Renovating Your Home? Check Our FAQ’s! Embarking on a home renovation journey is both an exciting and daunting prospect for homeowners. The vision of a transformed living space often comes with a myriad of questions: Where do you begin? What's the process? How do you find reliable contractors? What's a realistic timeline? And perhaps most crucially, what will be the true value added to your home once the renovations are complete? As you stand on the threshold of enhancing your living space, this blog seeks to be your guide through the intricate process of home renovations. We'll delve into the steps, demystify timelines, offer insights into selecting trustworthy contractors, and shed light on how these transformations can elevate not just your living experience but also the overall value of your cherished home. Join us on this exploration into the world of home renovation—a journey that promises not just a revitalized space but an investment in the future comfort and value of your home. Ideally, you want to build the same kind of relationship with your contractor as you do with your real estate agent: one built on trust that makes you want to go back to that person for any future needs. Your contractor should be a very good listener and communicator. You want them to “get” your vision for your home, and to keep you in the loop every step of the way. Do your due diligence by checking out contractors’ reputations, talking with other clients, and looking at work they have done previously before you make your selection. How much will my project cost? Of course, the answer depends upon the scope of your project, but in order to get the best estimate from your contractor, take time to write down each detail of your plan so that the contractor can include everything in their estimate. Renovations are famous for taking longer and costing more than originally planned, but this is often because the homeowner makes additions or changes along the way, or they don’t realize that, for example, if you move a wall in your home, you may have to then reroute electricity and outlets. One item often leads to another, so you have to look at everything piece by piece. How long will renovations take to complete? As we said above, this depends on the amount of work being done– and how many changes are made along the way. The more pre-planning you do, the better estimate your contractor can give you. How do I prioritize projects? If you are living in your home during renovations, you may want to plan the project in phases so you can live out of some rooms while others are being worked on. You may also need to phase projects based on cost and availability of funds. The best returns we see are usually in the kitchens and bathrooms. Where do I begin? You begin by conducting a lot of research. Start a lookbook for your home in a notebook or online, collecting pictures of the look and finishes you want. I love using Pinterest for this very reason or saving a ton of my favourite TikTok as design inspiration. Talk to different contractors, and visit kitchen, bathroom, appliance, and flooring showrooms to get ideas on selections and pricing. Do I need permits? Your contractor will know what projects require permitting. Make sure that you do abide by permitting regulations, as failure to secure proper permits can come back to bite you if further work is needed down the road. How much will renovations increase my home value? Every homeowner hopes that making improvements will increase their home’s value, and this is usually the case, but sometimes what homeowners view as improvement can turn out to be liabilities to future buyers. For example, don’t put so much money into the house that it becomes more expensive than the rest of the neighbourhood. And be careful not to add personal style preferences that can’t be easily changed, like ornamental fixtures, radical architecture, or unusual landscape features. How should I pay for renovations? If you have the cash to pay for your renovations, that’s a good way to go. Otherwise, you might consider a home equity loan with a manageable monthly payment or a revolving line of credit that you can use for renovations and emergencies that may arise later. If you are curious to see how much your home’s value has increased after your renovations are complete. I would be more than happy to help by providing you with a detailed Home Value Report.