Proper project planning

My roommate is a big proponent of investing in the home you have. He has gained a pile of equity in the house over the last three years and is taking full advantage of it. We have remodeled an entire wall in the basement. Replaced a wall between the stairs in the front entry way. Ripped up a bunch of wasteful lawn and replaced it with river stones. And this fall we're going to move a fence out towards the road to reclaim all that space for our private yard. It's been fun to see the improvements and great to see the home value continue to climb.

If you are a new homeowner or just starting your remodeling journey, there's a few things to keep in mind. The primary one is planning. Big picture planning is important for sure and then allowing yourself (and whomever else is involved) to get down into the nitty gritty specifics will pay off in the end. We'll dig into some of the specifics down below, so keep reading to get yourself organized.

Lots of folks, just like you and me, tackled remodeling projects during the last year or so. The pandemic, and subsequent lock-downs, forced lots of us to "shelter in place." That lead to some serious cabin fever and the emergence of power tools and lumber. When we jump into projects like that, we often forego the planning phase. That almost always means we don't have all the tools, parts or pieces we need to complete the project correctly or safely. How many times have you used the wrong tool for the wrong job? Go ahead. You can be honest.

The first thing I suggest is to walk around your home with a pad and paper and make a list. For the nerdy folks in the audience, you can use a tablet or your phone if you want. While you're making the list, don't worry about budgets or skillsets. Simply write down everything you would like to fix or adjust in the house. These can be as simple as replacing the fixtures in the bathroom, to removing a wall and expanding the master suite. Don't forget to walk around the outside of the house as well. Yard projects and even painting, re-siding and re-roofing all should be included in your master list.

Once you have this list, it's time to organize and prioritize. Which of these is simply non-negotiable and needs to happen? Which item on the list is the solution to an everyday annoyance? With any sort of room adjustment, what is the purpose of the newly added space? "Organizing your remodeling list will help you budget for the upcoming projects and really scrutinize the objective of the remodel," notes Badger Realty agent, Linda Walker. "Any sort of project is going to add value to the home and likely make living there more enjoyable. The task at hand is to determine which one come first," she continued. There is really no wrong answer here.

Once you have your master to-do list in place, it's time to talk money. Most remodeling projects are a few thousand dollars. Unless you're raising the roof or doing a severe overhaul, they should all fall below five or 10 thousand. If you have the equity (or the cash) and you're feeling particularly impatient, you could bundle all (or most) of your projects together and get a loan from your bank. This is a really fun way to get a lot done in a little time. If you can afford it, you can live somewhere else for a little while, and you've scheduled the appropriate people, permits, and permissions, I say go for it!

Once you've established the budget and how aggressive you are going to be with completing these projects, it's time for the fun part. It's time to nail down the specifics and get creative. Reading remodeling magazines and websites is a great way to get started. It will fuel your creativity and show you some great ideas for every project imaginable. If you have the time, don't rush this part. Start to save images and place them in the room that you are going to be remodeling. I know this sounds old fashioned, but walking by that image everyday will help seal the idea in your head or encourage you to move on to something else. Having all those great ideas stuck in a laptop or tablet is not the way to go.

The last piece is to research and select a construction/remodeling company. Of course if the job is small enough you may just need a couple good friends and a steady supply of pizza and beer. But if the job involves more serious construction, it's time to do your homework. We've talked about this before, but get references and contact those references. Every. Single. Time. Online reviews can be faked. All the glowing, flowery words in their advertisements or marketing materials literally mean nothing. Who have they done work for and how was the experience. Were they on time? Were they on budget? Were they respectful of your home? Were they respectful of YOU? (Baffling that there are still people who defer to a male when having these types of conversations!) You know the drill. Make sure you are comfortable with their reputation before spending a single penny.

Remodeling jobs are stressful, but the outcome is almost always awesome. You get a new feature or function in your home and increase the value all in one fell swoop. I strongly encourage you to slow your roll up front and do some planning. Then when you're ready to go full steam ahead, you really are ready. Happy planning!