The 5 Stages of a Successful Renovation

If you’re not in the design or construction industries, you might be confused by this title. 5 stages of renovation? Well you’re not alone if you thought that a renovation consisted of a beginning, a middle, an end and nothing more. Most of my clients don’t know this either until I spend the time and break it down for them. There are 5 stages of a renovation and they flow from one to the next but only when each one is completed thoroughly. Any change or deviation can cause delays or even work disruptions. So let’s get into it and I’ll give you a complete breakdown of these stages.

LET’S BREAK DOWN THE 5 STAGES OF A RENOVATION

STAGE 1 – THE PLANNING STAGE

From the design perspective this is probably the most important stage. During this time we brainstorm what’s possible and what your dreams and goals are. Your primary team is called in at this stage. A renovation is always more successful when you’ve gathered the designer, the general contractor and the trades at this early stage. This is where you’ll get the most teamwork because everyone has a chance to collaborate. Need more help understanding how to plan for a renovation? Read this post.

During this period we not only look at the footprint of the space but we start to dream up the way the space will function. It may take a while if there are revisions being made but it’ll be worth it to take your time. Since so many decisions later are dependent on this phase, take the time and get your budget and plans perfected before you move on.

floor plans with tape measure

STAGE 2 - DEMOLITION STAGE

It’s going to get dirty at this point! This is where the general contractor manages the trades and your old space is removed. More than likely, you’re going to end up with a not-so-attractive dumpster living at the front of your home for a while. 

If walls are coming down you’ll also likely be removing wiring. Depending on the scope of the project you may be removing flooring, cabinetry, windows and even doors. This is exciting for most homeowners because it signals the beginning of the real work. It’s also exhausting if you’re planning to live in your home during this phase. You need to be prepared for major disruptions, early morning visits from trades and a makeshift arrangement for any of the rooms that are being demolished. 

It can quickly become a stressful situation so prepare yourself as best you can for what this will look and feel like.

woman inspecting demolition

STAGE 3 - CONSTRUCTION STAGE 

Once you’ve survived the demolition phase it’s time to get the bones of the project into place. This is the “rough in” stage and these are the elements that are contained under the floors and behind the walls. All of your HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems are installed now and you’ll likely see an inspector coming by during this period as well. 

If you’re hesitant about anything you’ve previously committed to this is the time to bring it up and resolve it. Once everything is installed and approved it will be very costly and very messy to change things. Even a small change like where your shower head is installed needs to be finalized at this time. Changes like that, although it seems insignificant, will cause a ripple effect of setbacks and delays.

man with saw cutting wood

STAGE 4 - FINISHING STAGE 

In my experience as a designer, I’d say this is where homeowners start to get past the fatigue of the renovation and actually start to enjoy it again. Now the new space is starting to materialize and it’s possible to imagine the end result.

At this point everything new is installed. Floors, cabinetry, countertops, millwork, light fixtures and on and on. Your house will be buzzing with activity during this phase because you can have multiple trades working at the same time. Cabinets can be installed in the kitchen while flooring is installed in the bedrooms for example. 

Your designer will be present during this stage to ensure that all of the installations go according to plan. Everything needs to be examined, from the countertop profile to confirming that the materials arriving on site are correct. 

Every day during this phase you’ll see something new and your updated home will start to slowly unfold before your eyes. You’re still a way from the finish line but there’s hope now.

white kitchen with black island and pendant lights

STAGE 5 - CLEANUP AND WRAP UP STAGE

At this point, most of the major work has been completed. There will be some trim and finish work but most of the trades will have finished up. During this phase you could possibly even start using some of the spaces. It’s possible to stop making those daily Starbucks trips and start brewing your own coffee at home. 

Your space should be working as intended and you’re close to the finish line.

The last part of this phase is the punch list meeting. This is where the homeowners, the designer and the general contractor meet at the space to discuss what needs to be completed and/or remedied. It’s essentially a list of things that may have been overlooked or in need of some attention. This meeting typically takes place a week or two before completion and that gives everyone a chance to get the final pieces in place.

After that you have yourself a brand new space. You may be vacuuming and sweeping thin layers of dust for a while but you have a beautiful, completed home.

dusting mirror

Did you find this breakdown helpful? Was there anything about it that surprised you? If you want to discuss how I can help you with your upcoming renovation, reach out below and book a free consultation with me. I’d love to help you create the home you’re dreaming of.

