So, you want to remodel your entire home. Do you have to do it all at once? It’s a huge undertaking, in more ways than one, which makes this a really wonderful question. And the answer is YES! You can absolutely remodel a home in several iterations, and we at Winthorpe are quite adept at helping you to plan that over the long term. But what are the reasons and benefits of remodeling in stages?
Monetary
Remodeling several parts of a home, or the entire home, can be an expensive enterprise and it’s not always possible to afford it all at once. If you know you want to remodel the entire home over the next five years, we can help you parse out how many stages there should be and when they should take place. Similarly, if you know you want to remodel more in the future, but don’t yet know when that will be, we can help you outline what will need to be done and do some prep work for it in the current stage. Then you can enjoy the home indefinitely and simply let us know when you’re ready to execute the next stage.
Living In The Home
Whether because the cost of renting a temporary home is untenable or because it’s just more comfortable to remain in your own home, you may prefer not to move out for construction. In this case, it makes sense to remodel half of the bedrooms and bathrooms at once, so there is always a working bedroom and bathroom available to live in. If we’re remodeling your master bedroom, for example, you might live in the guest bedroom during construction, and then we can remodel the guest room once you move back into the master bedroom. While we remodel your kitchen, we can provide you with a temporary kitchen in the dining room. Or your guest room may temporarily become your closet while we expand your master closet. There are lots of ways to do it.
How Stages Are Determined
We’ll meet with you to draw up your overall master plan for the full project of your home remodel. Then, based on your priorities, we’ll label the phases. If you want the social spaces finished first, the kitchen and living room might be Phase One, the master bedroom and bathroom might be Phase Two, and the guest rooms or garage and patio might be Phase Three. If we’re going to be adding on to a room, we’ll place headers over the windows so we can come back and take those windows out to create a doorway to the addition in Phase Two.
While we’re at it, we’ll size the systems accordingly. The appropriate HVAC and electrical systems will be installed so we don’t have to redo them or disrupt a later phase. Ultimately, we plan out the entire project and collectively determine where it makes sense to start and stop each phase.
Some Considerations
There are some drawbacks to remodeling in stages, and these factors should be considered. Not all materials, such as a specific tile or pattern of granite, will be available several years down the road, which could make matching materials difficult. Also, the more work a plumber or electrician can do in one phase, the more money you save overall……up to 25%.
These drawbacks can be managed by plotting the future stages in detail, purchasing materials that would need to be matched (siding, paint, granite, etc.) in the beginning and storing them at the home until then, and by condensing as much subcontractor work as possible into each phase. By purchasing all the flooring in the same lot, you know it will all be the same grain and shade, even if installed in phases over time.
It takes a bit more patience to execute a remodel in several phases over months or years, but it’s a perfect solution to accomplishing all of your goals as you’re able to undertake them.
