Identifying Important Items for Remodeling

I was on site with a client most of the day yesterday looking at a remodel project and going thru the process of identifying the important items that had to be updated in the 30 year old home which has never been remodeled or updated before. When compiling a scope of work for any project you should make a list of the “Must Do” – “Should Do” – “Could Do”. Go thru the house and under each category list the items that need to be attended to.

For this current project here is how our list took shape.

Must Do

• New Roof
• Exterior Paint
• Window Treatments [there are none present in the home]
• Interior Paint

Should Do

• New Flooring
• New Cabinetry
• New Appliances
• New Plumbing Fixtures
• New Light Fixtures
• New Countertops

Could Do

• Remodel Tub/Tile/Shower in Guest Bathroom
• Remodel Sunken Tub/Shower in Master Bath
• Remove Mirrors in Both Bathrooms and Replace with Decorative Mirrors
• Update Storage in Closets
• Update Door Hardware
• Add More Lighting [recessed fixtures]
• Reconfigure Layout – Move Walls to Change the Size of Some of the Rooms.
• Remodel Fireplace in Living Room
• Remove Soffit Lighting in Kitchen
• Remove Soffit Lighting in Bathrooms

Once the list was created we put a budget/dollar amount next to each item; a basic estimate as to what these items are going to cost. This is an essential step to make sure before you start your project that you are able to afford all of the costs of the remodel. Make sure that your budget allows for you to remodel and repair all of the “Must Do” items prior to identifying what “Should Do” items you are going to tackle.

Next create a Priority List of the “Should Do” items. Identify which items should be done first and which can wait to be done at a later date if your budget does not allow you to do your entire list at once. Taking this step will make sure that you do not spend money on new cabinetry for the entire home only to find out that you do not have enough funds to allow for the new countertops. You can also start to break down the “Should Do” items into room by room. For instance if your budget does not allow for all new cabinetry in the entire home then possibly just do the Kitchen for now and then tackle each Bathroom and the Laundry later down the line as funds allow.

If you are able to accomplish the entire remodel at one time I always encourage this; especially if you are not yet living in the home as the work will happen at a much quicker rate when the workers do not have to perform their installations around your schedule. In addition, you could save some money as subs will typically charge a little less because less labor time is involved if they do not have to work around furniture and other finished items that they would have to move and/or remove in order to perform their jobs.

Your “Could Do” items come into play if there is still money left in your budget after all of the “Must Do” and “Should Do” costs have been calculated. The “Could Do” items should then also go thru a priority process by identifying which items would be easier to accomplish during the first phase of the remodel and putting the minor items at the bottom of the list. In the case of our current project that we are making the list, it was decided that remodeling the Master Shower/Tub Area sooner rather than later would be a quicker course of action and would cause fewer disturbances once the owners move into their new home. Also we decided that even though we could move some walls and reconfigure the floor plan to create a different look it was more important to just infuse this home with updated finishes as this would create a “new” home while remaining within their budget.

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