6 Things to Keep in Mind When Renovating Your Cleveland Home
So, you’ve decided that you’re ready to take on a new renovation project and you’re looking for a Cleveland home improvement company to help you out. Fairview Home Improvement is ready to assist with a range of projects, from storm and entry door installation for Cleveland homes to patio enclosures, patio covers, replacement windows, roofing, vinyl siding and more.
Homeowners have a lot to consider before embarking on a renovation project, and our expert staff has seen it all. Here are the top six concerns that we’d recommend addressing prior to scheduling any work. Once you’ve spent some time pondering these, and you’ve decided that you’re ready to move forward, contact us to get started!
Why It Matters
Once you decide to make a big change in your living space, you can get a rush of excitement, dreaming of all the newness to come. But in the initial planning stages, it can be easy to lose track of some key factors that will make the project a smoother experience in the end. This article is by no means meant to discourage renovation–on the contrary, we love to help our clients enjoy and get more use out of their properties through thoughtful updates. We just want things to go perfectly for you.
What To Keep In Mind
Here are our top six things to keep in mind when renovating your Cleveland home
1. Start With A Realistic Budget
This is the least enjoyable but most important aspect of any home renovation project, so let’s discuss it first. A realistic budget doesn’t mean stretching your available assets to the brink, it means leaving a 10-15% buffer (or more), above the estimated cost, in case there are unforeseen repair needs or material cost hikes. If you don’t end up spending that extra bit, that’s a plus for you, but without it available, you can risk your financial wellbeing if worst case becomes reality. Plan for and prioritize "must-haves" vs. "nice-to-haves" when making design decisions. Clear definitions of your goals will help you to stick to your game.
Related to your budget is choosing materials that effectively balance cost with quality and longevity–you don’t want to have to invest in replacements sooner than necessary. Classic, quality materials also have a broader appeal if you are planning to sell in the future. So be intentional about where you plan to allocate your funds, and focus on areas where you can enjoy the most return on your investment.
Another key factor is understanding which permits you may need in order to tackle a project and factor these into your budget, then be sure to obtain them. Fees and fines can end up being far costlier than the permit itself in some cases. When you work with a Cleveland home improvement specialist, like the team at Fairview, you can rest assured that your budget will be respected and will guide our decisions too. Like them or not, budgets are good, as they provide parameters and help projects to move along more smoothly.
2. Have A Clear Vision
Clarity in your design plan will help to guide decisions and make for a smoother process overall. This step begins with knowing your goals and keeping them front and center at every stage of the project. How do you want your finished space to look, feel, function and flow? Think long and hard about the pain points you deal with everyday and strive to include solutions to those issues in your redesigned space.
If the layout is clunky and not intuitive, now, during the planning stage, is the time to change that. This is more than just updating appearances–it’s about making your living spaces more enjoyable to be in and more conducive to the way you use them. So, for instance, if you love being outdoors but hate being exposed to the elements, a patio cover or patio enclosure could be an ideal addition to your home, along with new patio doors that open to your extended living spaces. If your home needs more natural light, replacement windows that include feature windows like bay windows and bow windows could be just the thing. Find ways to enhance what you have while increasing the potential for use and enjoyment.
3. Plan For Key Changes
After you decide that you’re going to go ahead with a renovation, the excitement can quickly cloud your vision and lead you to focus on your wants, dreams and ideals. Practicality and need-to-haves aren’t always the most thrilling parts of a renovation project, but they’re typically what you’ll be most grateful for in the long run. The most important areas are the ones you should focus on first. This is especially important when working within a strict budget.
If you just bought a home, then maybe opting for a new roof or replacement windows and entry doors right off the bat might be a good idea. These are practical, functional upgrades that you won’t need to change for many years to come, but will immediately improve your use of the space and the safety and security of your home. If your family loves spending time outside, whether just hanging out or entertaining, then improving patio spaces with patio covers and new patio doors might take precedence. Once the most-used and most important areas are finished, then it’s time to turn your attention to the rest of your home.
4. Have a Realistic Timeline
Getting ahead of yourself–and your contractors–can only lead to disappointment and frustration. Keeping a realistic outlook about potential disruptions to daily life and routines will help you to focus on the end goal and not the upheaval that can happen in the meantime. Remodeling can take longer than you may originally think it will, due to unforeseen complications or repairs you didn’t know you needed until workers opened up the spaces being renovated. For instance, you’re getting your roof replaced and workers discover some mold, insect, or rodent issues that you weren’t aware of. Clearly, remediation comes before renovation. There are some things that even a preliminary inspection won’t make clear.
5. Hire a Professional Contractor
There are countless folks out there who may know a thing or two about home renovation but who are not licensed, properly insured professionals. They will likely offer you a lower rate, but there will be a negative trade off for that down the road–we’ve all been there. Instead of regretting an important renovation for years to come, work with a trusted professional from the beginning for the best, most reliable outcome.
When you’re looking for a professional contractor, even among the licensed crowd, you may still need to be selective. Do they respect your realistic budget, or do they push you to go further? If they can’t do the work for that cost, can they sit down and show you why? Do they listen to your requests and preferences, or do they insert their own opinions? Can they give you a clear timeline, or are they vague about when they’ll finish the work? While hard skills and experience-driven talent are must-haves in any contractor, so are the soft skills, like effective communication, and being responsive and generally agreeable to deal with. These skills can set the tone for the whole project and could influence whether you really get the results you’re looking (and paying) for. A contractor worth their salt will make every other one of your key considerations easier to stick to.
And whatever you do, don’t attempt to DIY projects unless you have the needed skills, tools and equipment. You can end up wasting valuable time and money in an effort to achieve a professional finish, especially if you end up having to call a pro to make it right in the end. Professional installations by certified teams are also often required to uphold manufacturer warranties. Should something go wrong, you’ll have those promises to fall back on.
6. Prioritize Energy Efficiency
Last but not least, upgrades to your home are key opportunities to make things better than they were–that’s the whole point! But we’re talking about more than just aesthetics and quality upgrades. This is also the perfect time to take advantage of newer features that can offer increased energy efficiency, which means savings on future utility bills and giving a little something back to the planet. Thankfully, ENERGY STAR® qualified replacement windows are now the norm, along with entry doors and storm doors that insulate, vinyl siding that can prevent drafts, and roofing that can cut down on solar heat absorption. Besides helping your immediate energy costs, many energy-efficient upgrades may even be eligible for rebates or tax credits. It pays to care about energy efficiency when renovating your home.
Update Your Home With Our Cleveland Home Improvement Services
Whatever projects you’re planning to tackle, from entry door installation to replacement windows and vinyl siding or if you want to install a patio enclosure on your Cleveland home, all of these renovations are better done with an expert by your side. At Fairview Home Improvement, our team of professionals are fully licensed and insured. Our business is BBB-accredited and we’ve been leaders in providing Cleveland home improvement services since 1948. We’ve only got this far with a focus on customer satisfaction that comes from reliable, trustworthy workmanship and the effort that it takes to build customer relationships. Seventy-eight years later and we aren’t going anywhere. Check out what our customers have to say about our work and then contact us today to learn how we can help you fall back in love with your home and property!