subject: Remodeling Means Planning [print this page] You bought the fixer upper and now you have to indeed put up or shut up. It's time to look at remodeling your home. This is an incredibly stressful under the best of circumstances, impossible under less auspice. So what do you do? We both know the answer; plan it out Mr. Handy.
Having a plan means sleeping better, and if you're married to my wife, eating better. When remodeling planning will help to make sure everyone involved, directly or indirectly is on the same page. Not planning will cost you money, time and peace of mind. Listen to the voice of experience on this; plan. And when you're done planning, plan a little more.
Make sure when setting up a schedule for all the remodeling you will be doing to check with the local building inspector's office. Permits might need to be purchased depending on what you are remodeling and to what extent. Failing to do so could result in fines much stuffer than the actual permit its self.
Approach your local hardware store rep and ask about their ordering policy and schedule. If you explain that you are remodeling, often this will pique their interest and you might even see some preferential treatment. This way if there is something you need that they are out of stock on or have to special order, you have an idea of how to go about making sure you get what you need, when you need it. Failing to do so might result in delays.
Set up a materials schedule as well. You might have an idea of what you will need by what date, but make sure the local home improvement store will have what you need in advance. Often on large scale projects such as residing a house a store might only have part of what you need, making sure they have everything you need keeps the schedule on track and the mother in law off your back.
For bigger remodeling projects stay away from partials. For this I am talking about tiles, siding and the like; anything that is colored. Even Formica can have difference in color or grain from batch to batch. When picking up your materials, make sure the boxes all have the same batch number on them. Failing to do so could result in a two-toned remodel job you were not anticipating.
With some of the major home improvement chains you can often set up a credit account. The importance of this stretches beyond remodeling. Future unexpected costs related to home ownership are sure to crop up when you're not expecting them to. Knowing that you have a backup plan when needed and an additional resource is important. Hey, you wanted to own a home.
I won't go into the specifics on what you need to do as far as planning goes, these are just some general guidelines for all projects. The important thing to remember while remodeling is to work safe. When in doubt when it comes to electrical or structural issues make sure you consult a professional. The only more costly than having a professional doing work that is out of your depth is doing the work and having to have it redone later.
