As part of our major home renovation story series, this story is part of the reno journey that includes “Dreaming of a home reno?”, to “The building stage - completing your major home renovation”.
You’ve read design magazines, explored the web for inspiration, and watched countless hours of home reno television shows. It’s been quite a journey imagining all of the new spatial possibilities in your home. You’ve dreamt and designed your renovation. Now it’s time to transition those ideas from the clouds to reality. You’re now ready to plan the next steps of your major reno. Here are few tips to help you do that.
Firm up your budget
You’ve likely explored and set your budget when making your design and reno decisions. It’s time to give it another look to ensure that you’re properly prepared as you plan out the work. Generally, it’s suggested that you add 10% to your initial budget for any possible cost overruns. Any number of hiccups can come up during a renovation. Also, it’s not just finances you need to manage. It’s important that you budget for time. Adding an extra 20% to your schedule is a good way to plan for any possible delays.
Be permit prepared
Protect yourself with the right permits. Whether it’s electrical, plumbing, building, or zoning permits, you can avoid several issues ranging from fines, stop work orders, undoing completed work, to legal problems and more. It’s simply not a risk worth taking, so be diligent when it comes to having the right permits for the work.
Be contractor confident
You’ve probably read the contractor horror stories in the news. From poor to uncompleted work and many more issues, the wrong contractor can turn your reno dreams into a real nightmare. You’ll want to do exhaustive research into your contractors while considering trustworthy referrals, customer reviews, and past work. With qualified tradespeople on the job, you can trust in a reno you can enjoy for years to come.
Be renovation ready
Before work begins, you may need to consider your furniture, valuables and appliances. If they’re staying in the home, be sure to keep them protected for what can become a hectic construction environment. If that’s not an option, you might want to consider renting storage space for the duration of the work. On top of that, you should think about lodging options for yourself, in case you need to reside outside of the home at any point during the project.
Be insurance informed
Before work begins, contact your insurance representative to make sure that your home is properly insured. A typical home insurance policy may not cover a major renovation. Not only that, your home policy may not cover home damage that happens over the course of a major reno, leaving you vulnerable to extreme repair costs.
