The winter temperatures in St. Albert may make it difficult to think about the fact that spring and summer are right around the corner, but spring showers will soon replace snow and icy cold days.
In our experience, many people wait until spring to start thinking about renovations. However, we suggest this may be too late to begin the planning of a renovation, and recommend starting your planning during the winter.
Now is a great time to get started on planning, as there are many advantages to getting ahead of the game. And if you wait until spring, you may feel rushed in your decisions, and get stuck into some decisions that your budget hasn’t planned for.
Here are our tips to start thinking about and planning your renovation during the winter.
Determine Your Project Vision
Houzz and Pinterest are fantastic resources for design ideas, but they can be very overwhelming. Having more time to research and scope out what you want for your renovation is extremely beneficial. You can also take the time to virtually visit show homes or previous projects your contractor has completed to get new ideas. At Alair, we have photo and video project portfolios we can share to help you along while being COVID-compliant.
Your contractor can have various design plans drawn up, and you can really take the time to decide which layout fits you and your needs. Having more time allows you to figure out exactly what you want your design and decor so you aren’t renovating again in a year or two.
Timeline
Another important reasoning to take the time to plan out your project is to be able to schedule trades efficiently. This means there will be significantly less “waiting days” when no one will be working on your home; this can be very frustrating for homeowners. Having the time to plan and create all your selections for your design also means that you won’t be stopped half way through your project to choose a design element and then realize it is out of stock. Having everything picked out and ordered before starting a project will decrease delays in delivery and allow you to schedule around those dates. This is especially important during a pandemic when there are restrictions on how many trades can be working simultaneously on a job site. For the first time, we have to be mindful of the schedule the pandemic forces us to consider and be well prepared for.
Budget Preparation
If you want to save money on any construction project, planning early will be the most effective way to do so. By making your selections early on, you can see your budget before you even start. If you’ve made all your choices and realize you are going to have to remortgage your home, you still have the time to make changes, get what you want and not feel pressured to quickly decide on what that change will be. Many people will choose something that doesn’t match with their original design, or they may not realize there may be a similar product or colour for substantially less, but you just need the time to explore those options.
It is clear to see that taking the extra cooler months to sit down with a cup of coffee and take the time to plan and do some design research for your next project will pay off. I have seen it over and over -- when clients take the time to plan out their renovation, the project is a success. It also gives us, as the contractor, the ability to create a realistic timeline and set goals to ensure everything is completed on time (or early), and a realistic budget is created before the project has begun.
To get started planning your spring renovation or home improvement project, please get in touch, and we’d be happy to get you started.
Look us up on Instagram for project inspiration across the Capital Region.
