5 Things to Do Before Starting a Home Renovation

Planning a home renovation or remodeling project comes with lots of excitement but a little anxiety, too—especially if it is your first time going through the process. With some preparation, you can go into the project with confidence while also controlling costs and your sanity.

Here are five things you can do before your project even starts to pave the way for a successful home renovation and prevent some common hassles.

1. Write Out Your Needs and Wants.

Start by asking yourself your goals for the renovation. Do you need more space for your growing family? Does the kitchen need more functionality? Does the family room need a makeover to make it more welcoming and relaxing? Are you looking to feel more ease and focus in your working space?

Once you have a good idea of your ultimate goal, think about what you want your home renovation to include. Make a list of all your “musts,” which might be things like more storage, improved functionality, updated style, improved flow, and so on.

It’s essential to identify and rank your priorities early on. You may be unable to complete everything on your list within your budget and preferred time frame, but writing down your wants and needs will help you determine what home renovation projects should be prioritized. For instance, you may decide to first remodel your bathroom or kitchen and push back smaller home improvement projects to later months.

2. Define Your Renovation Budget.

Determine a realistic budget before beginning any home improvement or remodeling project. Figure in your finances, assess your savings, and settle on a firm number as your maximum budget. Of course, it would be wonderful if the total cost came in lower, but it’s always a good idea to have a “do not exceed” amount from the start.

Part of creating a budget is prioritizing what needs to be done, adding in all the costs associated with the project, and including some padding for any surprises. Unfortunately, renovations are rarely straightforward, and making changes can be costly. If the total ends up being more than your maximum budget, you can return to your list of priorities and remove or delay items to save money.

Depending on your specific renovation plan, whether it’s a major home remodeling project, room addition, or a redesigned bathroom or kitchen, costs will vary. There are design and labor fees and money needed for materials like flooring, drywall, insulation, paint, and so on. Your project might also need things like permits and dumpsters.

Working with an experienced interior designer (such as Well-Designed Home) is a great way to maximize the budget you’re working with and avoid any unexpected and unnecessary spending. If you don’t go into the project with realistic expectations on expenses, it can put you in a compromised position.

It is also important to have a clear understanding of how you will cover the costs of the remodeling project. Perhaps that will be with savings, a second mortgage, a home equity line of credit (HELOC), or a home improvement loan.

3. Start a Vision Board.

You can’t begin a home renovation project without some inspiration. This is where a vision board comes in handy. It allows you to create a visual representation of your goals, stay focused, and help direct positive energy toward your project.

Let’s say you are redesigning a dining room. Your vision board can include the floor plan, photos of furniture you love, interesting lighting fixtures, paint colors, and ideas for finishing touches. Viewing these images often will help you draw the inspiration and motivation to make it happen.

Follow these tips for creating your home renovation vision board:

• Write out your vision for the project. Be sure to include what you want the space to look like, its color scheme, type of flooring, décor, and so on.

• Look around for inspiring pictures. Browse magazines, Houzz, Pinterest, and even friends’ beautiful homes, and pull pictures that align with what you are hoping to achieve. From cabinetry to counters to window treatments, the more pictures you have, the easier it will be to share your ideas with your contractor and/or designer.

• Add some positive thoughts. Write out quotes, positive affirmations, and your goal completion date to add to the board. For instance, you could write, “Cooking in my new kitchen will be a dream come true, and it will be finished in time for me to host my friends and family on Thanksgiving.”

• Arrange your photos and notes on a board. For corkboard, attach with push pins, and for poster board, use glue or tape. Then hang your vision board on the wall of the space that you’re renovating, or somewhere else you will see it every day.

• If you prefer a virtual vision board instead, you can use digital images and put it together on a platform like Canva, where you can easily craft a free vision board, or Pinterest, which is also free and offers tons of images for inspiration.

4. Hire a Trustworthy Professional.

A famous quote says, “If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.” For home remodeling, not working with a pro can cost you more if you’re not satisfied with the results.

Handle the hiring part of your renovation with the utmost care. It pays to put in the time and effort, to ask people you trust for referrals, to interview multiple contractors (at least three), and to compare cost estimates and timelines. Remember to always ask for references.

Do your hiring homework, including reading reviews, browsing the websites of companies you’re considering, and viewing before-and-after photos of their work. Home remodeling can be a large investment, so it is essential to shop around until you find the best fit for your project.

While pricing is important, don’t base your decision on the cost alone. You should also consider the quality of work, years of experience, reputation, how many workers the company has to do the job, and other factors.

5. Check Off These Last-Minute To-Do’s.

Now that your budget is set and you’ve picked the professional who will make your vision a reality, a bit more preparation is needed before your home renovation can take off. Follow the checklist below in the days before the project begins:

• Clear out the space being renovated: Empty out cabinets, clear off countertops, remove decorations, roll up rugs, and clear out everything else in the areas where work is being done.

• Have the payments ready: Every general contractor is different, but they typically get paid in installments at the beginning, middle, and end of the project. So make sure you have the funds ready when they are due.

• Confirm the start date: Call your contractor to touch base and see if they are still on schedule to start when they said they would.

• Take some photos of the space: Remember to take before photos! When the project is all done, you’ll see the dramatic transformation with the before and after shots side by side.

Discover How Well-Designed Home Can Transform Your Space

At Well-Designed Home, we’re passionate about designing spaces that inspire comfort, relaxation, and ease—whether that’s by connecting interiors with the outside world, introducing natural light and interesting textures, or uncovering beautiful solutions to stow away clutter and make life flow more easily.

Our experience with interior architectural space planning and design will help you discover the potential hidden in your home, no matter how cramped, outdated, or nonfunctional it may feel right now.

Whether you are considering a major remodel or minor renovations, book a complimentary discovery call with us today.