Doing a major home remodel can feel like a wild ride. Although everything is under control, there’s a lot of moving pieces – literally and figuratively – that can make the process feel complicated. Occasionally, homeowners will select the wrong remodeling company for their needs, and that ends up leading to unnecessary communication, mistakes, and an all-around bad experience.
In this industry, most issues don’t arise from unmet expectations, but rather undeclared expectations. When you’re making a big decisions to get an entire home remodel finished, you don’t want the result of your hard work and money to tank due to a lack of communication up front. With that said, here are ways you can declare, or set, expectations up front to make for a smooth remodeling project:
Setting Expectations with Your Remodeling Company
Settings expectations with your remodeling company is huge. They need to be completely aware of what you are expecting from a home remodeling project in order to get it right, so getting your communication practices in order is absolutely essential. Here are some recommendations on how you can set expectations with your remodeling company:
Make Detailed Plans
If you’re working with a professional remodeling company, like Stonehearth, they will have great ideas on how to make your dream home remodel designs “pop”. And they will take that liberty if you ask them to do so! But if you have a really specific remodel in mind, you need to be incredibly detailed with what you do and don’t want.
Offering design concepts is a great way to get you and your remodeler’s head in the same space. But you’ll want to be specific about design details. Are you a fan of a certain tile color, size, shape, or angle? If you’re going to be tearing down and rebuilding walls, do you know precisely how much space you’ll need? Design references are great to get on the same page, but if you’re not detailed on what you expect, a design may wander away from what you were initially going for.
Ask for a Process Walkthrough
Any professional remodeler will be adhering to some type of process when you book your remodeling project with them. Stonehearth, for example, has a Partner Plan that keeps homeowners, construction workers, and contractors informed on when their part of the process starts, potential problem areas, and their scope of work throughout the whole project. Not only are these plans helpful for timelines – they are helpful for preparing your family for living during a remodeling project.
Ask your remodeler to walk you through what areas of your house will be affected during various stages of the remodeling project. The more informed you are on when certain pieces will be worked on, the more proactive you can be about making key decisions. If you know you’ll eventually have to decide on a certain tile color and style, being informed on the remodeler’s process can clear questions around expectations regarding your involvement.
