Some people get anxious when they think about renovating their home, and to be honest, it isn’t without merit. When it comes to a renovation where you will be opening up a wall, ceiling, or floor cavity, there is no telling what surprises could be there and that can make people nervous.
The anxiety comes not really from “what’s behind the wall?” but more “how much more money is it going to cost to deal with an unexpected surprise?”
You’ve seen those renovation shows where the contractor calls a meeting with his or her clients and tells them the bad news, forcing the homeowner to fork out extra funds to fix it, or eliminating something from their wish-list.
These helpful tips should help you conquer those fears for your next renovation.
Plan Ahead
This isn’t about having a physical blueprint in your hand, even though that is a benefit. This is about having an action plan of how you’re going to tackle the renovation. How are you going to protect things from being damaged? How are you going to do the demolition? And the list goes on and on. When you don’t walk through your renovation step by step, you can go over budget and get behind schedule. Having a plan in place of how to deal with the renovation is key to making sure it’s a success when you’re done. Getting a second opinion on the process and possible risks will also prepare you for any surprises. Thinking about asbestos or possible plumbing, electrical or HVAC that may be affected by your renovation will help with keeping on budget and on schedule. Talking with professionals and knowing the details of your project will allow for a smoother renovation process.
Schedule
Having a schedule goes hand in hand with having a plan. You should have a general layout of what will be happening each day and how long each task should take. For example: demolition (two days), framing (one day), and electrical (one day). Having a schedule for your job will help you know if you’re behind schedule or not, which becomes especially important if you have something booked a couple of weeks out. It means you know whether you should reschedule something or try to gain some time by having multiple trades working at once.
Expect Some Surprises
When embarking on a renovation, one of the most important things to understand is that there will be surprises. Perhaps a small one here or there, but by expecting surprises it can greatly reduce the stress and anxiety that comes with a renovation. When it comes to surprises a great way to prepare for them is to have a contingency in your budget. This is thinking ahead and building a buffer into your project to accommodate for those surprises. Now, if you’re going to hire a contractor a really good question to ask is if they’ve built in a contingency into their budget. If they haven’t, that means if you come across a surprise they’ll be coming to you for extra cash right away. If they have built in a contingency and you don’t end up needing to use it, make sure you get the money back at the end of your project.
Renovating can be very enjoyable, when it’s done right, and it’s on time and on budget. However, it can be very stressful when it’s done incorrectly, and it’s over budget and late. Following the tips mentioned above will help you have a successful project when you’re all done.