PhotosAbout Us Why Renovate? Getting Started
The Starting Steps
Renovating your home is exciting and rewarding-whether you make modest changes
in one or two rooms, or you transform the entire house into the dream of a
lifetime.
Successful renovation is a team effort between you and the renovation
professionals that you hire. For best results, you will want to involve the
professionals up-front, but before you call for estimates, you need to do some
homework. Decide in advance what you want and how much you intend to spend. Then
you will be able to give the renovators the information they need in order to
provide you with the best possible advice and the most accurate estimates of
cost.
Decide What You Want
What is the main purpose of your
renovation? (For instance, do you want to add extra space, upgrade the
kitchen, improve the security of your home, make adaptations for health reasons, or
generally improve your
living areas?)
What are your options? (For
instance, do you need an addition or can you redesign existing floor space to
create more room?)
What do you definitely want to
change?
Get input from all members of your
household. What are their needs and wants?
Consider both the short-term and
long-term implications of your decisions-are your needs likely to change
in the future?
Collect Ideas and Information
Study magazines and books to get an
idea of the "look" that you want.
Visit
home shows, talk with renovators and manufacturers' sales representatives,
examine products and
materials, note prices and collect more ideas.
Visit manufacturers' and suppliers'
showrooms (e.g. kitchens and bathrooms).
Talk to relatives, friends and
co-workers who have renovated. What have they learned? What would they
recommend?
Contact government agencies and
industry associations for information on home renovation.
Determine How Much You Want To Spend
At this early point in the process, you will not know how much your renovations
will cost, but you need to have some idea of what you can and want to spend.
Home owners often finance renovations through a combination of savings,
short-term loans and mortgages, taking advantage of the existing equity in their
home. Talk with several financial institutions to figure out your options.
Consider the following:
the costs associated with the
renovation, including new furniture, fixtures and appliances
the amount you can, or are willing to, borrow
the total amount you are prepared to
spend
Consult with . . .
The Professional Renovator - Your final plans are the basis for getting bids
from professional renovators. Going from the "ideas stage" to final
plans often happens in several steps, as you explore the feasibility of getting
what you want within your budget. You may wish to contact one or more
professional renovators in the initial stages of your renovation planning to get
a better idea of cost and how best to proceed with your project.
Professional renovators can provide "ballpark" estimates for rough
ideas, advise you on the need for design or architectural services, and tell you
how you can best prepare the information required to get accurate bids. They can
also advise you on the kinds of work that home owners typically are able to do
themselves to stretch their budget, and they can help you to develop a long-term
plan if you wish to renovate your home in stages.
