We hope all of our readers enjoyed a fantastic holiday season, full of family, friends, and fun and we hope that your upcoming New Year celebrations are equally wonderful. If you are like us, you are already thinking about your New Year resolutions for 2012—and if you are like us, there are more than a few remodeling resolutions on your list. We know how hectic, and even intimidating, planning big projects can be so we have compiled some suggestions to help you organize your thoughts and make 2012 the best year your home has ever seen.
Divide and Conquer
Arm yourself with a notebook and a pen and start making lists of all the projects you can imagine wanting to complete in the next year; don’t leave anything off the list—you can always cross it out later.
A great way to start is by simply walking from room to room, and sub-dividing your list of projects by location. Next, after you have listed each project by room, you can further re-arrange the list by price point or project duration, or any other classification that helps you break down the list of projects to make it more manageable.
Create a Timetable
Using a 2012 calendar, divide the year into sections—halves, quarters, or thirds—and create a timetable for your list of projects. At this point you can weigh the importance of each project by estimating things like cost, project duration, home life disruption (i.e. kitchen projects are usually more disruptive than something like repainting), etc.
If you get regular yearly bonuses, scheduling your larger, more costly projects around that timetable will help you budget your income to make expensive projects more affordable and convenient. You may also want to consider your work and school vacation schedules when determining when to tackle home renovation projects. Would it be easier for your family to be home during a major renovation, like a kitchen remodel, or would it make more sense to take a short family vacation during the project? Some people prefer to avoid the disruption to their daily lives, while others want to be able to closely supervise the work.
Create a Game Plan
Sit down with a designer and discuss every project you want to tackle. A professional designer can help you create budgets and timelines that will whittle your list down even further, and help you prioritize according to your budget, lifestyle, and schedule. Our staff of professionals at Cabinets & Designs—from customer service to design to installation—is ready to make 2012 the most beautiful year your home has ever seen. Stop in and see us today!