5 Smart Tips for Any Major Home Renovation or Improvement Project

Home improvements add not just value to your property, but comfort and appeal as well. So, we understand the excitement to start right away, whether you’re updating the kitchen, remodeling the bathroom, or replacing the roof. However, regardless of your excitement, it would be prudent to exercise caution. After all, renovating a home is a long, tedious process that requires thorough planning. The tips below will help you navigate that process and bring you closer to your dream home improvements.

Put your dream on paper

Before anything, architecture expert Jackie Craven suggests drawing your vision on paper. In this way, you’ll be able to better visualize whether or not your ideas are actually feasible. Drawing your dream on paper will also help you see exactly how your plans will impact your home in its entirety. If you’re the techie type, you might want to use home design software, like Sketch Up Pro and Sweet Home 3D, for detailed 3-D renderings of your plans. Just remember: That’s not the final design. It’ll likely change after you polish your home improvement plan (see next section).

Have a plan

Next, you’ll need to start looking at the road ahead, taking into account contractors, costs, and timeframes. For this purpose, Barker Freeman principal Alexandra Barker advises homeowners to seek professional help, as they can “think strategically about the entire project”. That’s because professionals, be it an architect or interior designer, can help you figure out the exact scope of the work, and then break it down into phases. For example consider a roof replacement project. As our Mark Cook explains in an article on roofing estimates, there are several factors to consider when it comes to getting a new roof, like the roof slope and height, and type of roofing material. Such technical considerations are the reason you need to get professional help while planning. Now, in case you’re looking to replace your roof, then do Contact Us.

Sort your budget

Home renovations will cost you, which makes financial planning crucial. So, you’ll need to create a realistic budget. Ur Design Mag’s primer on home renovation planning recommends getting estimates from contractors and builders to do that. Just make sure you leave at least a 5% buffer, as both prices and plans can change. Next, you’ll need to finance your project. Some homeowners have saved up for this purpose, but many haven’t. If you belong to the latter, a popular option to get funds is through taking out a loan. Marcus’ guide to home improvement loans outlines how they can be used for a variety of purposes ranging from sprucing up your kitchen to adding a pool. Another popular option is to secure a home equity line of credit that works similar to a credit card: You borrow cash, then pay it back in full or via monthly installments

Check your coverage

Another thing you need to check thoroughly is insurance. In particular, double-check with your contractors if they are insured. If you’re doing your home improvements with the help of family and friends, make sure that your insurance covers all of you. In this way, you won’t be burdened financially in case there’s an accident. This is also a good time to check insurance coverage for property damage, as there’s always this risk of something getting messed up. Also, keep this in mind: If you need to live elsewhere during the renovation, your current policy will likely be inadequate. In fact, you’ll need to take out another one in the form of a builder’s risk insurance, which is specifically designed for intricate home improvement projects.

Account for some discomfort

Living through a home renovation can be uncomfortable and inconvenient. Every day you’ll have to deal with noise, dust, dirt, exhaustion, and not using a part of the house or two. A work-around is to rent out a place to stay or live with friends or family, but even that is less than ideal as opposed to living in your own home (e.g., different rules, different beds, new routines). Needless to say, this time can take a physical, mental, and emotional toll on you and your family. So, make sure everyone prepares accordingly before finally starting the project.

Article prepared by Nadia Marshall
Exclusively for cookroofingbranson.com