If you’re thinking about a whole-house renovation for your Maryland or DC home, there are a lot of things to work out. With such a massive job, you want to make sure you’re getting the most out of it.
Start by thinking about the purpose of your renovation. Are you planning to put the house on the market, or are you planning for the future? Is your family growing, or are you thinking about aging-in-place?
The answers to these and other questions will help you make some of the most critical decisions you will face going forward.
Renovation To Sell
If you’re looking to get a return on your renovation investment, keep in mind that not every project is going to raise the value of the home. In most cases, you’re not going to get out of it what you put in. That said, doing sub-standard work on the cheap will always work against you.
Our best advice for renovating to sell is to focus on cosmetic things, like a new coat of paint, some nice landscaping, and new carpet. Redoing the kitchen and bath is a nice idea, but if you’re doing it strictly as a selling point, you’re leaving money on the table.
Renovation For Yourself
If you plan to live in the home for the rest of your life (or a good chunk of it), then a renovation is likely a good investment. You will be improving your quality of life, getting more enjoyment out of your home, and adding functionality and convenience that you didn’t have before.
For example, maybe you want to turn the spare bedroom into a home office so you can work at home more often. You could finish your basement to enhance your family recreation time. Or, you could add an auxiliary suite, either for extra income or for your elderly parents to move into.
However, if you don’t plan to sell in the near future, we’ve got some great tips for you. Read on …
Plan Thoroughly
Since a whole house renovation will seriously disrupt your lifestyle, think about how you are going to compensate for that. For instance, while your kitchen is being done, you will need a temporary solution, which is something your contractor can set up for you.
Planning each phase—knowing how long it’s going to take and what it’s going to cost—is critical. Take your time to ensure it’s well-thought-out from every angle. Changes are often costly to make once the renovation is already underway.
Address Your Living Situation
You may not be able to live in your house while the work is being done. If this is the case, you will need to make arrangements to stay somewhere else. Be sure to speak to your contractor in detail about what’s going to happen so you can make the right decisions.
Some homeowners may prefer to stay in the house during the renovation. In this case, your contractor will do their best to make sure there is as little disruption as possible, but there are caveats to this as well.
Staying in a house under construction requires some compromise, both for the contractor and the homeowner. As a result, the job might take significantly longer than it would if nobody was living there. The longer the job, the more money it will cost – but ultimately, it is your decision.
Have A Little Extra Cushion In The Budget
We usually suggest reserving ten percent of your budget for any unknowns that might come up along the way. Sometimes, we’ll open up a wall and find issues we hadn’t anticipated, like mold, bad wiring, things like that. Depending on the situation, we may have to stop what we’re doing so we can address the problem. Without a little extra in the budget, you might run out of money before the renovation is complete. We don’t want you to have to compromise on your vision.
Choose Your Contractor Wisely
It is crucial to choose a contractor who is experienced in whole house renovations. You don’t want to entrust the work to someone who has never done a job on this scale. If you do, it will likely take longer and cost more, and it might not end up the way you had envisioned it.
At best practice, you should look for a contractor who has a lot of experience in your area. Get recommendations, check references, and if there is any of their finished work you can see, by all means, do so. The proof is always in the pudding.
Are you ready to renovate? We’d love to help. Reach out today, and let’s talk about what’s possible.
