Your mind is already turning to wallpaper samples and soft furnishings, but before you embark on a remodeling project, you need to put in a little planning work first.
That sounds more than a little dull, and it may be tempting to launch into your home design project and get the whole thing underway but doing so could end up costing you time and money.
Maybe you have just bought a rundown property you plan to transform into your dream home, or you’ve become bored with the home you’ve lived in for years but don’t want to move, or perhaps your needs have changed due to the children growing up or moving out. Whatever the reason for the remodel, it’s important to put in the proper preparations to make your dreams become a reality, without it turning into a nightmare.
Proper Preparation
Research and diligent notetaking are your friends at this stage of the process.
Don’t jump at the first idea that comes to mind; take time to decide what you want from each space, think about the rooms you spend the most time in, which areas lack natural light, etc., and you will build up a picture of where needs the most work and where requires little or no alterations.
Make a wish list of everything you’d like from your home. Even if the budget doesn’t stretch to everything on the list, you will be able to arrange in order of importance and work your way down as far as the budget stretches.
Taking time over this now will mean you don’t make costly changes to the plan halfway into the project or end up with a finished project you’re less than happy with.
Budget
You know how much you have to spend on the project, so this is your starting point.
First, you will need to set aside a percentage of the budget for unexpected costs like if you want to Outsource 2D and 3D Floor Plan Conversion Services you need to set a fix budget. The project will almost definitely end up costing more than you had planned for, whether that’s because something unexpected crops up, the furniture you can’t do without ends up costing more than you have allocated, building works drag on, or something else you couldn’t foresee at the beginning.
So before you go blowing every last penny of the renovation funds, tuck some of it away for just such occurrences. This is particularly important if you have very little wiggle room when it comes to extending the original budget.
Start With The Basics
When planning a big project, it makes sense to consider updating any out-of-date fundamentals of your property, such as old heating systems or electrics.
While it doesn’t sound a very interesting way to spend a chunk of the budget, having to tear up floors or walls after you’ve completed your renovation would be both soul-destroying and costly.
Even if everything is pretty up to date, you might like to consider if you’d want to add in anything little luxuries like underfloor heating or any additional light fittings or electrical sockets.
Get A Plan On Paper
When you have a clear idea of what you are hoping for from the renovation, you can being a conversation with a designer who can help you get your thoughts onto paper and offer the best solutions.
They will be able to draw you up a floor plan which will offer the most accurate description of what the finished project will look like.
A good floor plan will show you the new structural elements to the build and demonstrate the new interior design scheme, including furniture.
There are several different floor plans available. The traditional 2D shows a flat representation of the layout, 3D plans offer a realistic perspective making it easier to visualize the finished space, and a live 3D floor plan which offers a virtual tour of the newly renovated property.
Draw Up A Schedule
Now you know exactly what work needs to be done, you can start drawing up a schedule.
Some work can’t be carried out before other tasks have been completed; for example, you won’t be planning to put flooring down before knocking a wall out or laying heating pipes, so this is the first consideration.
Think about what jobs you can do yourself, what you will be hiring a professional to do as your chosen specialist’s availability will very much dictate your timeline.
Some jobs will be carried out simultaneously to others, which will help speed up the process and make sure you have the right materials available at the right time. If you’re ready to get painting, but your chosen shade has yet to arrive, you will create avoidable delays to the project.
By having a schedule, you can also keep track of what’s going well and what is falling behind as the project progresses too, enabling you to take action where possible and avoid any knock-on effects causing further delays.
If you are carrying out a lot of the work yourself, a schedule can also motivate you into action on those days where you would rather have a lie-in!
Prepare For Contingencies
Your plan should always include a contingency for when the unexpected does happen. Hopefully, you have set aside the cash to cover the cost of anything unplanned arising, but you also need to know what you might do in these circumstances.
For example, knowing what you might do in the event of your water or power being cut off for some time makes a bad situation easier to cope with.
If some kind of structural problem were to be uncovered, you might need to come up with an alternative remodel to the one you currently have on paper – always have a back-up in mind should something crop up that can’t be worked around.
It might be something that requires a little extra cash and time to put straight, so along with a cash buffer, it’s also worth budgeting some extra time into the schedule too.
Making sure you have good plans in place will make your renovation project run smoothly and will mean you are enjoying your remodeled space sooner too.
