There are several reasons to remodel your home. Perhaps you are adding a few rooms to accommodate a growing family, you are looking to add value to your home, or you simply need something new and you’ve changed your style. Whatever your reason, hiring a professional team for home remodels is most important in getting the project done well, on time, and on budget.
However, while a professional home remodel team has everything you need as far as tools, resources, knowledge, and experience in the industry, you still must take several important steps to prepare your home, yourself, and your family for a home remodel project that will make life a little more difficult in the short-term.
Your Initial Plan and Budget
Creating a plan and budget is an important part of the process that must be done before you and your contracting team decide it’s time to go. Once you’ve met with a contractor, they will begin the process by discussing the larger details of your project, including timeline and budget. Understanding that your kitchen remodel will be completed within one week under $20,000 are among the first fast facts everyone should know about the project.
Setting a budget and sticking to it is key, so working with the contractor to get this in writing is a critical part of the project’s first stages. When planning a budget, make sure to set aside a contingency fund, for example, $4,000 over or under, to plan for unplanned repairs and unexpected costs. Expect to need these funds and be glad when things go smoothly, not the other way around. A reputable contractor has a strong track record of being on budget and stricter with spending additional funds unless it is absolutely necessary.
When setting a budget, make sure to budget for more than the supplies, materials, and services to complete the remodel itself. Budget for take out, time spent in a hotel, spare costs for a commute, and other such costs that you can anticipate coming up. It is always better to over-plan your budget and under-spend in the long-term.
Preparing Your Home for the Remodel
There are several critical steps necessary to complete before you open your doors to a professional home remodeling team.
Cleaning and Clearing Up
Depending on the room wherein your remodel is focused, you may not need to buck up and declutter your entire home. However, it is important to remember that a team of contractors will be going in and out of your home for the duration of the project, and keeping paths clear and entry rooms decluttered does make the process much easier.
It sounds too easy, but during a significant project like a kitchen or bathroom remodel, the “little things” tend to be lost in the shuffle when the most important aspects, such as permitting and security, take precedence.
Find Outside Storage Options
Whatever room you are remodeling, you likely need a place to store the furniture, household items, knick-knacks, and anything else that is going to be in the way of the remodel. For example, you’ll need to find a place for your living room furniture if you are having that flooring redone.
Make sure to find these outside storage solutions weeks in advance so everything can be appropriately moved and cleaned up in time for the project.
Prepare Your Kids and Pets
If you are a single person or couple, you don’t have much to worry about as far as preparing your family. However, any small children or pets will feel incredibly displaced during a home remodel project so it is important they are given the preparation and attention they need.
If you are choosing to stay in your home while the remodel is going on, finding another place for your children or pets is one good way to keep them safe and anxiety-free. Board pets with family or friends, or even with a professional pet daycare service.
While you can’t board your kids, you can ask family or friends to let them stay a few nights to keep them away from the safety risk and many hazards that come with a construction site. Especially if it’s going to be a week or longer, plan ahead and prepare to keep your children and pets save during this time.
If You’re Doing a Kitchen Remodel…
If you are remodeling your kitchen, clear out your refrigerator and cabinets of food, household items, plates, pots and pans, and everything else you don’t want to see thrown out in the remodel process.
A few weeks ahead of time, as you grocery shop normally, make sure only to buy what you need to avoid having to throw out excess food before a contractor comes in for a demo.
Also Read: Small Kitchenette Floor Plans Ideas: Designing for Functionality and Style
Take “Before” Photos
Take a few minutes, before the project is underway, to take “before” pictures. After all, you are transforming your kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and even your entire home. It will be satisfying to see the amazing changes that it undergoes, and even show off the great work of your hired team of contractors.
Make a Path for the Contractors
Much like decluttering and clearing up, make sure there is enough room for the contractors to move around safely and comfortably. First, clear the rooms they may be working in and those around the primary worksite.
Secondly, if they are coming through your front room, back entry way, or other rooms that aren’t actively being renovated, put down plastic tarps or tape down cardboard to keep the floors clean from dirt and debris. It will also prevent the floors from being damaged by the day-to-day operations, and that will end up being a whole other project to handle. So, take the time to make a path for the contractors ahead of time.
Start a Beautiful New Home Remodel Project with I Got a Guy Construction Remodeling Services
When it comes to planning a Tampa Bay home remodeling project, there are a lot of tasks on the to-do list for both you and your hired contractor. While budgeting and planning materials are the job of your team, preparing your home, your children, and making a path through your home are critical tasks that must be done before a remodeling job begins.