Sometimes an inch difference here or there can be written off or otherwise allowed to stay. For instance, nobody at the DMV is going to know if a man one inch shy of being six-foot tall is lying when he declares himself to be the full 72.
However, things are very different when working with home decor and home improvement. An inch too much, an inch too little, or an inch off otherwise will create an eyesore at best, a danger at worst.
Indeed, an accomplished home design is a game of inches, as the following examples reveal:
Installations
It’s a shameful secret many homeowners are unwilling to fess up to: the only thing keeping them from having solar panels installed on the roof is the belief they will look awful up there. This could be true, depending on the solar panel provider. Those working with equipment from several years ago will be putting bulky panels on the roof. On the other hand, a premium provider like Ion Solar is going to be installing panels which are much more streamlined to the roof. While the difference may seem quite drastic, the variance between the two is likely to be less than an inch or so. But it’s enough to make a big difference in how panels look on the roof.
The same is true with other installations, such as satellites for television and internet service. Many homeowners don’t want a big ugly dish on the side of their house but are much more receptive to models which are only a few inches smaller. When it comes to an object like a satellite dish, an inch shaved off the circumference will make a dramatic difference.
Additions
Just about anyone over three years old can draw the basic shape of stairs in profile. Indeed, the concept of stairs design appears very simple. So much so that many homeowners decide to replace or make a modification to a staircase on their own. All the while completely naive to just how complicated correctly built stairs are to assemble.
The incline will determine the number and size of the stairs, but guesstimating will likely lead to misalignment or worse. The difference between a warped set of stairs and those perfectly put together can come down to less than an inch; half a centimeter of inaccuracy is enough to cause headaches.
Arrangements
Putting together the look of a room involves moving furniture around to devise an efficient use of space. However, homeowners are ultimately at the mercy of the room’s dimensions as far as which setups will actually be achievable.
In frustrating fashion, it’s not uncommon to push a couch or cabinet into a corner by the door, only for an inch or so to jut out in front of the open doorframe. If only it were an inch shorter, it’d fit perfectly and look great. Instead, it looks absolutely awful. The same sequence of events can befall those attempting to center a table with room to maneuver around it, or those trying to fit a new TV on the wall without disturbing the alignment of the coffee table and love seat.
It’s not unusual for an inch to not make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things. However, when it comes to interior design and exterior add-ons, an inch can be the difference between accomplishment and mistake.