Successful Home Remodeling: Don’t Be in a Hurry to Jump to the End. Take it One Step at a Time.
When it comes to remodeling our homes, a lot of homeowners tend to jump to the end of the project. It’s understandable. They get excited about how the new kitchen, bath, or addition will look, so they focus on the finishing touches such as cabinets, flooring, molding, and fixtures. Those are all important things, but the real keys to a successful home remodeling project begins long before the finishing touches are added.
While you want a remodeling project to leave your home looking better, the real goal is to make your home feel more comfortable and be more functional. But that doesn’t happen without planning.
How do you go about planning your home remodel? It’s a bit of a challenge – particularly if you haven’t done it before. Here are three simple steps that can help
- Know What You Want: Sometimes homeowners know they want to make a change, but they aren’t sure what that change should look like. Create a list of things you like about your current home and then make a second list of specific things you’d like to change. You don’t have to come up with the solution – just what results you want. For instance: More workspace in the kitchen. More light in the family room. Open space between the kitchen and family room. A multiple space room that doubles as a guest bedroom and a home office. Be as specific as possible.
- Gather Ideas and Information: Once you’ve identified what you want to do, look around for ideas that fit your personality and sense of style. You don’t have to mimic what you see – just gather ideas and examples.
- Talk to Us: This is where you begin to turn your ideas and wishes into reality. Take your “wish list” and ideas/examples and ask us what it will take to make that happen. We can advise you about the feasibility (can you even do what you want in your current home). We may also give you other ideas that are more practical for your situation. And finally, we can usually help you set a realistic budget for what you want to accomplish, and how long it will take.
Again, don’t be in a hurry to jump to the end of the project. There are lots of good things to enjoy at the beginning of the process. And if you take care of those, you’ll be happier with the end results!
