Whether you are building a new home or remodeling the one you are in, there are dozens of ways to get stressed out and second guess yourself about the wisdom of ever having taken on the project. Here are 5 ways to help you navigate these shark infested waters:
- Plan ahead – Don’t start anything until you have a clear plan laid out in front of you that includes every element of your project. The quickest way to stress yourself out is to rush in the beginning stages so leaving you under constant pressure to make decisions while a guy is standing there with a hammer in his hand asking how you want it done.
- Know your budget – The only way you will know your budget within a reasonable degree of accuracy is to have a complete set of plans with all of the details already decided. If you are doing a minor renovation, that could be as elementary as a simple drawing with a scope of work attached for every trade that is going to be working on your project. Part of that planning would include selecting all cabinets, finishes, fixtures etc in advance. this can be the area where the biggest time swings occur. If you do not do this, it isn’t possible to know exactly what your budget or schedule will be. Think about this for a moment. If you did not choose everything in advance and you start the project, only to find out things that you really want to include have much longer delivery lead times or prices that are significantly beyond your reach – now how’s your stress level?
- Be realistic about your timeline – if you plan ahead and know your budget, your contractor will then be able to work with you to put together a schedule that can be properly followed. Taking things slow in beginning, the project will be able to move along much faster all the way through to a successful completion.
- Get professional help – …and I don’t mean the type where you lay on a couch. That will only be necessary if you choose not to follow these suggestions. You know that you should only be using licensed, bonded and insured professionals, but it is always so tempting to go with the contractor making the most outlandish promises. As above, beware he who encourages you to start anything before every detail is planned. Make sure your contractor has a stress free system for making changes. There has never been any project, large or small that didn’t have changes during the building process so be sure that the contractor is properly prepared for stressful situations. Here’s a hint …that will only happen if your contractor uses a transparent (open book) method of working with you.
- Relax already – If you do these things, your project should proceed in the best way possible. Construction is a business of solving problems as they happen and it is rare that any project runs perfectly from beginning to end. The more advance planning you have done working with professionals, the better your chance of sleeping easily during the process.