Embarking on a big home-improvement project can be daunting, especially if you’ve never done one before. The key to reducing the “pain” associated with major renovations is to get prepared and find a professional who will work with you to design and manage the project to your budget, tastes and desired time frame. Here’s how.
- Establish a Circle of Trust – It’s common to have lots of questions going into your project: Can I afford the results I want? Am I getting appropriate prices and good value? Am I over- or under-investing in my home? When you find a contractor who will walk you through the process and explain your choices along the way, you will feel much more comfortable. Find an experienced professional whose communication style matches yours and who will listen to what you have to say.
- Talk Amongst Yourselves – Couples undergoing a home renovation will often encounter some communication or relationship challenges during the planning or construction phase of their project. If possible, try to anticipate issues and discuss them before meeting with a contractor.
- Be Prepared to Share Control – Decision making is stressful, especially if you are not experienced in making product and color selections. An experienced pro can help! The best solution is to work with closely with your project’s design team is to share your wishes and dreams, do your product selection homework, and ask for help if you need it.
- Nail Down a Schedule but Allow Room for Flexibility – It’s only natural to want to know what is going to happen when. Understand that contractors can only give you “best-case scenario” dates and times because they deal with delays caused by weather, shipping, and other outside forces. But a seasoned pro will handle the SNAFUs that keep the whole job’s goals in focus.
- Deal With the Dirt – If you’re like most homeowners, you will dislike the dust and mayhem of the construction phase. The fact is, your project room is going look much worse before it looks better … there’s no way around that. Understand that this is a temporary period of discomfort and look for a pro who will minimize the mess by covering floors with paper, plywood or masonite, setting up plastic barriers, and sweeping up after each workday. If your home was built prior to 1978, look for a contractor who is EPA/RRP-certified to handle lead issues, as it is now required by law.
- Keep the Faith – It can be hard for a layman to understand a 2-D representation of a 3-D project. A good design team will do its best to convey the plans to you using the most up-to-date drafting tools, but, at a certain point, you’ll need to have some faith in your team and the final outcome. Even if you can’t see the “big picture” yet, your design team can. You may fear they will make a mistake, but it’s their job to prevent that from happening.