RenovatiNG 101: What to consider before renovating

1/1/2019

This month I bringing you a series that's all about renovations. I know for a lot of people renovations and the thought of putting in time and money is a scary thing. With this series, I hope to allieviate the fears that come with renovating. Today I'm going to be sharing the main points to consider before you begin renovating. Keep scrolling to see what they are!

timeline

Your timeline is one of the most important things to consider. As they say, time is money and the longer your project goes on for the more costs there is. This also depends on the extent of your project too. If you're renovating a kitchen or replacing flooring your budget and timeline will reflect that.
The timeline will also determine the amount of work that can get done within that timeframe. It's really important to prioritize what must be done so you can walk away feeling like you accomplished something. After those needs are met if you have time, anything else on the list will be an added bonus.

budget

This factor controls your whole renovation and is the most important one to consider. Your budget will control the extent of your project and the finishes you choose. People have all kinds of budgets for all kinds of projects, but at the end of the day, it's important to choose things that fits within your budget.
When it's time to start crunching the numbers I would always recommend putting aside 10% of your overall budget for emergency money. This could be used for major structural, electrical, and plumbing issues that may arise during a project. If you don't have any emergency issues you can choose to use this money for upgrades or save it towards your next project.
This happens so often to homeowners and they often get stressed over coming up with the money to fix these issues. If you set aside an emergency fund, this gives you the freedom to complete everything in your project and not have to worry about the budget later on.

What look are you going for?

This is probably the first thing that pops into your head before you even consider your budget or timeline. Thanks to Pinterest and Instagram there are so many amazing ideas that you can incorporate into your home. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when you're hunting for ideas.

Can I achieve this look within my budget?
Will this design/idea cost a lot of money?
Can I get the same look for less?
Is this something that I can get locally?

By asking yourself these questions you can already get an idea for your budget and think realistically in terms of your renovation.

Will your vision fit with the rest of the home?

Unless your are completely renovating your entire house from top to bottom, I would suggest keeping within the same style of what's already in your home. It's really important to keep a consistent look and feel throughout your home and stay within the same style that matches your exterior. This is so important when it comes to resale value of your home or if this is an investment property. Your renovation should blend with the rest of your space and not stick out like a sore thumb. The only exception to this would be if you are slowly renovating an out-dated home, but otherwise I strongly suggest following this rule.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog post. If you’re interested in working with me you can get started right here. I would be happy to work with you on creating the space of your dreams! Be sure to follow Schinkel House of Design on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebookfor more inspiring and insightful content.

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