Good Morning Everyone,
So you’ve taken the first step to doing some renovation work to your home. This process can be very exciting and potentially prosperous for you. There is nothing more exhilarating than “making over” your home. The prospect of redoing some portion of your home can feel like being in a completely new home, without the cost of actually doing that. If you choose the right contractor/company, this process can be extremely rewarding, with minimal impact to your life. The first steps are always the most important. Simply deciding to do the work is major. Secondly, you must be realistic about the scope of the work involved, the associated costs, and time and inconvenience it will/may cause you.
First of all comes the vision. What is it you want to achieve? A completely different atmosphere?Is there structural work involved? Will you need an architect or engineer?Will you need to gather permits? All of these have associated costs that can run into the high thousands, if not more, depending on the extent of the work involved.
Next comes the budget. Does your budget match your vision? We all watch the reality shows on TV and see how easy they make these Reno’s look, and only in half an hour. The reality is you don’t see all of the prep work involved, and the fact that these guys really don’t work within an average persons budget. The most common issue that I run into is the cost of the materials to be installed vs. the cost to install. The cost to install is almost always much higher than the cost to buy.For instance; a bag of cement costs $6, but the tradesman that installs that bag has developed certain skills and techniques to do it properly; and you pay for that.; otherwise you would do it yourself.
Thirdly is the impact. Obviously impact is directly proportionate to the amount, or scope of work, you are planning. Are you moving walls; than expect drywall dust and demo dirt to be everywhere. There are ways to minimize this, but in my experience dust gets everywhere. It will be noisy. In some cases when the work is extensive, you should plan on being out of your home for months if not a year.(see budget)
Extras. Extras will kill a budget. If you decide to change things on the fly, expect your budget to change with it. Even a simple switch like style of trim, or fixtures, can cost thousands more. if you decide you like a certain tile better than another; again; thousands potentially. if you decide you really don’t like that wall there….thousands. I think you get the point. Most contractors will outline these “extras” to you in there contracts. Along with extras, another additional cost is delay time. if you take too long to decide on materials, it has a ripple effect that can also cost you thousands. If trades have to put off doing work until you decide on, and order materials, they need to compensate themselves for this; as often times one trade is often waiting for another to finish.
The long of the short of it is, do all of your research, pick all of your materials, and stick to it, and you will have what you want, when you want; and on budget.
Happy Renovating !