For a renovation project to go smoothly, proper planning is required. Planning a renovation project involves several important steps, from inspecting the present state of the house to deciding the kind of work you want doing on the property. There may be problems to fix first before the renovation can be started.
If you are in the process of renovating the outside of your home, this article is definitely for you. When planning an exterior renovation, there are a lot of aspects to consider. We are going to focus more on the top three things to take into account and discuss how you can plan your renovation project properly in this article.
Scope of Work
It is strongly recommended that you start your planning process with a thorough inspection. Many home improvement contractors offer free inspections as part of their services. These inspections are indeed free and often come with no strings attached. You can get a much more thorough picture of the state of the property this way.
With a more comprehensive information, it is easier to decide the things you want to do in this renovation project. Keep in mind that you don’t have to do everything at once; there is no need to try to cram as many improvements as possible into a single project. As a matter of fact, you shouldn’t.
Instead, take a more gradual and planned approach. Start with the basic renovations first and make sure they are done properly. Any issue with the house must be fixed and future problems need to be prevented. Once the basics are covered, you can move on to more cosmetic renovations and home improvements.
Remember that you are in control of the scope of work. Your budget often dictates the work you can do in a single renovation project; that brings us to our next aspect to consider.
Budget and Cost
Never start a home renovation project without a clear budget in mind. You need to know how much you can actually afford to spend on the project before making any plans. If you are thinking about using financing options to help fund the renovation, now is the perfect time to get a loan pre-approved.
Having a clear budget will assist you in every step of the project. You can plan the renovation project better, knowing that you can’t afford to spend more than $20,000 on the renovation this year. As soon as you go over that budget, you can start making plans for future renovations and how to transition from this project to the next seamlessly.
Having a clear budget will also guide you in allocating money for individual parts of the project. Fortunately, you now have the internet on your side. Planning a renovation project is so much easier to do with the best online tools for homeowners and contractors helping you iron out the details. You can even get the total cost for installing a gutter for the renovation you are planning in a couple of clicks.
Don’t Forget the Details
An exterior renovation project is trickier to handle for one particular reason: you also have the weather to deal with. Countless renovation projects are forced to stop due to bad weather and unpredictable climate changes. Other details such as the local regulations, air humidity, and even the neighborhood (and neighbors) also play roles in the success of the project.
You don’t want to neglect these details. No matter how small a detail or a potential issue may be, look into it while planning the renovation project and make sure you come up with a solution before you start. It is the only way to complete the project smoothly and effectively.
A great way to get around the weather challenges is by timing your project correctly. Simply doing a renovation in the summer to get the best weather isn’t always the way to go. Some home improvements are best done during colder, more humid days. When making changes to the roof of the house, for example, you would have to do a lot of manual testing – with a bucket of water – when the project is done in the early summer.
One last example of details to iron out is the well-being of the current occupants. Even when it is exterior renovation you’re doing, you may still not be able to use the house fully. When the house is in use, this could lead to some serious inconveniences.
As mentioned earlier, there are a lot of things to consider before starting an exterior renovation project; you still have to choose the color of the paint or the new roofing material you want to use. Cover these three basics, however, and planning the rest of the project will be so much easier to do.
