Remodeling your home takes money and time. Detailed planning is essensial to ensure the project goes the way you want it to.

First and formost, set your maximum budget. That will help you decide with the rest plan. With your budget keep in mind to include a least 10% contingency depending on the size of your project.

Before starting the project, you will need to find contractors to hire, permits to get in order and these are not one hour tasks.

The most stressful part of the planning is making sure you have enough money to pay for the project. Estimating the cost of labor and all the various costs that go along with the project can be overwhelming so you should list these by need to have and want to have. Cost for labor for the project is usually 35-40% of the budget.

The contractor you hire should be licensed and insured and apply for all permits needed.

  1. Demolition
    Once your plan in place and you chose a contractor, it’s demolition time. An ideal way of keeping a project moving efficiently is having a dumpster brought to the house. This will enable you to finish the project quickly and minimize the mess.
  2. Once your demolition work is completed, it’s time for the HVAC, Electrical, and Plumbing. Any work to be done under the floors or behind the walls, like installing heating and air conditioning, any new electrical and pipes. When these have been completed by the professionals you will need to have an inspection to move forward. For this part, you will want to have in the plan where your refrigerator will be as well as any lighting changes and outlet changes.
  3. Framing and Drywall
    Once the inspection has been approved, the framing and drywall begin and will end when a smooth surface is achieved.
  4. Painting is the next step.
  5. Next the fixtures and cabinets
    With the walls newly painted, the rest of the remodel will flow together.
  6. Doors & Windows – it’s time to install the windows and hang the doors. Before installing any carpet, be sure all doors are installed to ensure they can open and close freely. If you’re installing laminate floors, they can wait until after the doors have been hung.
  7. Flooring
    Flooring is best at the end of the remodeling project so it doesn’t get damaged.
  8. Time for the trim and finish work
    Trim includes window frames, door frames, and baseboards.
  9. Enjoy your new home!