Guest Post - 6 Effective Ways to Organize and Prepare for a Home Renovation

6 Effective Ways to Organize and Prepare for a Home Renovation

On paper, a home renovation seems like a pretty simple undertaking. You are aware of everything that needs to be done, know your home like the palm of your hand, and have a pretty decent timetable in mind, right? It is only when you roll up your sleeves and start the actual work that you see how terribly wrong you were about all three of these things. How can you, then, solve this problem, and prevent the next renovation from, once again, disrupting your family life?

The importance of good preparation

One of the main reasons why so many renovations break the budget or simply drag out way longer than you intended is because we often fail to pay attention to certain things such as permits, insurance, lack of available materials, and the sheer fact that the design takes some time. Each of them can spawn new problems and delays. So, if you want to have a seamless remodel, you better put some effort into preparation. Here are a couple of tips that will help you.

Make a rock-solid budget

The point of a good budget is to give you a clear insight into the necessary costs and prevent the excessive spending. The items this budget should cover are:

• Available funds

• The condition of your home

• Size of the renovation area

• Value of the required labor and materials

• List of priorities

If you can, put all this in the form of a detailed spreadsheet for the sake of transparency, and include the column where you’ll be able to track the actual costs against the estimated ones. Also, don’t forget to put aside money for unforeseen expenses. Things like window coverings, light fixtures, and other small items will always escape your mind. Once you’re done, start the acquisitions as soon as possible.

Think of the schedule in advance

Now that you have your budget in place, you’ll need to make a detailed schedule that will be based around the renovations you listed as priorities but leave enough room for optional works if the remaining funds allow. It is very important to include contractors in this planning, see what you can do yourself, and leave room for unexpected delays. Also, do your best to schedule most of the works while your kids are at school so they have enough breathing room while they’re home.

Prepare the necessary paperwork in advance

This applies both to you and the contractors. As for the contractors, they will need to provide you with their license and liability insurance that will cover the workers’ compensation coverage in case of an accident. On the other hand, the contractors will find it much easier working for you if you have all the necessary permits, conduct a professional building insurance valuation and, in turn, pay the appropriate insurance premiums.

Create a work contract

This is the best way to have a good night’s sleep once things finally kick into motion. A work contract should cover the deadlines, scope of the projects, payment schedules, payment amounts, and, generally speaking, provide the sense of assurance both to you and the contractors. Therefore, don’t be surprised if you are asked to include some terms like preventing the children from accessing the site while the works are in progress. These regulations are in the best interest of your family.

Declutter your home

This is the crown jewel of all preparations, so do your best to pack as much of your belongings as you can into sealed and marked boxes and move them out of the way. Also, it is a good idea to remove mirrors and pictures from the neighboring walls, move the plants outside so they don’t end up damaged, and leave enough swing space for workers. While you are doing this, see that your family's routines are not impeded. Create the layout that will suit their daily workflow.

Have an honest talk with your children

Some kids find renovation works fascinating and love the change of pace in their lives. Others don’t handle the changes so well. Your job will be to sit with your family, present them with the changes that will temporarily affect their lives, and tell them what they can expect. If your kids are having difficulties with coming to terms with this, try showing them how your home will look after remodeling and include them in the decision-making process to make them feel more important.

Here you go, six important steps that will help your family handle the renovation in a much more seamless way. You will have to put a lot of effort into research and have a couple of long talks with the contractors, but all this hard work will eventually pay off. Remodeling rarely goes without troubles, but at least give yourself the privilege of choosing how and when you are going to address them.

About the author: Mike Johnston is a home improvement blogger, DIY enthusiast and sustainability buff from Sydney. He is a regular writer at Smooth Decorator and contributor on several interior design, real estate and eco blogs, always on the lookout for new ideas and the latest trends in these fields.

Interview - Craft and Sprout

At House to Home Organizing some of our clients have expressed a desire to live a more minimal lifestyle. What could be more minimal than a tiny home? We spoke with Ken Pond of Craft & Sprout to learn more about the tiny home philosophy.

For the busy person, what is the best way to describe Craft & Sprout?

Our company, Craft & Sprout, builds tiny houses on wheels. In our area, Fairfield County, they have been primarily used as accessory structures, pool house, in-law cottage, office, and man/woman cave. We also build them for people to live in full time.

What is the company's origin story?

Our tiny home company was born from my construction background, owning a remodeling company for 20 years in CT, and Tori’s design background, working with our clients in residential remodeling over the last 8 years. The “Craft” part is due to the fact that our houses are handcrafted, and the “Sprout” part is a nod to our four sons, aging 10, 7, 5 and 1.

Can you explain how the trailer works?

Our houses are built on custom made trailers specifically designed for Tiny homes. They never come off the wheels. This keeps us in the RV/Camper world and not in the world of building permits. Every township has different laws regarding what can be placed on the property. Since these are not a permanent structure they do not fall into any building code guidelines. 

What are some things that people assume about tiny houses, but are wrong?

Regarding misconceptions of tiny houses, the actual size of the space is foremost. Until you come into a Tiny house and realize, hey I could do this, you just don’t know how they feel. Tiny houses are custom from the wheels up, which is one of the best reasons to build. The client is literally involved in every aspect of a build. Tiny homes are are built to travel well. Our model has over 6000 miles on it and by the end of the summer of 2018 will have another 4000.

Every house you build is different, can you discuss some of the more interesting designs you have done?

Our model has a Nantucket Beach House feel to it. We really enjoy the coastal vibe we put into this build, our model is also our pool house when it’s at home in Greenwich. We just delivered a 32’ goose-neck or "fifth wheel type" Tiny home to Burlington, VT that will be featured on HGTV this summer. That particular build had some really great amenities like a fold up desk that converts into a dining table, a dishwasher, washer/dryer combination unit and a lot of room. The cedar siding we used gave it a really classic Vermont fell as well. The ingenuity and creativity is what drivers us to keep pushing the limits for storage, minimalistic living and just plain old fun. For the most part everyone that comes into a tiny house smiles. What’s better than that.

Interview - Homes For Our Troops

Not only is Homes For Our Troops a great organization but they understand the importance of using a home's space wisely, for instance, they make sure kitchens are designed with pull-down cabinets. We spoke with Teresa about their mission and how you can help.

For the busy person what is Homes for our Troops?

Homes For Our Troops is a national nonprofit that builds and donates specially adapted custom homes to severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives.

What is the origin story for your organization?

Homes For Our Troops was started by a Massachusetts contractor in 2004 who built a home for an injured Veteran in Massachusetts. Since that time, HFOT has built over 250 homes in 42 states.

Who qualifies for a home and if so, how does the process start?

To qualify for a home, Veterans have to meet a few basic criteria including being injured in the theater post 9/11; retired or in the process of medical retirement from military service; qualify for the VA’s Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant Program. Learn more about our selection process here: hfotusa.org/help.

If someone wants to help, what can they do in addition to giving money?

There is plenty of ways to help! We hold events for each project across the country where the community is invited to attend and welcome the Veteran home. You can find out if there’s a build in your area by checking our interactive map at hfotusa.org/map. If there are no builds near you, holding a fundraiser is a great way to support our mission. We’re even happy with people spreading the word about our organization through social media and word of mouth. Learn more about how to get involved here: hfotusa.org/get-involved/support_our_mission.

What are some of the projects that stand out or gave you extra inspiration?

Everyone of our Veterans has an inspiring story. Read about some here: hfotusa.org/rebuilding-lives.