Properly prioritize your home renovations
Before calling a contractor, you should have a clear understanding of your home
Are you a little bit sick of staring at the same four walls of your house yet? We’ve spent a lot of time cooped up at home over the last year — so certain quirks about your home that you didn’t used to pay much mind are now suddenly screaming at your every time you enter the room.
After a long year spent at home, it’s easy to look around and say things such as, ‘I wish I had a nicer kitchen’ or ‘I wish my master bathroom was bigger.’ There may be a temptation to tackle these projects as soon as you’re able, but I think that’s the wrong lesson to take from the pandemic.
As you’ve gotten more acclimatized to your home, have you noticed some things here and there that just aren’t right? Instead of rushing to complete your dream renovation, it’s important to prioritize taking on those tasks that will be good for the overall health of your home.
After all, our homes have been taking care of us for the last year, and I think it’s time we return the favour. Before you call your contractor — have a clear understanding of your home, and how you can keep it standing strong.
PRIORITIZING YOUR RENOVATION LIST
Take a good long look around your home and create two lists: your need-to-do list and your want-to-do list.
The need-to-do-list should be things that are related to the health and structure of your home. If you’ve got an old roof, an aging furnace or drafty, creaky windows, they should go on your need-todo-list.
You’re also looking for any oddities around the house. Problems that don’t necessarily have an immediately obvious source like paint bubbling on a certain wall, or an unexplained water stain. You don’t need to know the issue exactly, just make note of them.
The want-to-do list should be self-explanatory. These are the dream renovations, new deck, pool, major kitchen overhaul and other jobs that you’d like to do one day.
When you look at your list — odds are there are more need-to-do-list jobs than want-to-do. That’s natural — and don’t be intimidated by a long list. When you’re in a home for the long haul, you’ll have plenty to time to tackle every job on your list (and plenty more which will crop up over the years).
START WITH STRUCTURE
OK, so you’ve got your needto-do-list, but which jobs do you tackle first? Anything that affects the structure of your home is a good start. So, if you’ve got major cracks in your foundation, a roof that’s failing, or siding that’s falling apart — you should start here. Anything that keeps the rain and sleet and moisture out of your home are important pieces that need to be kept in good shape.
If you’re not sure if those are cracks are problematic, or if the roof is still good, a home inspector or a licensed contractor can help you determine where you should focus your first projects.
For the oddities you found that gave you pause — you should first determine whether or not or the issues are caused by water intrusion or some other issue. Bubbling paint could be caused by too much humidity in the home or a leak behind the walls — but it could also have been an amateur paint job. Likewise, is that water stain due to a leak in the roof, or a dishwasher that’s on the fritz? Figure this out first and then determine what your best course of action is. Again, a licensed pro can help you find the source of the issue if you’re unsure.
Your home is an ecosystem, so as you knock things off your need-to-do-list you may find yourself affecting items on that want-to-do list as well. Getting a new roof to solve your water intrusion problems may lead to painting over those old, drab walls with bubbling paint.
As long as you properly prioritize how you spend your renovation budget, you can’t go wrong with upgrading your home. Start with taking care of the structural concerns and watch how that flows into making the upgrades of your dreams.