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By Ashley Zimmermann, Creative Content Director for @designREMODEL
I hope everyone’s 2022 has been off to a good start. This is a great time to get down to business planning for your big (or small) remodeling project if you have not already started. The time to start planning for the rest of the year is now! Take advantage of this ‘downtime’ between the ‘21 holiday season and your upcoming summer social calendar. Don’t procrastinate and get to work now. See the below steps and suggestions to get the ball rolling.
A critical 2022 side note: the current global supply chain climate is presenting delays, which will add an extra layer of challenge to your upcoming remodeling projects. Keep this in mind throughout your planning process.
1. Make a Plan
First things first: decide what you want to do. Are you planning a small DIY project that you can accomplish in a month or even a weekend? A bathroom remodel? A kitchen remodel? A whole-house remodel? Painting a single room? Painting the whole house? Building a home office? The possibilities are nearly endless, so it is crucial to create a concrete plan. Don’t get caught in the trap of “playing it by ear” or “seeing where things take us.” This kind of thinking will kill your budget and drain your time. Making a plan sounds like an obvious step, but unfortunately, homeowners sometimes neglect to do this. Make sure you don’t find yourself out of your depth (or entirely out to sea) by setting your detailed plan in the very beginning. This will make all the following steps easier to follow. Think of this as a foundation-building step.
2. Research and Do Your Homework
This Old House talks about this critical step immediately in their article “Plan Your Next Remodel Like a Pro: Cut Costs, Not Corners.” Think of this as your data-gathering step. This Old House says the goal is to do enough research to turn yourself into a savvy consumer. Do as much research as you can about the type of project you are planning. Talk to experts. Glean information from the product manufacturer’s website. In TOH’s words, “Pick the brain of the smartest salesperson at the lumberyard, hardware store, or home center. Do research online.” Et cetera.
Curt Zimmermann, savvy homeowner and hobbyist/semi-pro carpenter, is a self-proclaimed student of the School of Hard Knocks. During our recent phone interview, he emphasized something to be acutely aware of: with older homes (like my parents’ 108-year-old farmhouse), the time you think will be required for a project tends to run longer than initially anticipated and will likely run more expensive. As noted above, talk to experts and do as much research as you can, specific to the type and age of your home. Older homes have countless other quirks that can crucially affect the steps needed during your remodeling projects, such as the potential presence of lead paint. If your home was built before 1978, your contractor would need to assume lead paint is present and take a different approach than houses built after 1978.
Curt also addressed the challenges of the current supply chain and emphasized the need to make sure your supplies are available before you tear things apart. Don’t expect to order windows from the supplier and get them by the next month. Set your expectations for 4-6 months or more in the current supply chain climate. Don’t look on a supplier’s website and assume they’ll have the supplies listed. Don’t make assumptions in 2022! U.S. News says, “Homeowners planning to renovate in 2022 should prepare for challenges including supply chain delays, inflation, and labor shortages.”
3. Set Your Budget
Creating a realistic picture of your costs can set you up for success with your data-gathering. Start with the big picture; utilize a calculator like this one by Houzz to understand what you’re getting into. Renovation prices vary by area.
Another word to the wise: note in the back of your mind that you will likely spend more than you plan for. Bin There Dump That advises “adding 15 to 20 percent to your budget for the inevitable unexpected snafus.” Do your best to stick to your budget but also factor in the potential extra ‘snafu’ cushion amount.
Download a free home renovation budget template by ExcelTemplates.net or a Microsoft Office 365 template (links below). You can also purchase templates on Etsy.
Curt says it is financially prudent to determine what smaller projects you can do yourself based on your skill level and time availability. For example, painting and staining woodwork are a few projects that a beginner could realistically take on. (Curt advised it is also wise to factor in your “frustration tolerance” for learning new skills as a remodeling layperson. He has a good point.)
4. Get Quotes and Hire
We’ll keep this item short and sweet. If you plan on hiring a contractor for your remodeling project, now is the time to seek, interview, and hire. Generally, it is a good practice to seek quotes from several contractors.
Curt and the experts at This Old House agree, don’t pick the contractor with the cheapest quote. It is likely this person will cut corners.
5. Mark Your Calendar and Stick to the Plan
By now, you have a highly detailed plan which you can do your best to stick to. I suggest making a literal calendar, listing out as much detail as possible. Work with your contractor to determine milestones; you can use these milestones to create a detailed schedule, which you can get on paper (or on your electronic calendar, depending on your preference).
Go into your remodel with the understanding that delays do (and likely will) happen. Pay attention to the factors you can control, such as surveying the products you’ve ordered after delivery. You can catch errors early on, rather than discovering the problem later, once you’re in the midst of the project, which requires said materials. This Old House general contractor Tom Silva advises, “Always open the box … Don’t just hand it over. A good contractor should check it, too, but the homeowner should always verify it.”
Curt suggests asking if there is something you can do to help your contractor out, like picking up supplies. He points out the more time your contractor is “running errands,” the less time they are working on their project (what you are paying them for). Maximize efficiency when it comes to your contractor’s time.
Proactivity is a “life hack” that will serve you well; keeping this frame of mind will make your kitchen or bathroom remodeling project so much easier. Ask your contractor how you can help monitor progress to keep the project on schedule. They will have their professional systems in place, and you can aim to create synergy by working with your contractor. Communication is the name of the game; ask them how you can help and execute what they tell you.
References:
https://realestate.usnews.com/real-estate/articles/renovating-your-home-in-2022-3-things-to-know - Renovating Your Home in 2022: 3 Things to Know
https://www.thisoldhouse.com/home-finances/22280528/remodel-pro-tips - Plan Your Next Remodel Like a Pro: Cut Costs, Not Corners
https://exceltemplates.net/financial/home-renovation-budget-template/ - Home Renovation Budget Template
https://templates.office.com/en-us/home-construction-budget-tm04014205 - Home construction budget
https://www.bintheredumpthatusa.com/article/stay-on-budget--3-tools-for-creating-a-home-renovation-budget - Stay On Budget — 3 Tools For Creating A Home Renovation Budget
https://atdesignremodel.com/faq - Questions and Answers
Phone interview with Curtis Zimmermann- February 2022
https://www.houzz.com/remodeling-costs- Real Remodeling Costs