Plan your Eagle River Home Remodeling - North Twin Builders
January 29, 2018
Undertaking a home remodeling project can be exciting, but also potentially disruptive to a household. Maybe you would like to remodel the whole home, but just don’t have the budget for a large-scale project. No matter the size of the home improvements, the more prepared you are, the smoother the whole process will be.
You may be thinking, shouldn’t the contractor come up with a plan? Yes, of course! And choosing a quality remodeling contractor will make things easier on you, especially if they listen well, help you define your goals, and speed along decisions. But remodeling is personal, and it is your tastes and goals for the project that should guide the project. So how can you best prepare? Make a plan!
Why Do You Want to Remodel?
To come up with a solid plan for remodeling your Eagle River area home, start with the basics. What are your goals? Why do you want to remodel? Do you want to…
- Freshen up the appearance of your home?
- Create more space or open up existing space?
- Improve functionality to better suit your lifestyle?
- Improve your home’s performance or energy-efficiency?
- Increase the market value?
Defining Goals for a Remodeling Project
It can be easy to get caught up in the excitement of the project, but understanding your reasoning for undertaking it in the first place can be a very helpful guide for decisions down the road. For example, if your main concern is energy-efficiency, you might not get the biggest bang for your buck thinking about a bedroom or living room. Instead of focusing efforts on one specific room, a better option may be to look into energy-efficient windows or appliances and sealing up air leaks.
On the other hand, if your home is performing up to your expectations and you want to improve on the interior space flow or design, a different plan will be set. That’s not to say that a remodeling project must fall into just one main purpose – the right Eagle River contractor can often improve a home’s performance within another goal.
What Do You Want to Change?
One of the hardest decisions often comes down to what you are willing to change. If you have been living in a space for a long time, it’s easy to become attached to it the way it is. But are you loving the layout or just certain elements?
Maybe you have beautiful hardwood floors but the kitchen cupboards don’t do it justice. Or a specific furniture piece must fit the floorplan. Identifying which elements of your home that you are happy with and which you aren’t can help you define the scope of the project. Naturally, budget will come into play but we will come back to that later. Consider the options:
- Is the layout of the rooms working for you?
- Do you want to move, remove or add walls?
- Will doors need to be cut or added?
- Do your current windows give you the lighting you want? Are they performing well?
- Are there appliances that need updating or evaluating?
- Have you been dreaming about custom features like a unique kitchen island or fireplace?
- Will new flooring be a part of the project?
- Do you need additional storage or a new plan for kitchen organization?
- Are you interested in painting?
- Don’t forget plumbing and electrical requirements or desires – lighting, outlets, plumbing fixtures, pipes, etc.
Planning, Flexibility & A Professional Remodeling Contractor
Although it is helpful to define your goals, it can be difficult to determine how much remodeling your budget can endure. So make a plan and think about different possibilities, but then keep an open mind. Sharing your ideas, goals and hopes with your contractor will help them design a remodeling plan that you will love. But a good contractor may have suggestions that you didn’t even consider, or be able to accomplish more for your budget than you thought possible.
North Twin Builders, with our proven track record of successful remodeling projects in Eagle River and surrounding areas, is happy to work with each client to find the best solutions for the home and the individual. With our years of experience, we can help you define your remodeling goals to develop a strong plan for the project. Stay tuned to the North Twin Builders’ Blog for tips on defining your budget and how to prepare for collecting estimates.