Choosing to renovate your house is a big decision. But after making that decision, the next steps can seem daunting and confusing. You want to take the utmost care of your home, and be sure the people you trust with your home feel the same way, too.

So whether you’ve chosen to renovate your entire home or just a room, DYM Builders has a guide on how to prepare before breaking ground.

Find a Trusted Contractor

The first step to any renovation is enlisting the help of a trusted contractor. Not all contractors will give your house the same end result. You want to find the one who will take all your wants and needs into account, give you a proper timeline, and stay within your budget.

Be sure to vet contractors by reading reviews from multiple sources and checking to make sure they’re licensed in your local jurisdiction. You can also ask contractors for past client references. Think of this as a job interview, and you’re the one hiring!

A professional contractor should be able to give you a rough start date for your project. If a contractor doesn’t seem to know when they can fit you in, chances are they’re not going to be the most reliable throughout your renovation. 

Source Your Materials

Once you’ve worked through the design and planning elements of your renovation with your contractor, it’s time to source materials. Your contractor will be in charge of sourcing materials such as framing, plumbing, and electrical equipment, and will be sure to get you the best quality.

But you as the homeowner have a say in some of the other materials in your home, including flooring, paint, cabinetry, fixtures, and appliances. A trusted contractor such as DYM Builders will provide you with vendors who can source such materials. 

In the past, contractors waited to get all or most of their materials before starting a renovation. But with supply chain issues impacting the industry the last few years, there’s been more waiting periods, and more materials going out of stock.

Trusted vendors should be able to tell you what is in stock and what you’ll need to wait for. Additionally, if a material you wanted is out of stock or unable to be delivered, your contractor can help you pick an alternative. 

“Our job is to bring them as close as possible, so sometimes they don’t even care about the replacement,” said David Malka, co-owner of DYM Builders. “Or, sometimes it’s something that’s even better than what they imagined.”

Decide If You Can Stay Home

You’ll work through the timeline of your project with your contractor from day one. Your schedule will partly depend on if you can live at home during the renovation. Sometimes, full-scale renovations can be finished quicker if the homeowner isn’t present for the renovation, Malka explains. However, relocating during the renovation can be costly, especially in competitive rental markets.

Discuss your plans with both your contractor and your family. If you’re only renovating one or two rooms, you may be able to stay in your house and make adjustments to your daily routine while certain areas of the house are renovated. For example, you may be able to renovate one bathroom at a time so you always have one available. Or, you can stay in your house and make do without your kitchen while it’s renovated. 

The decision is a personal one that will depend on your situation. But be sure to take the costs of displacement into account when building your budget.

Get Funds Prepared

Your budget is a vital part of the renovation. Whether you’re financing your renovation or paying for it in cash, contractors prefer to know their clients have funds prepared from the get-go. 

Because construction is usually paid for in stages, you’ll most likely be paying your contractor before the end of your project. And your contractor has to pay their employees and subcontractors. So if you can’t pay, it causes a chain reaction of other problems. 

Remove Personal Items from Home

You’ll most likely be responsible for clearing out any personal items from the rooms that are being renovated. So if your bathroom will be renovated, you’ll have to clear out your shower, your cabinets, and drawers. 

But you should also take care to remove any personal items from the rest of your house, including anything on the walls or on shelves. Construction and renovation can be a rough process. With lots of people and equipment coming through the house, things can get jostled or misplaced. Keep them in your basement, garage, or storage area during the duration of the renovation. 

Get ready for your new home

Take a deep breath – you’re prepared to take on your renovation!