If you’re getting ready to carry out a gut renovation on your home (or any scale of renovation, really), there’s a lot of information you’ll need to gather, and many details to put down in writing for your chosen renovation or construction company to work from. From the design of every space, to color schemes, furniture and appliances, there can be an overwhelming number of things to think about and agree upon, and it’s important that you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve from the renovation, before you even think about hiring designers and renovators.
As well as those factors you must decide upon before work commences, are the countless questions, problems, dilemmas and decisions to be made that will crop up during the renovation. Whichever way you look at it, it’s best to prepare as well as you can for everything within your control, and prepare even better for all of those things you absolutely cannot control!
The most important things to be prepared for
Below are some of the factors that if not carefully considered and accounted for, can make or break a renovation of any size:
Budget: as mentioned above, arguably the most important thing to be prepared for when undertaking a renovation of any scale (but particularly larger, full scale renovations) is that there are some things you simply won’t be able to prepare for. However, since many of those unexpected things typically involve money, you should make sure your that your budget either has enough wiggle room for things that may crop up, or that you have a source of funding elsewhere you can tap into should you need to.
Communication: if you know what you want from each space but your general contractor doesn’t, you’re going to encounter problems. Communication is key with any renovation project, and both parties must be singing from the same song sheet if the project is to be a success.
Flexibility: sometimes you may need to be able to adapt your original plans to keep the project on track. For example, if a material you really wanted to use for your kitchen countertops isn’t available, or will take months to become available, it pays to have a backup option so that the rest of the project doesn’t get behind schedule.
Attention to detail: the beauty of many a gut renovation is in the finishing, and if you allow your general contractor to cut corners for any reason, or fail to leave enough in the budget for finishing touches, your home may never achieve the polished, modern look you dreamt of. Either that, or you’ll spend the next decade saving up the money to finish the project properly. When it comes to renovations, most professionals would say: do it properly, or don’t do it at all.
Live in/move out: many homeowners also fail to appreciate how problematic it can be to remain in a property while it’s being renovated, and saving money by not moving out until the renovation’s complete, is often a misguided preference. Noise, dust, work people everywhere; it’s not easy, and if you’re a working professional, it can be incredibly stressful and push your patience to its limits, no matter how great the renovation company are.
While renovations are a fantastic way to create your ideal living space, they can go badly wrong if you fail to prepare yourself for what are often its’ harsh realities.