how to prepare for a home renovation

Whether preparing to renovate one room, a floor or your entire home, you may be feeling anxious and apprehensive about the process. A renovation is a big undertaking and should be planned for accordingly. As an interior designer, I have supported a multitude of clients through this process and can assure you that a home remodel is a manageable process. Nonetheless, I always encourage my clients to plan and prepare in advance.

Here are my designer tips for preparing for your home renovation:

points of frustration

Prior to starting the project, it is important to spend some time thinking about what you would like to change in your home. You can come up with a list of what is not working and what could be improved. As you go through your day, you can note down points of frustration - such as lack of counter space, overflowing/insufficient storage, awkward flow of the space. The longer your list, the better! Every one of the needs you identify is an opportunity to streamline your day and improve efficiency of your home with great design.

dream big

This is great time to jump on Pinterest, look on Instagram, flip through a shelter magazine and DREAM BIG. What kinds of spaces/homes are you drawn to? What design styles do you prefer? Are there certain elements you wish to include in the room? Start collecting a folder of images and ideas that you can share with your designer to help communicate your preferences and vision.

A word on TRENDS: throughout my career, I have seen certain design trends go in and out of style. A life cycle of a design trend seems to become shorter and shorter. We are not talking about a pair of jeans that are not longer in and can be donated tomorrow. Once you have invested time, energy and money into your renovation, my hope for you is that you can enjoy your beautiful home for many years to come without feeling like it’s starting to look dated. For this reason, I always encourage clients to go for timeless lasting aesthetic. We can always incorporate some smaller elements if you feel really drawn to a certain trend.

talk numbers

Once you have come up with your wish list, think about setting a realistic budget and determine your maximum spend amount. It might be hard to come up with this number, especially if you have never renovated before or haven’t done so in a recent while. Decide what seems reasonable and feasible for you at the moment, but be prepared for your contractor and your designer to give you a reality check based on going industry prices.

find your dream team

Depending on the size and scope of your project, you will need to build your dream team that will help you seamlessly get through the renovation process. For most clients, an interior designer or a contractor will be their first point of contact and first team member they will need to engage. Do some research online, ask your friends, colleagues and neighbours. Take the time to review the portfolio of work, to learn about the person/company and to read the online reviews. Personal connection is not to be understated. Since this individual or company will be your trusted ally for many months to come, it is important that you trust them and find them easy to talk to. Energy and fit is everything! Once you have found your first team member, they can usually recommend the rest of the team. As an interior designer, I have a wide network of contractors, engineers, landscapers, millworkers, stone fabricators, appliance and custom window treatment sales reps that I have personally vetted and am happy to recommend. Of course, you may still want to do your own due diligence for each recommended professional or trade.

make a plan

Once you have a list of wants and needs and a team that will help you manifest them into reality, it is time to flesh out the details - aka the design phase! Working with an interior designer is immensely helpful at this stage. A professional designer will guide you through the process in a manageable and organized step-by-step way, talking you through your vision, collecting all the required information in systematic way and creating a set of design drawings and specs that the contractor can use to price out the job and eventually to execute on the renovation. It is important to note that while you can engage the contractor after the design phase is completed, I typically recommend having a contractor lined up before you start. Great contractors get booked up for months in advance so it is important to engage one early in the process. Additionally, I always find it helpful to have the contractor involved in the conversation early on to help guild our decisions. For example, a contractor can help to accurately ballpark the job cost at the outset or to help identify any other important considerations from the construction perspective.

finalize project scope

Having put down the design vision on paper, it is time to finalize the scope of the project. At this stage, the design documents will be passed over to the contractor who will come up with a budget number based on all the specific selections and will come up with a game plan for execution. Contractor will identify all the tasks to be completed, the resources required to complete the tasks (including the cost of materials and labor), define projects schedule, specific milestones and final deliverables. The project scope will detail the accountabilities of stakeholders, create a working schedule and calculate all the expenses associated with the project. Having a well-defined scope and a thoroughly reviewed contract, will help you and your contractor set clear expectations, help the renovations stay on track and to avoid unpleasant surprises.

prepare your home & yourself

Move any furniture or items out of the area to be renovated. Discuss with your contractor to make sure they have a plan in place to protect the floors and to create a dust barrier, sealing off the places being renovated from the rest of the house. Have a clear understanding of when the project will begin and what time or additional expenses the contractor may required to prepare the space for the renovation.

Come up with a plan of action of how you plan to adjust your life for the duration of the renovation. Will you go away on vacation for a portion or entirety of the reno? Do you have the option to stay with the family members or in a hotel? Do you plan to set up a make-shift kitchen in an alternative area of your home and/or eat lots of take out? Can you line up the renovation during warmer months and take advantage of the back yard and barbeque your meals? Do you have a rental unit on your property or nearby that you could take advantage of during this time? If you are renovating one or several bathrooms, will all the family members be able to adapt their routine to share a bathroom or to use whichever bathrooms are not being renovated? Every person’s and family’s circumstances are different. Make sure to think through how you plan to adapt to the disruptive nature of the renovation so that you can set yourself up for success during this time.

expect the unexpected

With all this planning and a team of organized professionals to guide you, you will hopefully avoid any major suprises. However, the nature of the renovation process is that even in the best case scenarios, there’s usually an unexpected issue or two that can turn up throughout the process. There may be some problems uncovered once walls are opened up or flooring is removed. A selected material could go out of stock and need to be urgently reselected. Some items might be delayed or broken during delivery. Even if you have done all the due diligence, it is important to remain open minded and flexible in case some pivots need to happen.

Home remodel does not need to be stressful if you plan ahead and follow these tips!