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Should You Do-it-Yourself?
Most of the homeowners these days think or plan for home
remodeling projects for one particular reason – to address an
immediate need or provide for the future of the house. Well,
any home remodeling project, whether it be a simple replacement of
fixtures or perhaps a major addition, it critically involve at least
some pre-planning. Aside from that, there is also a need
for the home owner to invest financially for the project. I am
pretty sure that no one wants to become involved in a so-called “money
pit” situation. Are you familiar with it? It’s
actually a series of events in which one home remodeling repair inevitably
leads to a dozen unplanned repairs.
Now, if you are thinking of remodeling your house by yourself, knowing
that you can eliminate the labor expense and chop a project’s
cost in half than hiring a contractor, then you should first take a
moment to consider a few important questions before jumping headfirst
into a major home Do-It-Yourself project. Always note that
home improvements can be like a Chinese puzzle of complexity, with
interlocking portions that must proceed in exactly the right direction
and order. Planning, as you all know, is the key. So,
it is very necessary for you to be clear about your goals, and in the
end develop a comprehensive plan for achieving them.
It is also worthy to note that whether you are adding a room, installing
new cabinets, installing insulation, or building a deck, spending at
least extra little time planning before you actually launch your home
remodeling project can no doubt make the process much smoother. If
all is well, then the results are far more successful. Isn’t
it?
Here are the preliminary questions to ask yourself before hiring contractors
or investing in building materials:
Is a building permit needed?
As you may know, some of the home remodeling or improvement projects
may involve structural adjustments or elaborate re-workings of current
electrical and plumbing circuits. These jobs are perhaps among
the most difficult, and maybe dangerous. They may even be susceptible
to mistakes which can be quite costly. Plumbing, for example,
involves crawling under the house.
So, before a homeowner can start an addition, the city department
anywhere in the world which oversees private construction projects
must issue a building permit. It is this permit actually
that insures that the home improvement plans meet certain building
codes, and only those qualified workers will handle the essential rewiring
and refitting needs in the house.
Am I capable of performing this home improvement project myself?
One thing to remember here is that even a simple replacement of bathroom
or kitchen fixtures perhaps can involve some background knowledge of
safety factors. Also, if you are considering wallpapering
and interior painting, then you should know that these are other areas
where amateurs do-it-yourselfers may find themselves over their heads. Given
this fact, it is then worth noting that before tackling any form of
remodeling plan, the homeowner should first invest some extra time
reading some home improvement books or watching videos produced by
professionals. There are also some in-store demonstrations of
basic remodeling techniques that are available these days, including
some technical support. Some of them are usually provided at
any local building supply store.
Will the home remodeling plan address the actual problem?
When it comes to home improvements, most of the homeowners find themselves
in a constant state of instability. The truth is instead
of investing a substantial amount of time and effort in a particular
large remodeling project which may resolve the entire dilemma; they
tend to form a number of smaller improvements over time. And,
what does this imply is that this can prove to be even more costly
to repair later. Repainting a room will not make it larger,
for instance. Because of this common consequence, sometimes
it is recommendable to just hold off on a certain home remodeling plan
until all of the necessary work can be accomplished at one time.
Keys to Proper Planning
Here, I will be discussing about some helpful steps that could help
you in planning your home improvement project. What will be mentioned
below are based on the experts’ advices that I have gathered
online. Here they are:
Consider Setting Your Priorities
Many experts recommend breaking down the various elements of your
plans and rating the importance of each aspect. It is so
common that people want fast, inexpensive, and high quality outputs. I
myself agree to that. So, as a rule you can pick two of
these. If you want it fast and inexpensive, the possibilities are pretty
good that it won’t be high quality. On the other hand,
if you want it fast and high quality, chances are it won’t be
inexpensive, and so on.
Estimate the Overheads
Do some homework. That’s one of the most important things
to consider when it comes to home improvement. The reason behind
this is that allows you to accurately anticipate costs, and after all
nothing is worse than stopping progress halfway through a home improvement
project for lacks of funds. Do you agree with me? If so,
then great!
Specifically, you can strat anticipating the cost by visiting a particular
home improvement center perhaps for you to be able to know what the
materials and fixtures will cost. Furthermore, I guess it is
often a good idea to obtain at least three bids for the work from contractors
or other home remodeling professionals. This bidding can be considered
even if you plan to do some or all of your own work.
Most of the experts said that obtaining bids from contractors and
professionals can provide a homeowner a feel for what the work will
involve. It can even help you determine the potential savings
of considering or doing your home improvement yourself. However,
there are some cases that looking at the numbers you have estimated
may convince you that it is much wiser to consider looking up and hiring
for a professional.
Look for Any Help You Will Need
Yes, it is given that you are a do-it-yourselfer, but even when you
do your home improvement by yourself, you don’t have to do it
BY yourself. Note that some jobs may take two or more days
to be accomplished. Thus, asking for some help, maybe from your
family or friends, will make your project safe and proper. Just
schedule somebody you know to assist you even before you encounter
these jobs.
Another reason to support this piece of advice is that most home improvements
involve a range of different tasks. Each task oftentimes requires
knowledge and skills, from design and construction to wiring, plumbing,
and finish work. As what most of the experts often suggest,
the overall remodeling project might go far more smoothly if you hire
a pro for certain job parts. For example, when remodeling
your beloved kitchen, chances are you might want to install the flooring
and cabinets yourself but bring in plumber for installing new piping.
The bottom line is, just be realistic about your skills. Never
try to take on work that you won’t be able to accomplish or may
end up looking unprofessional. Simply avoid intricate work or
work that requires a high degree of craftsmanship, unless you’re
competent enough at the job.
