With March here, it may not quite be time to start planting your garden, but it’s a great time to “plant seeds” for a home remodeling project.
That’s because a successful home remodeling project doesn’t happen overnight. It requires thought, planning, and preparation. Doing your homework now means that when it’s time to actually start your project, you’ll be better prepared when the hammers and saws actually come out.
Where do you begin? It helps to prioritize your needs. A simple chart like the one you see here can help you identify your home renovation needs according to things that are “Must-haves”, “Nice-to-haves”, and “If-money-was-no-object”.
| Must Have | Nice-to-Have | If-Money-Was-No-Object |
| Kitchen redesign for more workspace and breakfast nook. |
Island in the kitchen New appliances Larger window for more light |
Granite countertops Wood flooring |
| Replace fixtures in Guest bath/powder room |
New cabinets New sink |
Fun, “artsy” sink and extra built-in storage |
| Replace worn deck on rear of house | Extend deck to allow for more seating/grill | Create “outdoor kitchen” on the deck with built-in seating. |
Prioritizing this way helps you budget for the things that really matter. But sometimes, you may find that some of the “nice-to-haves” (and even some “if-money-was-no-object” items) aren’t much more expensive because your labor is already covered.
After you’ve determined what you want/need to do, then you can start looking at ideas on sites such as houzz.com for ideas. And then you can talk to us about how to turn those ideas into reality.
March Home Maintenance Tip:
March 19 is officially the first day of spring for 2016, and that means it’s time for spring-cleaning. HGTV offers 7 Spring-Cleaning Tips that can make this yearly task a bit less of a chore.