Home Remodeling Planning Guide: 6 Tips to Help With Your Home Renovation Plans by 30Seconds Mom

Remodeling a home is exciting, and it can make you feel like you're moving into an entirely new place. The remodeling process, however, could disrupt your life for days, weeks or even months. Set aside some time now to plan for your home remodeling project. A little up-front effort should make it much easier for you to get the results you want with fewer hiccups and unexpected expenses. Here are six tips to help with your home renovation plans:

1. Set a Budget for Your Remodeling Project

The amount of money you can afford to spend may help define your remodeling project. Depending on how much cash you have set aside, you might remodel the entire house or focus on one area of a specific room.

When creating a home renovation budget, it's helpful to follow these three steps:

• Prioritize your projects based on how they will affect your home value and enjoyment.

• Outline cost estimates for each major expense, such as new cabinets, flooring and windows.

• Get estimates from contractors and suppliers, depending on how much of the work you plan to do yourself.

Many people include major changes when they dream about remodeling their homes. You should have a more realistic idea of what you can accomplish once you see the numbers in your budget.

2. Eliminate Items You Don't Want Anymore

Clutter will make any home project more difficult than necessary. Consider your remodeling project a great opportunity to get rid of things you don’t want anymore. Go from room to room, making piles of items that you want to keep, sell and donate.

Selling unwanted items online or at a garage sale could help fund your remodel. More importantly, it will eliminate clutter and prevent you from finding storage space for things you don’t want to keep.

3. Organize and Store Things From the Room You Will Remodel

Your remodeling project will create a lot of dust. Remove as many things from the area as possible before you start. If it isn’t attached to the floor, wall or ceiling, get it out of the room. Clearing out the room will protect your belongings and give you more space to move while working.

Make sure you plan ahead by organizing your items, though. Ideally, you can arrange things by category and place them in labeled boxes. When you finish your project, you will know exactly where everything is.

4. Use Technology to Predict the Results

Smartphone apps take the guesswork out of remodeling. You don’t have to go into a project with any doubts. You know what the outcome will look like once you finish.

Some of the best apps to use include:

• Houzz: Use augmented reality to see what new items will look like in your remodeled room.

• TapPainter: Explore paint colors before you commit to them.

• HomeZadda: Plan every aspect of your home improvement project, from setting a budget to finding a contractor for difficult tasks.

• DecorMatters: Get inspiration and see your soon-to-be remodeled room on your smartphone screen.
  

Apps can help you see the results of your remodeling project, but you still need to choose the change you want to make. You can start by choosing a great sectional sofa, such as:

• Allform Sectionals, starting at $2,245.
  

• Heidi Reversible Sectional from Allmodern, for $1,199.
  

• The Sactional by Lovesac, for $2,788.
  

No matter what features or price you want to pay, you can find a sectional couch that makes your room attractive and comfortable.

5. Create a Schedule (But Include Some Wiggle Room)

Before you start smashing down walls, create a schedule that shows each step of your remodel. Include every task that you can think of. If you want to replace your kitchen cabinets, your schedule might say:

• Rent Dumpster for refuse.

• Empty all cabinets and drawers.

• Remove doors.

• Take down cabinets.

• Put old cabinets in Dumpster.

• New cabinets arrive at 1:30 p.m.

• Add new hardware to the kitchen walls.

• Install new cabinets.

Making a schedule will help keep you motivated and ensure that you fulfill every task necessary to finish the project successfully. Without a schedule, for example, you might forget to have a Dumpster dropped off at your house the day before you start taking down your own cabinets. One small mistake could make your other tasks much more difficult.

Include some wiggle room in your schedule. Something unexpected will usually come up. Flexibility lets you focus on getting the job done without feeling stressed out.

6. Recruit Help From People With Loads of Experience 

Some aspects of your home improvement project might involve a skill you don’t have. For example, you might want to replace old wiring that has been in the home for decades. It makes sense to get an experienced person to do that kind of job for you. You can’t afford to make mistakes or risk your safety when it comes to something as critical as wiring.

You don’t necessarily have to spend money hiring a professional. Bartering gives you a way to get help without spending money. Instead, you pay the person by doing something in return for the help. For example, a friend might hang your drywall if you watch their children during date night.

Planning plays an important role in a successful home remodel. It might feel like an unnecessary step, but it should make the whole project easier for everyone involved.

This post is sponsored by Home of Cozy.

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