What You Can Expect

Scenario 1; What you should expect is that your dream or vision for your home is about to come true. You are going to have a wonderful experience in making this dream a reality. Your house will be improved upon, adding to its overall value. You will be making better use of its space, making it more appealing. You will develop new skills and have fun as you bring the family together to work on a home improvement project.

Scenario 2; What could happen is Murphy’s Law will kick in. The worst possible things will go wrong at the worst possible time, costing you the most amount of money and leaving you frustrated wondering why you ever started this project. If you are ill-prepared this can certainly happen but if you are wiser than the average person and apply the principles in the Renovation & Home Improvement Project Planner, you will avoid the common pitfalls. You will have a plan second to none, leaving you excited and confident that you will easily be able to deal with the unexpected in a calm and professional manner.

You should have the first scenario expectation. Renovations can and should be an enjoyable experience reaping all the benefits of a remodeled home. It’s the planning that makes the difference. Take the time to think through each aspect of the renovation, applying  ideas, principles and techniques learned in this guide and you are sure to have great success.

Most common things overlooked or unexpected:

The inconvenience of not being able to use that room. It is usually underestimated what it is like to live without a certain room in the home. Especially the bathroom! If you are going to be remodeling a main room like the bathroom then make sure you think through some alternative showering and hygiene places. Consider the fitness club, a neighbor’s or best friend’s.

The inconvenience of people working in your house. Having a stranger  working in your most private space like your ensuite bathroom.

The dust, dirt & noise. A good tradesmen will seal the room the best they can using poly taped from the floor to the ceiling but you would be surprised at how dust carries through a house. Expect to have dust on things for a while and take extra care to put things away and wrap them in plastic, etc.

Underestimating how long it will take, especially if you are inexperienced and doing it yourself. Plan on it taking twice as long as your best, educated guess. Don’t overestimate your abilities or the time you have available.

Underestimating the cost. Renovations always uncover things you would never expect. You open up a wall to find rotten studs and supports. Your remove your carpet to find rotten sub floor. You find things out of code that have to be brought up to code.  You find certain things inadequate that need to be improved upon.

Realizing the difference in taste of color, type, style desired.

Underestimating the frustration that can occur with the hundreds of choices and opinions that are available, and the time necessary to research products.