- Start by researching and planning your project completely. Knowing all your design and material choices ahead of time gives your project the best chance to be an on-time success.
- Set a realistic budget for your family and for your zip code. Joanna Gaines lives in Waco, Texas, and on HGTV where reality does not always seem to be the order of the day. Suffice it to say that television pricing from another part of the country is about as relevant to the Pacific Northwest as snowshoes are to Myrtle Beach. The Appraisal Institute recommends creating a budget based on the approximate value of each room as a percentage of the overall value of the home. (See “Renovation Costs: Reframing Homeowner Expectations” from houzz.com/houzz-pro.) This is a good starting point as it takes into consideration the disparity of home values across the country. Some basic guidelines include:
- Kitchens 10-15%
- Master Bath 10%
- Guest Bath 5%
- Finished Attic/Basement 10-15%
- Patio/Deck 2-5%
- Bedrooms 1-3%
- Communication is the key to success. Be sure to supply your project manager with your telephone and email contact information and check your email regularly for important items from us. We track email communication in our job management system so your selections and answers to key questions are saved for reference. We can give you online access to the construction calendar and you can follow job progress by viewing the job log and any photos that your project manager uploads.
- Clear the workspace and give workers an unobstructed path from the access door you help us designate. Move furniture, wall hangings, and other treasures out of the room. Depending on your home setup, you may need to consider moving your belongings to a storage facility offsite or a pod you rent for your driveway.
- Keep children and pets safe. Curious kiddos and Fido will be tempted to see what’s happening in your home. While we’d love nothing better than to inspire a future builder or job site mascot, we don’t want any of your loved ones getting hurt. Please keep them out of the construction zone and away from tools and materials.
- Prepare for deliveries. Lots of materials, debris receptacles, and workers will be coming and going from the job site each day. Create a dry space — usually the garage — to store materials once they are delivered.
- Remodeling will create a lot of dust. We will protect the floor and put up plastic barricades to contain most of it. You can help us by closing doors and avoid running central air while sanding is taking place.
