Avoid Renovation Disasters 10 Secrets For A Stellar...

10 Secrets For A Stellar Renovation

Avoid Renovation Disasters

So you’ve spent the last several years saving for your dream renovation and you’re finally ready to make that dream a reality. But you’ve watched your fair share of renovation disaster shows and you’re scared of yours becoming one of them. Maybe you had a friend or a family member whose renovation turned into a nightmare. They hired the wrong contractor, they went way over budget or over schedule, the workmanship was poor or

it just didn’t look good in the end. Renovating is a large investment and you want to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible.

I’ve spent years renovating homes. In the beginning, many of them were my own. I made countless mistakes along the way, mistakes that cost me tonnes of money and heartache. But with each project and each house I learned from my mistakes. I learned how to get myself organized from the beginning, which steps were costly to skip or do in the wrong order, which things my money would be best spent on and how to get great results consistently. People always ask me what the secrets are to a successful renovation. I’ve organized what I think are the top 10 secrets for a stellar renovation into this report so that you can learn from my mistakes, avoid the pain of a disastrous renovation and end up with a result that will thrill you.

Avoid Renovation Disasters10 Secrets For A

Stellar Renovation

AVOID RENOVATION DISASTERS: 10 Secrets for a Stellar Renovation1. Start from the outside and work your way inside - You want to make sure your roof, windows, doors and foundation are leak free and energy efficient before you begin spending money on expensive finishes inside. A good place to start is with a maintenance inspection to see what items need to be fixed first. Once the structure of your home is in good shape, you can have fun designing and renovating the inside of your home.

2. Know what the plan is before you start - Renovating your home is not the place to wing it. Gather your ideas, your must haves and your wish list and consult with a designer before you begin. A designer can help you streamline your ideas, make suggestions you may not have considered and provide you with a plan you can work from.

3. Make sure you have your financing arranged - Unless you have your full budget ready in your savings account, make sure you arrange your financing before you begin your renovation. You can check your own credit score through Equifax or TransUnion once a year for free. If your credit score is decent, set up a meeting with your local bank or mortgage broker to see what financing options are available and how much it will cost you before you move ahead with your renovation. You should always factor in your financing costs when determining the cost of your renovation.


Stellar Renovation

Ready to start your Renovation NOW in a STELLAR fashion then REGISTER NOW for a FREE 5-Star Design Consultation with Design Specialist Susan Kocsis. Just email Susan Kocsis at [email protected] with “I Need RENO HELP” in the Subject line.

‘Joe’ was a professional with good income, a good relationship with his bank and good credit. He began his renovation with money he had saved. Along the way, there were a few surprises with his home. He had extensive mould behind the walls and he discovered he had a crack in his foundation wall which needed to be fixed before they could move forward. The unexpected expense ate up a much larger chunk of his savings than he had anticipated. So with confidence, ‘Joe’ went to his local bank to borrow additional money to complete his project. What ‘Joe’ did not realize, was that the rental property he had purchased a few years ago that was breaking even had pushed him to his credit limit after the mortgage rules changed. He no longer qualified for any additional money and was left with two undesirable options: 1. Wait another 8 months until he could save the money to complete the renovation and live with it as a ripped apart mess or 2. Finance the balance of the project on his high interest credit cards. He eventually decided to finance the balance of the project on his credit cards and ended up spending way more on the renovation costs than he had budgeted.

4. Spend money on things that will add value - Focus on updating things that will add the most value and functionality to your home. Adding more storage is a good bet. Spending too much on expensive wall paper might not be.

5. Set a realistic budget - Everyone wants to save as much money as possible when they renovate. After all, renovations are a large hit to the pocket book. But setting a budget too low is a recipe for disaster. The stress of renovating will compound exponentially if you get half way through your renovation only to run out of money, or if something unexpected comes up (it ALWAYS does) and you don’t have the money to fix it. After you’ve done your homework and come up with a budget, add an extra 20% to be prepared for surprises.


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6. Hire your contractor based on their work and their experience, not the lowest estimate - It’s important to get multiple quotes when you’re looking at hiring a contractor. But falling for the lowest quote can be a big mistake especially if it’s much lower than the other quotes. Often the lowest quote could be missing important service components. Or the quote might not include proper preparation of the home before applying finishes which can lead to disastrous results. Once you have your estimates, ask for references and ask to see some of their other jobs before you decide which contractor to go with.

I was recently speaking with a devastated homeowner. This homeowner believed she had finally saved enough money to build her dream kitchen. She called 4 contractors to give her an estimate. One of them was way over her budget. Two of them were about the same, and only slightly over her budget. One was well under her budget and she was relieved to find someone she thought would save her money and allow her extra money to do a few other things she hoped to do. She gave the 4th contractor almost a 50% deposit and he began demolition. He finished most of the demolition within a week, and then the problems began. An endless array of excuses began for the next 3 months of why he or his workers wouldn’t show up.

