8 Tips to Plan a Home Renovation

Beginning a new home renovation project can feel overwhelming. There is a lot to do and plan, which can feel daunting to those who haven’t done it before. However, taking the time to consider each detail is going to give you the best possible remodel.

These tips will help give you the confidence you need to move forward with your home renovation. As long as you take the time to plan and consider all your options, you will get the best results. Here is everything that you need to know!

1. Add a Fireplace

When remodeling, you want to first think about what new features you want in the home. It’s much easier to plan around them this way, so you don’t end up backtracking later. For instance, high-tech, realistic electric fireplaces are a wonderful new feature to add to any home.

You will want to build your plans around adding the electric fireplace, making it the focal point of one of your rooms. Electric fireplaces are perfect for remodels- they look stunning, add more style to a room, and provide you with a cost-efficient source of heat in the colder months.

Overall, a new fireplace can add so much style to a room going through a remodel. If you are interested, be sure to consider all the options you have for an electric fireplace addition.

2. Make a Detailed Plan

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Before you do anything else, you will need to come up with a detailed plan. It should have your end goals for the remodel, design ideas, and an outline covering all the projects that need completing. You can make separate plans for DIY projects and ones you have professionally completed.

The best thing you can do for your plan is to keep it organized. You will need to make:

Blueprints or “maps” of your completed remodel
A list of jobs you need to finish
Project steps
A list of price comparisons
Set a strict budget

3. Add More Natural Light

Next, a well-lit home has a better impact on our moods and tends to make your space look more open. You will want to consider the ways that you can add more natural light during your remodel.

Some ways to do this include replacing doors with sliding glass frames, adding more windows, or installing light tubes. All of these options give your home a more bright, natural light. There are several benefits for your health. Plus, your home will feel more modern and lively with plenty of light.

If you want to add more windows, you will need to ensure your plan revolves around their installation. Contractors will need to adjust the frame of your home to fit them in.

4. Know When to Schedule

You also should know when to schedule with contractors if you are planning on using their services. You don’t want to plan your remodel during the middle of summer or around the holidays. These times are when contractors are the busiest.

So, that means you will be paying slightly more, and your materials will take longer to arrive at your home. Plus, if you hire contractors during their off-seasons, they are much more likely to give you some good discounts. They will also be more available to work on your projects consistently.

5. Upgrade Furniture

Make sure you upgrade your furniture as you improve the home. Otherwise, your furniture will start looking out of place. If you don’t want to buy all new furniture, you can also complete DIY projects on what you have.

For example, you can repaint your coffee table or replace your cabinets. Minor upgrades make a big difference, especially when you do many of them at one time. You may want to consider adding some unique paintings, statues or vases, and plenty of plants while upgrading. You can also paint over old items, breathing new life into them.

6. Don’t Undo Everything

Many people will completely gut their home when completing renovations. However, this can be extremely costly- when it doesn’t need to be. You can always add on to your home and work with its current structure. Doing so will give you the best results.

Having a solid, detailed plan to stick to will help a lot with deciding what structures need to go and what can stay. For instance, you can completely redo your kitchen without uprooting the sink and moving it.

You can simply change the sink but keep it in the same place. This process will save you thousands since you won’t need to remove and replace the plumbing. The same goes for your other fixtures, such as the toilet and bathtub.

7. You Don’t Need to Follow Trends

People make a common mistake by following all of the latest trends instead of creating a home that they love. While it might be in style now, these trends don’t last long. Plus, you may not like them as much as you thought.

Instead, you want to choose designs that you love, and ones that you know will last. You don’t want to be stuck with a remodel that you won’t enjoy a month from now! So, it’s important to realize you don’t need to follow current fads.

8. Update the Outside

Photo by Ralph (Ravi) Kayden on Unsplash

You also want to be sure you spend some time working to change the outside of your home. It wouldn’t make sense to spend so much time remodeling your rooms while leaving the exterior the same. Adding new paint, a porch or deck, working on landscaping, or investing in a swimming pool are great ideas.

Overall, you don’t want to forget about the outside of your house!

Write It All Down

The best way to plan a home renovation is to sit down and start writing down everything you want to do. The more details and lists you can include, the better. That way, you have a reliable reference point to return to as you go through the process.

Without a solid plan, you may have more challenges pop up during the remodel. Make sure to include any new fixtures you want, as well as contractor information. This will ensure that you are organized and make your home renovation as stress-free and successful as possible!