The Blog

How to Plan Your Home Renovation in 3 Easy Steps

These days, we all want more from our homes, don’t we? We want to make the best use of the space we have, finding all that glorious hidden potential in our current residence. Then we can transform the house we have into a haven we’ll love for years to come.

Before you decide on doing any modern home renovations to create your dream home, you’ll need to figure out how to plan your home renovation.

Check out these three easy steps.

1. Decide on a complete home renovation vision

While it is possible to do one thing at a time and meander through all the projects that need to be done, that is not always the most cost-effective or time-saving way to approach a renovation project. 

We would like to save you as much stress, time, and money as possible to help you end up with results you’ll love both now and in the future. A few questions to consider…

What are your main goals in your renovation plan?

  • Improve your home’s value on resale?
  • Live there as long as possible yourself (age-in-place)?
  • Improve aesthetics?
  • Go with a totally different architectural style?
  • Keep the same floor plan or radically change the home design?
  • Replace, add, or remove windows and doors?
  • Update the outside of the house?
  • Renovate one or two rooms?
  • Completely change everything in the entire house?

Decide on your remodeling project’s scope:

It’s tempting to rush ahead to start working without thinking through all of these details. But, trust us, it’s much better to thoroughly work through your plan first.

  • List out the things that are not working for you for each room and overall.
  • Create a list of must-haves for each room, your home structure, and the outside of your home that you want to include in your home renovation ideas list. 
  • Include any structural problems or areas of your home and property that need maintenance, repair, or replacement. Those need to be high priority items.
  • Research inspiration on www.houzz.com, www.pinterest.com, or other sites to find out what you like, what the current home trends are, and, (also very important), what you don’t like. Keep a file of your favorites.
  • If you want to do something major, consider hiring professionals to help you solidify your vision and explore what is possible in your old home renovation, and to help you develop a realistic home renovation estimate and timeline. 
hAChROaGqKcWV 1Jj Fej9

2. Determine your home renovation budget

A home renovation is an expensive undertaking. Sometimes it can bring significant return-on-investment down the road, but it is important to make sure you find a budget you can stick with for the present. 

How much does the average home renovation cost? 

Home renovation is expensive. It almost always costs more than you hope it will. Unexpected expenses may arise, so we recommend creating a financial cushion for yourself, just in case. 

It’s important to decide on your budget and to have a general idea of the cost before you sign any contracts. If you have an architect or designer, they can help you troubleshoot potential additional costs that you may not have considered.

Recent estimates on Home Guide reveal the following helpful information on renovation costs

For an average remodel, expect

  • $15-$60 per square foot
  • $20,000-$73,000 for a whole house remodel

For a major remodel (where the home is completely gutted), plan on about

  • $60-$150 per square foot
  • $100,000-$200,000 if you do a gut to the studs and remodel 

For kitchen and bathroom renovation, set aside

  • $100-$250 per square foot

For high end remodels similar to our projects at Phase One, expect

  • An average of $250,000

How to finance your home renovation 

Financing your home renovations can be simple if you have good credit. You could get a second mortgage from your bank or mortgage company. Or look into a home renovation loan. Interest rates are low right now and make financing rather painless. 

q qRbOaQ9OzSktDpJGdl6xOjGByFze5zFytp11mgvDhcLNjPo3nIxopSHsPikbyMFNhs2uqmVy6l26ESPOjOHNqt8s6r7 larTorpYQixlIJXuTw2W8M8IHzlbHEWk Ivrg6hF w

3. Familiarize yourself with the home renovation process 

Once you have your plan and financing in place, it’s full steam ahead. The general steps may look a bit like this.

1. Create a personalized home renovation checklist.

If you have a designer, architect, and/or general contractor, they may handle many of these things for you. Of course, you’ll want to stay apprised and updated on progress.

This is especially critical if you are running the project yourself or acting as the general contractor. Include everything you’ll need such as building permits, the contact information of any contractors/subcontractors, supplies, and schedules. 

2. Hire a contractor and building team for your home improvement project.

If you hire a general contractor, you have that one point of contact and that contractor manages the project, scheduling, and timeline, which we highly recommend.

If you are acting as the general contractor, you’ll need to hire architects, designers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, drywall hangers, interior designers/interior decorators, and possibly additional team members. Be sure to check references.

Consider the number of years of experience of each team member, contracting licenses, liability insurance, a proper payment schedule and a construction timeline. 

3. Demolition and construction begin.

Ideally, put all of your belongings from the affected rooms in storage. And put up barricades to keep children and pets away from the work area.

Assume the project will take a few extra weeks or months. Sometimes, there are unexpected delays. The more flexible you can be, the less stress you will experience.

If you will be living in the home during construction, be sure to leave some space that is renovation-free for the family to live in. 

Include some type of make-shift kitchen (microwave, sink, toaster oven, electric stove eye) and one completely functional bathroom at all times. If you and your family can approach this with a can-do spirit of adventure, accepting a bit more stress for a time, you may find you actually have fun and make some amazing memories together. 

Realize that, at times, power and/or water may be off. Your team should communicate that information to you to help you have time to prepare.

Also, we gently suggest—don’t obsess over the cleanliness of your home during this time. If you can look past a bit of dust and noise to the glory that awaits in the end, it’s worth it!

4. Move back in and enjoy!

Things may be a bit inconvenient and messy for a time. But such is the price of progress. When it is finished, we hope you’ll celebrate your amazing new home and enjoy every moment there, living happily ever after.

Xn4mIXYpJahu 1dtjbKxj p6vgSlXjr4xCqwRCiJNbLKbQ6uS2OrG1LTxwbhwBV vn Zx3mnzhWWiiR o0JTv 2K4UvLIRu4nYC23WNyJKo

Ready to plan your home renovation in the Columbia, SC area?

We understand that getting started on fixing up your home can feel overwhelming. Let us help create your vision for your home’s renovation and see all the potential hidden in your current house.

We can tell you what will work within your footprint and give you home renovation estimates before you begin construction. Our design process ensures you will have a thorough plan in place to take to the general contractor of your choice. Or, we can even help with that part, as well.

Contact Us Today!

January 11, 2021