Have you recently considered a home renovation or remodel? Does your bathroom need to be updated? Have you wanted to completely restore your unfinished basement? There’s a lot of potential things to consider when planning a home renovation. We’ve put together a few tips on how to plan a renovation or remodel for your home.
Determine a Budget – Before laying out the plans for your home renovation, first determine a budget and stick to it. Having a budget before laying down renovation plans and finding a contractor will help you save money and stay on task. You may want to plan an additional 10-20% in your renovation budget for unexpected costs. Are you planning on financing a renovation? You may want to talk with your bank to secure your budget before talking with a contractor. For more on determining a budget, visit our blog post.
Renovation Goals – Now that you’ve determined your budget, make a list of goals you want your renovation to accomplish. Once you’ve established which parts of your home you want to renovate or remodel, you can make a list of everything you want fixed. Do you want your electrical and plumbing updated? Do you want new floors or additional insulation installed? You should label items you consider high priority. In other words, structural or necessary improvements generally should be higher priority over aesthetic improvements.
Select a Contractor – Next you’ll want to interview contractors. Ask your contractors for references from past projects. Check with your friends about any contractors they have used in the past. Take a look at your contractors portfolios of past projects. Prepare a list of questions to ask your contractors when discussing your home renovation or remodel.
Determine a Timeline – Now that you have a budget and renovation goals, you’ll want to determine a timeline by speaking with your contractor. We recommend planning a few extra days for the renovation, just in case any unforeseen problems arise (structural damage, excessive mold, etc.).
Prep Your Home – Make sure your home is completely prepared for a renovation. Move household items into storage and cover all furniture near the renovation area. Speak with your contractor about any additional steps you can take when preparing your home for a renovation or remodel. For more tips on how to prepare your home for a renovation, visit our blog post.
Need a little renovation or remodeling inspiration? Take a look at our past projects!
You bring up some great points to help get ready for a home renovation project. One thing that I would also recommend along the lines of prepping your home is to get a garbage bin rental for the duration of the renovation. There will be a lot of thing you need to throw away and your regular garbage bin will get very crowded. It just helps keep things more clean and out of the way as you go.
That’s a great tip to add! We agree–dealing with home construction can get pretty messy, and dealing with the mess proactively helps you stay sane!