Major real-estate remodeling stems from one little thing

Why does major remodeling always start with a minor fix? I’ve mentioned the recent projects at my house that gave us two remodeled bathrooms. They started with the need for new fixtures to replace the peeling, corroded brass-colored ones that came with the house. But why put gleaming new fixtures on crappy old sinks? And why keep the nasty light green formica countertop and hideous green and white tile? And the 6-foot-long mirror and ugly Hollywood lighting? You get the idea. Today I chuckled at the Oct. 2 Cheapskate column by Wall Street Journal personal-finance columnist Neal Templin. He’s getting a whole new kitchen because his wife wanted to move the stove 2 feet and their current floor plan won’t accommodate it. Have you been down that road? What was the impetus for your remodeling project? How much did you spend when all was said and done? What lessons did you learn?