Roofing

How to take the pain out of remodeling

If you are like me, you are nursing a serious Halloween hangover. 

Maybe you took too many sips from the witch’s cauldron or, in my case, ate all of your kids’ candy after they went to sleep? 

While we can’t help with that, we can help take some of the pain out of remodeling your home. 

CNBC has a great article outlining four steps that will make your home renovation a little less painful.

The article reminds everyone to perform due diligence on the contractors, review your contract, ensure permits are obtained, and pay bills on time. 

It may sound straightforward, but you would be surprised how many people don’t honor each step. 

As far as what projects you should undertake, Reader’s Digest has you covered with its article on the best projects to get done before winter

Granted the Valley doesn’t get a true winter, but all of the projects in the article are great places to start. 

Some of the best projects mentioned in the article include master suite upgrades, HVAC replacement, new flooring, or a closet renovation. 

If kitchens are more your thing, then check out these seven kitchen remodeling ideas from AZ Big Media.

Have a good week!

Looking for remodeling inspiration? Start with your floors

We’ve talked before about remodeling inspiration, and how to search far and wide for new ideas. But not many people think of starting from the floor up.

Flooring is the subject of this article from a Corpus Christi television station website.

The article lists five major reasons for upgrading your flooring, including adding luxurious heated floors, repairing damaged or worn carpet, modernizing the look, cutting down on allergens and molds by switching from carpet to flooring, and remodeling for resale.

Speaking of remodeling, there is a discussion about the difference between remodeling and renovating. (For our purposes, we use them interchangeably.)

None other than Bob Vila, the man himself, offers that “remodeling” should be reserved for extensive work that includes changing structures and designs, while “renovating” means making updates that do not change the intended purpose of the room. But you do you, boo.

An extensive and expensive mistake was made by a remodeling company in Kansas City when they tore the roof off the wrong house

According to the Fox TV affiliate there, a remodeling company was sent to the wrong house by the contractor. Once they realized their mistake, the remodeler left, promising it would be fixed.

But now the remodeler and the contractor are fighting over who should be at fault for the mixup, and the poor couple still doesn’t have a roof over their vacant house after two months. 

Just another reason you should be grateful to have a roof over your head. 

Have a great week!

Guest Post: Tips to Make the Home Remodeling Process Less Stressful

Undoubtedly remodeling your home is a long and sometimes stressful process. Whether your remodeling project is big or small, it has a direct impact on you and your family members. Daily invasion of experts, dirt, dust, debris, chaos, and the noise of making repairs and renovation can take a huge toll on you and can leave you frustrated and annoyed.

Home remodeling is a challenging task which requires proper planning and a strong relationship with your contractor to make it smooth, glitch-free and bearable for you.

Read on below to find about some power packed tips in order to make your home remodeling process less stressful.

Tip#1: Contractor

Before embarking on your home remodeling project, do thorough and deep research for selecting a perfect contractor. Search online about professional contractors and read customer reviews and feedback on their site.

Take a detailed look at their previous projects and see for yourself how they performed. Also, if your college, family or neighbor recommend you a contractor, before hiring them, be sure to visit their home and look at the quality and type of look that contractor offers.

Once you’ve found a professional contractor, ask him from referrals and don’t hesitate to call their previous clients and ask about the type of services they provided.  You want to be 100% sure that the contractor you hired for your home remodeling project is competent and efficient enough to deliver the best job, keeping in mind your time and budget.

Tip#2: Strategy

Ask your contractor to provide you with the programmer of works so that you know what to expect and what will be their next move or strategy. For instance, ask them to tell you before hand what areas or parts of your house will be off limits and for how much time. Ask them to tell you on which days of the week you will be without power or water and for how long.

Ask them some essential questions like:

 

  • How many hours will they work daily?

 

  • What does it cost to remodel a home?
  • When will they start working on the exterior of the house?
  • How much advance payment do they require?

 

 

In this way, you will know their whole strategy and will plan your finances and schedule accordingly.

Tip#3: Schedule

It is advisable to plan your kitchen remodeling or other renovations that suit your family schedule. For instance, don’t go for remodeling during your children’s exams. As you don’t want to disrupt their study pattern due to continuous noise and chaos. It is ideal to plan your renovations during summers when your children are done with their exams and annual matches or when you are not expecting any guests in your home. Go for remodeling project when you are free from kid’s annual examination, test and any other important event.

Tip#4: Vacate the Property

It is ideal to vacate your property before the extensive renovation starts. Move to temporary accommodations or rent out space. If both options are expensive, consider taking a vacation during your house renovations.

Talk to your contractor beforehand so that you can easily schedule when to move out of the house so that they can carry their necessary renovations.

If you need to inspect from time to time to monitor the progress of your work, then shift to your best friend’s house and drop in to see how your bathroom remodeling and home renovation project is progressing.

Tip#5: Upfront about Your strategy

Some professional contractors want a completely vacant property before they start with their remodeling. If this is the case, then inform them beforehand whether you are retired or work from home.

Moreover, if you have no place to go then ask your contractor to section off an area from your home where you can reside in order to stay away from all the dust, chaos and commotion.

Also, ask your contractor to make you a makeshift kitchen, where you can cook while contractors work on your remodeling project. No matter how diligent, considerate and careful your experts are, there is bound to be some dirt, dust, debris, and disruption. So, try to clean your area daily to wipe off dust that accumulates due to extensive remodeling.

Tip#6: Make Important Decisions

Before the professionals start working on your remodeling project, make necessary and important decisions swiftly like light fixtures, crown molding, extra storage shelves, kitchen and bathroom tile design an color, living room paint, essential fittings, window frame color and type, living room floorings and so on.  Choose your windows, shower doors, vanity sink, sanitary ware, countertop marble design, kitchen island style, and tiles well in advance so that the project moves on without any glitches and you don’t feel pressured to make any hasty decisions.

Tip#7: Neighbors

Talk to your neighbors in advance before starting on your home remodeling project. Tell them they will have to be patient and might have to put up with disruption and noise while experts work on your property. Tell them the start date and finish date of your project so that they have a clear idea of how long they have to bear with all the chaos and disruption.

Tip#8: Keep Track Of Your Budget

Keep track of your budget and note where you can splurge on remodeling. It is extremely vital to set aside a contingency for any unforeseen things that may arise during renovations.

Tip#9: Clear Your Premises

Before the contractors arrive on your premises to start with the remodeling project, ensure that all working areas are completely vacated. Clear your kitchen cabinets, wardrobe and move out all your furniture. Pack your rugs and remove your artwork, curtains, blinds, and drapes. Either rent temporary storage and put all the stuff there or move it to a room that will be worked on at the end.  Moreover, cover everything with plastic sheets or bubble wrap and seal the rooms not in use with tape.

Wrap Up

Home remodeling is no doubt a daunting process, but with a little bit of planning, you can save yourself all the stress. If you want to avoid all the strain, hassle and anxiety, then follow the above-mentioned tips to make the process less stressful. Also, you can always go on vacation during heavy renovations.

 

About the author: Sarah is an experienced house remodeling contractor, and has been in this business for more than a 5 years. She is very enthusiastic about her work and keeps herself updated by the latest home improvement trends.