When it comes to home remodeling projects whether you are a do it yourself homeowner or a general contractor you should always consider what you are doing to help or hurt the progress of the renovation. There are several major things that can stall a project adding weeks, maybe even months, to a simple remodeling project. Below are some tips to help homeowners working with a contractor or doing renovations themselves to help keep the project on track budget and time wise.
The first tip is super important. Don’t postpone the decision making process. For a remodel to go well you really need to have a plan and make decisions before the project takes off. It is wise to give some forethought into complications that could arise and actions plans to compensate. You might think that the complications to projects are what really delay the remodel but this in fact is wrong. Most contractors will tell you the biggest project delays come from homeowners making the small decisions such as the color of the paint or what type of faucet to purchase. Every detail of the remodel, no matter how big or small works in conjunction with other aspects of the project. It is a domino effect; each piece relies on the other.
Being indecisive and changing what you want at any point throughout the project will result in added costs and time. Even a minor change can throw the scheduling off especially when more than one contractor’s schedule is involved in the project. Time is spent communicating changes to everyone involved on the remodel as well as the increase to the budget for everyone’s time as well as new materials. You can see how a decisive, clear, well thought out plan helps with entire remodeling project from a kitchen redesign to finishing a basement.
Sometimes there are situations in home remodeling where you can actually invest money to improve the house that will actually not add an equity value to the home. For instance, if you live in a community filled with starter homes adding a gourmet kitchen to the house may be something you desire but come time to sell you will not recoup the value. Also, make sure that you are renovating where it is important to the home. New cabinets and a fancy kitchen do nothing for your home value if paired with cracking foundations and old plumbing. Sometimes it is better to look into remodeling where you need to rather than where you want to. Invest money into your home that will help you achieve the maximum return on investment and equity into your home.
A budget is set forth before a project of any magnitude is taken on. It is important to have the money to cover what is needed. The best advice anyone can give when remodeling is to have a contingency fund set aside in case something does arise. A contingency fund isn’t money to be used frivolously on material upgrades and such but instead there if something happens in the process that was not planned for.