5 Things To Know BEFORE You Start Renovating Your Home

With the housing market booming and businesses back open, it’s renovations and remodels galore here in Massachusetts! Renovations can be hectic and there is a lot to think about, but here’s the thing, whether you are working with a designer or you are attempting your own renovation or remodel, you need to KNOW these 5 things prior to starting your renovation.

1. DO NOT BE IN A HURRY
The very first tip I have for you is: do not be in a hurry, because you really need to take your time and really think about WHAT you want and WHY you are doing the remodel. So, take your time and find the best products and the best contractors that you can afford. It’s not just about diving right in and sometimes it’s not really about just making things look new. You need to be thinking about how the room functions. So think about exactly what you want at the end of the remodel.

2. HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Tip number two is to come up with a comprehensive plan FIRST. Think about the layout and the function of the space and come up with a floor plan. It doesn’t matter whether you are doing a kitchen remodel or whether you’re doing a living room refresh, you NEED a floor plan! You cannot come up with a cabinet design if you don’t know the size of your appliances. And you can’t come up with a furniture layout for a living room if you don’t know the size of the space. You won’t know what size sofa to get if you don’t know the size of the wall that it’s going on.

So… start at the very beginning and create a floor plan. That is where we start! Once you have a floor plan and a design plan you need to place your orders. Due to the supply and shipping issues things are taking longer than usual. Place your orders and once you have an estimated delivery date, THEN your contractor can start with the demo. If your contractor or you start with a demo prior to having a comprehensive plan with product ordered, there will be hiccups and delays and slowdowns and total frustration! So I’m telling you! Take the time at the beginning prior to starting and come up with a comprehensive plan. And when I say comprehensive, I mean every single thing, the size of the room, the flooring, the paint, the furniture, the cabinetry, the furniture, EVERYTHING. Have it all planned and chosen prior to starting. It WILL make your life so much easier.

3. EMBRACE THE MESS
It is going to be a mess whether you are renovating a bedroom or a living room or a kitchen or a bathroom. So just embrace it and go with it! Know that it’s going to be a mess for a while and in the back of your mind just keep thinking of what it’s going to look like when it’s done. It’s frustrating and the middle of any renovation is difficult, so just keep picturing the finish line.

4. KNOW THAT SOMETHING WILL GO WRONG
Know that something will go wrong. Not something might go wrong, something WILL go wrong. Anytime that you are doing a renovation, something goes wrong. Things come up, there’s something in the wall that you didn’t know about or the quartz that you chose for your countertop is discontinued or the fabric for your sofa is on backorder.

Especially right now, with all of the shipping and staffing issues. There were factories that were shut down for months and have now opened back up, but are working with a much smaller workforce than before COVID-19. So things are taking longer. It’s not an excuse. It’s just the way it is right now. And in general, renovations always take longer than you planned.

5. PICK THE PAINT COLOR LAST
People message me all the time asking me questions about paint color! So my last tip for you is to choose the paint color last! A lot of times people are trying to pick their paint color DURING the renovation… First off, go back to tip number 2… paint should be picked prior to renovation. BUT, it should be picked as a last part of your plan. Why? Because you need to pick your paint color from something else that’s in the room, whether it’s from your countertop or your drapery fabric or your sofa fabric or whatever!

SO, don’t be in a hurry, come up with a comprehensive plan first, embrace the mess, know that something will go wrong and pick your paint color last. Those are my five renovation and remodel things to know BEFORE you get started.

If you started a renovation or are thinking about it, and it just seems a bit overwhelming then give us a call! We can always do a consultation with you if you need some help working through your renovation or you don’t even want to deal with it. We will take care of it! Having a designer in your corner will help you to build an effective and beautiful plan AND to mitigate any problems that arise.

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