An effective remodeling job might be as involved and complicated as a major build-out, or it might be as uncomplicated as changing the drapes and carpeting.
No matter what the project, however, it will need careful planning if you are to avoid expensive delay and unnecessary expenses. Planning need not be all that difficult, depending upon the type of job you are planning to do. Simply changing the color scheme of your bedrooms may only need a short list materials and an hour spent at the local home improvement depot. Pick a color from a chart, buy the paint, the brushes or rollers, a tarp - maybe even a little paper hat to prevent accidentally changing the color of your hair. Simple tasks need simple plans, and offer little danger of running seriously over budget.
Larger remodeling jobs, such as building an addition to your house, are major projects that need professionals of many stripes, and may include architects, engineers, licensed contractors and applications to the local government for construction permits. What if you wanted to change the look of a room by changing not just the wall color, but also the furniture, flooring, lamps and drapes? You can see that as more and more elements are added to the project, more and more time and planning is necessary.
As the scope of the project increases, so do the number of decisions you have to make - it's not just picking a color anymore. Do you need a paper-hanger or a painter for the walls, or should you attempt it yourself? Will the floors be hardwood or covered in plush wall-to-wall carpeting? Which colors and textures work best? Drapes or blinds for the windows? It may still be a do-it-yourself project, or maybe even a semi-DIY, but coordination with some contractors and fabricators will certainly be necessary.
The largest remodeling jobs will need plenty of help, since they are well beyond the skills possessed by the average homeowner. Building an addition to expand your home, or raising the roof to create more living space - jobs like this demand the use of several different professionals. Quite likely you will need to employ the services of an architect or engineer; you will need to hire a licensed contractor for the construction. You will have to deal with the local government for permits and inspections. Jobs such as this can be difficult to coordinate, and worse, any mistakes will be costly and time consuming.
Frank Sarntarpia
Home Improvement
Remodeling Blog
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