Everything from a scheduling conflict with another job, a family emergency, to a health crisis. Eventually, he stopped answering the phone altogether and the homeowner was left with a demolished kitchen, almost half of her budget gone and months of time wasted. She had to begin the process of finding a contractor to do the job again. Only this time she was really short to complete the project because she had overpaid the first contractor by more than 30%. She did eventually finish the project for about the same amount that the two middle contractors quoted her, though she had to take a high interest loan to have enough money to complete the project.


Stellar Renovation


Unfortunately, her story is more common than you would imagine. Unscupulous contractors come in with a price that the customer can’t refuse. They take a large deposit, complete the demolition and then have a thousand excuses why they never show up again. Eventually they disappear and the homeowner has over spent for the demolition, lost months of time and has had to start again with a greatly diminished budget.

7. Set a realistic time line - We’ve all seen renovation shows where they build a house in a week. But that is in TV land where they have unlimited resources. In reality, there is a step by step process that should be followed when renovating your home and it’s important not to skip steps. Invariably, there will also be unexpected things that come up during the process of renovation that need to be addressed and dealt with before moving ahead, like finding black mould in your walls, or a crack in the foundation wall where water is leaking

in. It is important to stop and fix these things before moving ahead, even if it means your project is delayed by a few weeks. Not dealing with them can destroy all the work and materials that go into the final product. Similar to calculating your budget, be sure to add extra time to your anticipated schedule.


Stellar Renovation

8. Think big picture - Be careful about picking materials without thinking about how they will look and work together. Taking the time to assemble a materials board before you start purchasing your finishes can help you visualize how things will work together and potentially save you money and heartache. A 3 dimensional room rendering is also an invaluable tool for visualizing how the whole room will work together from materials, to flow to design elements.

Last year a friend of mine was renovating her bathroom. She watches HGTV regularly, scours through Pinterest boards and knew what she wanted the room to look like. She went to a tile shop and found two tiles that she thought would work well together. She was eager to move ahead, and rather than buying samples of each to bring home and see in her space with her lighting, she purchased the tiles and had them delivered. She went to work while her tile guy installed them as instructed. When she came home, she was horrified to see that the two tiles did not in fact look good together. Each had a different undertone to the colour than she could see at the showroom. She could not live with tiles as they were and had to go to the significant expense of having them all ripped out and starting again.

9. Buy quality materials - When renovation costs keep mounting, it’s tempting to want to cut somewhere on the budget. But don’t go cheap on building materials. Buy good quality, durable materials so you won’t have to replace them every few years.


Stellar Renovation


10. Avoid being too trendy - Who doesn’t love flipping through the latest edition of House and Home or Elle Decor to get inspired? While it’s good to get inspired and get a clear idea of what you like and what you don’t like, avoid the temptation to go too trendy. Unless of course, you have the money to renovate and redecorate your home every couple of years. The more bold and trendy the look, the faster it will go out of style, just like fashion. It can also potentially lower your property value if you’re thinking about selling. Try to pick a classic style and you can always incorporate trendy pillows or accessories which can be easily and economically changed when you grow tired of them.

11. Don’t buy materials too early - It’s tempting to want to shop for finishes early in the process. But in this case, patience is a virtue. You don’t want to buy flooring you love or is on special only to find out when the final plan is complete that you don’t have enough and even worse, that the flooring has been discontinued! Spare yourself the heartache, and take photos and notes on items you like, where you saw them and for how much. That way when it’s time to buy, you’ll know exactly where to find the items you want.

One of my neighbours wanted to renovate their basement. They found an engineered floor that they fell in love with and even better it was on sale for an excellent price. The calculated their square footage requirements based on the plan they thought they were going to move ahead with and they bought the floor to make sure they had it when they were ready. In the meantime, they had a significant change in their life circumstances which delayed their renovation by about a year. They also had to redesign their basement and it turned out they were short about 300 square feet of flooring. When they went to purchase more, that particular floor had been discontinued. And because the area was open concept there was no way to hide an area that was mismatched. With much disappointment, they ended up selling the flooring online at a loss and had to buy new flooring.


Stellar Renovation


BONUS

1. Start from the outside and work your way inside.

What structural elements of your house, if any, are in need of maintenance or repair?

Check all that apply.

• Roof - Check your roof for any missing shingles. Check your ceilings for any signs of water damage of leaks. Do you have adequate insulation in you roof? What condition are your eaves troughs in? Are they free of debris and allowing water to drain properly?

• Windows - How old are your windows? Are the windows foggy? Do the latches work properly? Are the windows energy efficient? Do the windows let in a draft?

• Doors - What condition are your doors in? Do they keep the cold out in the winter or is there a draft?

• Bricks - are there any cracks along the brickwork?

• Foundation - Are there any cracks in the foundation? Is there water coming into your basement?

Which of these items are the highest priority to repair?

Call for an estimate on any of these items so you know how much you will have to budget.

10SecretsW o r ks h e e t

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2. Know what the plan is before you start.

Once you’ve confirmed that the structure of your home is in good oder, what area of your home would be your top priority to renovate?

