People often interchange home renovation and remodeling. Knowing the difference between the two will help you plan your project accordingly. For one, renovating a home means restoring the house to its previous state. Remodeling means creating something new like investing in home updates.
If your plan is to remodel the house, there are a few things you need to consider first. But then, many homeowners tend to forget the essential factors before starting the remodeling process. This often leads to feelings of regret, a higher remodeling price tag, and other repercussions in the future.
Before you even start your next home remodeling project, be sure not to make the same mistake of neglecting the following items:
Planning Updates Before Maintenance and Repairs
Many homeowners often forget the fact that a beautiful house is a home in tip-top shape. No matter how many upgrades you invest in your home, if the house is not in excellent condition, everything can easily fall apart. You want everything to be in good shape before you go on updating the house.
For instance, your plan is to extend your living space by adding a new room that will serve as your home office. You don’t want to end up starting the project and buying all the furnishings only to find you are missing the key features of every room. This includes the electrical system and HVAC system.
Unless you are going to build a separate building for your home office, you will need to access your existing systems before you do the remodeling. For best results, invest in services like a Test and Balance for your HVAC system. This will ensure you can achieve your desired airflow in your new home office and ensure your comfort while using the space.
Audit Your Belongings Before a Remodel
There is a reason why most homeowners tend to overlook auditing before doing anything with the home. They simply want to get the remodel over with and have no time to list all of their permanent belongings. But then, auditing your belongings offer many perks like the following.
Make It Easier to Sort Your Belongings
You are going to remodel the house to make it more visually appealing and comfortable. This means you are like to throw away some stuff, replace other items, and retain a few belongings. Your job will be a lot easier if you sort your belongings even before you start the project.
Divide your belongings into four groups. This will make it easier for you to get rid of your trash, donate or sell things you no longer have use for, hand-me-down stuff your loved ones will appreciate, and the items you plan on saving. Get rid of all things except the ones you will be saving before the remodel to save space.
List for Insurance Purposes
Some of your belongings are covered by your home insurance and home warranty if you have one. With the list of these particulars, you will have a hard time making a claim in case something goes wrong with the remodel. So, don’t slack off with your list and start writing them down.
Think of the Inconveniences
During a remodel, you may need to make adjustments as to where you eat, sleep, bathe, stay, or store your belongings during the project. Of course, this is dependent on your project of choice. You need to think of a plan of how you can manage all the inconveniences during the remodeling period.
For instance, you plan on a kitchen remodel which will make your kitchen unavailable for use for a couple of days or weeks eve. Plan how you will prepare, cook, eat your meals for the next few days. Think of how you can keep all the dust and debris from flying around the house and how you can protect your kitchen appliances during the remodel.
If you have kids and pets, you want to make sure to keep them out of the project site for their own safety. If you have a family member that has allergies or is immunocompromised, you need to plan where he can stay to ensure his health won’t be affected by the project. Don’t forget about your family’s routine and create a schedule that won’t interrupt both family activities and the remodeling project.
If your remodeling project will surely be a noisy one, be considerate about your neighbors and ask permission from your homeowners’ association. Unless your next neighbor is a street away, then you won’t need to worry much about the noise and possible complaints. This is aside from the permits, the waste clearing, and cleaning up after the remodel is done.
These are but three things you should never take for granted before remodeling your home. This is will save you the hassle, the headache, and the money in the long run. No matter how excited you are for the remodel, make sure you think of the future inconveniences, audit your belongings, and maintain and repair the house first before you tackle any remodeling project to achieve better results.
