A home remodel completely transforms a room or home and can be an exciting and fun experience. It almost always increases your home’s value and, most importantly, improves your family’s quality of life. Diving into a kitchen, bathroom, basement, or whole house remodel takes a little bit of courage and a lot of trust, but the result is always worth it.
If you want to ensure that you’re on the path to remodeling success, here are the steps you need to take.
Where to Start a Home Remodel
No matter which room you’re remodeling or adding on, all great remodeling projects start with a well-thought-out plan. And that planning begins long before you schedule your initial consultation with our firm. Here are five things you should do before speaking with us.
Create a Stylebook
Planning a kitchen or bathroom remodel? Odds are good you’ve been watching a lot of home improvement shows, leafing through design magazines, and pinning like crazy. They’re all great ways to get the ball rolling, but if you take it just one step further, you’ll really speed up the design process. As you pin, post, or fill a design binder, take a moment to write what you like about the room in the comment or margin.
There are online sites you can also use for inspiration. If you’re a fan of HGTV, head to their online site and use the photo inspiration section to get ideas for your project. Print off or digitally save the ones you like and don’t forget to make a note about what feature appeals to you. Houzz’s Ideabooks are also a terrific way to put your design dreams on the path to reality.
As your stylebooks grow, you’ll see a clear picture emerge of what your new space should look like and your designer will find it extremely helpful in helping you create a space you’ll love.
What’s Your Goal?
There’s always a reason for remodeling a room – what is yours? Do you want a kitchen with a more open floor plan that’s perfect for entertaining? Is it finally time to get the master suite you’ve always wanted? Now’s the time to think about and clearly state your needs and wants. Jot down what you do and don’t like about the existing space and you’ll get to the heart of what you truly hope to accomplish.
Create a Budget
To get a good general idea of where you’ll be spending your funds, you need to know what you want, what you’d like to have, and what each one costs. Is there no giving up your granite countertops or stainless-steel appliances? Do you want a full-on spa experience in the master suite? Do a little research on the costs of each and compare them with the numbers you had in mind. Do they line up? And don’t forget you’ll need to factor in fees, permits, materials, and design and construction labor and costs.
What’s Your Schedule?
Funds aren’t the only thing you need to think about budgeting; you also need to budget time. Do you want to have most of the construction take place while you’re out of town on vacation? Is it better to do the majority of the work while the kids are in or out of school? As most good contractors are booked months in advance, it’s a good idea to remain somewhat flexible. At J.T. McDermott Remodeling, it’s important to us that we remain personally involved with our clients throughout a project. We’ll never leave our clients feeling they’re not getting the attention they and their home deserve.
Feet Firmly on the Ground
Realistic expectations about the remodeling process will keep you composed and make execution and completion of the project that much smoother. Acknowledge from the start that there will be times of stress and days when the mess seems overwhelming. The goal is to understand there will be times it’s not as simple as you thought it would be, but you’re having fun all the same.
Learn More
The sooner you begin to plan your remodel, the sooner you can begin to move forward with turning that plan into a design that’s eventually brought to life. If you’re ready to get started on your next remodeling project, we’d love to help! To learn more about how we can help guide you through the remodeling process, schedule an appointment with us today. We look forward to meeting with you!
