10 Things You Should Know Before Whole Home Renovation.

Choosing to do a whole home renovation is a significant undertaking that is bound to be filled with unrealized expectations, numerous planning changes, and unforeseen surprises that hit your budget. It will be a daunting experience, however, the renovation will be extremely rewarding once all is said and done. In order to get the end result that you want, there are a few things that you should know about before beginning this complex process.

1. Check Your Home for Asbestos & Lead. It is important to know that you should ALWAYS get a home inspection done before ripping out any walls, flooring, or roofing. This is because older homes may have asbestos and lead in them, which requires specialized handling and certifications. Preventing the exposure to lead and asbestos is key to doing proper renovation and that is why you should always get the areas you are renovating tested. With this said, if you go ahead without checking for these items, it’s going to cost you tons of extra money that your budget may not be able to handle. It is important to recognize the laws set in place to protect your health and well being put in place by Cal OSHA. Knowing what you are dealing with beforehand is imperative to making sure that the project goes smoothly and is executed correctly.
2. Have Your Furniture Taken Care of By a Third-Party?  Do not leave your furniture in your home during a whole home renovation. Ensuring that your furniture is in the condition you left it should be carried out by having a contents specialist to assist you in relocating your furniture and belongings in a facility where it will stored away until your renovation is complete. It is bound to get in the way and can potentially be damaged by those who are working around it. It will most definitely save you the stress of having to always keep an eye on your furniture while work takes place in your home.   
3. Find Another Place to Live During the Remodeling Process.  Running your daily life during a home renovation is going to be near impossible. You will not have access to the majority of your home’s rooms and the noise is going to make it unbearable to stay in during the day. It’s easier to find another place to live during the process. This will ensure that you go about your daily routine and get through your days while the magic happens in your home, creating a efficient environment for all that are participating.
4. Decide on Scope of Work & Lock in Timelines.  Before you can get to deciding the scope of the work, you need to have a solid budget in place that helps keep the costs in check. It can be very difficult to balance between the dream designs you want and the amount you are financially capable of funding. It is critical that you get a true understanding of the price of both materials, labor, and design so that you can gauge your expectations going in. Once this is done and you have a realistic budget in place, you can clarify exactly what work needs to happen and when it needs to happen during the project timeline.  By locking in your timeline, you can most definitely  lay out ground rules, determine scheduling, and understand how the project will come together.
5. Make a List of Questions to Ask the Contractor.  Always come up with a set of questions to ask your contractor beforehand. It is always important to address everything that is concerning you or that of which has you most curious about the process. This will give your clarity and understanding and keep you out of the way during the home renovation project. While it is okay to have questions along the way, it can slow down the contractor and delay the process so ask away beforehand so that the contractor can deliver your vision. Remember, it is always encouraged to ask question, it is your home, however, clarifying everything in the beginning is the best way to kick off your whole home renovation.
6. Create a Clear Vision of What You Want.  You need to have everything picked out before the project begins. This includes what tiles you want, what paint you want, and which appliances need to be bought and installed. By knowing exactly what design you want and how you want each room to look, you will be better at making tough decisions later down the line. Build your vision so it can be brought to life in the manner that you want it!
7. Know Who You Are Hiring.  This is one of the most important aspects of a home renovation project. You need to know who you are hiring, what their reputation is like, and what type of certifications they have and most of all, know what their character is like based off reviews and testimonials.  While word-of-mouth recommendations are great, make sure to look into who is being recommended and why, as you do not want to go blindly into signing a contract with them. Look at their lien history, their insurance, their certificates, and their bond numbers. Meet with them to make sure that they understand your vision prior to engaging their services. This will establish and solidify who it is that is the right fit for you to carry out your whole home renovation.
8. Determine Which Items Are Splurge Worthy Early On. When you are making your budget, you will want to determine which items are worth spending more money on. These items should be products that you will use frequently and thus, should have a higher-price tag to ensure that you get high-quality and longer life. If you have an extremely tight budget, choose to forego cosmetic furnishings in order to handle your project in manner you can navigate.
9. Understand the Inner Workings of Your Home. While it may seem simple to pop a new outlet into the wall, it can lead to you needing to rewire the entire home. So, make sure that you understand the existing conditions of your home and its inner workings. You do not want to short circuit the electrical system or blow a fuse. If you are curious or need assistance to identifying what conditions your inner workings are at, be sure to ask the respective party for an inspection (Electrician/plumber).
10. Decide on How Payments Will Be Made. You absolutely need a contract that will outline how payments will be made and when they will be made by. Ideally, you want to pay your contractor a retainer up front, 50% halfway through, and the remainder when the project done. This will establish a solid relationship with yourself and the contractor and have the efficiency you need. Deciding on how these payments will be made is important, as you will need to manage your finances around them.

Now that you have had the chance to read, “10 Things You Should Know Before Doing a Whole Home Renovation”, you now have the insight you need to make the right decisions before starting your project and have a good sense in how to execute your whole home renovation. It is at times when you have the slightest clue that you should seek guidance in how to efficiently carry out your project and how to look out for the key concepts illustrated above. Create your vision and know how to mold it, this is one of the ways on how to do that.