Is it time to update your home with a fresh design that improves your home’s style and functionality? A remodel is an exciting opportunity to reimagine your home’s key living spaces, but it can also feel like a daunting process. Careful planning is key to a successful remodel! Conduct thorough research, assess your remodeling goals, and establish priorities for updating your home. Work with an experienced design team to help you through the entire process, and be sure to set clear expectations for what you want to accomplish with your remodel.
From finding your style to creating a budget, selecting materials, and understanding the process, let’s explore what you need to know before starting your home remodel.
Establish Goals: Set Clear Intentions and Priorities for Your Project
Any home update, whether it is a simple style enhancement or a major multi-space remodel, requires careful planning. The first step is to clearly define your project goals and to prioritize your plans. Start by reviewing what you like and don’t like about your existing space. If you love your current layout, but need to update your kitchen or bathroom design’s style and functionality, then keep the layout and focus on the elements that need to be updated.
Ask yourself what your main reasons are for remodeling:
- Did your home sustain damage due to weather?
- Is it time for a style update, with a fresh color scheme and enhanced materials?
- Do you need to improve your home’s functionality with updated plumbing fixtures, better storage options, and more efficient workspaces?
- Perhaps you are designing for aging in place, and want to focus on including features that allow you to remain safely in your home? Even better, today’s latest designs mean you do not have to sacrifice on style to achieve an accessible space!
- Is your young family growing, and you need more space? You might decide to remove a wall to create an open plan first floor or to add on to your home to expand your living spaces.
- Perhaps it is time to finally gift yourself that spa-style master bathroom you always wanted?
- Maybe you love to entertain and need your first floor design to match your hosting style with a pro-style kitchen, enhanced seating areas, and a full-service beverage bar?
- Do you plan to stay in your home long term or are you remodeling with a view to sell your home in the next few years? If you plan to sell, focus on those items that will give you the best return for your investment.
Determine your key goals for remodeling before you do anything else as this will drive your project scope. Create a prioritized list of your remodeling preferences, including which spaces are most important to you and what design features and materials will give your family the best lifestyle boost. Carefully prioritizing your list will make life easier if you have to decide what to keep in scope in order to stay within your budget.
Budget Smart: Understand the Cost of a Remodel
Before moving ahead with your remodeling plans, you must understand your budget. How much can you afford, and how much are you willing to spend on this remodel? Create a realistic budget and spend time exploring and understanding the costs that go into a remodel. This includes costs for materials, labor, permits, finishing touches like accessories and painting, as well as a contingency for unforeseen costs.
Remember that costs vary widely depending on your scope and your material selections, in particular your choice of cabinetry. If your remodel affects multiple spaces in your home, you may need to factor in costs for temporary storage to keep contents safe or even for temporary housing if you plan to move out for part of the remodel.
An experienced kitchen and bath design team will help you explore your remodeling options, understand the full set of costs for your remodel, and create a realistic and transparent budget. This helps you avoid unwanted surprises during the remodel and can even save you money in the long run. A transparent, complete budget can also be essential if you plan to seek financing for this project.
At McDaniels Kitchen and Bath, we have extensive experience in helping our clients with this planning process. When working with our clients, we say the cost of your design comes from four core elements:
- The overall scope – how much work is being done?
- Product quality – including the finish, cabinet construction, wood species, and other materials.
- Design details – such as the cabinet trims and turnings, and whether you choose slab drawers or 5-piece drawers.
- Function – in particular, the storage accessories such as inserts, specialty cabinets, or any other extra features you include.
We will work with you to help you understand your remodeling needs and the complete pricing for your project.
Understand Value: ROI, Resale, and Personal Enjoyment
Armed with your project scope, priorities, and a clear budget, you are nearly ready to commence your project! When assessing your design needs, it also helps to understand the value of your remodel. This can be measured in different ways depending on your project goals.
