10 Steps to a Successful Remodeling Project

Just the thought of starting a remodeling project can evoke a multitude of emotions. Beautiful kitchens with plenty of counter space, up to date bathrooms with miles of tile or that dreary basement turned into the family play center. Close behind these delightful visions come thoughts of strangers invading your home, disruption to your daily routine, noise, dust, messes, and major stress.

Key steps to the remodeling process are:

1. Understand your wants and needs

2. Think about your preliminary design

3. Decide how the job will be managed

4. Agree on a well written contract that covers all the bases.

5. Come to a mutual understanding on day to day jobsite etiquette

6. Establish good two-way communication

7. Decide on how Change Orders will be handled

8. Discuss and understand the importance of the job schedule

9. Determine method of financing up front

10. Be flexible and maintain a sense of humor

Let’s expand on these keys:

1. Sort through your wants and needs

Prioritize a list detailing your needs and your wants. Look at the area of your home you want to change. Think about traffic patterns, furniture size and placement, colors, lighting and how you expect to use the remodeled space.

At first don't rule out things that seem difficult, undoable or expensive. What you want to do is collect as many ideas that appeal to you as possible. Try to get your whole family involved in this process if possible. It will help foster understanding for the process and enthusiasm for what lies ahead.

Check out home and remodeling oriented books and magazines. There are many publications available at grocery stores, hardware stores, and your local library. Save or photocopy pages of the ideas or products that appeal to you. Visit your local product and material showrooms. Tile shops, lumber yards, plumbing showrooms, cabinet showcases, lighting showrooms, anywhere you can find inspiration.

Check out websites and print pictures of what interests you. Check out friends houses that have recently completed projects or have design details you admire. Go to area Home Shows, Product Expos or Tours of Remodeled Homes. Take pictures if allowed.

It may be difficult but this is the point you need to determine a rough budget of how much you are willing to spend versus how much you are able to spend. Until you have a detailed plan you won't have much precise pricing information so establish your list of priorities.

The more clearly you can envision the project in your head, describe it on paper and have a rough idea of costs, the better prepared you'll be in communicating your choices to others. You’ll be better prepared whether you decide to do it yourself, bring in professional designers, contractors, sub contractors or any combination of the above.

I'll expand on the remaining keys in upcoming blog posts.

Remodeling within your limits: Tips on coming in under budget

Whether you’ve lived there for five months or 15 years, it’s not uncommon to find that you are delighted with your home—with one or two nagging exceptions. You’d really like to remodel, but the project often gets pushed to the end of the “to do” list, because it’s either too expensive or too inconvenient to be without a kitchen or bathroom for an extended period of time. Still, let’s face it, the harvest gold kitchen, green shag carpeting, or the cracked bathroom tiles have got to go.


In many cases, the reason your home may feel inadequate is that the average American house was built in the 1960’s and is now pushing forty. In a sense, your home is in the throes of a mid-life crisis, and it’s up to you to address the situation with some remodeling. And, with interest rates at historic lows, there’s no better time to take advantage of home equity financing to fund your project.


Your first steps are to determine how much money you can spend and to define your vision of the completed project. Working with a professional designer will help ensure your vision comes to life and will prompt you to define your goals. For example, do you want an innovative new design, or are you striving for functionality?


When interviewing remodelers for your project, asking several key questions may enable you to save money. If you’re adding windows, see if you can use snap-in window grilles instead of windows with true divided lights. This could save you up to $200 per window. Need new flooring? Find out if you can substitute seamless vinyl for ceramic or unglazed tile; or if you can swap hardwood floors for carpeting. Carpeting costs $25 or more per square yard, while hardwood flooring can run upwards of $63 per square yard for the same space.


Remodeling is a dirty business, and you may find yourself without the comforts you take for granted, such as hot water or a flushable toilet. When signing a contract to improve any room of your home, assess the capacity for makeshift spaces. You may find the disruption easier to weather if you can carve out room for a small refrigerator and coffee pot, while your kitchen is out of commission. If not, you may want to consider a temporary move to save both time and money. Moving out entirely also will speed up the remodeling process by allowing workers to forgo the meticulous nightly clean up.

Whether your remodeling project is large or small, it’s important to carefully think through your options and talk to several remodelers before you get started. “Remodeling Your Home” provides home owners new to the process with helpful hints ranging from choosing a remodeler who is a member of NAHB Remodelers to writing a proper change order — and everything in between.

“Remodeling Your Home” is available from BuilderBooks, the publishing arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Contact the NAHB BuilderBooks store at 800-223-2665 or visit www.BuilderBooks.com to order.

Visit www.NAHB.org/remodel to learn more about remodeling and find an NAHB Remodeler near you.

Reprinted from NAHB

Footprints

I’ve contemplated footprints recently. Like many others I’ve followed in my father’s footprints, I’ve plotted my ecological footprint and left my muddy prints on the kitchen floor. Everyone leaves their mark in a unique way and maybe because of my years, I’ve been thinking what legacy, if any, I and others will leave.

Those people who are in decision making positions at remodeling companies, trade suppliers, specialty contractors and trade associations like the Remodelor’s Council today will have an enormous impact on the shape of the remodeling industry in the next decade. How conscious and intentional about leadership are remodelors and their trade partners today? Do we have a sense that we are shaping the future of the remodeling industry? Will we strive to leave the industry better than we found it?

Each time we build or remodel, be it a building, a business, an association or ourselves, no matter how big or small it leaves an impact not only on our immediate life and surroundings but the many people we contact with everyday. Everyday we have the opportunity to leave an imprint, through our businesses, our community service, or our association with others. This allows us the possibility to make a meaningful difference that can impact ourselves, those around us and our industry.

We follow the footprints of those who have gone before and leave footprints for those yet to come. We have the opportunity to build on the actions of our predecessors, and leave the remodeling industry ready to better face the future. Get involved; don’t let the footprints fade away.