic vacation, but builders and remodelers say it can be done.

Helping homeowners “think inside their existing box” and envision multiple ways to address their remodeling project, Sarah Susanka adds “Not So Big Remodeling” to her popular series of books. She draws examples from more than 40 houses across the country, examining everything from attic to basement but focuses on the kitchen, the center of family life in most households today.

A gallon of paint may cost $15, $60 or over $100. All paint is composed of three basic components — pigments, binder and solvent — but some paints will perform better than others because of exact ingredients. Most will look good on your wall initially, but differences begin to emerge when the job is finished and you start using the space. 

You might think that earning an architecture degree, working as a designer in architects’ offices and reporting for years on home building would be adequate preparation for my own major remodeling project. You would be wrong.