If you are remodeling for a home where you plan to remain long term, then the return on your investment is primarily measured in personal enjoyment. Look at how the new design benefits your home, family, and lifestyle.
If, on the other hand, you are remodeling to sell your home in the near future, then examining your local real estate market to see what design features are popular may help you determine where to focus your remodeling investment. You could also look at recent reports showing the cost versus value of a remodel, which provides details on the return on investment (ROI) from different home design projects.
Partner with Pros: Choose the Right Design and Remodeling Team
For any project scope that goes beyond a simple style update, you need to find an experienced and professional designer and a remodeling team that can work with you to ensure your project is a success. Review their recent work by browsing website galleries and social media profiles. Look for local referrals, check out their reviews from recent clients, look at their design process and FAQs to learn more about them.
An experienced designer can help you get the biggest bang for your buck by finding creative solutions to your design requirements. They can help you maximize your available space, include clever storage solutions exactly where you need them, and create an efficient layout that makes home life much simpler. Your designer can also help you find the ideal materials, colors, and textures to work together to bring your design vision to life. Best of all, your designer can save time and money over the long run, as well as possible stress by making sure your project runs smoothly and according to budget.
At McDaniels Kitchen and Bath, our design team works closely with you throughout the design process to create the perfect balance of style and functionality for your home. We help you find the perfect products, order them, and then coordinate with your chosen remodeler to make sure your project is a success!
Select Materials: Pick Finishes that Fit Your Lifestyle
The materials and products you select complete your design and give you the functionality and style you need to enhance your home’s living spaces. You must select materials that balance function and aesthetics to create a design that enhances your home and will be durable enough to stand up to daily life. Materials also influence your project timeline and budget, so selecting materials is a key step in moving your project forward.
Look at how your materials, from cabinets to countertops, tile, flooring, plumbing fixtures, lighting, accessories, and more work together to create a unified style for your home. Consider the durability of key surfaces, like your flooring and kitchen countertops. Understand the long-term maintenance requirements for these materials; for example, quartz is a nonporous material and is a much easier surface to maintain than marble.
With so many options available, it can be a daunting task to select the right materials for your home. Our full-service design showroom is full of inspiration and product samples that let you view everything firsthand. Best of all, your designer will walk you through the different options, explain the pros and cons of various products, and help you find the perfect choices for your design.
From Concept to Completion: Understand the Design and Remodeling Process
Any home remodeling project takes time if you want it done right! From design planning to obtaining permits, construction, and more, review the complete timeline for your project so you know what to expect once the builders walk through your door.
The precise length of your project will vary widely depending on the complexity of the remodel. Any project that involves structural changes, moving plumbing fixtures, or changing the layout of your space will typically take much longer. Talk to your designer and find out how your project will be managed through the different stages and who will coordinate with you and communicate updates.
Understand each stage of the remodel, and find out which parts of your home will be impacted. Learn about how your chosen remodeler manages mess and dust in your home, and find out where they will store tools and materials during your project. When will they start work in the morning, and at what time will they finish? Which stages of the remodel are the noisiest, and will your water be turned off at any point?
Once you understand the full process, you can determine the impact on everyone in your home, including kids and pets. If you work from home, will your work be impacted, and do you need to make alternate arrangements? If this is a big project involving more than one room in your home, do you need to move out temporarily? For a kitchen remodel, you may need to consider setting up a temporary kitchen space with access to a refrigerator, a coffee maker, and a limited supply of food essentials.
Final Thoughts: Plan Well, Remodel Better!
Planning is essential in any home remodeling project. This includes setting clear goals, understanding your priorities, creating a budget with clearly defined costs, and understanding the design and remodeling process required to complete your home update. Work with an experienced design team that can help you create the ideal design to enhance your home and lifestyle, and to make sure you get the best value for your remodeling investment.
Starting a remodel can feel overwhelming, but with the right team by your side and careful planning, your project will be stress-free, and you will love the result. Contact our design team today to get started!