Beginning your home renovation journey is an exciting step toward living in a home you love. However, it’s pretty widely understood that it can also be a challenging and stressful time. Before beginning a home renovation journey, it is helpful to address some of the most common challenges you may expect when undergoing the design and build process so that you can be prepared for them emotionally, physically, and financially. Keep reading to learn more about what to expect when you undergo renovating your home.
Prepare for a recalibration
Many homeowners, especially those who have never undergone a home renovation project, often have some inaccurate expectations and ideas about the pricing and timing of the process. What is great about working with a design-build firm is that you’re likely to receive an honest cost and timeline estimation upfront; these estimations can be a bit surprising for some, especially because they often exceed their initial expectations. Many homeowners often admit that while the initial pricing and timeline can be jarring, they are glad to receive this information early on rather than face a very unpleasant surprise later in the game.
Navigating timelines & embracing delays
At CG&S Design-Build, we typically try to develop a realistic timeline that can be followed as closely as possible to ensure that a project can move through the process as efficiently as possible. Normally, this includes two timelines: one for the completion of the design stage and one for the completion of construction. While we do intend to follow this schedule as closely as possible, certain unforeseen circumstances, such as varying weather conditions, can shift an agreed-upon timeline.
While delays to the timeline can indeed be frustrating, it's vital to acknowledge that they are not uncommon parts of the home renovation process. Construction, by its nature, entails a degree of unpredictability. However, embracing this reality early on can save you potential stress and frustration down the road.
Day-to-day living will change
Remodeling your home can take its toll on your daily routine. Even though the crew will pack up and clean at the end of every day, the home renovation project will still affect your day-to-day life. Although it can be possible to adapt your home living to the construction zone around you, many clients opt to secure rental housing for the duration of a project.
Depending on what part of your space you’re choosing to renovate, you may also encounter limited access to different rooms and areas in your home. For example, a kitchen renovation will likely prevent you from cooking dinner for your family every evening for an extended period of time, leading to eating out more often. Updating the primary bedroom may make it difficult to sleep in your own bed, requiring you to move to another room in your home.
Construction work can also be noisy; expect the sounds of sawing, drilling, and hammering to become a new fixture in your day. It can also be messy, spreading things like sawdust, drywall, and dirt throughout the renovation space. Trucks and heavy machinery may also take up residence in your yard and driveway during the daytime. However, these particular distractions should be reduced to a minimum at the end of each day. At CG&S, we treat every client’s home as if it’s our own. That means that at the end of every day, we ensure that we leave behind a work zone that is as clean as possible.
Stress is normal
Even when working with a project manager on a design-build project, it’s still highly likely that you will encounter some emotional stress during this process. Making decisions is a big part of home renovations and does not end at the construction signing phase. Multiple decisions and verifications need to be made throughout the entire process, which can sometimes cause the client to feel overwhelmed. When your house is filled with people every day, walls are being demolished, and access to certain parts of the home is limited, it makes sense that you’d experience some stress.
Although they may be a bit unsettling, it's vital to recognize that these emotions, much like project delays, are a natural part of the home renovation process. Here at CG&S, we are dedicated to easing these anxieties and ensuring that the renovation journey is as fulfilling as possible. We achieve this through our cohesive team structure and proactive communication with our clients.
Permitting
Obtaining permits is another aspect of home renovation projects that is often overlooked by clients. Before beginning any kind of construction work, a number of permits must be obtained by the design-build firm. This paperwork can sometimes take a number of weeks to receive, which can be frustrating when you’re itching to get a project in motion. At CG&S, we try to make this process as painless as possible by handling the permitting maze for you! Our team will process the permit application quickly so that when the construction contract is signed, we can get right to work!
Be prepared for concealed conditions
No matter what type of renovation your home is undergoing, there is always a chance that concealed conditions will pop up once the project begins. Concealed conditions include any issues that are not immediately apparent, but are discovered once demolition begins. This can be problems like dry rot, mold, foundation issues, and more. In order to prepare yourself for these nuisances, it’s important to dedicate a portion of your budget to fixing anticipated concealed conditions. That way if you do find out there’s an issue with your plumbing, you have a solution already mapped out.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that home renovations can be complicated and inconvenient. While it’s not necessarily possible to eliminate all potential stressors, there are steps you can take to effectively deal with these challenges. Working with a well-established design-build firm like CG&S ensures that your home project will be as painless as possible, and any issues that may arise will be dealt with and managed in a swift, professional, and empathetic manner.
