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How to Prepare for a Kitchen or Bathroom Remodel

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So you want to remodel your home. How do you prepare for a kitchen or bathroom remodel. Where do you start? What are things to consider? What is your budget? There are many things that should be thought out and determined before going to a remodeling company. By figuring out some of these question beforehand, it will make the consulting process much easier.

 

First, what is your plan, are you going to remodel one room, or multiple rooms. For instance, if you want to remodel your kitchen, how will the remodel affect the adjoining rooms? Make sure your kitchen design will keep within the flow of the rest of the home. Don’t go super modern on a kitchen design if the rest of the home is stuck in the 80’s! Bathrooms are a little more lenient with the design/style since the only room they are attached to is one bedroom (in most cases), and most likely only the homeowner will see it.

Also, consider your lifestyle and what kind of materials you think would work best, for flooring do you prefer tile, wood, or vinyl. Keep in mind the very different feels of each type of material. If you live in a colder environment, keep in mind that tile will be cold to walk on unless you want to install a floor heater. For counter tops, depending on if it’s a kitchen or bathroom, what type of daily use will they get? Do some light research to see which type of counter tops you like best. Also think about color options for everything, do you want dark colors, light colors, bold colors, and how everything will fit and flow together.

Next, understand what it takes to do a remodel. Depending on the space it can take anywhere from 2 weeks for a small bathroom to upwards of 4-6 weeks or more to complete a full kitchen remodel. During this time you will have people in and out of your home all day for several days per week. If you don’t deal with chaos and noise well, consider taking a vacation while the remodel is being done, or plan to be out of the home during the times the workers are there. However, keep in mind questions may come up during the process, so be sure to be available for those whether it’s over the phone or in person.

Also, decide if you want to manage and schedule all the various tradespeople yourself, or hire a remodeling company that employs all those people and can handle everything in-house. Hiring a remodeling company is usually the best choice, as you won’t have to worry about all the ordering, scheduling, and keeping everyone on the same page and on track. A remodeling company will make all these things effortless, and keep communication seamless throughout the process with a project manager.

Home value

Another good thing to figure out is what is your home worth, then determine if the remodel will increase that value enough to make it worth it? If your home is only worth $100,000 and your remodel is going to cost $50,000, it may not be worth it, especially if you don’t plan on staying in your home long term. So really think about what you want out of your remodel and if it’s worth the money. General rule of thumb for return on investment (ROI) is plan on spending around 10%-15% of the homes value on a kitchen remodel and a little less for a bathroom. However, keep in mind there are many factors that go into calculating out your ROI, so it’s not an exact science! So if you have a $100,000 home, you will want to spending right around $10,000 to $15,000 on a kitchen remodel (on average), and $5,000 to $10,000 on a bathroom remodel. Various factors come into play depending on kitchen or bathroom size, and what your remodel will entail, so costs involved can vary quite a bit!

A remodel can be a fun and exciting adventure, and this is your chance to let your personality shine through. Think outside the box, and get inspiration and design ideas from Pinterest, and browse pictures on remodeling websites, and company portfolios. Be sure you know what you want when it comes to the more “permanent” items such as flooring, shower tile etc. But have fun and take risks with things like paint, cabinet handles and those things that could always be easily fixed/replaced if you decide to later down the road. Don’t choose a style or design based on a current trend, trends come and go and you don’t want to be stuck with something you won’t be happy with for years to come.

Budget

Be sure to have a budget in mind that is reasonable for the work you want done. You will not be able to have a full remodel done on a master bathroom for $5,000. Be reasonable with your budget, but don’t overpay as well. You will pay for quality, so keep this in mind. If you think you found a great deal on a full bathroom remodel, be sure you check your sources, most likely you will “pay for what you get”, and when doing a remodel you don’t want to skimp on quality materials and craftsmanship! Remember this is permanent. Once you have a general budget in set, keep in mind you have have to make changes and forego some design aspects to stay in budget.

A good, reputable, remodeling company will help you work through your ideas and help you stay close to where you want to be, if it’s within reason. Also write down questions to ask during your consultation so you don’t forget! Find out if the company offers a warranty on their materials and work. Do they use any type of sealers or protectants on their products. If you hire their company, when will the work start on your remodel? Labor is usually around the same amount as the cost of materials, so be sure you calculate that when doing your budget. If you want flooring that is $1.50 per sq ft, most likely the labor costs to install will be about the same, so essentially you will be paying $3.00 per sq ft for materials and labor.

 

Once you have thought through all these steps, you are ready to find your remodeling contractor! Preparing will help during the consultation, and make it easier for you and the contractor to iron out details and ideas that suit your needs. There is always room for change so be sure you are open minded and listen to what your contractor and designer suggest. It’s also important that you choose the right design team, find someone that really listens to you and tries to understand who you are, your concept, and help you work through your ideas. You don’t want someone who tries to steer your in a different direction that you aren’t comfortable with! In the end, you will find the right match for you and get the kitchen or bathroom of your dreams!

Before and After Transformations

 

Before and After Kitchen Remodel