If you do cry for a professional help, it is always critically important
to make sure that they are qualified and reliable. Of course,
there are some ways to find pros, and perhaps the best way to find
good help is through personal recommendations. Otherwise,
you can find qualified, pre-screened plumbers, electricians, contractors
and similar professionals on the web through a certain online service.
Gather the Necessary Tools and Resources
Before you start working with your home improvement project, it is
important to make sure that you have gathered on site the tools, materials,
and other resources you will need to complete the task. If
in case your current tool kit doesn’t include certain specialty
tools that would be of great use, then try exploring for some stores
to buy or rent them.
Here are some key materials, fixtures and appliances that should be
scheduled for delivery:
- Tiles
- Windows
- Cabinets
- Plumbing fixtures
Always consider those materials before you begin remodeling your home
as far too many people plunge into demolishing their old kitchen only
to find out that their new cabinets have been back ordered for delivery
in twelve weeks. Yes, that oftentimes happens.
Explore the Need for a Permit
Early in this article, I mentioned about the need for a building permit. Now,
if you have decided to obtain one, then try to visit your city or county
building department to find out whether permits are needed. This
will even help you to discover any requirements for zoning or building. However,
a piece of advice is that, be sure that the adjustments you plan or
think to happen are possible. Not only is the possibility
worthy of notice, but also the legality of the changes. Both
are important before engaging yourself too far into planning.
Another reason for asking a permit or knowing requirements is that,
chances are good that any room addition will be governed by zoning
and setback restrictions. So, if your intention is simply to
do your own work, be sure that your town allows this. There
are some cities out there that require electrical and plumbing work
to be handled and accomplished by a licensed pro.
Also, there are some areas where permits are needed for work that
leaves great impacts on the structure of the house, or that involves
changing electrical wiring or plumbing. There is also a great
possibility that you will need a permit if your intention is to change
the roofline, reposition the plumbing fixtures, or move a bearing wall. Nevertheless,
you may not need one for repairing doors and windows, installing new
floor coverings, or making some minor repairs. The point here
is if a permit is required; don’t just proceed doing your own
work without it. That’s simply it!
Consider and Make a Timeline
Another major key for proper planning is to carve out a block of time
that is long enough to get the work done. Then, set certain
mileposts for completing the work phase within that framework you’ve
made. Just be aware that doing your own work will probably take
you longer than you expect. As commonly noticed, it is likely
to take you twice as long. So, within the established timeline,
try accounting for the delivery time of anything that must be special
order, such as the materials, fixtures, and appliances.
Set Up Your Systems
In every home improvement project, it is typically a great idea for
the homeowner to rent a dumpster and have it delivered before any major
demolition starts. Perhaps it is great to coordinate delivery
with start-of-work as this saves you from paying excessive rental fees. However,
if certain contractors and other professionals will be involved in
the remodeling project, it is best to set up a meeting to tackle any
related matters, such as logistics as well as the work that needs to
be completed. For some, this is also the best time
to form daily schedules, including ground rules such as use of bathrooms,
working hours, and so on. As a homeowner, the one primarily involved
in the planning, it is necessary to make sure that you have asked the
cell phone or other contact numbers for all the key players.
Now, we already have tackled the preliminary questions to ask and
the basic steps to take for proper home improvement planning. So,
why don’t you consider home designing now? I think that
sounds good, right? Well, the next thing that you should consider
is the following:
Restrictions? Embrace Them!
During the process of home improvement planning, you might face almost
infinite options and you literally couldn’t create them unless
you had some kind of guidelines to hem you in. So, since this
is the usual case, don’t just think of physical or any monetary
limitations as a hindrance. Why don’t you consider
certain restrictions as your greatest aid in decision making? Just
be positive.
Design from the Inside Out
Thinking for a floor plan? If so, don’t just regard it as a
big sheet cake to be carved up into the right sized pieces. As
a person envisioning something great for your own home, start planning
with the principal rooms and then let things accrete outward. While
doing this, don’t worry about the lining on the walls as you
can always tidy things up a bit later. At this point, just concentrate
on what you are doing from the inside out.
Form a Hierarchy
Most experts often consider ranking the importance of every room beforehand. Accordingly,
this approach will allow you to decide which rooms deserve the best
view, the most expensive finishes, and so on. Usually, the major
rooms such as the living room, master bedroom, and family room top
the list, but still it is your call. If you find that cooking
is your big passion, for instance, then I think the kitchen should
be prioritized. You could design your kitchen by setting
it in an area where the garden is accessible, with a fancier ceiling,
or maybe some special features. Just listen to your call.
Adhere to Good Solar Orientation
According to some experts, adhering to good solar orientation will
make many of your home improvement planning decision for you. You
can face your living areas toward the sunny southern exposure, and
have your utilitarian areas like the garage, laundry and bathrooms
face north. Aside from that, you can make expose your rooms to
sunlight at the time of day that they’re used most. In
particular, you can set the breakfast room facing east for morning
light, or the dining room facing west for afternoon sun. You
also have the chance to orient bedrooms in accordance with your preference
for morning or afternoon sun. It is important to note however
that not every site can accommodate these mentioned ideals. But
as the aphorism goes, “the closer you get, the better”.
Get Stuck On a Design Problem? Don’t Just Fizzle
Out!
We can’t deny the fact that there are really some times that
we find ourselves stuck on a certain problem. So, if for instance
you get stuck on a design problem, don’t just fizzle out and
leave well enough alone. Perhaps the best thing to do is to quit
for a few days and then go back to your plan with a fresh eye and positive
mind. Simply repeat this cycle until every problem
is solved. As often said, creative success demands an attention
to detail, and this is true in architecture as well as in life.
o, I guess I’ve told you enough about proper planning for home
improvement. If you are still with me after ranting those
stuffs, then congratulations and good luck to your home improvement
project.
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