Living Room Update, Plus Renovation Tips

It’s been a little dusty around my house. Who am I kidding?! It’s been super dusty! The built-ins are almost done. I’m so excited! Next comes the paint.

Have you guys ever seen the movie Money Pit? Oh my gosh, I LOVE that movie! It’s the best movie to watch AFTER your home is finished. It might scare you, if you watch it before. 😉

Home renovations can be tough. You need to be patient. No matter HOW many homes you have renovated or HOW hard you try to stay organized, there’s always a fun surprise that pops up. My best advice… expect the unexpected!

Builders do not build things perfectly. In fact, there’s always a few things uneven. My home is full of uneven walls, doors that are off-centered, molding/trim that doesn’t line up, not even my fireplace is centered. It’s off by half a foot. JOY! There are some things we just have to live with no matter how much of a perfectionist we are. To add more fun to the equation, these little things make it tough for the next builder to come in when you’re ready for a remodel. This time they really need to triple check their measurements so it looks more balanced. I bet you’ll walk around your place now and start to notice all the little flaws.

Here are a few tips for remodeling you should consider:

Step 1: Start planning

Start by writing down and doodling ideas on paper. Yes, I said doodle, even if you’re not an artist. Try to picture what your dream room might look and feel like before the big mess starts. Research like crazy and use Pinterest if you need too. The better the plan, the more prepared you’ll be. Make sure to also list the problems you’d like to solve. You don’t need to find solutions right away.  Additionally, identify your “must-haves,” as well as “nice-to-haves.” Focus on the real priorities. We all have big dreams, but following a budget is super important. Plus, it allows you to narrow down choices. I’m a big fan of that! After you’ve clearly defined what you care about the most before building, you’ll most likely have an easier time making compromises and decisions on the fly when “fun stuff” starts to pop up.

 

Step 2: Make a budget

Be smart and plan for a budget. A budget that is realistic and will account for any unfortunate surprises. I don’t want to keep sounding like a pessimist, but you need to be prepared. People are human and we all make mistakes. Make sure you plan on tacking on an additional 15 – 20 percent cushion for the unexpected.

A way to stay in budget is to pick one or two higher-priced items and mix those in with more affordable items.

 

Step 3: Find the right builder

I know DIY folks are hardcore and want to do everything on their own, but please know doing it on your own is serious business. If you’re planning on taking out walls, or moving plumbing and tinkering around with electrical units, you better know what you are doing. If you don’t, trust me, you’ll want a professional there.

I reached out to ten different builders, and received back 7 bids. Their projected costs were all over the place. Oh! Make sure to see their portfolio. Craft is so, so important. I can’t stress that enough! Be prepared to make compromises.

Make sure you and the builder are on the same page. Ask them to put together a list of the material expenses too. If you’re willing to do some heavy lifting, you can save some costs on getting the materials yourself. I did that!

Make sure you have a contract that has been reviewed by you and the builder. In your contract, explicitly lay out how often you and your contractor will meet, how you plan to pay, and any major milestones tied to your payment plan. I was there the whole way through!

 

Step 4: Day-to-day living

Figure out how you’ll get around the house while it’s under attack. Please, please remember to hang plastic wrap between rooms to act as a barrier for dust and debris. Even with it up, that stuff lurks everywhere. It’s worse than glitter!

If you have young children, or folks with special needs, you’ll want to find another place to hang out.

 

Step 5: Accept that changes will happen

I changed my mantle TWICE. First, because we discovered that the original builders made the fireplace uneven and the black granite wasn’t level. Second, because it would cost more to make it exactly how I drafted it.  So simplifying it made the most sense.

 

Step 6: It won’t be perfect and that’s OKAY

Even though you plan perfectly and predict all that could go wrong, it’s impossible to think of EVERYTHING! No matter how hard you try, there will always be something you’re not entirely happy with and wish you would have done it differently … trust me… and that’s OKAY! You’ll be OKAY!

 

Step 7: Write EVERYTHING down

Not to upset or put down contractors, builders, etc here but mistakes are made and sometimes people don’t really listen … or they hear something different, and the info is lost and that’s when mistakes happen. I swear, these days most people don’t write anything down and just think they can remember all that info. How many times have you had to repeat back to your phone (which is AI) because they got it wrong the first two times? I would strongly suggest writing everything down because at the end of the day you don’t want details, measurements, or comments lost. A checklist isn’t a bad idea either.

 

Step 8: Keep track of your expenses

You’ll want to know where all that money went so have a place to keep track. If you do that you’ll know how much more you spent on your mistakes that happen. It also helps you learn from them and avoid them with your next project. When you’re sitting there at the end of your reno and LOT’S of dollars are over budget it’s really hard to know where that money went if you didn’t track it.

 

Step 9: Conduct regular check-ins

I didn’t stand over my builders shoulders 27/7 but I did check-ins every few hours. I’m positive I was bugging him, but we had good communication and it’s my hard earned money, plus my time being stuck in the home, so I’m going to make sure it’s going well and being spent well, you know what I mean?!

 

Step 10: You won’t always meet your deadline

You most likely WON’T! LOL! In the creative world, deadlines in most cases will run over. You might think as a designer for almost 20 years, that I have deadlines nailed. Nope! Each project is different with new challenges. Things will always take longer. I’m a decisive person too, so if you’re an indecisive person, count on even more time. So many things can happen. Another piece of advise is to take a deep breath and keep marching forward.

 

Step 11: The final walk-through

Once the chaos has come to a close, step away from it and come back with fresh eyes so you can review it and make sure everything is good to go. Check all outlets and switches, etc, to ensure stuff is working as it should.

 

Step 12: You might not love it at first 

It’s possible you’re not going to be totally in love with your home renovation once it’s complete … you might find things you missed or found something better after everything is all done, that you wish you applied. Don’t fret, my dear. Give yourself time, you’ll adjust to it too. I don’t always love everything I do right away. I need to get used to it.

 

Step 13: Your house WILL be dirty and dusty

Yep it’s annoying, but what a good excuse to deep clean! Ha!

 

Step 14: When decorating AVOID matchy-matchy

I personally dislike matchy-matchy. You can go crazy trying to stick to a specific theme. Let go! You CAN mix metals and styles within your home and the more you do so, the more personality it will give your home.

So what do you think? Are you ready to tackle a big project?!

XOXO,

Melessa