Home remodels are exciting to any homeowner, but they’re also a bit daunting. With all the budget spreadsheets, local reviews, and insurance lingo to wade through it can seem like your remodel is as complicated as building the Brooklyn Bridge. We promise you, it’s not! Even the most grandiose of kitchen or bathroom remodels are a breeze if you’re properly prepared. Planning a remodel is 90% done before your contractor even steps foot in your home. Follow our five tips to have an easy-breezy remodel done in no time!
1. Find Your Remodel Inspiration
The first stage in planning a remodel is to get excited about it! When you’re searching for inspiration for your remodel is the time to figure out what you want to put in your home. From custom cabinetry in unique colors to handmade tile floors, home decor magazines and sites such as Pinterest are a great way to seek creative guidance. Create an ‘inspiration board’ on PowerPoint or cut out pictures that make you feel warm inside and use them as guidance when you’re in the store buying your new pieces. The fun part (getting inspired) is also a key point in creating a budget. Knowing you absolutely need to have shaker cabinets will allow you to put more money in the ‘cabinet’ column and potentially take away from a less-important aspect such as hardware.
2. Form a Realistic Budget
The internet has done a massive chunk of the work for your remodel planning already; there are endless budget templates available online for free. Look for a budget template that has line items for each aspect of your remodel before you start to fill it in. You’ll need materials, labor, filing fees, permit costs, etc. to get started. Find a bottom-line number that works for you and work backward. Several things, such as your county’s permit fees, are hard lines. Things such as countertops are more fluid costs since they can be differing qualities, go on sale, and even come as part of a package. Fill out the firm expenses on your budget sheet first and you’ll see where you can allow yourself some wiggle room.
3. Detailed Schedules Save Headaches
When it comes to a home remodel, you can never be too prepared. Having a schedule for all aspects of your remodel will spare you headaches throughout the duration. What you should include on your schedule is when your household expects to be doing certain things (such as cleaning), when your contractor will be doing other tasks (such as demolition) and when deadlines are. When you lay everything out in an organized manner, you can plan ahead for any inconvenience. As an example, if your contractor will be having to turn the water off for plumbing upgrades, you should schedule them to be there on a day your family will be at work or school. Make sure to allow for contingencies! Rain delays disrupt both baseball games and contractor work, so your home remodel schedule should have a bit of wiggle room.
4. Selecting a Contractor You Can Trust
Potentially the most important step in planning for a home remodel is finding a contractor! You want a contractor you can trust, so look for one which is licensed and properly insured. A contractor being licensed means they meet all state-mandated safety standards for their work. Insurance keeps you from being liable should something go wrong during the remodel, such as a broken pipe. References from locals matter a ton as well when searching for a contractor! A contractor who has positive reviews from local members of the community is a contractor you can trust.
5. Plan Ahead to Save Big
If your contractor is already knee-deep in plumbing fixtures for your bathroom remodel, why not have them replace the pipes while they’re at it? Thinking ahead is a great way to save money in the long run. Whether you plan on being in the home for a long period of time or selling it for a profit, you can get an excellent return on investment by ‘bundling’ your remodels. It may seem like there’s a higher cost on the front end, but you end up saving in labor by doing multiple remodels at once. Consider it hitting two birds with one stone! To plan your remodel today contact Las Vegas Remodel and Construction
