BoomerGirl Diary

Dear Mi-Ling:

My husband and I are updating our kitchen and adding a bedroom, bathroom and family room on to our home. In total we are adding nearly 1,000 square feet to our existing space.

We have a dilemma in the kitchen. Over our stove we have a brick archway. Our backsplash is stark white with a fruit basket filled with grapes in the center. When we built our home more than 10 years ago it was a nice focal point for the kitchen.

We are planning on replacing the stark white back splash with tumbled marble. However my husband wants to keep a portion of the backsplash. He feels "it's perfectly good," so why get rid of it. He also feels that way about the sink. We are adding granite countertops, and I want new stainless steel under-mount sink.

Can you help us solve this dilemma?

— Loreta

Dear Loreta:

What is it with men and this "perfectly good" term that they try to use when we want to update things around the house? My husband has used that word a few times as well.

Anyway, if I were you, I'd just go ahead and replace the entire backsplash. If you want to incorporate some of the fruit basket theme there are plenty of options to choose from including metal inserts and hand painted tiles.

You don't want your space to look like you ran out of money and decided not to complete the project. You want it to flow.

Let your husband know that he will reap the benefits of updating your kitchen when and if you ever decide to sell your home. Kitchens and bathrooms give you the best return on your investment.

The key is to update without spending a huge amount of money. To keep costs down, shop around, and take your time.

You can save quite a bit of money by doing some of the demolition work yourself. You can pop off the old tiles on your backsplash and remove your countertops. Every little bit helps.

Go ahead and replace that sink and add a new backsplash to your project to complete the remodel and get the look you want. It will cost you more money in the long run to lift up the granite countertop in order to replace your sink later on.