12 Steps Toward Your Dream Renovation
By: Katherine Waters-Clark
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Thinking about a new kitchen, an upgraded master bath, or a playroom addition? Before speeding down the renovation highway, pull over and take a look at this list of tips culled from our experts. With a little patience and time spent mapping your way, your renovation ride is sure to be a smooth one! |
Step 1: Dream a Little Dream Before calling the contractors, sit down with your spouse, partner, and family—kids, too—and brainstorm. What would each family member like in the new kitchen or bath? What about a pull-out pantry fridge for your toddler "kitchen helpers?" If you adore cooking as well as entertaining in the kitchen, why not install an under lit wet bar with a freestanding wine fridge? Would a sauna in the master bath ease mommy's sore muscles? At this idea stage, dream your best dream, and don't let cost be your only guide. If you would adore a tumbled time kitchen floor, put it on your wish list. You may be surprised to find out that your design professional can find a way to make your dreams come true—within budget! |
Step 2: Examine your Space Examine your home and how your family lives in it. Write down what you adore and what you detest about your current space. Is the kitchen always a mess without a mudroom? Does your family spend hours in the kitchen, underfoot and making you crazy? Do you long for a kitchen counter for sipping coffee and reading the paper? Perhaps a kitchen office would allow for homework being done, bills being paid, and appointments being arranged while dinner gets put on the table. Are your little ones constantly swinging open the whole refrigerator just for one juice box? Would handmade sea glass tiles fill you with joy? How about a six-burner stove for all those dinner parties? Do you all cram in there at once, simultaneously using the shower, the sink, and the mirror? Would your frazzled, stay-at-home wife and mother enjoy the sanctuary of a glass-enclosed shower closet? What about a bidet? Remember . . . the sky's the limit at this stage! |
Step 3: Get Educated Set aside a chunk of time to bury your head in design magazines, books, articles, and the Internet. Print, tear, and note every single thing that speaks to you, even if you can't name it right away. It might be a color, a mood, the light, a tile, and a cook top. Learn about products, and notice trends. These scraps and tear sheets will be the beginnings of your Personal Renovation File, which will serve to guide you and your design professional down the roads to a renovation what works beautifully for your family and your budget. |
Step 4: Know Thyself—and Thy Family As you collect information on what you'd like, maintain an open and honest communication with your spouse, partner, and family. Determine what each of you can—and cannot—live without. Make sure that everyone is on the same page. You will waste a lot of time—and money—if you sit down with your architect, designer, and contractor only to find out that you've not yet come to agreement. Figure out what you want before meeting with a designer. |
Step 5: Determine Your Budget Well, the fun had to end somewhere! At this point, compare your dream list and your dollars. Ask your potential design professional to break down the cost for materials, labor, time table, and so on. Know what you are willing to pay for and what you are not. Can you take or leave the sauna tub? Prioritize your list. Once all of this is agreed upon, set up a payment schedule. |
Step 6: Recruit the Professionals When you feel ready to begin your search for a professional, word of mouth is the most reliable way to begin. Ask your friends and good neighbors for the names of the designers, architects, and contractors with whom they've worked. It's wise to have a few choices. After you have a list in place, make phone calls to each. Their manner over the phone will help narrow your search. |
Step 7: Make the Connection After you've selected a few professionals via telephone calls, it is of the utmost importance that you meet in person with your design professionals. Ask them for references, check their portfolio, and ask them how well they know their subcontractors (the specialists who your contractor hires to work on your tile, pipes, windows, etc.) If at all possible, visit your potential contractor's current project. Is it neat? Is the crew professional looking and polite? This is your chance to ask lots of questions about everything. Feel free to show them your Renovation Book. Take the time to have several meetings with your potential design professional. It is vital that before you sign a contract, you feel completely comfortable with them. Make sure that they understand your aesthetic, knowledge base, budget, and personality, and you theirs. These folks will literally be in your closets, bedroom, and kitchen, so it's important that you have a connection with them. |
Step 8: Be Specific Before signing on the dotted line, be clear about your expectations. Are you looking for a hands-off consultant, or someone to hold your hand through each and every decision? Would you like to oversee each plumber, electrician, and craftsman to come into your home, or would you like a general contractor to coordinate and manage the subcontractors? Will your designer be accompanying you to every showroom? Wil |