Remodeling your home can be exciting and ultimately rewarding. With the right remodeling company, you can make your whole home or any room within it more comfortable, beautiful, and functional, increasing the value of your property.
However, before you embark on a remodeling project, it’s important to know what to expect. The process can be complicated and confusing. What can you anticipate along the way?
Contacting a Remodeling Company
Pay attention to recommendations from friends, search for local companies online, and read reviews on various websites. You can make use of sites like Angie’s List, Home Advisor, and Houzz. Check if a company is licensed and possesses experience with the kind of remodeling project you’re seeking.
Once you’ve reached out to contractors, expect to hear back from them. One of the signs of a reliable company is a quick response time and the ability to be reached through multiple channels, such as phone calls, emails, website forms, and texts. The initial conversation will help establish a general idea of a project’s scope and goals.
Getting Detailed During the Consultation
In the course of the consultation, the specifics of the project will emerge. A consultant will visit your home to take measurements, examine the project area, and determine how the project will affect your home as a whole.
Along with providing information about your ideas and goals for a remodeling project, you’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns. You should make sure that everyone who has an opinion about the project is present during the consultation. Keep in mind that you haven’t yet committed to the project at this point and shouldn’t feel pressured to do so.
The consultation is another way to determine if you’ve chosen the right company. You should expect courtesy, patience, sincere interest, and honesty. The consultation should be scheduled at your convenience, and the consultant shouldn’t be interrupting you, immediately overriding all of your ideas, or offering unclear, inaccurate answers.
Dealing With the Stress of Decisions
Even if you can picture the results of a remodeling project, exercising your imagination isn’t the same as making and committing to various decisions. When you’re picking out materials, choosing color schemes, and figuring out which design choices fit your budget, the process can become stressful. You’ll be nervous about making mistakes that will lead to frustration and possibly steep costs later on. You may also wind up arguing with your spouse or other people providing input on a project.
Ideally, the remodeling company you work with will be able to give you guidance and feedback on what’s aesthetically pleasing and functionally practical. Especially if you’re initiating more extensive renovations that affect multiple rooms, you may want to pick a design-build remodeling company, a type of firm that handles both design and construction. Even if you don’t hire a design-build company, you should work with a reputable architect or interior designer on your plans prior to construction, particularly if your project is more complex.
Getting Surprised by Hidden Problems
Even with meticulous planning, you may encounter an unexpected problem during a remodeling project. Maybe the workers will discover faulty electrical wiring, a mislaid gas pipe or sewer line, moisture accumulation inside a wall, or evidence of a pest infestation. Maybe a material you selected for your floors or countertops suddenly won’t be available.
Other times, delays can arise because of terrible weather or because you’re having trouble receiving the permits you need for the project to proceed. If comprehensive planning and assessments have been conducted prior to the start of construction, you’ll reduce the chances of an unpleasant surprise. Also, when you’re working with an excellent remodeling company, you’ll increase your chances of finding quick, cost-effective solutions to different issues. Still, it’s important to leave some extra room in your budget and schedule for a problem that pops up unexpectedly.
Bracing Yourself for Messiness
Even when a remodeling company works neatly, there’s still going to be some messiness and disorganization during a project. You’ll probably need to cover up or move furniture and pack away clothes or other belongings. Depending on the scope of the project, you may need to disturb much of the general order of your home.
You should also anticipate dust, debris, wood shavings, paint chips, and other bits of messiness. Good workers will be as tidy as possible, clean up after themselves, and use strategies for keeping the mess contained to the work area. But there’s a certain degree of mess that can’t be helped.
Watching as parts of your organized home get demolished and reshaped can be stressful, especially when the project has just started. Sometimes, homeowners even feel regret and wonder if they’ve embarked on the right path. Keeping the final goal in mind will help you cope with the stress. Once the project reaches its later stages, you’ll feel more excited and happy.
Preparing for Disruptions to Your Routine
Let’s say you’re getting your kitchen remodeled. Where will you prepare, eat, and store your food? Maybe you have a kitchenette or a spare fridge in your basement or garage. Maybe you plan on buying a lot of takeout or dining with friends and relatives.
Depending on the scope of a remodeling project, you may need to move out of your home for part of the time. Will you stay at a hotel or with family? If you have kids, how will a project potentially disrupt their lives? Prior to the project, you need to carry out careful scheduling and planning to account for all of these factors.
Preparations Are Critical
The best way to make your home remodeling project a success is to conduct research, make careful calculations, and write out detailed preparations and plans. Knowing what to anticipate will help you cope with the stress and prevent or handle various difficulties. The results can prove rewarding, boosting your enjoyment of your home and increasing its value.
