Well happy on-lookers, I am sure you came rushing to the site to find some more insight on where we are on our little remodel and some updated pictures. Well I am sorry that there are none to greet you here; however there will be some probably within 24 hours of when I am making this post.
So, as we have been working on this remodel, we have been coming across some things that surprised us or that we made note of. We would love to pass them along to help you be better prepared for your own DIY remodels.
1) On sale vs. weekly advertising:
We have been noticing something in ads and just want to point this out to those of you who are hunting for bargains: many times a place such as Menards, Lowes, HomeDepot. etc will put out flyers with advertising along with sales. If you actually take note, a large portion of the items in fact are not on sale, have special contingencies to the price, or are really not a bargain. To really know how worth it your purchase is, you need to be looking for a previous price or a percentage markdown. We found ourselves going though the isles of these stores looking for something in the flyer just to find it and find out it is not worth the hassle it put us through.
2) Budget Eaters
Item #2 on our little handy lists of remodel notables is all of those little things that you need to watch out or at lease be aware of when planning a remodel. For our remodel we tried really hard to try to plan for everything that we could possibly need for the house. Really when it comes down to it, there are many things that you find that you are either missing or have not accounted for as you work on the project. You may know that you need pipe for some plumbing, but may forget that you need to buy 3 new $5 brass fittings for it. You also may remember that you are going to be using 6 sheets of drywall, but never take into account that you will need a $7 keyhole saw or a $4 dollar box of drywall screws. It is really hard to anticipate these things, so just know when you are planning a project, that another 5-10% could be spent on items that you did not account for in your original plan.
3) Tracking and Budget
I am glad I am blogging, so I can say what I feel. However, everyone has their own methodology of tracking, planning, and budgeting. For us, we laid out a plan, and we knew that we had a certain amount that we were wanting to spend, and that we had to do everything within those means. First of all, and maybe obviously, do NOT ever plan to spend every dime of your budget. There are always things (like above) that sneak up and break the bank on the budget. it may be harder, but in the end it will be worth it. If you have 6000 to spend and you only spend 5300 after careful planning and a couple of unexpected expenses but within your plans, is that so bad? I mean who is against spending less to accomplish a good product? Lastly, track everything..... and KEEP RECEIPTS in one place (file cabinet). these two things are so helpful down the road. Not to mention if you buy too much, you can bring some things back for refunds. It allows you to see what you have spent and "how much" you have left to spend.....
Ok, off my soap box, pictures of progress will come soon!!
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