Planning is Key to a Successful Remodel
As someone who has been in the remodeling industry for years, I’ve seen it all – from homeowners who breeze through the process to those who feel like they’re constantly putting out fires. The secret? It all comes down to planning.
You see, I’ve been working part-time in a granite and tile showroom since my husband Steve and I moved down to the Emerald Coast in Florida. And let me tell you, I’ve learned some surprising lessons about how most people experience renovations and remodels. The common thread? They simply weren’t prepared.
I remember one customer who came in and said, “The process has taken so much longer than I thought it would. Weeks or even months!” After that first encounter, I assumed they either had a renovation timeline that had been ignored, or they just didn’t set a project schedule from the start. But then another customer chimed in, frustrated, “I have been without a kitchen or bathroom for weeks, and my cabinets are not ready yet.”
That’s when it dawned on me – these clients weren’t just venting to the first showroom employee they encountered. They were truly wrestling with complex timing issues. Whether they hadn’t hired a General Contractor, or they had one but hadn’t prepared for a productive work experience, there were a few common denominators: No timeline or schedule had been established for the project, no budget had been set from the get-go, and they hadn’t considered how to stay sane and friendly with their contractor (if they had one) throughout the process.
Establish a Realistic Budget
With this newfound realization, I knew it was time to share a few tricks of the trade I’ve learned over the years – how to successfully prepare yourself, your family, and your home not just for working with a General Contractor, but for the remodel journey as a whole.
The first and most crucial step? Establishing a realistic budget for the project. And I can’t stress enough how important it is for all decision makers to be on the same page when it comes to the bottom line, the decision-making process, and the priorities for the project.
I’ve had homeowners call us up looking for pricing on their remodel before they’ve even made any actual selections for their home. They give us some vague direction and expect a clear, accurate estimate. But let me tell you, there’s no way to give a fair estimate without good, solid information from the homeowner. And there’s definitely no way to compare pricing between quotes when neither party has specifics.
By taking the time to lay out the function of each room, select your finishes and fixtures, and design all the details that will make your home look and work the way you want, you’ll have peace of mind once the construction project begins. The more vague your plan and product selections are, the less accurate your budget will be, and the more likely you’ll feel like you’re over budget from the start.
That’s why I always recommend hiring an interior designer when working through this phase of a remodel. It’s an expense that pays for itself in the long run, as they’ll walk you through every last detail of the fixtures and finishes needed and help you develop an accurate, educated budget. If you want to go it alone, just make sure you’re doing as much research as a designer would and using real numbers to develop your budget.
Don’t Wait to Order Materials
Another crucial mistake I’ve seen homeowners make is waiting too long to order project components. Yes, we’re all eager to get started once we know a renovation is on the horizon, but if the old kitchen is gone before the new one is even in production, that long gap may be your undoing.
Do NOT wait until the cabinets are delivered to go to the showroom and pick out your countertop materials. Do NOT paint your walls in your favorite color when you haven’t yet chosen the cabinetry, backsplash, or countertops. Do NOT demo the space until you have your materials ordered and a delivery date set.
These are all mistakes we’ve seen homeowners make that cause headaches, frustration, and even resentment toward contractors. Have patience, make all of your finish decisions at once, place material orders before beginning the project, and have a set delivery/installation timeline. A little restraint at the beginning will make for a rewarding renovation process.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
In our vast experience, it seems that the majority of homeowners who are irritated with their renovators, GCs, or subcontractors don’t say anything. The aggravation builds up, but they don’t speak up… until it’s too late.
If you don’t say anything when you have genuine concerns, or fail to ask your burning questions, how will your contractor know that anything is bugging you? Well… they won’t. Instead of venting to others and causing the problem to fester, discuss your questions and concerns with your contractor. After all, that’s what they’re there for.
Prepare your questions in advance. Talk to them before you get frustrated. Inquire about things when you’re calm. And, assuming you did your homework and found a reputable and experienced team, trust their expertise. Keep an open dialogue with all parties involved in your remodel. Good, healthy, constructive conversations each step of the way will help you, the homeowner, maintain a level head, and will foster a strong working relationship between you and your GC.
Declutter and Relocate
If you are living in your home during a remodel, the perfect time to do some cleaning out and paring down is before construction starts. After all, construction can’t happen in a room full of things.
Go through your cabinets, closets, and drawers and get rid of any items you don’t want to keep. It simply doesn’t make sense to store an item throughout the remodel if you don’t plan to continue using it when your new space is complete. And let’s be honest, you probably don’t want to fill those brand new cabinets with lots of clutter anyway.
Pare down, clean out, and move items to storage before the renovation begins. This makes for a less cluttered work area for your contractor and gives you some breathing room, as the homeowner. If you plan to stay in your home throughout the project, a few living adjustments may make your life easier:
- In a kitchen remodel, plan a temporary kitchen somewhere else in your home, with a microwave, hotplate, and refrigerator. Maintaining the ability to warm food and make coffee is essential for survival, and your sanity.
- In a master bathroom remodel, don’t plan on sleeping in your bedroom… it’s normal for dust to be everywhere. Either relocate your furniture to another room of the home, or cover everything with heavy plastic drop cloths to keep the dust out. Then, make other sleeping arrangements.
- In any bedroom remodel, make sure to empty the closets to keep clothing and possessions clean. If you don’t have alternate storage and must continue to use the closet, put everything in plastic bins, and then cover those bins with plastic drop cloths.
So, in summary, take this opportunity to declutter. Make necessary adjustments if you’re living in the home during construction. And plan on some minor inconveniences while your contractor takes your home from dull and dated to house-of-your-dreams. Mental and spatial preparation will go a long way in making this process an exciting one.
Embrace the Process
If you’ve hired a good crew, done your homework, established a budget, set goals, selected your fixtures and finishes, agreed on a project timeline, decluttered your space, and relocated necessary living arrangements… then take a step back, breathe a sigh of relief, and enjoy the process.
Renovating is always an adventure and does require some stamina, but every day something new and exciting will happen. Seeing the chaos before the transformation is what makes it fun! So, let your contractor do their best work, ask questions when they arise, and trust the process. After all, that’s why you hired them. Enjoy the journey, and know that the outcome will be well worth the short-term compromise you are making right now.
If you’re looking for a designer/contractor duo that can help you from start to finish, give ABC Home a call! We’d be delighted to hold your hand through the budgeting and selections phase, do the heavy lifting through the construction process, and help you transform your house into the space of your dreams that you’re excited to call home.
