Four Remodeling Tips

Before You Start

No matter what you do when it comes to renovating your home or even a small remodeling project, you need to invest time into pre-planning. Here are some additional quick tips:

• Check to see if you need a permit. Structural, electrical or plumbing changes definitely require permits and inspections. Before you begin, the city department that oversees private construction must issue you a permit. The permit ensures that the remodeling plans meet their specific building codes and only qualified workers will handle the essential rewiring and refitting that might be necessary. I just signed a 2 year lease on an industrial space from my husband's company, which is moving from Los Angeles County to Orange County. Before I could get the electricity turned on, I had to get a new Business License, set up a building inspection, have the inspection completed and approved. An inspector from the city had to look over the space to make sure the owner had the facility up to code. But the same procedures occur for residential changes as well.
• Decide if you are capable of doing the work yourself or not. You need knowledge of safety issues for anything you do yourself. Watch videos, read books, attend demonstrations before you start anything you have no experience in doing. When you know the proper steps to take, it will usually end with satisfying results. But if you skip steps, like not sizing your walls before you put up wallpaper, it can lead to frustrations later when you want to remove it. Be well informed before you tackle any project, no matter how minor it may be.
• Will your project address and solve the problem you want it to. Decide if you will do the entire project at once or in stages. Sometimes it's better to do it all at once. When in doubt, go in stages. If you can't remodel right now, try changing out your paint color. Bright white rooms appear larger, and this can be a plus when trying to sell a home.
• Can you find reliable and licensed contractors. Good contractors can be life savers. Bad ones can be nightmares. Get referrals from people who have had something similar done to their home. Get referrals from your local building supply retailers. The good contractors are usually busy. Be wary of the ones who are available immediately.

Take time to read these tips because nothing is ever as it seems. The best armor is to be well informed. In any decorating project, things can and will go wrong. If you know in advance what the potential problems might be, you can guard against them.

June Quick Links

June's Decorating Tips
How to Create a Mood
How to Clean Outdoor Furniture, Part I
How to Clean Outdoor Furniture, Part II
Getting Replacement Windows
List of Other Free Tips

Barbara Jennings

Barbara Jennings is one of the foremost authorities on interior redesign, home staging and art consulting. She trains entrepreneurs from all over the world through her online tutorials and courses. Author of 9 books for the decorating and design field, she is widely respected for her expertise and affordable training programs, customer support and on-going mentoring services.

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