Home Renovation Process Question

[Speed_69]

My parents are looking to do a complete renovation to their home but they're not exactly where they should start. They'll be doing extensive work mostly in the kitchen and washrooms. The bedrooms, hallways and living room wil most likely be kept the same except for new doors, paint, carpet and baseboards/trims.

So they're not exactly sure what they should start off with. I was thinking change all the kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities and tub first and then change the flooring to the ceramic tile they're wanting. And then after that install new windows and blinds, paint the entire house, install window/door trims, install new doors and closets, install new carpet and stair railings and then finally the baseboards. I'm completely clueless here though and that's just my thoughts.

Can anybody give me some insight on this?

[blueToy]

Are they attempting to do this on their own ?

If not , their first order of business is to find a credible contractor . Check references . Check finances . Triple check references , and if possible , go look at some of their previous work and talk to their customers .

[Speed_69]

Originally posted by blueToy
Are they attempting to do this on their own ?

If not , their first order of business is to find a credible contractor . Check references . Check finances . Triple check references , and if possible , go look at some of their previous work and talk to their customers .

Some of it will be done on their on, a lot of it will be left to contractors. The things I think they'll be doing on their own is painting, trims, baseboards, installing doors and closets. They will not be doing everything at once as they still live in the house so need to know what should be done first.

[blueToy]

Originally posted by Speed_69


Some of it will be done on their on, a lot of it will be left to contractors. The things I think they'll be doing on their own is painting, trims, baseboards, installing doors and closets. They will not be doing everything at once as they still live in the house so need to know what should be done first.


For the amount they will be doing , which is not really much , the first thing they should do is to find a decent contractor . Get tons of references that you can call . Ask if they have photos of past jobs . Make sure they are insured and bonded , and make sure they get the proper permits ( a decent contractor will ) .
The contractor will also probably have a plan about what they want to do . They know how to schedual things . They know what needs to be done , and they can also give advice for the things your parents want to do themselves , although honestly , in the end it will probably be cheaper and less stressful for them to do everything rather then your folks get involved .

Also , it would be my advice for the parents to move into some short term place while the reno is going on . This will clear the areas of a few things , and it wouldn't be as stressful as living in the middle of a war zone .

The thing a lot of people don't realize before the hammers start swinging is that home renovations can be one of the most stress filled situation most couples can go thru . If it's a older home , lots of very coustly surprises can creep up . You never know when and where mold can be hiding , yet it can be a costly added expence . Wall can be hiding all kinds of electrical nightmares , and to do things right you may need to remove and replace way more then you think , all the way to the box itself .

One more thing to rememeber . I know of a couple who only wanted two bathrooms redone . They were very happy with the contractor and decided to add a few things to the list . Kitchen , basement , painting , etc . etc . Although they were very happy in the end , it cost them way more ( heaps more!!! ) then if they had just told the contractor everything they wanted and to get a quote for it . The contractor made more money , but wasn't all to happy . He had to push ahead all the other work he had planned , and he felt bad for the customer because sometimes he had to redo his own work because of these add ons .

Sooooo .... find a good contrator , get quotes and good luck .

[will_e_chill]

I just finished a major reno of my houses this past summer.

I was probably 20% over budget and it took 5 months instead of the planned 4 months.

I would suggest that your parents do a ton of research and planning.

They should probably find another place to live also so that it is easier on their relationship.

It will also make the renos go quicker cuz they can tear everything up at once.

I spent 2-3 months on sourcing materials and interviewing contractors.

If they want to do it themselves, they should finalize their plans and the design of the renos, pick out all their materials, and decide on what they want to do themselves and what they want to contract out before doing anything.

Send me a pm if you want some recommendations.

Renovating is a process but very rewarding after you're done.

Good luck.

[Antonito]

Originally posted by Speed_69
My parents are looking to do a complete renovation to their home but they're not exactly where they should start. They'll be doing extensive work mostly in the kitchen and washrooms. The bedrooms, hallways and living room wil most likely be kept the same except for new doors, paint, carpet and baseboards/trims.

So they're not exactly sure what they should start off with. I was thinking change all the kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities and tub first and then change the flooring to the ceramic tile they're wanting. And then after that install new windows and blinds, paint the entire house, install window/door trims, install new doors and closets, install new carpet and stair railings and then finally the baseboards. I'm completely clueless here though and that's just my thoughts.

Can anybody give me some insight on this?

First off I would do some investigation for yourself to know what's up. If possible, remove a cabinet and a section of tile that exists to see if everything is rotting or the usual shit found in crappy homes. If things look bad, go cry yourself to sleep and either ignore everything or prepare to pay a shitload of money. If things look normal, proceed to find yourself a good bathroom/kitchen specialist. There are lot of small companies (sometimes only 1 person companies) that can give you a full on bathroom/kitchen reno without charging as much overhead as a general contractor.

For the carpets and handrails, those too can be found rather easily through direct hiring of specialized trades.

However if you are planning on doing electrical work, some landscaping, etc, etc, etc, then yeah, hire a general contractor.

As for moving out, it shouldn't be necessary for so little work, although it would save some headaches.

And like Bluetoy said, for the love of god, if you want to do more, decide before you start. Nothing will cost you more money than changing plans half-way through.

[InRich]

try calling these guys. their awesome. make sure your parents talk to Tyler

www.rebornkitchens.com
(403) 466-7366
I found they were a much cheaper alternative.