Many of my clients are deciding to remodel or renovate their existing homes instead
of trading up for a new or larger home. If you, too, are thinking about renovating
your home, before you start tearing down walls and ripping out kitchen cabinets,
there are some things you need to consider.
First, evaluate the needs and lifestyles of your entire family. Do your teen-age
twins want their own bathrooms? Mom, do you need a separate closet just for your
shoes? Have everyone compile his or her own wish list. Then as a family, decide
which ones can be realistically achieved.
When my clients Tina and Joe Pyne decided to remodel their home in Houston, I asked
them to consider their passions and hobbies as well as their needs. Tina, who is
from Louisiana, is an avid cook and gardener. She really wanted a huge, open kitchen
that would accommodate all her pots and pans and give her plenty of room to prepare
her signature Creole dishes. She also dreamed of having a backyard living space
where she could grill, grow her own herbs and spend time with her young daughter.
Joe has New England roots, including some incredible English antiques that have
been passed down through his family from generation to generation. He wanted formal
rooms to showcase these exquisite heirlooms, plus traditional and classical architectural
features such as a grand foyer and staircase. Both husband and wife wanted their
own home offices.
Once my clients provide me with a wish list, I ask them to start looking through
books, magazines and the Internet to create a “remodeling portfolio.” This exercise
gives you an idea of how you want your finished renovation to look. Visit model
homes, view different floor plans and drive around established neighborhoods to
get a look at new and current trends. Place all your clippings and pictures in a
binder along with your home’s current blueprints. This will be your “Bible” during
the home renovation process.
At this point it’s time to decide if you need to hire an architect or an interior
designer. If you do, the best place to start is with friends and family. The same
goes with finding a contractor. Get the recommendations of satisfied people you
know. Visit homes and projects the architect, contractor or interior designer has
worked on. Also check him or her out with your local Better Business Bureau.
Once you narrow your search down to three reputable individuals or companies, request
a preliminary estimate of costs and materials. Have each candidate give you a line-by-line
description of what his portion of the project is going to cost. Be sure you understand
what is in included in the bid. Asking questions upfront will uncover unexpected
details and costs, including manpower, materials, permit fees, etc.
Also, budget for “oh no’s” -- things that will go wrong during the project -- because
they will. A good buffer to have is 15 percent of the total cost. It’s also a good
idea to hire a licensed inspector to go through your home before the renovation
to pinpoint any potential problem areas.
Now comes the hardest part -- surviving the actual renovation.
Before the work even begins, I advise my clients to sit down and discuss the timeline
and scope of the project with the entire family. It’s important that each person,
including the little ones, agrees to be flexible and decides how to live through
the constant noise of hammering, sawing and drilling. Discuss worse case scenarios
and come up with a back-up plan. If hot water is a problem for showering, plan B
will be to use the shower at the gym. If the electricity goes out, dinner will be
from the local restaurant. It's better to be prepared than surprised. Also keep
everyone updated on the latest developments; if there's going to be a delay or change
in the project, everyone in the family should know about it.
Part of my job is to act as a mediator or counselor between a husband and wife during
a renovation project. After all, anything that involves money is bound to cause
stress in a marriage. That’s why I advise my clients to have a solid relationship
with an open line of communication before they even discuss remodeling their home.
In my project with the Pynes, both husband and wife had very different ideas about
what they wanted, but both were willing and open to compromise. By tearing down
a few walls, I was able to give Tina the huge open kitchen she wanted. But we kept
a formal dining area off a grand staircase for Joe.
Tina and Joe also differed when it came to décor. For instance, Tina wanted the
family room and kitchen to have antique tile floors. But Joe wanted the more formal
look of wood floors. The solution: tile floors surrounded by wood. That’s part of
my job and my expertise, to come up with compromises -- solutions to help couples
and families survive a home renovation.
But some projects aren’t so easy. In one instance, I had to fire clients from a
project because the husband and wife refused to communicate or compromise. While
the wife would work with me during the day on the house, the husband would call
me late at night and tell me to disregard everything she had said. Unfortunatley
for the wife, the husband was writing all the checks.
And that brings up another piece of advice: be upfront with your spouse or partner
about costs, especially if one person is managing the project. It’s also important
to communicate things that are changing, especially big things. If you're making
major changes that are over and above the original plan, you should talk about it.
Set aside a time once a week to discuss the project with your partner.
By following some of these guidelines, your home renovation project should be less
stressful for you and your whole family. Happy renovating – or perhaps I’d better
say, “Happy results!”
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