Jason and Barbara had wanted to remodel their home for some time. After much research, they decided to take the plunge and renovate their kitchen, outside patio, and the walls and floor in their family room. They estimated that the project would cost about $20,000 but that they could save about 20% of that by doing some of the work themselves. They figured that they could complete the project in about 4 weeks by working evenings and weekends.
Four months later, the remodeling was still not complete. After nights of scraping and painting and days spent roaming the aisles of home improvement stores, Jason and Barbara were exhausted. They had to unexpectedly replace piping in one of the walls after a leak was discovered when the drywall was removed. Then the new dishwasher would not fit in the opening they had cut in the kitchen counter. The removal of the old tile floor in the family room was way more difficult than they expected.
So, Jason and Barbara broke down and hired a contractor to finish the project. But that didn’t go smoothly either. Every evening they had to pick up debris that he had left behind. Some of the wall and floor renovation that he had done was already showing signs of cracking. He still hadn’t finished painting. And he had billed them for additional charges above his original estimate pushing the cost of the remodel to more than $10,000 above their original projection.
For Jason and Barbara, the remodel is just not coming out the way they envisioned.
Does this sound familiar? Have you or someone you know gone through a disastrous remodeling project? You can find many videos of remodeling projects that have gone badly on the web.
Yes, remodeling is fraught with risks, challenges, and obstacles. However, effective planning can significantly reduce the potential for disaster in a remodeling project.
Many people today find themselves in a position where it does not make economic sense for them to sell their home and move up to a new one. They are turning to remodeling as a way to increase their home’s value and make it more functional and enjoyable to live in.
This article is the beginning of a series of that will cover the home remodeling planning process. We will cover all aspects of developing a plan from how to generate ideas, design a project that meets your needs, create a budget, develop a schedule, factor in contingencies to cover the unexpected, determine what work you can do yourself, and hire and manage a contractor. We hope you will find this series valuable. A good remodeling project plan will give you the confidence that the finished product will meet your budget and expectations.
If you are contemplating renovating floors, walls, decks, countertops or other surfaces in your home, be sure to check out the SEMCO Modern Seamless Surface at www.semcomfg.com. The friendly staff at SEMCO will be happy to discuss remodeling options with you including their unique REMODEL WITHOUT REMOVAL process that can save you money by eliminating the need to demolish and remove existing floors, walls, decks, and other surfaces. Please call SEMCO at 702-222-9495.
Next: Gathering Remodeling Ideas
