Build a Renovation Budget That Can Absorb Surprises
Begin with the work your home actually needs rather than a total borrowed from a magazine project.
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Useful advice for every stage of making a home. Explore focused guides, from the first plan to the details you live with every day.
Measure a Room Before You Start Designing
Measure each wall at floor level and again where cabinets or furniture will sit.
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Decide What to Keep Before Demolition
Walk through the room and judge each element by condition, usefulness and how well it fits the next layout.
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Create a Renovation Brief a Contractor Can Use
A useful brief describes the problem before it describes a style.
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Compare Renovation Quotes on Equal Terms
Start by checking what each quote includes rather than lining up the final totals.
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Choose Where to Spend and Where to Save
Spend first on the parts of a renovation that are difficult to reach later.
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Prepare a Home for Contractor Access
Agree which entrance contractors will use and where materials can be unloaded without blocking safe passage.
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Live at Home During a Renovation
Decide which rooms must remain usable and whether that is realistic for the planned work.
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Plan a Renovation in Manageable Phases
Divide the work into phases that can each be left safe and useful.
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Keep a Clear Record of Project Changes
Treat every change as a small decision with consequences for price, timing and adjacent work.
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Make a Finish Schedule for Every Room
A finish schedule is a room by room record of what goes where.
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