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Essential Tips for Getting Started on Your House Remodel

The decision to remodel your home is an exciting one. For most of us, buying a home is about finding the ‘almost-perfect’ home while making a series of compromises. Remodeling that home is our first opportunity to transform ‘almost perfect’ into ‘picture perfect’ – without all the compromises. On top of that, a home may be the biggest investment we make in our lives, so it can feel like a lot of pressure to get it just right. If you’ve made the exciting decision to get the ball rolling to turn your house into your dream home, here are a few essential tips for getting started on your remodel.

Set your budget
A budget absolutely needs to come before anything else, otherwise it gets easy to add, add, add, and that can turn into trouble if you run out of finances before the project reaches completion, or if any unexpected expenses turn up. Consider the scope of your desires, but start with a hard number for a stopping point. Then add 10-15% as an emergency cushion, so that way you don’t get stuck with difficult decisions to make if anything unforeseen happens mid-remodel. In this way, you’ll be fully prepared to see your remodel through from start to finish, while also reducing the number of potential stress variables.

Determine ‘wants’ versus ‘needs’
This can be one of the trickier parts of the process. Most of us don’t have an unlimited budget, so that means we can’t do absolutely everything we’d love to do (even though an indoor pool would be a fantastic touch). The best way to do this is to sit down and create a list with three categories of ascending importance. Then, think of every single thing you’d love to do, and sort them from ‘very important’, ‘important’, and finally ‘least important’. You may move items back and forth between categories before the dust settles, but this will help you create a clear picture for yourself of your own priorities. Once you have a better understanding of your goals, you’ll be ready to take them to someone who can make them a reality.

Sit down with a professional
Asking yourself some of the hard questions before meeting with a contractor will help you have a more productive first meeting and give you an edge, but you can only do so much without expert guidance. Once you have a budget and a basic framework set for your desires and expectations, it’s time to meet with someone who can begin building on that framework and help you take the first steps to make your dream home come to life. Plus, expert guidance will allow you to fully explore your initial ideas, and probably also offer some great new sources of inspiration that you may not have otherwise considered.

The remodel process is a big one, but it’s an exciting one that is full of potential. By sitting down and creating a budget that is comfortable for you and your family, getting excited about all the different directions you can take your remodel, and talking to someone who can make them into a reality, you’ll be well on your way to crafting your picture perfect home.