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Be selective about splurging. One of the hardest, yet potentially most satisfying, parts of staying on budget is learning where to save and where to splurge. There are certain items or pieces that are worthy of spending more on, whether it’s a sofa that will last you a decade or kitchen countertops that will really help improve the value of your home. Your contractor or other design professional can advise you on locations or pieces where a higher-quality product is important versus something more basic.

For the built-in bar, the white oak cabinetry frames the same quartzite slab that’s used at the island.

A gorgeous quartzite slab covers the custom white oak island, chosen to match up with the flagstone floors.

The open-plan living room is housed in a 527-square-foot factory-built module.

Very few things are as rewarding as transforming a fixer-upper into the home of your dreams. Yet, anyone who has traveled down the path of renovation knows how windy that road can be. To help combat unforeseen challenges, we asked expert renovators what all they would consider before investing in a fixer-upper.

From lighting to plumbing, here’s what you should know before you start your next update.

In the main bath, Arto tile from Tempest Tileworks in turquoise was combined with Benjamin Moore paint in the color Boca Raton.

The custom storage behind the bed has cut-out finger pulls that mimic the cabinetry downstairs. "Hardware can almost end up being like a piece of jewelry," says Fowler, who likes the minimalist approach here. "It’s almost in the negative, flush with the face of the cabinet. Just shadow," she says.

A large sliding door provides privacy.

A built-in corner desk complements the new window seat.

Ann Sacks terrazzo tile covers the floor and backsplash. The sinks were fabricated by a local artisan, Cement Elegance.

Tubs can be partly sunk for easier access, as in this tub from Zen BathWorks. The river rocks at the base hide a linear drain, but tubs can also have a regular overflow or drain onto a wet-proofed bathroom floor, says Bill Finlay, of Zen BathWorks. Jennifer Aniston bought a Port Orford Cedar tub from him when she turned the “his” part of the bathroom she shared with Brad Pitt into a spa after the couple split up. Bill says many customers site their tub, known as an ofuro in Japanese, to enjoy a view. Photo courtesy of: Zen BathWorks

At the opposite end of the house, the soaking tub gets almost daily use. The bath and shower fixtures are by Dornbracht

Zen BathWorks strengthened this large tub with an apron that doubles as a cup rest. The room’s walls are wood-clad to reduce visual clutter and the tub rim is indented to direct water towards a floor drain shared by a shower. Soaking tubs are often smaller than conventional tubs as the bather sits with knees to chest-great if you have a small bathroom but want a tub. Sides can be sloped or straight and wood with knots generally costs less than straight-grained planks. If you’re curious about cedar’s scent, the bars sold in hardware stores for use as a moth-repellent give a general idea. Photo courtesy of: Zen BathWorks

Grace Boyd’s favorite room has a stunning view of Puget Sound reflected in the Hinoki tub she had custom-sized by Roberts Hot Tubs. The clean lines of soaking tubs “work well in conventional bathrooms,” says Roberts’ Andrew Harris, “no need to make the whole room Japanese-style.” Grace echoed the grey of the sea and sky in the sinks and the silvery pebbles around the tub. After 32 years in West Seattle, she asked architect Mark Travers to build her a new house in the same spot- she couldn’t bear to lose her view. Tubs are popping up in real estate listings as a selling point; new owners can have an existing tub sanded to reveal a fresh layer of pristine scented wood. Photo courtesy of: Roberts Hot Tubs

Parallelogram-shaped stone slabs line the walkway to the hot tub.

Three olive trees currently anchor the hot tub and deck area. The architects explain that transplanting them with a crane essentially positioned on a cliff face was one of the biggest challenges of the project.