What about that space doesn’t work?

What would you like to see different in that space?

What would your top functional changes be?

What items would be on your wish list if there was money available?

Do you have a plan for how you would like to change things?

Would it be helpful to get some free help developing a floor plan?

3. Make sure you have your financing arranged.

To get your free credit report Visit:https://www.consumer.equifax.ca/canada/PSnb/free_en.html?CID=3&%2Bcredit_G_b&adID=333509171969&DS3_KIDS=p11615761414&gclid=Cj0KCQj wj_XpBRCCARIsAItJi

uQlIj1yHXVFdf809bej6GJCbSx-6hYYBDLBaBts1_P0ZtGvCaTMr4Aa AtK8EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Or:https://www.transunion.ca/personal/credit-report-charlie-495? channel=paid&cid=ppc:google:brandTransUnionCoreDSK&gclid=Cj0KCQjwj_XpBRCCARIs

AItJiuTTWddpMtg7jsC_NcGjj_vGFi3qW0T9w5mSfW4vwSeAyPNDlqX3EIYaAtW-EALw_wcB

Once you have your credit report, make sure all the information on it is accurate. If there are any discrepancies or errors make sure you correct them before setting up an appointment with your bank or broker.

Want, perhaps even NEED, professional

design advice with your home renovation plan?

Then REGISTER NOW for a FREE 5-Star Design Consultation

with Design Specialist Susan Kocsis. To REGISTER NOW

email Susan Kocsis at [email protected]

with "I Need RENO HELP" in the Subject line.

REGISTER NOW for a FREE 5-Star Design

Consultation by emailing Susan Kocsis at Susan@

UrabanStarDesign.com with "I need RENO HELP"

4. Spend money on things that will add value.

Does your house need more storage and organization? Where?

• Kitchen

• Home office

• Basement

• Garage

• Bathrooms

• Closets

Does your kitchen function efficiently?

Does your home have any issues with leaking plumbing or mold? Where?

5. Set a realistic budget.

How much money do you have available, without overextending yourself, to allocate to your renovation?

Do you have an accurate plan of what you would like to renovate so that you can get a reasonably accurate estimate of the work you want to have done?

Do you need a plan?

6. Hire your contractor based on their work and experience, not the lowest estimate.

Do you have a contractor that you know and trust to do the work for you?

If you don’t already know a reliable contractor, what sources will you use to find at least 3 to interview?

YES NO

YES NO

Prospective Contractor Phone References Able to see jobs

Would it be helpful to have a list of fully licensed pre-screened contractors that you could select from? “Is the number

crunching of your Renovation Budget becoming mind numbing

and taking the fun out of your renovation plans? Then REGISTER

NOW for a FREE 5-Star Design Consultation with Design Specialist

Susan Kocsis and get clarity on your intentions. To REGISTER NOW

email Susan Kocsis at [email protected] with

“I need RENO HELP” in the Subject line.”

REGISTER NOW for a FREE 5-Star Design

Consultation by emailing Susan Kocsis at Susan@

UrabanStarDesign.com with "I need RENO HELP"

7. Set a realistic time line.

How long have your prospective contractors estimated your renovation will take? Can you live with that amount of time?

Would you be able to accommodate an additional 20-25% of time, if the project was delayed for unexpected reasons?

8. Think big picture.

When you think about your dream space, what materials, finishes, textures and colours would you like to include?

Go through some home magazines and clip pictures of rooms you like the most and briefly list what elements you like about the space.

YES NO

YES NO

9. Buy quality materials.

Research the brands you are considering buying. Consider hardwood, tiles, plumbing fixtures countertop materials and appliances among others. See what the consumer reviews are like.

10. Avoid being too trendy.

If you like bold or trendy design items or features, what ways can you incorporate them without making a large commitment? Consider cushions, throws, paintings and other accessories.

“If you are struggling sourcing the colours, textures

and furnishings you dream about for your home renovation then

REGISTER NOW for a Stellar Image Board (just $29.89) created by

Design Specialist Susan Kocsis. To REGISTER NOW email Susan Kocsis

at [email protected] with “I want a $29.89 Stellar Image Board”

in the Subject line.”

REGISTER NOW for a Stellar Image Board

(just $29.89) by emailing [email protected]

with “I want a $29.89 Stellar Image Board” in the Subject line.”

BONUS Secret 11Don’t be tempted to buy materials too early. Instead, use this worksheet along with pictures you can take on your phone to assemble a database of materials you like, where you saw them and how much they cost. That way when you’re ready for them, you’ll have all the information at your fingertips.

Item Store Location Price Photo

“Are the timing details and overall project management of your home renovation causing

you sleepless nights? Then REGISTER NOW for a FREE 5-Star Design

Consultation with Design Specialist Susan Kocsis to learn more SECRETS

for a STELLAR Renovation. To REGISTER NOW email Susan Kocsis

at [email protected] with “I need RENO HELP”

in the Subject Line”.

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