Last Updated on March 29, 2022 by Kravelv
A home remodel is a huge deal, whether it’s upgrading your kitchen or choosing a new color palette for your bath. Because it takes a significant amount of your time and money, you need to make sure you can get the most out of it. This is easily achievable with a bit of careful planning and informed decision making. Here are five excellent tips on ensuring a safer and smoother home remodeling process:
- Hire a trusted remodeling company. Should you do-it-yourself or hire a remodeling professional? This is one of the most important decisions you’ll make in a home upgrade. Going the DIY route can be incredibly tempting, but the work you need will take a lot longer to complete. There will also be some issues with the necessary tools and equipment, plus product selection. Those are a lot of difficult decisions, especially for the untrained homeowner.
The first, vital step to a successful home remodel is choosing the right contractor for the job.
Turning to a remodeling pro, however, can make your entire experience easier. They can translate your vision into reality, working with you closely in creating a design that falls within your needs and budget. Just make sure that you’re choosing the right contractor for the job. Check out some of the qualities you should look for in your prospective remodeler:
- Ask for referrals from friends and neighbors, as these can give you a more accurate description of what your experience will be like for a given company. Because they operate in your area, you no longer have to worry about travel times, ensuring that the work is completed according to budget and schedule.
- Your home remodeling should adhere to local building codes and regulations, and hire a licensed contractor is vital to this. This ensures that the work about to be done is legit and follows the necessary safety standards.
- You’ll want someone who actually has the skills, training, and expertise to ensure that your project goes on without a hitch.
- Don’t overlook insurance when choosing a prospective remodeling company. They should carry proof of it, including workers’ compensation and liability coverage. All of this help protect you and your investment better should anything goes wrong during the project’s course.
- Your remodeler should already have an established reputation, with consistent clientele, and satisfactory scores and reviews from premier home improvement websites like Angie’s List and Houzz.
Working with a single remodeling company for every aspect of the project allows for a more streamlined process.
When planning your home remodel, it pays to hire only one company to work on the entire thing–from visualizing and creating the design to the actual building stage. Some homeowners hire an architect or designer, then move on to hire a contractor to carry out the design. This runs the risk of the design not translating well to the finished project. A more streamlined approach by working with a single remodeling company ensures that you get the results you want.
- Secure the necessary building permits. As mentioned, a home remodel is a big project and you need to make sure that it complies with safety codes. Before starting work on your project, you should get the applicable building permits. This way, the work being done is guaranteed legitimate, plus you can avoid the fines and other repercussions involved with non-compliance.
- Set up a contingency fund. Unwelcome surprises aren’t exactly uncommon in home remodeling. Maybe your contractor has discovered moisture damage on your wall, or you need to update your bath plumbing. No matter the emergency, it’s generally a good idea to set aside a budget to deal with them. This keeps the project on track while letting you avoid overspending.
- Prepare your home accordingly. Noise and mess are inevitable in a home remodel. Talk to your contractor about taking measures on minimizing unnecessary dirt and debris inside your home. By making sure you and your remodeler are on the same page, you can keep your living spaces intact while the work is going on. Here are some of the few things you can do to prepare your home:
Prevent unnecessary damage to your home by coordinating with your remodeler about measures on safety and mess control.
- Designate doors and pathways that the workers can use while going to and fro your home. This allows for better traffic while keeping things more organized.
- Remove furniture, light fixtures, and other decorative items from the work area. Anything that can hamper access to it should be taken elsewhere.
- Keep small children and pets away from the work site.
- Inform your neighbors about the home remodel as a courtesy. This way, they can expect the disturbance and make their own arrangements.
- Get a detailed contract. Before signing on the dotted line, pore over every detail of the contract and ask your remodeler about any concern. The contract should include the finished design, the materials used, job responsibilities, project timeline, change orders, and payment details.
What an Ideal Remodeling Process Should Be Like
If you’ve already chosen your remodeler, it’s time to take a closer look at how they do business. Professionalism, efficiency, and excellent communication are key factors that affect the end results of your remodeling experience. Here’s what you should expect:
- Your remodeling contractor should first understand your specific wants and needs. This allows them to create a design that’s tailor-fit for you, whether it’s improving kitchen layout and traffic or giving your bath a more Zen-like feel. The remodeler should ask many detailed questions about the project, its timeline, and your expectations.
- Because they have a thorough understanding of what you want and need, they’ll start working on a customized design, while exploring other creative possibilities. Each design should remain cohesive with the rest of your home. They should also help you make informed decisions on materials, styles, colors, and textures. Additionally, the designs they present to you should fall within your budget.
- Upon finalizing the design, the production team takes over and works to make it a reality. They should have the expertise to deliver superior, timely workmanship that adheres to quality standards. The production team should give you frequent updates about the work and answer any questions you might have. If you have concerns, they should be able to provide you with a solution.
Keeping your home remodel on track can be worry-free. Just remember: do your homework, cover all the bases, make wise decisions, and hire a trusted home remodeler for the job. With these, achieving a lovelier and more comfortable home is painless and definitely possible.
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Author Bio:
Crayton Coan believes that committed people and effective communications are the two things that make great companies great. Crayton enjoys sharing his home remodeling knowledge and telling the Case story as part of his job because he knows how passionate and committed the Case Home Remodeling team is to help homeowners achieve their goals.
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