Buying a Fixer Upper - 10 tips before starting a renovation

When we were searching for a house, 5 years ago in 2010, we saw some houses that were already up to date with recent renovations.  While the style was OK, buying a house that was already done was not at all a sigh of relief for me but major disappointment.  The majority of the people I know would shudder at the thought of a renovation but not me.  I get really excited!  I love the ability to put my own touch on my house while making it functionally optimal for my family at the same time.  While the last 4 years of our lives would be totally different had we bought one of those houses, we ended up buying a house in a fantastic school district, nice sized, on a cul-de-sac (which I didn't even appreciate until I had it), right next to a extremely beautiful park, less than a mile from tons of shopping, and totally outdated with great bones!  Exactly what I wanted.

When we bought the house, I thought that we would eventually get to renovating since we had to get used to our new mortgage payment and my employer went bankrupt (yikes!) but the kitchen was worse off than I thought.  The stove was an electric stove right next to the counter stools which felt so unsafe with a 2 and 4 year old.  I also hated the peninsula and missed the island in my old place.  I had to walk those 10 extra steps to get from the kitchen table to the sink and it drove me nuts.  Finally the cabinets were actually falling off from their hinges again unsafe for my kiddos so it had to take a bit higher priority.

Once I secured my new job, we were ready to roll.  Having enjoyed decorating since I was a kid, a few minor renovations under my belt and being a research focus individual,  I thought I had enough experience to know what I was doing but man was I wrong!  It was the first MAJOR renovation I was about to take on, and in retrospect I realize I had made some major mistakes.  Since retrospect is 20/20 and I have been continuously renovating for the last 4 years, here are some tips for you to consider before you get started on your own renovation project.

1)  Define your scope of work (what are you looking to get done).  Really look at the space you are working with and the space around it, what is going to be effected by your reno.  For example, if you are redoing the floor, what other rooms have the same flooring that should be considered.  Should any walls be taken down instead of considering that room later.  The more you know about what needs to be done, the less chance your budget has of taking a nose dive.

2)  Search the internet to determine your design style and what you like..  www.houzz.com is an excellent resource and will help you determine which style you like.  www.hgtv.com also has a lot of pictures in their photo library.  If design is really not your thing, find a picture that you love, and copy it as much as you can.  You know you love it all together so if you change something and you aren't confident, you might not like how it fits in.

3)  Determine what type of contractor you want.  If you want something turn key, a general contractor with a designer on staff is the easiest bet but can be pricey.  If you want to save money, consider a labor only quote.  This can be difficult because the responsibility to find and order the correct materials and have the materials on time is now in your hands but if you do it right, you can save tens of thousands of dollars.

4) Only contact service providers with mostly positive reviews and at least 10 reviews on a reputable site like www.homeadvisor.com or www.angieslist.com.  Take the time to read the reviews.  I can't stress this point enough.  They don't have to be perfect, if you actually read some negative reviews, you can tell that the issue has more to do with the client sometimes than with the contractor.  I've discovered that doing your due diligence, calling references, checking out completed work, can still not give you an accurate picture so unless someone you know vouches for them, don't bother, its not worth it.  If the provider relies on that site to get business which you can tell by their reviews, you know that won't screw you over. 

5) Don't let a service provider talk you out of what you want.  I've had this happen a couple times.  Especially silly when they aren't designers but contractors.  If you know what is going to make you happy, stick to it. 

6) Make sure you have atleast 3 quotes.  If you hire the first one that comes along, you have no point of reference if you they are way over price.  Since you know you only have qualified providers from tip 4, pick your provider by who is the easiest to get along with.  Don't go with the lowest straight away, I have also learned that when you go with the lower bid, since their margins are lower they will nickel and dime you so it is possible your budget will get blown away with unexpected costs.

7) Have a solid contract.  Some contractors will want to skip the paperwork which leaves room for a lot of miscommunication.  Make sure the payment schedule is included so there is no debate.  Also keep in mind that even though you have a contract, if they don't follow through (for example with a warranty), there is little you can do about it unless you are working with a big firm.  Again why tip #4 is important. 

8)  Be prepared for delays and no shows.  Even some of my best contractors didn't show up when they were supposed to, not show up at all, or disappear for 4 hours to "buy screws".  It is going to happen, just be prepared for it.

9) If you don't like how something is turning out, speak up.  No one benefits from the contractor having to redo work so the earlier you catch a problem, the easier it is to fix it.

10)  Custom is not always better.  Just because something is taylor made to fit your space, the quality is of the material is much more important.