When you think about renovating your Edmonton home, your mind may immediately conjure up images of the finished project. Maybe you think of gorgeous countertops, beautiful new flooring, gleaming fixtures, or warmly lit rooms. After all, that’s what you see when you peruse home remodeling sites (including our own houzz.com pages)! That may well be your goal, but as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote: “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” Plans are essential for reaching your renovation goals. Let’s look at evaluating your home’s floor plan—with 3 tips before you renovate.
1. Be Clear About Your Goals
What is it you really want to accomplish? The most successful home renovation projects are ones that achieve specific goals. Of course, it's not wrong to want to "freshen things up" a bit and enhance the way things look but is that enough? What about functionality? Will your renovation improve the way you live? Do you want more space in your kitchen? If so, how much and for what specific purposes?
Are you after a more open feel in your home? Would you like to create a space that allows for better flow of traffic between your kitchen, family room, and dining area? Do you want to allow more natural light into the area and create a space that's visually larger (even if you don't physically add square footage)?
Are you planning to improve your master bathroom? What bothers you about it currently? Is your current space crowded? Do you get frustrated sharing a sink? Would you prefer a larger shower that doesn’t require stepping over a tub wall?
2. Making the Most Out of Existing Space
Many Edmonton homeowners are after more comfortable living space. There’s a tendency to think that more space will be more comfortable. But often the key is to take full advantage of your existing space—rather than actually adding space. That’s particularly true in the kitchen, where the design of the space can make the room more convenient, efficient, and more comfortable. One advantage of working with a professional renovation contractor (especially a build/design contractor) is that they are good at “finding” space that you might not think about. This is where interior design (not to be confused with interior decorating) is so important in planning your renovation. Here’s a post that talks about the difference between interior decorating and interior design—and how good design allows you to get the most from your project.
3. Setting a Realistic Budget
Thinking about your renovation budget may not sound all that exciting, but it’s absolutely critical for a successful project. While at Edmonton Renovation Show in January, HGTV Canada “STAR” Bryan Baeumler stated that “80% of Canadians pay 50% more than their budget for renovation projects.” This statement brings to light what is probably the main reason that many of us Canadians believe the unrealistic budgets we see on Canadian and especially US based home Renovation shows.
With this in mind, your budget will help you set your expectations and save you from disappointment or frustration down the road. It’s important that your budget be realistic. Set it too high and you’re likely to overspend. Set it unrealistically low and your renovation may not deliver the value you want.
So how do you get an idea of where your budget should be? That depends on what kind of project you have in mind. If you're thinking about a whole home renovation, here's information about the cost of a whole house renovation in Edmonton. If you have a bathroom renovation in mind here’s a look at what that typically costs in the Edmonton area. Or if you’re planning to renovate your kitchen here's information about the cost of a kitchen renovation in Edmonton.
All three of these tips highlight the advantages of working with a design/build renovation contractor. Click here for some helpful insights into how design/build can deliver superior results when renovating your Edmonton home.
