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Mix It Up
Don't think the only place you can get a sink is at the kitchen or bath showroom; use your imagination for all kinds of inventive alternatives. Take a galvanized-steel tub and set it into a stainless-steel countertop; it's deep and inexpensive—perfect for a workroom or garden room. Or a concrete birdbath mounted in a satin-nickel tubular leg frame makes a very sculptural vanity. —Nance Vigneau, architect, Westport, Connecticut

Team Players
If you're going to hire professionals, get your team together from the beginning. Don't start with an architect before you've got a designer, and don't begin anything until you're happy with everyone. Do a lot of interviewing: The Franklin Report (franklinreport.com) is a design yellow pages for big cities, and it has tips and user reviews for finding great professionals. —Kara Mann, designer, Chicago

Stone-cold Deals
Stoneyards all have bins of leftover marble and granite from major jobs. If you're willing to root around, you can find terrific deals. First-quality material that originally costs $10 to $15 a yard can be found for just $1 a yard. It's a great resource for small bathrooms or countertops, especially if you don't need lots of square footage. Haifa (haifainc.com) is a good national stone retailer.—Eddy Doumas, designer, Vail & Palm Beach

Allow for Finds
Whether your style is contemporary or traditional, be open to finding and falling in love with one completely unexpected, bizarre object; it could become the linchpin of your whole renovation. I found a truly strange chrome eyeball light fixture at Blackman Cruz (in Los Angeles, 310/657-9228, blackmancruz.com) and had to have it for my new kitchen. I never would have looked for it,
but now that it's there, it's perfect. —Douglas Levine, designer, Chicago

Indispensible Resource
People agonize over finding a reputable contractor or carpenter; everyone should know about the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). It's an organization designed to take the terror out of finding someone to renovate your home. Go to nari.org and you'll be on your way to finding a top-quality, dependable professional in your area. —Stephen Saint-Onge, designer, While You Were Out

Super Glue
I'm in love with a product called Aqua Resin (available from sculpt.com). It's a water-based resin that can be applied to just about anything and then dries to look exactly like marble or buffed concrete. You can add pigment to create different effects, and it's incredibly strong and doesn't crack, even outdoors.
I've created planters with it, and it would work beautifully on stairs or bathtubs. —Jon Kully, architect, New York City

What the Pros Use
McMaster-Carr is the professional's Home Depot. They have a catalog that's as thick as the bible (and a website: mcmaster.com) with everything you could possibly need for construction, from good, solid workbenches to incredibly cool industrial light switches. It's not more expensive than the big home stores, but it's less generic—I love the subtleties of detail in their products. —Brian Messana, architect, New York City

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