Thinking about having some work done to your house, but not sure what you need to do, know, or even consider as you begin the process? When making plans for renovations, it’s important to think about how the additional space will impact the everyday life of you and your family. Adding rooms or expanding your existing space fully justifies the temporary inconvenience of a construction project.
Questions to Ask
There are a number of questions to before you start work on a new addition to your home. The more information you have, the better. Renovation work is not something you enter into lightly, and it’s essential to research as much as possible before beginning the process. Finding out the reputable contractors in your area, shopping around for quotes on the work you want done, and researching building regulations are just some areas of research that will be very useful to you in this respect. Here are some of the most important questions to ask before you start work on a new addition to your home:
What is a Residential Building Plan?
One of the questions you should ask in the beginning is ‘what is a residential building plan?’ If this is your first time having work done that you’re not doing yourself, you may not be familiar with this construction drawing. A residential building plan is a drawing of your construction project that takes into account the specific measurements and design features. It’s a bit like a very detailed blueprint of the design you want, and it’s important to make sure your building plan balances all the important home features you value.
Regulations differ from state to state, but residential building plans are often required as part of the application you submit when you need planning permission to add extra space or rooms. Thus, they may not be required if you’re carrying out a simple renovation on the interior of your home, but are almost certainly needed if your external structure will end up looking different.
Who Should You Hire?
This is often one of the first questions you ask yourself when contemplating the specifics of home renovation. If the job is time-consuming and requires special skills, chances are you aren’t able to do the work yourself. Your next step is to figure out what contracting company you should hire. If you’re unfamiliar with the construction industry, you may not be aware that there are a lot of unlicensed and uninsured contractors who fool people into hiring them. Because of this, the importance of hiring a licensed and insured home contractor cannot be overestimated.
Licensed and insured home contractors possess the skills and expertise required to ensure your project runs smoothly. Not only this, but the insurance they have gives you peace of mind. In order to become licensed, contractors have to prove their experience in the industry and meet skill requirements for a variety of construction tasks including drywall and bricklaying. Thus, you know what you’re getting yourself into when you hire someone who holds a current, valid license.
Where Should You Get the Materials?
For many homeowners, materials are a primary concern when thinking about a construction project. For example, if your house has a stucco exterior, you probably want the new design to match and be consistent with the rest of the house.
Moreover, you might want to have as much control as possible over the project. Contractors will usually provide all the materials needed for the project unless you decide to source them yourself. Sourcing and buying the materials yourself will allow you to examine price, quality, and durability. You have the opportunity to truly create a unique look that complements your overall vision if you decide to source and supply the materials yourself. This is one of the crucial tips you should consider before your next home project.
Budget
Planning a renovation project is exciting. If you’re truly serious about your renovation project, however, the budget you set aside will impact all of the other decisions being made. Creating a strict but also realistic budget requires some skill. Budgeting for home remodeling needs to include estimates for labor, materials, the scope of work, and extra set aside for potential complications.
Comparing materials is one of the best ways you can hope to keep your budget on target. It’s tempting to pick all of the high-end options when you’re choosing materials, but often this is unnecessary. As a general rule, the most important thing about a material you’re choosing is its durability. There is no point organizing a complex renovation that looks fabulous if you end up using materials that will look cheap or outdated in a couple of years.
Moreover, there are many low-cost materials that replicate the look of more expensive ones. As a homeowner who wants to achieve the perfect balance between the cost and the finished result, the more research you do about the properties of building materials, the better equipped you will be to make the most practical situation.
Related to this, visualizing your project in terms of functionality is key. A renovation project that looks good but ends up adding inconvenience to your everyday life isn’t a sensible choice. For example, you may dream about adding a room with an indoor pool, but have you factored in the yearly costs of pool maintenance? Therefore, renovation projects should create a budget with functionality in mind.
Dirt Connections
Dirt Connections is a professional construction company that boasts a proven record of exemplary customer service. We strive to provide you with the home you dream of, and will work with you to fine-tune every design detail. Your home is somewhere of great importance, as it’s the place where you go to at the end of a stressful day. It’s your refuge, and the place where you carve valuable family memories, so it’s appearance and functionality are a source of great comfort. There’s nothing better than coming home to a well laid out, relaxing space, and Dirt Connections are here to help you achieve all of your home improvement goals today.