Are you planning a home remodel project? Make sure that you remember these 6 aspects of remodeling that everyone forgets.
Remodeling projects are long and extensive, but in the end very much worth it. You’ll create a room, or a home, that’s designed just for your needs, and just to your individual tastes.
When you start planning a home remodel project though, it’s guaranteed that you’ll forget something along the way. Learn from people who’ve done this before, by reading the 6 things that everyone forgets during a project.
1. Leaving Enough Room For Storage
When you’re planning your new bedroom or bathroom addition, you’ll get carried away with all the design elements you can include.
Why not create a bigger window to let in more light, or put in twin sinks so you can both get ready in the morning?
These are great ideas, but you’ve always got to be thinking about storage.
Every home owner has slightly different needs when it comes to storage, but you’re always going to need somewhere to store toilet rolls and your socks.
You don’t want to finish remodeling a room, only to find you’ve got nowhere to put anything. Incorporate storage into your designs from the very beginning.
These can be a great stylistic choice in themselves. Adding in extra cabinets in your bathroom will create cleaner surfaces, and disguise your bulk buying habits.
2. Remembering Lighting in Your Home Remodel Project
Lighting seems to be the last thing that people think about when they’re remodeling, but it’s so important.
If you don’t have adequate lighting, then you’re going to have a room that feels like a cave as it’s so dark. That’s not to mention how dangerous it can be, especially in rooms like the bathroom, where it’s easy to slip and fall.
Plan your lighting out right away.
Where do you need it most in the room?
One overhead light is usually not enough.
— A light above your vanity, or lights above each side of the bed are often desirable. Make sure those lights are pointing the right way, too.
— A light over the vanity needs to be actually lighting up the vanity, rather than the ceiling.
3. The Possibility Of Future Buyers
Of course, when you’re making changes to your home you’re making them for you. Changing the kitchen around to suit your needs, or adding a bedroom to accommodate your growing family, is normal and obviously fine to do.
What some home owners don’t think about though is how those changes will affect the price of your home in the coming years.
It’s easy to go overboard when you’re got your first home and you want to make your mark on it.
Most often, this is done with paint colors.
— Are you tempted to paint your bathroom a bright yellow or pink?
— You can, but take a step back before you do it.
You may not want to sell now, but many remodels are done in 15 year cycles. If you need to sell before you engage in another home remodel project again, are you willing to repaint the room to a more neutral color?
If you’re not, then you’ll want to pick a different color for the room.
4. The Age And Character Of Your Home
Every home is different. Los Angeles architecture has evolved over the years, so the year your home was built will have a real affect on its character.
When you start planning for a home remodel project, it’s easy to just dive right in without thinking about the style of the home itself.
If you do this though, you risk your remodel looking like a cheap and tacky addition onto your home, rather than a new and beautiful look for an older building.
When you’re planning, look into the styles and materials that were used when your home was being built. If you try and stick to these when you’re making changes, that renovation will blend in seamlessly into your home.
Take care, and the renovation will look as though the room was always that way.
5. Transport For Equipment
If you’re going the DIY route, then you’re going to be making a lot of trips to the hardware store.
What you may not have thought of is that you’ll have to get all that equipment, and all those materials, home with you. A lot of homeowners think that their car will be enough, but they soon find that everything won’t fit.
Even doing multiple trips won’t work, as some items, such as floor boards, won’t fit in a regular car as they’re so long.
In these cases, you’ll have to decide whether it’s worth hiring a truck or van in order to get everything back to your home. It’s an extra cost, so it’ll eat into your budget, but you can find good deals online.
Depending on how long you’ll need it for, it could be a very important investment.
6. Keeping Contractors Happy
When you’re renovating your home, you’re going to have contractors in your home at some point.
They’ll be:
— Moving plumbing
— Installing cabinetry
— Painting walls
— Anything that needs to be done to make your vision a reality
Before you hire them you’ll research them extensively, to make sure you’re getting the right people for the job.
This is honestly quite simple to do. All you have to do is be around to answer questions if needed, and generally just be pleasant and considerate. They’re there to do a job, and if you make it easier for them they’ll be able to do it quicker and more accurately.
Conclusion
There’s so much to keep in mind when you’re planning a home remodel project, it’s easy to forget something along the way. Keep these six things in mind when you’re planning, and you’ll find the remodel process is much smoother as a result.
Good planning goes a long way, so keep these tips in mind to get the most out of your remodel project.
