You’ve got to find the right professionals to work with, make decisions about the design and the products you’ll use, and then rearrange your daily routine to accommodate the process of planning and construction. When the entire house is due for a remodel, our clients frequently ask, “Should I remodel my home in phases or do it all at one time?” The answer is different for each client and project scope, but the following are some things to consider when deciding what’s right for you.
The Entire Home Refreshed
One frequent comment from clients after their project has been completed is, “My new kitchen looks great, but now it makes the rest of the house look so much more dated.” If you want to avoid living with the stark contrast of new versus old areas of your home, you should plan to do it all at once.
The Age of the Home
If your home’s plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems are more than twenty years old, they will likely need to be replaced or updated in some way to meet current code requirements, regardless of how big or small the project. Because these things affect all areas of your home, updating them all at once will be easier in the long run.
Alternative Accommodations
This is an obvious one, but it is something that should be well thought out. Remodeling the whole house means you’ll want to put your furniture in storage and stay somewhere else while it’s happening. If you’ve bought a fixer-upper, do as much of the remodeling as you can before moving anything into the house.
Economies of Scale
Remodeling the entire house at once will allow your remodeler to spread out management and overhead costs over all of the spaces you are renovating, potentially saving you money. A whole-house remodel can seem like a lot to take on, but it may be right for you once you weigh all of the advantages against spreading out the projects over many months or even years.
Whatever you decide, allow plenty of time to research and plan, so you get a customized remodel that you’ll enjoy for many years to come.
BRAD LITTLE is the president of CASE DESIGN/REMODELING of Charlotte. For more information, visit CASECHARLOTTE.COM or call 704-759-3920.