Deciding to tackle many home remodeling project is a major decision. There is always the cost consideration, but there is also a time factor, and a decision on the labor issue. Cost versus return on equity should be the most important consideration of any home improvement task. How much will you spend verse how much will it improve my house and the value of it? A general renovation rule is that any decent home improvement project -- will double the value that was put into the job. Meaning if you spend two thousand dollars, you should be able to see four thousand from that project when you sell the house. It is not a cut and dry rule but instead an idea of how to gauge what you are getting out of the household improvement.
Time is another issue. How long is my bathroom or kitchen going to be in a state of disrepair while I wait for this project to be completed? We have all heard of the nightmare stories where a contractor starts a project then takes three weeks to come back to the job. Proper planning of a project and a direct communication line with your contractor should alleviate this problem. Make sure that a timeline is established and you hold some money back as incentive to finish the job. Another good idea to implement is milestones, that being: certain goals are reached and then the builder or contractor gets another payment.
Labor is a factor. Are you going to try a do–it-yourself project or hire a professional? Shop around and get at least three estimates. Talk to each contractor and get a feel for their work ethic or passion for the job. You should be able to feel some enthusiasm or eagerness from a contractor that enjoys his work and also takes pride in doing a good job.
If your going to tackle the project by yourself, make sure you understand what you’re “getting into” and you have some help if needed. Many home improvement projects are started and not finished. The last things you want to do is start a bathroom or kitchen project and not finish it correctly. Even worse not finish it at all. So be realistic, make sure you have allotted enough time, and be aware of the logistics to a project (meaning it might take more planning than you originally thought).
Finally if you have taken these ideas into consideration you will want to know how to save money on the materials. The best new method to saving money is to buy products online. Big box supply stores cannot compete with online stores. Online retailers have less overhead and this saves the consumer money. When buying online also look for pre-assembled or RTA (ready to assemble); these unassembled products are just as good as regular home improvement products but cost about forty percent less! When factoring a budget, it is nice to see your kitchen cabinets or bathroom vanities at forty percent less than what you expected, so keep “RTA” in mind when shopping online. Using these ideas should help start a project and hopefully it will guide you through the process.
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