Renovating a room in your house is exciting-- not to mention expensive! Most of us can’t afford to work with an interior designer to help us realize our vision, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t achieve the designer look that you’ve always wanted while getting the most bang for your buck! The key- DO YOUR HOMEWORK!
Where Should the Glamour Go?
When you begin planning for your renovation, try to envision the overall look that you are going for instead of getting stuck on every detail from the get go (there will be time for this later). What is the focal point of your space? Get to know the shape of the room. When you walk through the door, what do you see first? If you are going to splurge, this is the area where you should put the ‘glamour’ and the money. By accentuating a key element of a room (like my tiled wall), you define the design of your space while making it easier to accent your look without draining your budget with expensive fixtures that you may not even notice.
Start a Style Guide to Help You Make Decisions
Now that you know where your Glamour should go, it’s time for your first scouting adventure. This is the most exciting and most overwhelming part of the process, and it will have to happen more than once. Hit every design center, showroom, plumbing store, flooring studio and lighting shop, and see what’s out there -- in your price range.. Collect samples or pictures of things you like. This will help you narrow down your ideas when you get home and allow you to do further research online once you have an in-the-flesh sense of quality, size, price, and color. Organize the photos that inspire you & prepare a research scrapbook or picture file on your computer of all the different decor elements that you like and their costs.
What’s Your Budget?
How much money do you have to spend? A good rule of thumb: If you budget $3,000 for hard costs, then budget another $3,000 for labor. Doubling your hard costs generally covers your labor costs. It is also a good idea to add a 10% contingency when determining your bottom line budget. You want to leave some leeway (that you don't tell your contractor about) for yourself to change your mind on a detail or two once demolition reveals any unforeseen surprises.
Communicate & Put it in Writing
Once you’ve hired your contractor, he or she will provide you with a written estimate/contract that you both will sign. Before signing the agreement, ask questions and go over every detail of what the process will entail and what exactly is included in the bid. EVERY DETAIL MUST BE WRITTEN INTO THE CONTRACT or you could be charged extra at the end of the job.
In the end, my renovation was on budget and the bathroom came out just the way I envisioned it!
For a full version of the article, and more Fab & Fru strategies for saving on a home renovation, check out Fab & Fru.
What tricks do you know to help stay on budget while renovating?
