Re-envisioning your living space with a small or massive home remodeling is an involved preparation process.
Re-envisioning your living space with a small or massive home remodeling is an involved preparation process. Every organized change requires solid plans. You must not only plan for the function and esthetic of your new space,
you must plan for surprises. Hidden damages, health and safety risks, out of date electrical or plumbing, and additional materials that are required can only be discovered upon demolition and/or inspection. Preparing for surprises includes openness to changes in your new design. Flexibility applies to your final outcome as well as the costs, time frame for completion, and the sacrifices necessary to get you into your new space.
Once you have your home remodeling venture details in mind, it is time to begin taking bids. Bids are building estimates from various contractors who assess your home structure, the changes you would like to see, the labor, and equipment required in order to present you with an estimate. Out of all of the bid presentations, you are likely to not only select a company with excellent referrals/work history, but one that follows or surpasses city building code minimums, for the fairest price.
Selection of a construction company even includes workers compensation insurance. You want to always be sure that your chosen company covers their workers for possible injury on the job, whether commercial or residential. It will also be important to have it clearly outlined how many workers will be expected, at what time, until what time, how much yard space will be required, how will the work impact adjacent rooms, and last but not least, ask for a clear week by week or month by month estimate on the completion of tasks. The completion of certain aspects of the project can provide opportunities to function better in the remainder of your space until the total home remodeling project has reached due date.
Once your contractor has been selected and the contract to begin work has been signed to your satisfaction, work can begin. Any new beginning or add on requires a little or a lot of demolition. Yes, a sledgehammer, pliers, shovel, broom, dust pan, and wheel barrel are necessities, but so are several construction professionals. On the one hand, plumbers will be needed to turn off, disassemble, relocate, reassemble, and ensure the proper function of the pipelines, water, heat, air, and gas. On the other hand, your electricians are needed on hand for safety and properly attaching and running wire, placing outlets and aligning circuits for boxes in the garage, basement, or laundry, etc. The plumber and electrician work together with the rest of the construction crew, during demolition to protect the integrity of your basic structure as you begin aligning necessities for your new space.
Next the walls will be striped down beyond the insulation. At this point entire walls may be moved or eliminated from your plans. Lastly, you will bring in a city housing/building inspector to check your overall home structure to ensure the spaces that have been opened have been treated to minimum building codes. This step should be completed before your contractors are allowed to move forward with the final polish to your finished product.
