Project Management

How To Manage Home Renovation Projects

Social media can give the illusion that home renovation projects are a piece of cake - but managing all of the moving parts is a huge task to manage.


In the world of Instagram and Pinterest, it may seem effortless to renovate a room – or even a whole house – in a matter of a few minutes. Don’t let those videos trick you; a lot of planning, time, and money goes into making those projects look uber cool and easy.

What you don’t see is everything that happens behind the scenes of the Reel – the reality.

Many people find great success and can ease their anxieties about renovation projects by creating lists and getting their questions down on paper. But, wait … where did I…? Honey, did you move my list? I swear I put it right here. Oh no, now I have to write it down again – what if I forget something? My budget was on that list! 

Does that sound familiar? 

In this post, we're going to walk you through the process of planning your home renovation and some of the considerations you should make so that you can keep the process as organized and manageable as possible. (Of course, you know what they say about renovations - they can be a never-ending job!)

What To Consider When Planning A Home Renovation Project

When planning a renovation project, there are a few items to consider before you can even begin running numbers and calling contractors. Some of these questions may lead to more questions before you get to some final answers but having a checklist of what should be asked and what’s left unanswered will help navigate the daunting reality of beginning home renovations.

First and foremost, think about what you have coming up in your life. Are you and your partner expecting a baby? Is there a significant event like the holidays or a birthday party coming up that you want to show off your renovated space? Consider what your timeline is and if there are any hard deadlines for completion that your renovation project must meet.

Alleo.ai is the best way to help keep your projects on track from start to finish, but if your goals can’t meet your deadline right off the bat, you’ll be setting yourself up for a lot more stress in the long haul.

Now that you have your deadline think about what you can realistically handle within that deadline.

  • Do you have the mental patience to renovate your entire second floor?
  • Do you get overwhelmed thinking about more than one room at a time?
  • Does it make you feel panicky to go without a kitchen for six to eight weeks?

Again, Alleo.ai will help keep you organized and the tasks prioritized, but if you’ve overwhelmed yourself mentally from the get-go, you’re likely to have a few meltdowns along the way. Answering these big questions that Alleo.ai can’t answer for you will make the overall project more seamless and enjoyable.

How To Determine Your Budget

Now that you have prioritized your timeline and prepared yourself mentally for the commitment of living in a construction zone, you need to outline a budget.

  • What can you afford out of pocket?
  • Are you going to need to take a loan out?
  • Are there any programs in your state that will assist with some of these costs?

Almost every state has some sort of energy efficiency loan or program in place that will help with the conversion costs from oil to gas, installing new insulation and upgrading your electric panels to the most modern efficient ones available on the market. Take a few hours and do your research to see what programs fall into the plan of your project.

Remember earlier when we mentioned how some questions will lead to others? This is probably the time when things start feeling overwhelming, and you seem to have more questions than answers. Start loading them into Alleo.ai and check them off one by one.

Find Your Contractors and Service Providers

For example, if you found a program that offers a 0% loan for the installation of an upgraded heating system and you want to take advantage of that to ease the financial burden, you’ll need to consider the timing of your HVAC team removing of the old system and installing of the new system. If that old system runs off oil and the new system runs of gas, have you lined up when the gas line will be installed – or is it already existing? If you’re doing a full second-floor renovation and the energy efficiency program offers installation of new insulation, you’ll have to ensure your walls are back up before they can pump in the insulation.

Okay, so now that you have mentally prepared yourself for the undertaking of home renovations, considered upcoming life events and timelines, and you’ve decided on a budget and found some great programs that are offered in your area, and outlined which projects need to piggyback onto others … NOW you can call contractors.

Start by reaching out to friends and family for recommendations. If you’re new to an area, call your Realtor®, head to your town Facebook group, or do a Google search. You should aim to get a minimum of three quotes. This doesn’t mean you will make only three calls out to electricians, plumbers, or contractors - some may not answer, some may not show up, some may show up and say they will give you a quote, but you’ll never hear from them again.

Don’t get discouraged.

Keep your list long and call everyone. The more quotes you have, the better deal you’ll find. When meeting with the service providers, ask them if they work closely with someone else. Does your plumber know a great drywaller or contractor, and can they coordinate their schedules? Companies tend to want to keep business amongst themselves – kind of a "you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours" arrangement – in the end, you will be the winner because they’ll both be getting paid, and you’ll get a great price.

Creating Your Renovation Timeline

Some other things to consider when calling service providers are if THEY can meet YOUR timeline. If you’re expecting and they can’t ensure the project is complete before the baby is due, it won’t be worth waiting for their quote. Will they be pulling the permit, or will they have you do that? Look out for these kinds of red flags – professional, reputable contractors and services will get the permit for you and schedule the inspection. Any contractor who says you don’t need a permit may not be your best bet. If you’re not moving walls or if your project isn’t considered a major renovation, you might be able to get away without a permit, but always err on the side of caution and ask. The contractors' answers will tell you a lot about their work and professionalism.

 

Alleo.ai is the perfect solution to keep all your questions, thoughts, contractors, and miscellaneous items in one place, and perfectly in sync with all the other areas of your life. You’ll thank us later, we promise!

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