So you’re all moved in and ready to renovate your home… but where to begin? It’s tempting to focus on cosmetic repairs, or overhauling the shared spaces of your home like kitchens and living rooms, or starting with what’s most or least expensive, but we have some other tips for prioritizing your home improvement projects:

Beyond First Sight

You’re going to want to have a general contractor assess the condition of the home’s structure before anything else. Before you start adding new furniture and installing new lighting or even before you slap a fresh coat of paint on the walls, have a contractor assess whether you have any water damage or other non-cosmetic issues to take care of first. These projects are going to make everything else go much smoother.

Access Your Renovation Budget & Start With Your Needs

Once you know if there are any structural issues you need to take care of, you can get an estimate as to how much of your budget that is going to consume. From there, you can begin making a to-do list of everything else you want upgraded. You can begin ranking projects by what needs to get done immediately, and what can wait (and truthfully, most projects can wait), and what you need to hire a contractor or designer to do vs. what you can do yourself. Generally what needs to get done immediately are going to be the things you need a contractor for, including:

• Structural projects, which, if left unchecked, can cause permanent damage (leaky gutters, etc)

• Safety priorities (child-proofing, alarm systems, etc.)  

• Energy Savers (Windows/Doors, AC, Water tanks, etc.)

Developing a Strategy for Your Home Renovation

Customize Your Home Remodeling Strategy

Once you have your list of priorities, you can begin working with a designer and contractor to develop an efficient timeline. Do you want to tackle one room at a time? Or is it better for your work flow to conquer larger, general projects like painting every room, or reflooring the entire home? Designers and builders work with project managers whose job it is to keep projects running smoothly and answer those questions to fit your specific needs.They can provide you with a lot of excellent advice about the workflow of your home improvement projects.

Energy Reduction

Utilize Green Energy in Your Home Renovation

A huge priority of our firm, that is a win-win for everyone and the environment, is prioritizing energy-efficiency in home improvement projects. This extends from the zero-waste processes and sustainable materials we use to the outcome for homeowners: lower electric bills, more temperature-regulated homes, and homes that are built to last! If this is also a priority of yours, consider moving up projects like new roofs, new windows and doors, new water tanks up on your list.

Remodeling for Resale

Renovating to Increase Your Property Value

If you are remodeling to increase the property value of your home, however, your priorities are going to be different: This is an instance in which you may want to go project by project, focusing on the high-ticket rooms that are going to immediately increase your property value like full kitchen and bath remodels.

We wrote all about home improvement projects for resale value, read it here.