Things change, people change, times change, and consequently, so too must your home change. Sometimes, the home that you’re living in – even though it was your dream home when you bought or built it – needs some serious work done. This may be due to wear and tear and the natural damage done to your home over time as you have lived and loved and grown in it, or it may be due to a simple change in taste or aesthetic. In fact, you may even be a new homeowner who has decided to remodel their home. Regardless, remodeling a home is just as fraught with opportunities for mistakes and problems as building a home from the ground up, though sometimes those issues are different. Fortunately, there are a few simple tips that you can use to help you make the right choices when remodeling:
1. Get All the Help You Can!
The simple fact of the matter is that you can’t be an architect, an electrician, a plumber, a carpenter, an interior designer, and more, all wrapped up into a single package. You must be willing to get design help from everyone and anyone that you can, and you should be more than happy to shell out for it. When you skimp on any aspect of your remodeling job, you will find yourself regretting the decision – if not weeks after the job is complete then months, or even years, but regret will certainly come.
2. Be a Part of the Process
Even once you have a whole team of experts coordinating on the remodeling of your home, you shouldn’t feel so comfortable that you leave it entirely to them. You’re the one who is going to have to live with the remodeling job long after the professionals have moved on to other projects. It is important that you make yourself an integral part of the design process, helping to make choices and guide the project from start to finish. Provide examples of what you’re looking for, communicate regularly with your team, and stay updated about what is happening, when, why, and how. Don’t just check out!
3. Know What You Want
A big part of being part of that team is being able to adequately communicate what it is you want to the professionals remodeling your home. Vague or unsatisfactory explanations of what you want from the remodeling process can only lead to frustration on their part and dissatisfaction on yours, leading to yet more remodeling work in the future. Make a clear list of your desires and goals for the remodeling process and you will be heading off many of the problems that remodeling teams run into as homeowners often fail to set clear expectations from the start.
4. Have a Realistic Budget
While it is important to have a clear budget outlined from the start, and to try hard to ensure that you and your remodeling team stay within the bounds of that budget, sometimes this simply isn’t possible – and that is okay. In fact, most teams find that they must go well over the budget; that is why it is a good idea to plan for at least an additional 10% to be added onto your budget.
When you set clear expectations, communicate regularly with a full-fledged team bent on remodeling your home, and are realistic about your budget plans, you can be sure that your remodeling experience will be considerably more fruitful!
+Ken Uhrich likes houses. In fact he lives in one. He regularly blogs and gives home improvement tips on the Custom Home Group website.