How to Plan a Home Renovation

With the last major housing crisis still fresh in our minds, many homeowners have had a change of heart when it comes to finding their dream home. The realization that perhaps the perfect home is, in fact, the one you’re currently in is an idea that is making more and more sense; after all, why go to the trouble scouring real estate listings for a new property when you can invest in your current home and unlock its true potential. You know it’s there — after all, you fell in love with the house for a reason.

As rewarding as renovating your home is, it is admittedly a very daunting task; and when dealing with a daunting task, it’s important to recall the adage that if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right. If you’re planning to renovate your home, this article will help you kick off your renovation plans. 

The Planning Process

As eager as you might be to jump in and start your project, you’ll run into fewer problems and headaches if you take the time to come up with a comprehensive plan. Most importantly, working from a detailed plan will give you a better idea of how long the project will take, what the home renovations will cost, and help you to avoid unnecessary expenses. The following is a break down of the main things your renovation plan should contain.

1. Know and understand your goals. It’s easy to get carried away with a home remodel, so taking some time to figure out what you’d like to achieve with the project should be your first step. For example, making a room more functional for your needs is one thing, undertaking a remodel to add value to your home can be something else entirely and could change the decisions you make. Adding functionality based on your needs may make your life easier, but may not add much in the way of value to your home in the eyes of a future buyer. Alternately, focusing purely on adding value to your home will be great for resale, but might make the space less comfortable for you in the meantime.
2. Be realistic and acknowledge what can be accomplished. A word of caution: unrealistic expectations is what can most often derail a home reno project. Before you let your mind off its tether (so to speak), bring in an expert to see if the physical structure of your home will support your potential project. Doing this early can save you considerable time and money. You’ll also want to do some research regarding whether there are any local bylaws in place that might prevent you from undertaking your project
   
3. Know what you’re comfortable spending. If you can swing it, try to finance the project yourself, since this will be the cheapest route. Many contracting companies offer payment plans which might seem like a good idea, but these generally come with a considerable interest rate. The upside to financing is that it allows you to get the job done right away, even if you don’t have enough in the bank. Regardless, the best course of action is to set a meeting with your financial advisor to weigh the various options.
4. Create a project outline. Once you know what you want to do, when you want to have it done, and how much you can realistically afford, it’s time to create a project outline, and the more detailed the better. If you feel lost or really have no idea how long certain aspects of a remodel may take, or in what order they should be done, consult a professional design company. They’ll help you to understand what to expect from each item in your plan, can answer any questions you might have, and let you know what permits you may need.
5. Get more than one quote and source materials. If you wouldn’t buy your car from the first dealer you speak to, would you hire the first contractor that gives you a quote? Probably not. Getting a number of quotes isn’t about wasting anyone’s time, it’s about getting an understanding of what different companies will charge to do the work. You’ll also want to ask for a list of references — contractors with a list of satisfied customers will be happy to provide this to you.

What is it You Want to Change?

So you want to renovate and or remodel your kitchen, bathroom, or living room — now what? The next logical step is to create a list of exactly what you’d like to change down to the final detail. While there is nothing wrong with changing your mind about something along the way (it happens to everybody), even seemingly slight alterations to your initial plan once the project is in full swing can come at a significant cost. 

You might also be tempted to update a room from top to bottom thinking that this investment will yield the greatest return when it comes time to sell. By and large, this is far from true. In fact, many homeowners tend to “over-renovate” thinking that it will bolster a home’s sale price. If the goal of your project is to increase value in your home, speak to a remodeling professional or real estate agent to get a better understanding of the relationship between home upgrades and sale price. You might be surprised to learn that sometimes even the simplest upgrades yield the greatest return. 

As for your list of changes, be sure to write everything down. Document quotes, material costs, additional expenditures, and monitor them as the project progresses. Doing so will help you to anticipate budgetary overages and allow you to make adjustments as soon as possible. 

 

Set Project Goals and Priorities

While establishing a set of project goals and priorities is generally covered during the planning process, setting your priorities takes it a step further. In an effort to truly understand what it is you’d like to accomplish with the home renovation project, organizing your project into lists of “must haves” versus “wants” can really help your project take shape. Doing so also helps you make sure that the most important changes get completed before non-essential renos. If your list of “must haves” greatly exceeds your “want” list you’ll want to consider adding a buffer amount to your budget. Budget overruns are very, very common (in fact, many home reno professionals view unknown expenditures as an inevitability), so you need to make sure that your budget can support all of your highly prioritized changes.

 

Develop Your Wishlist

Prioritizing your wishlist is a vital task that looks to determine if you should do something like replacing kitchen fixtures before say, updating the flooring in your living room. Figuring out this list of priorities can certainly be difficult, especially if you aren’t able to objectively say which reno project is more important. Fortunately, by approaching this difficult decision in a logical manner, deciding what should come first becomes easier.

