Is your family home ready for a remodel, or are you taking on a remodeling project for a profit?
No matter the circumstance, complete home remodeling projects can be so daunting. If you want to know the best way to handle an entire home remodel, you came to the right place.
Read on to learn how to prepare for a full home remodel project.
Make Extensive Plans Ahead of Time
Preparing for a full home remodeling comes with a lot of moving pieces. Failure to calculate your timeline or don’t account for particular surprises can delay the project or put you over your budget.
From the moment you decide you want to make home renovations, you must plan as much as you can ahead of time.
Before you start searching for contractors and choosing flooring options, it’s important you create an outline of every project you want to complete.
In your outline, you should also plan for the unexpected such as mold, structural issues, electrical wiring, etc. It’s also a good idea to design your belongings and arrange for a backup place to stay for your family.
Set a Budget for Your Project
Before choosing stainless steel appliances or sample paint colors, you need to work on a budget for your home remodel project.
When you create a budget for your project, you need to account for labor, building materials, permits, finished, and unexpected costs. Once you have an amount you’re comfortable with, you can design an amount for each cost.
As a rule of thumb, you want to allocate 10% of your budget in case of unexpected costs.
Before you finalize your budget, ensure you get quotes from different contractors so that you can get a more exact number on labor costs.
Once you sort out labor and unexpected costs, you can allocate funds for the remaining items in your budget. Keeping a spreadsheet will help you keep track of your budget.
How Will You Finance the Project
The next item you need to figure out is how you will finance the remodel project. Unless you have enough saved to finance the entire project, you will need to obtain financing.
One of the most common ways to finance your home remodeling project is by obtaining a personal loan. Depending on the type of loan or lender, you might be able to borrow enough to finance the project.
Ensure you do your research and compare interest rates to ensure you’re getting the best rate.
Set Your Expectations
Depending on your living arrangements during the remodel, you must set your expectations at the beginning of the project.
Even if you think you have the most iron-clad timeline and have everything figured out, there will still be a lot of unexpected surprises.
Talk to the entire family and tell them what to expect. For example, all of you might need to share one small bathroom for a few weeks, so it’s essential everyone is prepared.
Also, because you might have to set up a temporary kitchen, you should expect plenty of microwavable meals and a fair amount of takeout.
Choose a Contractor
Unless you have the skill set or are willing to learn as you go, chances are you will need to hire a contractor to handle the home renovations.
If you know of any friends or family members that recently renovated their house, you can ask them to recommend their contractor. Another way to find a contractor near you is to perform an online search.
Once you find a few good candidates, you can reach out to them, ask questions, get an estimate, and read online reviews. Most reputable contractors will want to show off their work, so they will have no trouble letting you visit one of their job sites.
Create a Timeline
Once you have chosen a contractor, you can team up with them to work on a timeline for the project. The timeline should have a realistic length of time designated for each project.
Even with a detailed timeline, you can still expect delays, so you must allow for some flexibility in your timeline for unexpected delays, such as material shortages.
Take Before Pictures
If you plan to remodel your home to sell it, or you simply want to show off the transformation, you must take before photos. If you take before photos, you’ll be so glad to see the transformation at the end of the project.
Once you clear all of your stuff out and right before the demo, you should be taking the before photos.
Get Storage or Pack Away Your Valuables
During a full home remodel, your valuables, furniture, electronics, and personal belongings might not be able to remain in your home at once.
For example, if you plan on tackling room to room, you might be able to move the contents of one room into another one.
However, if you plan on tackling multiple rooms simultaneously or don’t want the hassle of moving valuables each time your contractor needs to work in an area, you should look into storage.
Removing all of your items and putting them in storage it’s the most efficient way to get them out of the way and protect them before the work begins.
Communicate with Everyone Involved In the Project
Because there are many things that can go wrong during home renovations, you should maintain open communication with your contractor and everyone on the team.
Many homeowners forget that contractors cannot read their minds. Your contractor won’t understand your vision unless you clearly communicate with them.
Talk to your contractor openly and let them know your expectations for communication with them.
Are You Ready for a Full Home Remodel?
Now that you know what a home remodel project entails, you’re ready to start the project of your dreams.
Remember, when you’re in the process of remodeling your house, you should make a detailed list, find a contractor, set a budget, finance your project, and set expectations.
Are you in the Sammamish area looking for a contractor for your next home remodeling project? Look no further. Contact us to make an appointment.