Ask an Architect, Custom Residential
How Much Time to Plan for a Remodel or House Project
When you just are dying to update one particular thing in your house, it's a good idea to just slow down for a sec, and make sure you have a master plan. You'll be kicking yourself if you end up redoing something you've already put money into. Here are some planning tips.
December 20, 2011
If you’re anything like everyone else, you’re probably thinking that you can’t believe it’s going to be 2012 pretty soon. Another year slides by and it is natural to think about all the things we accomplished, places we traveled, and memories we made.
And the projects we put off.
Most homeowners have a list of projects that they’ve thought about over the years and they tend to slowly accumulate. OK, not most homeowners. All of them. It is human nature to want to better the space we live in. That can be as simple as a new coat of paint in a bedroom or a larger scale remodel.
So how do you actually make progress on your house?
Plan it out. Now. The trick with house projects is that if you don’t master plan them they can feel completely overwhelming. The bathroom you remodel now may end up being wasted as you find out a few years later that you actually want to move the kitchen into the bathroom. The room you just painted is now going to be covered in custom bookshelves. The water heater you install this fall isn't big enough to handle the secret underground tank filled with attack sharks with lasers. (COME ON! Such a classic scene.)
You get the idea. Plan for this guy now or pay for something twice.
Here Are My Tips For How To Actually Move Forward With Your Goals
If you’re planning a remodel, now is the time to plan out the whole house. You don’t need detailed plans at this point, but good working schematic level plans of the future house in 15 years can help you work towards that goal. This is a great thing for a home buyer about 6 months into their new house to do. Hire an architect for a small scope and just have a floor plan figured out for the future. That then becomes your guide and you can reasonably move forward knowing that you aren’t going to have to re-do work later.
- Make a list of everything you want to do in the house. Everything.
- Figure out which items are going to require what type of work (plumbing, electrical, etc.).
- Prioritize what items are the most important to you.
- Assign a budget to each one, even if you won’t be tackling that issue for a decade, just use your best guess.
- Figure out which items have to happen in which order. If you’re upgrading the windows now you probably want to make sure that you're not putting windows in that secret basement spy lab that you’re planning. It is the little details that count.
Be sure to leave enough time as well in the planning process. You’ll need at least a month to figure out a good future plan for your house and up to three months for a much more complicated plan. That includes the back and forth that typically occurs when you wake up at 2 AM and write down notes about “don’t forget the secret room behind the bookcase” (I’m clearly designing some sort of James Bond lair with these secret rooms and labs I keep mentioning).
So, here’s a good resolution for you in 2012: Take stock of your home goals. Plan for everything you want. Chip away at the list and feel accomplished.
See, it is just that easy!
