The Best Way to Avoid Issues When Renovating

Despite everything that’s been going on in the world lately, remodels are still going strong! We’ve been called for whole-house renovations, bathrooms and mostly kitchens here in Western Massachusetts! Whether you’re tackling a renovation on your own (which I really don’t recommend) or working with a contractor, it’s important to know what to expect! You should really have a plan in place before you start anything. And even when you do have one, things don’t always go according to that plan. That’s why you should really have someone helping you that knows how to make it right, and do it quickly.

Before you do anything, come up with a budget for your renovation. If you’re renovating a kitchen, the National Kitchen and Bath Association suggests budgeting between 15-20% of your home’s value. So if your home is worth $400,000, you should budget between $60,000-$80,000. Always be sure to set aside some of that budget just in case things don’t go according to plan like we mentioned above. Grab our tip sheet about keeping renovation costs down here!

You’ll also want to determine what’s most important to you. Are you planning to stay in this home forever, or are you going to sell in five years? That’s an important thing to know going into any renovation. It will tell you if you’re going for a refresh or the DREAM, or something in between! From there, think about what you like and don’t like about your current layout. What do you absolutely need? What is the main function of that space? If you’re working with a designer, they can help you figure all of that out. Take a look at this blog for things to include in your kitchen remodel!

General Contractors and Designers have contacts for tradespeople that you’ll need for your renovation. It can be very difficult to find and coordinate subcontractors to do all the work, and get it done on time. Depending on the job, you’ll need a plumber, an electrician, a sheet rocker, a cabinet company, a granite company, a shower door company, a tile installer, a hardwood installer.. I could keep going on and on. Trust me, save yourself the time, money and aggravation and just hire a general contractor and a designer.

Things can go wrong from the very beginning if you’re not working with a professional. Even if you just plan to do the demo yourself, the general contractor knows what needs to be done to prepare for finishing, like the sheet rocker needs the studs to be free of nails. There are a lot of things that you wouldn’t typically think of when demoing a room. These little mistakes along the way can end up costing you more time and money in the long run. We’ve had clients before do the demo themselves, and it took so much longer than it would have if the contractor had done it. They also had to keep going back and doing more demo because they didn’t know about all the little details that needed to be done. Like I said, it ended up costing more money and time in the long run and just wasn’t worth it. Leave it to the professionals.

Going back to having a plan, your general contractor will be asking you for your selections periodically throughout the remodeling process. If you’re working with an interior designer, we can help you make all of your selections before the work even begins. That way, we can give the plan to the contractor right from the start and there will be no last minute decisions or mistakes. We will work directly with your contractor to make sure everything is the way that we planned. Read more about what to do before your renovation here!

You should absolutely expect for things to go wrong. Your wood flooring could be backordered, your tile could come in broken, your cabinets could be ¼” off in one area, or your lighting could come in the wrong finish. We take care of anything coming in and make sure that it’s not broken and that it’s the correct item. If your tile comes in broken, we call the tile company and get it taken care of. You don’t have to worry about a thing. These things happen all the time. We’ve had things come in the wrong finish or damaged before. They come directly to our office so that we can check it over and make sure it’s correct. If not, we send it back and order a replacement ASAP. In most cases, the client doesn’t even know that something came in wrong or damaged. If it’s handled properly, the process will be much smoother. Again, working with a general contractor and a designer can alleviate these mishaps.

In the end, we are here to make the remodeling process easier for you. We act as the “middle man” between you and the contractor so you don’t even have to think about it. If they have questions about anything, they defer to us. We also try to make it fun! It can seem daunting and overwhelming, but if you hire a designer, we’ll help steer you in the right direction and make it a more streamlined, enjoyable process.

PIN this post, so you can come back to it later!