Most people will agree that the process of home renovation can be a long and stressful one. Whether you have lived in the home for years or you have just bought it, renovation can help the house to realize its full potential. Renovating your home can transform your life while making your property more valuable. When you renovate your home, things that irritated you can become a thing of the past. When the process finally gets under way, you can be glad of the fact that when all is said and done, your home will be more comfortable and beautiful.
The fact is that remodeling can be a source of major headaches, with the many pitfalls and challenges along the way. Before you embark on the process, you need to be clear about your goals. Knowing what you hope to achieve before the work begins will help to avoid issues that can delay the project. Clarify your motivations and decide why you are renovating. Establish the improvements that are most significant and find out the alternatives you have. The following tips will help you to avoid a stressful time when you want to start renovation:
Determine your goals
Every renovation project has one or several objectives that it hopes to achieve. Your reason for renovating may be the need to fix issues or shortcomings in the home or your goal could be to make the home more efficient and improve utility. Other popular reasons for calgary home renovation contractors include a way to increase the value of the home or to make the home more comfortable to reflect your current needs. Remember it is much cheaper and more convenient to renovate an existing space than to build an addition. When you determine your goals, you can decide the best options for your home.
Know your financial stake
You need to acknowledge your financial and emotional stake before you begin the project. If you are planning to sell the home in a year or two, making extensive renovations might not be worth it. You should not make changes that will make it difficult to recover the cost and time investment. An extensive renovation project can take months from design to construction and you need to consider this fact before the work begins. Be realistic about your budget and consider the value of your home before and after the renovations. Choose projects that will make your home more valuable for your location.
Assess your home’s potential
It is important to find out everything you can about the house and neighborhood before you embark on renovation. Assess the home’s potential by learning about your property. Establish whether the house was a stock plan or custom made. Find out when the neighborhood was developed and compare your home to other homes of the style and same period. If the home was built with special features, changing them might not be the best idea. Knowing whether the home had been significantly altered or enlarged can help you to make the best renovation decisions.
Assess development conditions
You need to find out the existing legal conditions especially if you are planning an addition. Check with the building department to find out if there are special regulations or constraints on the land. You need to clarify issues such as lot coverage, height limits, setbacks and grading. The title report you received when you bought the home should have details about the plot plan, the legal description and any covenants or easements affecting the property. Any changes that you make to the home have to comply with the current codes or legal requirements.
Consulting a renovation contractor
The best way to ensure that your project kicks off on the right foot is by consulting a renovations expert. Talking to someone who specializes in home renovation is the best way to ensure that you get advice about the improvements that you are considering. Create a list of issues and inadequacies that you have in the home and use it to discuss ideas that you may have concerning home improvement. Having the list before your consultation will come in handy. Arrange for a tour of the home where the professional can come up with ideas and options.
Find out the cost of the construction project to get an estimate so that you start looking for financing. Note that preliminary designs can be modified to suit your budget. It is a good idea to get a contractor who specializes in doing custom residential development. The contractor can give you an itemized budget to help with the planning. When you get an acceptable cost for the project, choose the work that you want done immediately. Dividing the project into different phases will make the renovation more manageable. The scope or complexity of the project will determine how long it will take to complete the work. Make sure that you get a written agreement with the contractor before work begins.