Best Practices for Planning a Home Remodel
A home remodel takes a lot of planning. In fact, most successful large-scale remodels can take months of preparation before the actual work begins. Knowing in advance what kind of preparations your home improvement project requires can help you stay on top of the home remodeling process. Whether you’re about to embark on a bathroom remodeling project or entire home addition, here’s what you need to know.
Know Your “Must Haves” Vs “Nice to Haves”
If you’re remodeling on a budget, it’s important to fit in the most important elements first – and fit in the “nice to haves” with whatever money is leftover. Before you can prioritize your home improvement project tasks, you’ll have to decide what those priorities are!
Sit down with members of your household to talk through your upcoming remodel. Make a list of all the features you’d like to see when your home construction project is finished, then prioritize them by placing them in one of two columns – nice to haves or must-haves. Knowing this information in advance will help you during conversations with your designer, architect, and contractor when the time comes.
Alleviate Stress with a Project Manager
Home improvement projects can be stressful – but they’re usually less stressful when you have a project manager. Work with a capable and confident project manager. They’ll be able to direct your home improvement project, supply you with home remodeling tips, and resolve issues that may come up with your home remodel, so you don’t have to.
Design for Your Specific Needs
As you’re planning your upcoming home improvement project, think about your goals for yourself and your family in your home. Are you planning to have more kids? Do you need more useable yard space? Will you be inviting a senior family member to come live on your property in five years? Knowing these things in advance will help you make smart choices as you’re considering what features are most important to you during your home remodel.
Pad Your Budget for Overages
It’s common for construction projects to go over budget. Sometimes this happens because homeowners make last-minute adjustments to the project scope or features. Other times, this happens because the contractor discovers hidden damage that must be repaired before the project can move forward.
Plan to add at least 10% to the cost of your home improvement project before the work is finished. Set this amount aside just in case – you might be glad you did.
Plan for Additional Time
For the same reasons that home improvement projects sometimes go over budget, they also go over time. Don’t plan any large family gatherings or events on your property in the days just after your home improvement project is scheduled to be finished. Weather, material delays, and more can all cause your completion date to be bumped back unexpectedly.
Contact Drafting Cafe
Drafting Cafe can help connect you to a designer, a project manager, and a contractor to help get your home improvement project off the ground. You’ll be glad you did!