As your life and your family evolve, your home needs to change with you. When children grow older, you no longer need a playroom but might require a music room with soundproof walls and good acoustics. Also, as you grow older, you might need certain conveniences that you did not consider essential earlier. Sometimes, as you go up the career ladder, you are required to entertain more often and so need to add a formal drawing room to your home.
Remodeling is a huge project before you get started you need to be ready. Proper planning will prepare you for all aspects of the process and help you deal with unplanned inconveniences. Remodeling a home requires plenty of time, effort, money, and coordination among all the people involved. Take these five steps before you commence your remodeling project to have a great experience and a home that suits your needs.
1. Consider Current & Future Needs
Plan for the future. There’s nothing worse than completing a large remodel, only to do it all again a few years later. For example, your kids might want to paint their room bright pink, but when they move out that room will turn into a bright pink guest bedroom. Paint is an easy fix, but this applies to larger renovations. Similarly, if you are planning to start a family, keep this in mind when considering the layout and décor of the rooms. Choose a design that is child-friendly and easy to clean. The idea is to make living in your home convenient. Having expensive and dainty house decor might look nice, but if you’re constantly worried about the kids ruining it, you won’t have time to enjoy it.
2.Budget
Renovations are tough to keep on budget. Plan for the unexpected and overestimate how much it will cost. It is much better to be pleasantly surprised with a lower cost, than panicked about going over-budget. This might mean between choosing what is most important to you. Take time to make a list of must-haves and other “wants” that aren’t essential in the remodel. Plan for the essentials and if the budget allows, then you can look at anything additional as a fun bonus.
3.Draw Up the Design
Before you approach a contractor with your designs for the remodeled home, draw them on paper or view computerized 3-D images of what you want. This will help you decide if that is what you really need. Also, by having a pictorial representation of your ideal design, you will be able to better communicate your ideas to the contractor.
4.Learn from the Experience of Others
Before you contact a contractor, talk to others who have remodeled their homes recently. This will give you an idea about costs and timeframe for remodeling to be completed. Learn from the mistakes of others. Every remodel is a little bit different, so find out what went wrong and try to avoid making the same mistakes.
5. Get Required Permissions and Clearances
Remodeling your home involves a lot of paperwork. You need to obtain permission from the local authorities as well as clearances. You also need to check building codes and zoning laws for your locality. Contact a contractor who knows the business well. This will save you a lot of stress trying to figure out complex laws by yourself. Also, consider consulting a remodeling team. Asking the experts to help you stay on on time will do wonders for your budget. The contractor will guide you about the clearances you need to obtain and help you choose a design that meets your requirements and conforms to local regulations as well.
As with any large project that takes a lot of time and money, a remodeling project can be most efficiently accomplished by preparing ahead and approaching a contractor with a clear idea of your requirements. This will ensure that the entire project starts and is completed on time and at the lowest possible cost. Once your remodel is finished, follow our Tips to Turn Your House Into a Home for the finishing touches!
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