Seven tips to avoid a home remodel disaster

This is the busiest time of the year for home remodeling projects. Most homeowners have received their tax returns and are looking to turn around and invest some of that money into their home and they want the remodels done with plenty of time to spare before school starts back up and especially before the holidays.

A home remodel should be a fun and rewarding experience. But anyone who’s ever done it can tell you that that’s rarely the case. Though no remodel never goes exactly according to plan, it doesn’t have to be a complete nightmare. And you can usually avoid a total nightmare by following these seven tips.

Move out (if you can)

The whole remodel experience will go a lot more smoothly if you can be away from ground zero. There’s nothing worse than living inside your home as it’s torn apart. Make it easier on you, your family, your pets, and the remodelers by making plans to stay with friends or family or in a hotel while the project is ongoing. Just stay close by so you can drop in and monitor the progress.

Hire the right people

If your remodel requires the work of a plumber, hire a licensed plumber. You’d think this is common sense but many homeowners are so desperate to stretch their remodeling budget that they’ll higher their own brother-in-law because "he’s pretty handy with stuff like that." As a general rule, if a certain job requires a license, hire somebody that has that license.

Create good plans

A remodel can only be as successful as the plans that were written up before work began. These plans should be very detailed. Don’t leave it up to the contractors to translate your dreams into reality. You need to do that yourself, probably with the help of an architect who can draw it up in a way that contractors can follow.

Be decisive

Don’t change your mind after the work has begun. There’s no faster way to drive up the cost of a remodel than to keep getting new ideas mid-project. Decide, then pull the trigger on it, and don’t second guess yourself.

Determine your style

Your remodel should not only be functional by stylish as well. It’s probably worth the investment to get a designer to help you think through the design aspects of your project.

Don’t be the general contractor

Are you a well-organized person? Do you think you have what it takes to coordinate all of the sub-contractors’ schedules and keep everyone on task? If so, you’re wrong. Don’t do it, hire a general contractor and let him/her do it.

Check references

Finally, check references before you hire anyone. Satisfied customers is the best indicator of a high quality contractor. You can also check with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) just to make sure that a contractor doesn’t have a history of unresolved complaints against his/her business.

Source: Huffington Post

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