With tax season coming up, some of you might be thinking about what you want to do with your refund. Maybe you have a trip in mind, or perhaps you are thinking about doing a home improvement. Personally, I love to do a remodeling project. What I don’t love are the unexpected things that can happen during one. So, for this month I thought I would give my two cents on a few positives and negatives of making improvements to your home!
First, you should know I have definitely done a remodel before, and not just a small space! In 2012, what started as a kitchen remodel, ended up as home remodel, with the exception of the bedrooms. This can happen with even the simplest project because often times, one thing connects to another. Take flooring for example. If you want to redo your kitchen and the layout will be different, but you like the tile you have, chances are that your tile only extends to the edge of your kitchen footprint. So, to fix this, you will need new flooring, which in my case, connected all the way to the front of the house and the hallways. You can see how this quickly changed my kitchen remodel, to so much more. That tile also went into 2 bathrooms. Planning with a professional is crucial if you want to control costs and save time. Keep in mind that while you may have a budget in mind, it will often run over. Also, even though you think you may want to do just the one thing, it might make better sense to do a few others at the same time while you have the crew. A lot of times things are connected even though it’s not obvious. You might be thinking you just want to do “X”, and do the rest later, but when it comes time to do the other thing, you might have to undo what you did prior. Always be thinking of the big picture!
As for going through the process, all I can really say is be patient and hire the right people the FIRST time! Don’t rush a big project. It can end up costing you more and causing undue stress. Also be prepared to have your home life thrown upside down. There will be dust, debris and nothing will be where you think it is. You will find dust for months after the fact and even in the boxes you thought you packed properly. It’s okay and hopefully worth if you did your job properly!
Finally, here is my opinion on what to do for renovations. If your goal is to prep a home for a future sale, get lots of quotes and also bring in an agent to weigh in on whether or not the improvements will help add value to the sale. I can’t tell you how many times people do something for the sale only to realize it added no value, and we are talking thousand of dollars wasted. On the other hand, if you love your home and have no immediate plans, do what will make you happy! I tell people all the time that the only way I am moving from this house, is in a wooden box! That being said, I have updated my kitchen to fit my wants and added Astro turf for the dogs. Not a big return on investment, but sometimes, we do things to be happy! So, happy home improvement and don’t be shy about asking for opinions! I love to see renovations! Take care.
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