Home Remodeling: Where should I Start?

So, you’re looking to undertake a basic home remodeling project and are wondering what the best order would be to do it in. Well, when it comes to home remodeling, it is critical and vital to follow a certain course of steps to help avoid unnecessary work, failed inspections, and general messiness. 

Whether you’re a novice or an experienced investor, managing a home remodeling project can be pretty overwhelming. With so many tasks and works that need to be done around your house; it’s quite daunting to deal with the renovation stress.    

But if you’re willing to be successful in your next house renovation project; you need a flawless step by step order of operations. So; here is an approximate process to strategize a remodel and make it less all-consuming.

Feeling interested? Let’s jump straight in.  

What best order does home remodeling work go in?

•       Planning: 

The first step of renovating a house, before enthusiasm gets the better of you, is to plan and design your house remodel. So, access the condition of your house, set prioritizes, and jot down the things that need to be done. With your budget in hand, you can mark the things you can do yourself and the works that needs a professional contractor. Your budget must consider hidden or unforeseen costs of about 10 to 20 percent that may arise. Depending on your rehab scope, you may have to apply for permits and consents to avoid legal complications.

•       Major Repair and Replacement Works

Undertake any major structural repair work pertaining to the foundation, roof, siding, and windows with priority. Structural renovations involve a more significant makeover and have an impact on other renovation works. So, make sure to take care of any foundation subsidence, roof damage, damaged siding, water infiltration, weakened walls, beams, or columns, and substantially damaged windows.

•       Demolition

Tearing down a portion of your house is sometimes an essential part of a renovation project. You need to get rid of old crap to breathe new life into an old home. Demolition is a messy job and you may have to rent a dumpster to avoid unnecessary clutter. Make sure to seal off openings with sheets of plastic to avoid drifting dust into other areas of the home.

•       Framing & Drywall

The next step is structural carpentry. You may have to add a beam or joist depending on the added load of new framing. If you’ve added a new space or modified the floor plan; you have to take care of putting the drywall and texturizing the walls.

• Rough-in Electrical & Plumbing

All sorts of services including electric or plumbing work; behind the walls, under the floor, and above the ceiling needs to be fixed while the walls and ceilings are open. So, make sure the HVAC Company has connected all the central heating and air-conditioning ducts.

Your floor plan and interior design schematics will be handy for electricians and plumbers so they can provide receptacles and faucets at the right place. Make sure to inspect all sorts of rough-ins before installing dry-wall and floorings.   

•       Insulation & Drywall

Now you’ve just completed the messy work but before closing the walls; you have insulated your new space to keep the heat in. You can choose between fiberglass, cellulose, spray foam, and injection foam for the roof attic insulation, walls, and the crawler space. If you’re living in a very cold climate, consider adding insulation to the exterior walls before replacing the exterior siding.

Now you can close up the walls with taping and mudding; so the drywallers will patch, hang the sheets of drywall, tape or apply drywall compound filling the screw or nail holes, and sand it after drying for smooth exterior surfaces.

•       Cabinets & Fixtures

Now the stage is set for fine carpenters to give your house that finished touch. They’ll install upper cabinets followed by lower ones and other fixtures including bookshelves, vanities, baseboards, and breakfast nooks.  

•       Doors & Windows

Whether you’ve moved the walls or added new ones; you’ve to get on the new doors and/or windows while renovating your house. Now is the time to replace and install new doors and windows.

•       Surface Finishes

Paint and surface finishes should be on the last to-do item in your remodel punch list to avoid damages to other works. There are several exciting wall finish options on the market but you’ve to be careful in selecting the color-scheme and type depending on your home’s architectural scheme.

•       Flooring

Once you’re all done with wall finishing, the next step is floor covering. You can either go with laminate, hardwood, tile, vinyl or engineered wood but it all depends on your budget and priorities.

The Bottom Line

Renovating your home is a giant task but your project comes together smoothly with a workable plan. If done properly and in the right direction, it is one of the most rewarding investments you can make in your home. So, brainstorm your plan and follow the best order of operation and you’ll dramatically increase the odds of completing your project on budget, on time, and with satisfaction.

If you find yourself in need of guidance don’t hesitate to contact our remodeling experts her at Xpand, Inc. We can guide you in the right direction and help you complete some of those bigger jobs on your list.