While it seems extreme, homeowner Jennifer Bater couldn't be happier about her yard - or lack thereof. The Chicago resident said that the small yard between her brick house and brick garage was "like a kiln" and simply a place that you'd rather not go. Instead of going the route of many homeowners, installing plants and trees, she hired her interior designer to create a Spanish retreat for her.

A 5-sided gazebo, which can be seen in the picture, is attached to the garage and is outfitted with marble basin-style fountains and a weatherproof ceiling fan, in addition to chairs and tables. The water and powerlines have been laid underground, to minimize "urban distractions" and a deck and stairway were added on to the back of the house, leading down. The gazebo is surrounded by roses and other perennials. The cost was around $100,000, but Bater seems to think that it was worth every penny. "When you sit out there in the gazebo, you are of the garden, not in the garden. It's cool."

The New York Times reports that the kitchen is the most expensive room in the house to renovate. The average cost is $25,000, with some experts saying that it is easily double that in New York City - a somewhat surprising discovery, given that space can be so tight there. Some New Yorkers are looking to do things on a budget of less that $15, 000, though, and by limiting their luxury purchases to one or two big-ticket items, they can have a kitchen that looks fantastic and saves them money.

The best ways to save include doing most of the labor yourself and salvaging some of the more expensive items, such as a refrigerator or range that can last for another five years. Getting some furniture from Ikea also proved to be a popular choice with the home redecorators in the article, as they could get a specific look without going with custom-made cabinets. The final thing to keep in mind is that it's important to compromise. As one woman said, after ending up with a green kitchen when she was originally thinking of blue, "green is kind of blue."

But what items did people splurge on when they didn't have $162,000 to spend?

It's a shame that there are no "before" pictures of this bathroom remodel, but from the description as a "corridor-style" room, only 3x10-feet, with "a small shower, a toilet area that was not separated, and an entrance door that blocked movement when it was open," it sounds like it was built by someone who didn't realize that a bathroom is a fairly well-used part of the home. Rather than continue to live with their outdated master bath, the homeowners looked for a way to make better use of the space, turning it into a formal, more elegant space. For a final cost of $45,000, they used Sea Pointe Design, who expanded the bathroom by converting a nearby closet into part of the room, separating the toilet into its own walled space and adding recessed lighting. The closet space became the new shower with multiple shower heads and is almost the size of the original bathroom at 4x6-feet. They also added granite countertops and sinks made of gold glass from Oceana.

[Images The OC Register]

A Seattle architect and his wife two bathrooms that needed to be redone in their 3-bedroom and it was no small task - even though the spaces were. Both of the bathrooms measured 5x8-feet and the couple wanted to create showpieces to show to clients, as well as to create an easily accessible shower for washing their four golden retrievers (hopefully not all at the same time) and add a soaking tub that would accommodate the architect's 6'4" frame. In other words, they wanted to update and maximize the space they had available.

Ultimately, the renovation cost $25,000 and the couple did almost all the work, including pouring the foundation for the 28-sq. foot addition, themselves, though they did bring in an outside plumber and electrician. The master bathroom was done in Brazil green slate with limestone tiling and has a glass-block wall and his-and-her sinks. The guest bath (above), was slightly more utilitarian, with a rubber floor, granite countertop and an open shower design.

Click past the jump to see the "before" picture.

[Images Seattle Times]

In Seattle, a couple wanted to carry their philosophy on life over into their decorating. They believe in using sustainable goods as much as possible and in supporting local artisans, but they didn't know what was available - or how much it would cost - when they set out. The entire kitchen remodel, done by a local contractor, cost them $35,000. They added recessed lighting and opening up the windows to allow more natural light in, and moving the refrigerator from the center of the room allowed there to be more flow in the space. Their countertops are made of recycled materials, a composite of paper and resin, and their marble breakfast bar is made from what was once a piece of scrap, as are the clawed feet that support it. The floor is sustainable cork and their cabinets are constructed from locally grown alder wood.

During the project, which took one year, they say that they learned it is possible and affordable to use the materials you want to use, but you have to be willing to look for them.

Click past the jump to see the "before" picture.

[Images John Lok/Seattle Times/

When a contractor or designer sets out to remodel his own kitchen, he can be up for quite a challenge. After all, he isn't likely to settle for anything less than perfection and probably has an exceptionally specific idea of what he - and also, in this case, his wife -  wants. Howard Robbins took on his own home and, after 9 months and $162,000, walked away with a National Association of the Remodeling Industry Award in his region for the "best residential kitchen over $100,000." His kitchen was "outdated, inefficient and oppressive" (picture after the jump), but simple aesthetics aside, there were a few major changes that had to be made, something to take into consideration if you are looking to remodel. The ceiling was raised by 3 feet, eliminating dropped, panel lights, and one wall was pushed out, providing a roomier area to start with. Once the room was opened up, new appliances, flooring and, of course, accessories were added. The kitchen now has Decor ovens and cooktop, a Subzero refrigerator, a Miele dishwasher and, to meld with his wife's love and collection of Asian decor, bamboo accents and Japanese shoji screens, from Shigoto Ya Inc., were added, as well.

[Images Muffy Kibbey, SF Gate]