What to Consider When Remodeling Your Exterior

Renovating your home can be challenging! Remodeling that happens on television looks extremely simple and quick, however, for beginners, remodeling can be another story. There’s a lot that stands on your decisions, budget, location, home-style, and more. The key to a successful renovation project is planning, way ahead of time. If you do your homework, you can change the way your home looks without going over budget.

This article will focus on things to consider when remodeling your home.

Know What You Want

Before you begin the process of remodeling your home, you should have a clear vision of what you want. While you may have a few things that you want to change, there are some that you might miss out on. At Lifetime Exteriors they advise following a detailed inspection before jumping in any renovation journey. Use the handy guide below to ask yourself if you’ve covered everything that needs renovation:

• Have you thought of all the repairs needed? – A lot of people miss out on leaky pipes, damaged roofs, and cracks on walls. These oversights can add up later. Consider all things that may not be functioning at optimum levels.
• Does your home need a fresh look? – If you’re planning to live in your home for long, or if you’re planning to sell, there’s one crucial thing to consider, the look of the house. Spending money on a home that looks outdated can be counterproductive. You might want to change your door or window style to make it look more modern.
• Can it become more energy-efficient? – If your home has been leaking or gaining heat, you may want to reduce your energy costs when renovating. There are a lot of exterior remodeling services for homes that can help you figure out places that can be remodeled to increase energy efficiency. Not only will that be good for the environment, but it will also increase the marketability of your home.

No matter the motive, if you are planning on renovating, it’s a good idea to have a clear vision documented before proceeding. You can even hire a home inspector who will list down all the things that your home remodeling should include. Doing this will also help you in finding a contractor that can take care of all requirements while staying within the budget.

Plan for Overheads

Overheads can be problematic as they have a tendency to mess up budgets. In an ideal scenario, you would list down all your requirements, hire someone with experience in exterior remodeling services for homes, and be done with it. However, we don’t live in an ideal world.

You may have to divide your requirements into three sections:

• Must-have renovations: This forms the primary reason for your remodeling. You may be looking to brighten up your home by adding windows, or you might want to give priority to leaks and repairs. Whatever the case, having a list of priority upgrades handy is always good.
• Can do without: These are items that you want to change or add but can skip if your budget goes overhead. These changes could be a garden renovation, installing solar panels, or anything else that you want in your home but can live without, if in case it’s beyond your budget. Maintenance and repair should not make this list, as leaving them for later can cost you more.
• The dream changes: These are changes that you’ve always dreamed of – list these down as well. You may want to add a patio, remodel your backyard, or a sauna. Whatever the case, when you list it down, you may find that adding it to your remodeling project may not cost as much. If it does, however, you can always skip it!

Knowing precisely what you want and listing it down based on priority can help you manage your budget. This will ensure that you never have to pay for unnecessary overheads, or pay for upgrades that you decided ‘at the moment.’

Set a Budget

The answer to successful remodeling lies in setting and staying on your budget. When you know what you need on priority and are clear about things you can skip, you can detail out your budget. Breakdown your budget line-by-line and consider the following:

• Utility payment
• License/permit cost
• Demolition and waste 
• Labor cost
• Consultation fee
• Cost of financing
• Miscellaneous charges

When hiring an exterior remodeling contractor, consider asking what the charges for all the above points would be. Once you have the costs in place, you can set a budget that will cover your remodeling expenses. It’s always great to have your home renovated. If you do your homework, define your requirements, and set aside a budget, you can remodel your home quickly and efficiently! It’s essential to take your time figuring out a vision for your home while considering your needs, wants, and dreams.