And be sure to download a copy of my free Renovation Planner. This will help you take the stress out of your upcoming project.

"Do I need an Interior Designer?"

The short answer is yes. The long answer is to follow. With the internet and home inspiration websites like Pinterest and Houzz, more and more homeowners are attempting to tackle their renovation or new-build on their own. What they don't often realize is how much an Interior Designer does before those beautiful photos are produced. Before anything is built, we are space planning, examining human factors, researching building and fire code and city bylaw requirements, creating your budget and schedule and ensuring all aspects of your project are feasible and depending on the scope of work preparing your building permit drawings. I cannot tell you how many times I have been given a Pinterest photo and asked to "design" it. Firstly, this is not design, this is replicating someone else's design. Secondly, if a client wants an identical reproduction of an inspo image, they do not need a designer, they just need someone to build it for them. Designers are highly creative people, we want to produce a design that is uniquely you so your home stands out.

What is Interior Design?

Many people use the terms “interior design” and “interior decorating” interchangeably, but these professions differ in critical ways.

Interior design is the art and science of understanding people’s behavior to create functional spaces within a building. Decoration is the furnishing or adorning of a space with fashionable or beautiful things. In short, interior designers may decorate, but decorators do not design.

Interior designers apply creative and technical solutions within a structure that are functional, attractive and beneficial to the occupants’ quality of life and culture. Designs respond to and coordinate with the building shell and acknowledge the physical location and social context of the project. Designs must adhere to code and regulatory requirements and encourage the principles of environmental sustainability.

Interior Design is defined by CIDQ as "a distinct profession with specialized knowledge applied to the planning and design of interior environments that promote health, safety, and welfare while supporting and enhancing the human experience. Founded upon design and human behavior theories and research, interior designers apply evidence-based methodologies to identify, analyze, and synthesize information in generating holistic, technical, creative, and contextually-appropriate design solutions. Interior designers contribute to the interior environment with knowledge and skills about space planning; interior building materials and finishes; casework, furniture, furnishings, and equipment; lighting; acoustics; wayfinding; ergonomics and anthropometrics; and human environmental behavior. Interior designers analyze, plan, design, document, and manage interior non-structural/non-seismic construction and alteration projects in compliance with applicable building design and construction, fire, life-safety, and energy codes, standards, regulations, and guidelines for the purpose of obtaining a building permit, as allowed by law. "

Budgets and documentation

Every homeowner wants to know how much their project is going to cost. Without a full design package, it's nearly impossible to put a number on it. The only way to get a firm grasp on your budget and project cost is to have it designed, and sent out for pricing to all trades and suppliers required by the project. You can learn more job costing HERE.

Drawings and specification packages are one of the most important part of a designers job. It communicates the design intent and all of it's details to the contractor, suppliers and trades people. Without them, there is no way for them to know what to build or what things are going to cost. So many details are captured in our drawings such as tile pattern, grout thickness, flooring direction, cabinet door style material and finish, shower valve height, outlet/switches locations & types, cabinet hardware placement, light fixture placement, flooring transitions, cabinetry door and drawer sizes, door swing...the list is endless.

An interior designer should be able to produce the following drawings & documentation:

Interior design is becoming more of a requirement in construction, rather than a luxury; no different than a plumber or electrician. Someone needs to make all of the decisions required, and your builder is not going to do it for you! Designers ultimately save you time, money and costly mistakes and delays on your project.

Still have questions? Please reach out, we are always happy to chat anything design!

"How much will my renovation cost?"

This is a great question, and one that we hear daily. The answer to that question: not that simple, but let us explain. As an interior designer and contractor, we are professionals and are well equipped to provide our expertise and general "ballpark" costs for all aspects of a project, but we are not mind readers and these are guidelines only based on previous projects and industry knowledge. Until you have gone through the full design process, the budget is a constant moving target.

There are SO many variables that go into a renovation and a construction budget, and they range drastically in cost. A faucet can range from $300-$3,000 (and up believe it or not!), custom kitchen cabinetry $15,000-$150,000 (or more depending on materials - wood vs. MDF, stain, paint or vinyl wrapped, interior fittings, drawers vs. doors, customization, square footage), even electrical outlets factor into costs ie. standard white Decora outlets LeGrande pop-out outlets. These are just a few examples of how a complete design determines your renovation cost.

