Congratulations! You have survived St. Patrick’s Day. Now it’s time to talk about surviving a remodel.
As this columnist notes, the key to any remodel is to have a good plan, but that’s easier said than done. Preparing for a remodel means preparing for lots of different things.
Remodeling a bathroom might not pose too many problems if you have another bathroom to use in the meantime. But remodeling a kitchen requires setting up a temporary kitchen somewhere else in the house, unless you can afford to eat out every meal. So keep that in mind.
Then there’s the question of what to do with your stuff once it’s moved out of the project area. That’s easy if you have extra space in the garage or a storage shed. But for those of us without space, that means paying for a pod or, in the case of the columnist, getting some storage space from a friendly neighbor.
Lastly, the columnist says to prepare for dust because it’s bound to seep into non-work areas. But there’s a good coping mechanism for that. Beer!
Speaking of kitchen remodels, and in keeping with green things, avoiding sticker shock is the No. 1 goal for homeowners.
To keep costs low, the Washington Post suggests you avoid moving any electrical and gas systems, make a detailed list of your goals, avoid name brand cabinets since others work just as well, look at mid-price flooring, and do your homework on your contractor.
Taking care of all these things will help you save.
Have a good week!
