If you have ever considered carrying out a home improvement project that doesn’t require rebuilding your house from scratch, chances are you’ve thought about either a home renovation or remodeling project.
The problem, however, is that preparing for either a home renovation project or a home remodeling project is usually a cumbersome task that most homeowners wonder how to pull off.
To do a great job, you need to be on top of your game in the entire process of planning and execution of the project. Ordinarily, the safest and most convenient approach to this process is hiring a professional. But since that can be so expensive, we’ll be providing some tips in this article to make both your planning, renovation, and home remodeling process as seamless as it can be.
1. Be Mentally And Physically Prepared For The Remodeling Project
First things first, before even initiating the planning process, you have to be mentally ready for the slight discomfort that comes with the remodeling and renovation process.
It’s often not easy to cope with the drastic changes that are made during a house remodel. And staying patient during lengthy home renovations is something you should be intentional about.
For instance, it’s often easier to say “let’s bring down this adjacent wall and expand the room to create a new space.” But in reality, it is not so easy, because tearing down a wall doesn’t only cause lots of noise but creates a mess within your living space.
Another tricky aspect that requires mental readiness is the level of privacy you are bound to sacrifice during the project. Remodeling projects typically require an invasive approach where contractors would occupy the given rooms (perhaps the bedroom or living room) while working on them until the project is completed.
Being mentally ready for the project involves letting go of the clean house and accepting whatever mess or disruption caused by the renovations or remodeling, knowing fully well that the end product justifies the means.
Although many homeowners prefer to move out of the house entirely for a few weeks to allow the professionals to do their jobs, it’s always better to have a real-life interaction with your contractor.
Some persons might argue that you can communicate with the contractors via zoom calls from anywhere you are. But then, nothing can equate to observing the whole process physically to ensure things are going accordingly.
2. Planning Ahead
Before the eventual start date of your home remodel, you have to plan ahead and ensure you have all the preliminaries covered.
To plan properly, you have to apply the following ideas:
Have A Clear Goal Of What You Want To Achieve
The first step towards achieving the best remodeling result is to have a clear picture of what you want to achieve by the completion date even before work begins.
You have to determine the construction area and define what you intend to do with it. Whether you want to restructure the home to include a guest room, a guest bathroom, or you want to expand the building upward by adding new floors to create more rooms — the most important thing is to know what you want to achieve with the available space before starting your house remodel projects.
Map Out A Clear Budget
Another crucial aspect of the planning exercise is ensuring you have enough capital to pull off remodeling projects (no matter how big or small the scope of the projects are).
And there is no better way to guarantee sufficient capital than budgeting appropriately.
Having a clear budget will give you the maximum amount you won’t exceed during your projects and will eliminate all sorts of unexpected costs.
You can start by estimating the cost of labor which should account for between 30% to 40% of the entire budget.
Also do minor research to find out all the items, tools, and materials you’d be needing for the remodel and determine their costs.
Most importantly, ensure to set out a minimum of 10% and a maximum of 20% of the budget for unexpected expenses.
You might feel like 20% is a lot of money, but since you’d most likely discover lots of faults that demand extra costs during the demolition phase, it’s safer to recognize such uncertainties in your budget.
Consider DIY-ing Or Hiring A Contractor
As part of the planning phase, you should weigh the project and consider if it’s something you can handle yourself with any family member or if it’s something that ultimately requires a contractor.
Handling some of the tasks on the job site by yourself can help you save money. But where the task requires an expert, you can be on the lookout for sub-contractors or contractors.
Finding the right contractor that is compatible with your schedule at this stage is very important. Because they won’t only make life easier for you but will also help you start some of the prep work, execute the most difficult tasks, and complete a quality job.
That’s why you should conduct thorough research to arrive at the best possible contractor. Also, make sure to establish good channels of interaction with the contractor — which include phone numbers and email addresses — for effective communication.
3. Building Permits Are Crucial
The third major step you have to undertake to fully prepare yourself and your family for the journey ahead is to get a building permit.
The contractor will help you initiate the permit process and complete all the paperwork in the permit office. The reason why it’s better to rely on the contractor’s expertise when it comes to obtaining a permit is that they understand the process better than you. Besides, you wouldn’t want your daily routine to be affected as a result of performing such tasks by yourself — not when the task is part of your contractor’s duty.
4. Move Out Your Valuables
Yes! Since you’ve decided to remain in the building to monitor the whole process and interact more effectively with the workers, you have to clear your property from the construction zone to another room that won’t be affected by the demolition.
This may include your electronics like the TV set or other pieces of furniture and appliances. Just make sure your valuables are not within the walls to be demolished.
5. Build A Temporary Kitchen
Part of the process of remodeling has to be building a temporal kitchen — especially if part or all of your original kitchen would be affected by the remodel.
This might be a little discomforting, but you can take that as part of the sacrifices for the bigger picture. It would only take a few weeks, after all.
Check out these awesome tips for a small kitchen remodel.
6. Protect The Pets And Kids
If you prefer a DIY approach then your family including your kids might get involved at some point. Ensure they are safe from all sorts of sharp objects.
Here are some ideas on how to guarantee the safety of your kids as pets:
- Get a few protective helmets
- Install safety gates
- Provide electrical safety covers
- Remove all nails, screws, and other sharp items.
7. Start The Home Remodeling Process: Start The Demolition
After you’ve done your planning and budgeting and have hired a contractor and obtained all the necessary permits, the next line of action is to begin the demolition process.
Of course, tearing down some adjoining walls must produce lots of debris. Hence to do a clean job and simplify the demolition process, a dumpster is required.
Having a dumpster around will also minimize the mess and can help keep the environment safe as the project progresses.
You would like to see these 5 common bathroom remodeling mistakes to avoid as you carry on with the project.
8. Commence With The Electrical, Plumbing, And HVAC Phase
Once you are done with the demolition, the next phase of the remodel is to install the electrical and plumbing components.
But firstly, most professional contractors will assess your electrical and plumbing systems and ensure they are up to date.
Then where necessary, this will be the stage to provide ventilation, air conditioning, pipe-laying, and other rough-in processes that require you to work under the floor and behind walls.
Most importantly, conclude this particular stage by tackling the framing and obtaining smooth drywall.
9. The Painting (Or Repainting) Phase
After you’ve completed the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical aspects and have obtained a perfectly smoothened drywall, then it’s time to paint (or repaint) the walls.
10. Other Important Steps To Complete Your Home Remodel
- Introduce the cabinetry, lighting, and fixtures like bathtubs, toilets, sinks, and showers.
- Install the windows and doors
- Install the flooring and conclude with the finishing touches.
And yes! Congratulations on completing your remodeling project right on schedule. It’s now time to move in your furniture and appliances in your newly remodeled home!
Final Note
With the tips provided above, you can only agree that carrying out a remodel is quite detailed but fun.
While it’s important to contact a genuine professional to handle the intricate aspects, you can take care of some of the simpler and interesting tasks (like painting).
However, while planning and executing the project, always consider resale value. Ensure that the long-term value of your home is improved by the remodeling project.
Don’t fail to contact a remodeling expert for the job. They don’t only make the job faster, the right contractor will also give you great remodeling ideas that can assure you of a timeless result. Firenza Stone is your one stop shop for that level of quality. Send us a message or call us today and let us help you create the home of your dreams.