Designed by: Stephanie Hilton Design // Built by: Westerncraft Contracting // Photography: Snowchimp Creative

I love analogies. I use this one when it comes to construction and when asked what a "typical" renovation will cost:

Let's say you are car shopping, but you don't know what make or model you want (Honda or Mercedes), or what options you like (A/C/ GPS, heated seats, remote start), interest rates or financing options haven't been discussed, but you want to know what a car is going to cost. It's impossible! A renovation is no different. You must go through the design process to define all of the materials, fixtures, equipment, furniture, and trades people required for your specific project.

First of all, there is no such thing as a typical renovation. Secondly and most importantly, it's important to understand all of the pieces that make up a renovation.

"What factors will determine my budget?"

"How are renovations budgeted and priced? "

Another great question. There are a few common types of construction budgets and contracts we will dive into next. Reno's are always full of surprises that cannot be predicted. Once we get into demo, we may discover you have outdated electrical that needs to be upgraded to current code, that there are structural deficiencies behind your drywall which needs to be addressed, or your plumbing is Polybutylene (commonly known as Poly-B) and needs to be upgraded to PVC or PEX.

COST PLUS CONTRACT

Cost plus is the most common type of budget and contract in residential construction. Simply put, it is the cost to your contractor for materials, fixtures, and sub-trades plus a percentage (management fee) to mange the project, which is typically between 15-40%. Contractor or PM time on site is also billed on an hourly basis. Usually, a design is required so that all of the materials and trades can be accurately priced by suppliers and required trades, and accounted for in the budget. It is ideal to have a complete design package so that nothing is overlooked in your budget and you are provided with a detailed cost breakdown of your renovation. This also provides the opportunity to scale back on certain design elements if it exceeds your budget, or revisit your budget to allow for the proposed design. A good interior designer will help you create a working budget, or if a budget has already been established by your builder, we request the budget from them so that we can design accordingly and within your anticipated budget.

ALLOWANCE BASED BUDGET

An allowance based budget is typically used when there has been no design and no pricing, so you are given allowances for each area of your project from fixtures & finishes, to framing and painting.

Whether you stay within those allowances, or exceed them, is ultimately up to you, similar to a cost plus contract. You use your budget the way you would like to, and the costs are billed to you.

For example, you are given a $15,000 flooring allowance, which would give you a nice luxury vinyl plank, but you decide you MUST have white oak engineered hardwood floors that come in at $25,000, your budget would have an overage of $10,000, but you might offset that by changing your plumbing and lighting fixtures to chrome instead of matte black which is a more costly finish, thus reducing your overall budget.

FIXED FEE

A fixed fee contract appeals to many homeowners because they feel comfortable owing they are getting "X" for "X" amount of dollars. There are a few things to consider before signing a fixed fee contract.

  1. The scope must be very clearly defined. Anything outside of your scope of work will be billable and not included in your fixed fee contract. For example, you have beenquoted for $5 subway tile, but decide to change it to marble, this is not going to be the same cost to you, you will be charged for the difference. Or, your stud's are rotted behind your shower and needs to be re-framed, you will be charged for that. Fixed fee does not mean unlimited!

2. A "buffer" is always added when working on a fixed fee to cover the contractor for any unexpected or missed items on the scope of work. But, if their cost comes in lower than your quoted amount, they will still charge you the fixed amount, so it may end up costing you more than a cost plus agreement. On the flip side, if you were given a price of $7500 for painting, but the painter that quoted the job is no longer available and a different more expensive painter has to be used and costs more, the contractor will have to eat that cost. Typically, 10-25% will be added to the anticipated costs, regardless of the actual cost. This is to ensure the contractor does not lose money

The bottom-line is, whatever type of construction contract you get into, make sure you know the differences and find room in your budget to hire a designer. We don't say this because we are designers, we are also project managers and wear both hats here, and know the importance of good design and preparing a proper budget. Hiring an Interior Designer may seem like an extravagant expense, however it is not. Interior designers save you valuable time, money and costly delays.