 

1. Start with what’s broken. Simply put, if something is broken or doesn’t work the way it’s meant to, it should be at the top of your list of priorities. If there are multiple rooms in your home that require work, this approach can help you focus your renovating energy into one specific area of your home.
2. Work on the room you and your family use most often. Even if your home reno project is being undertaken primarily to increase the value of your home, you still need to live there — so why not enjoy the renovations you’ve so meticulously planned? If you’re having trouble determining where to begin and all else is equal, you might as well start with the space in which you and your family use most.
3. The scope of the reno might decide for you. If your reno plans include updating wiring or plumbing, you’ll naturally start with this rather than replacing fixtures or vanities. Sometimes taking a step back and considering the scope of the work that is required will help you make the choice of where to begin.
4. Consider the time of year that work will be done. Depending on the season, the conditions for certain jobs may not be favorable. The flip side is that if you choose to complete a project during a month that is considered offseason, you might be able to save a bit of money.

Why Should Kitchen and Bathroom Projects be on Your Wishlist?

To answer this question, simply think back to when you began looking for a home. Chances are you were most interested in what the home’s kitchen and the bathroom had to offer. Personal interest aside, it’s a widely held belief that investments in a bathroom and kitchen renovations yield the greatest return. Bathrooms and kitchens should also be at the top of your list because so much time is spent in these rooms; while the kitchen is many families’ hub of interaction, a home’s bathroom provides a personal sanctuary in which to cleanse yourself of the day. 

 

If neither of these reasons is compelling on their own, bathrooms and kitchens offer unique opportunities to improve a home’s energy efficiency (positively impacting your monthly expenses) and reducing your carbon footprint. 

 

How to Remodel a Bathroom

There are many renovation jobs that you, as a homeowner, can undertake on your own. If however, you aren’t particularly handy, it’s in your best interest to hire a professional to carry out your bathroom renos. If you do plan on taking this on by yourself, consider the following:

 

• In terms of your bathroom design, there are four things you’ll need to nail down before beginning your demo:
  • Color
  • New fixtures (if required)
  • Addition of storage space
  • Locating electrical wiring and plumbing (for obvious reasons)
• Assuming you’ve got the necessary tools to get started, the next thing to do will be the demo/removal of the existing vanity/tub/fixtures. 
  • Always start by turning off the water to your faucets. 
  • If removing tile but keeping the tub, lay down a tarp to catch all the broken pieces to avoid damaging the tub’s surface. After removal the tile, carefully remove and discard the existing insulation to simplify reworking any of the plumbing.
  • Remove any unwanted cabinets and vanities/mirrors that need to be replaced.
• Begin the new installation with the largest or more awkwardly placed items. 
• With the new permanent fixtures (tub, toilet) in place, lay down the floor tile.
• Install drywall and start painting.
• Install your new vanity and/or cabinetry.
• Turn the water back on. 

 

Though the list above is good enough to provide a general guideline, remodeling a bathroom is a lot of highly precise work. DIY bathroom projects aren’t impossible but if there’s one area of your home where it makes sense to enlist the help of a professional, the bathroom is it. 

 

How to Remodel a Kitchen

Like a bathroom remodel, it’s highly advisable that you use a professional contractor; it may cost more, but the results are difficult to deny. There is a lot going on behind the scenes of your kitchen, so much of what is outlined in the previous section in terms of preparation holds true for a kitchen reno.

 

• When removing old cabinets, remove the doors and any removable shelves — this will make the removal of the fixed units a little easier. 
• Note that cabinets are generally held in place by only two screws, so make sure you have a plan for supporting the cabinet as you detach it from the wall. 
• Before removing any appliances, disconnect the power from the kitchen to avoid accidents. 
• With the kitchen essentially gutted, you can start on replacing the plumbing and wiring as needed. This is also the time that you’ll want to install new recessed lighting elements. You may want to take this opportunity to update your circuit box and connect each of your major appliances to its own dedicated circuit. 
• Next, hang new drywall, mud it and sand it before you do anything else. Drywall itself is relatively cheap but there are certain tools that you likely don’t have (drywall gun, for example) that will make your life easier. Consult your local hardware store for a rental rather than buying.
• Paint walls and ceilings. It won’t get any easier once you install the new cabinets and install the new appliances. 
• With the painting finished, you can install any new flooring (always wait until your finished painting before getting to the flooring to avoid any unfortunate mishaps). 
• Install the kitchen cabinets. For what it’s worth, hiring a professional to install your cabinets will be money well spent. Before they leave they will make sure everything is plumb and level, something that can be tricky for the DIYer.

 

As mentioned above, kitchen renos can be done by the homeowner, but it’s much easier (and sometimes cheaper) to spend the cash and leave it to the professionals. 

 

What is the Average Cost of a Bathroom/Kitchen Remodel?

Of course, this is a bit of a loaded question. There are simply too many variables to get a good idea of what you can expect from a kitchen or bathroom remodel without considerable research. Having said that, it’s typically estimated that homeowners can expect to pay anywhere from $75-$250 per square foot for a kitchen remodel, and anywhere from $9,000 to $25,000 to completely remodel a bathroom, from start to finish. Depending on what you’re looking to get done in your home, you could see the combined price tag exceed the $50,000 range. 

 

There are many reasons to undertake a home renovation project. Whether you’re looking to increase the value of your home or simply improve your home’s functionality careful planning and organization is necessary to make sure you get everything you want without blowing your budget. Hopefully this article has helped to identify the key steps that you’ll need to take before you begin your next home improvement project (and maybe encourage you to seek out professional help to make things run smoothly).