Managing a large-scale renovation such as renovating an entire house is most certainly more complicated then renovating a single room or in most cases even a single level. Let’s talk about some of the most common considerations required of a large-scale renovation. The most important thing to consider is whether you are going to hire a general contractor who will look after the labour and materials and BC building code compliance issues. Or, will you hire a design/build company that will look after every aspect of the project from start to finish, including design, build, inspections, permits, BC building code compliance, material ordering, subtrade supervision, project management etc.
Scope
One thing that is often overlooked when taking on a large-scale renovation is the actual scope of the project. For example, you’re much more likely to remove a wall in a large-scale renovation and removing a wall will often require a structural engineer and a full set of plans. If part of the renovation is increasing the square footage of the living space by adding an addition or an extension you will require permits drawings and possibly approval from other overseers. When compared to a small renovation where you need to pick out tile for the floor and quartz for the countertops versus a large renovation where you’re redoing an entire home or one floor there will be many more decisions that you need to make. There will also be many more types of decisions that you need to make so you will need to dedicate a reasonable chunk of time to making these choices.
A design build company is a must. A single contractor may not have the resources or time to effectively manage your project while running his own business and managing his other clients. A design build company walks you through the entire process from beginning to end.
Accessibility
As whole house renovations tend to be more costly due to their scope and size and they tend to be something a homeowner may only do once in their lifetime, one should contemplate needs that come with aging. It is wise to consider adding a suite to your home so you have the potential of having one of your kids and their family living with you one day to help look after you. Other considerations include barrier free showers, the future ability to add an elevator or stair lift, as well as the ability to add accessibility ramps to the exterior of the home.
Logistics & Setting Reasonable Expectations for Timelines
Unlike on reality TV shows, when an entire renovation is shown in 30 to 60 minutes, and the only people you see are the host and perhaps one or two sub trades, the reality is quite different.
You don’t see the 10 to 20 people who are busily working behind the scenes completing that renovation. Most whole house renovations include multiple trades all working together to complete a project in 6 to 9 months.
When building permits, structural engineers and inspections are involved, as well as structural work, this will add more time to the project.
When renovating an entire home, the family will not be able to live there and therefore will need to make alternative living arrangements for the duration of the project. If simply one bathroom or bedroom or even a kitchen was being renovated there are ways that the family could continue to live in the home during that renovation but certainly not during an entire building renovation.
Budget
It’s very important that your design build company goes through a budgeting process with you. As the scale of the renovation can lead to a large cumulative override of cost if proper budgeting and estimating are not done. If a tradesperson underestimates the amount of material needed for one room this would increase a small renovation budget buy a small amount. However, if a tradesperson underestimates the amount of material needed for a large renovation this will increase the budget by a significant amount. Some people may decide to take a chance on a lesser known contractor for a small bathroom renovation. However, on a larger full home renovation most people will realize it’s not worth the risk of hiring an unknown contractor. They will instead choose to hire a well-established, well-respected local design build company to handle this large project.
Why You Need a Designer
This is one of the few instances wear a television home design show maybe gets it right. You absolutely need a designer to plan the colours, textures and layout of a large-scale renovation. We have imaginations and we may watch a lot of design shows, and we may even read a good amount of design magazines. However, all of that really only amounts to the tip of the iceberg of interior design options that are available to you right now in the market. Furthermore, many design shows are based in the United States the readily available design materials and accessories may be a bit different than the ones here in Canada. Trends in Canada maybe similar but often differ significantly from those in the US.
A professional design build company is experienced and skilled at designing an entire home or entire living space. The design build company will know about all of the options that are available and will have connections with all of the suppliers who distribute them. Moreover, a design build company can design every square foot of your home so that it flows and is fluid in a very united, connected way. You will be able to enter your home after a full renovation and the colours, design and textures will flow from the point of entry through the entire house from one room to the next. You certainly want your home to look unified and fluid in its design and colour palette. A design build company can do that for you and do it very well.
Project Management
Another one of the few instances where a televised home makeover show is likely realistic in comparison to a whole home renovation is the project management portion of it. On many of these programs there is a designer/contractor team who leads the renovation. These individuals work together to create a beautiful, cohesive living space for their clients. The contractor manages all of the tradesmen and sub trades. This takes a chunk of their time and energy but because this is a regular day on the job for them and they have an extensive amount of knowledge and experience in all areas of renovations, they manage this part of their job with great efficiency. Whereas, if an individual who is not experienced in the construction trade decides to be the project manager of a large-scale renovation, this will be a huge, exhausting challenge for them. When an experienced contractor looks at a set of blueprints or permits or invoices he or she knows and understands exactly what they’re looking at. The average person will need a lot of translation and quite frankly we don’t think Siri’s up to that.
A good design build company will have an excellent project management team and will make your large renovation go as smoothly as possible. They will know how to plan the timelines and build in potential delays. They will know how to solve problems that may arise and how to keep the project moving along at a good pace. Project management is often overlooked but we cannot stress enough how important this aspect is when it comes to a large-scale renovation.
Why it Makes Sense to Spend Money on Interior Design
So, you’ve watched a few design shows and you’re a Pinterest home design champion. Nobody has more home interior design pins than you do. Nobody. Naturally, you feel you’re exceptionally well suited to design the interior of your home. This may be true; however, the majority of the population does not possess the skills to design an entire home based on current trends and available materials. A design build company, on the other hand, is very qualified to not only design the interior of your home from one end to the other but to plan and build the entire renovation from start to finish. They are continually updated on current trends and materials as they work with suppliers and visit warehouses and stores when sourcing materials.
A design build company will not only know how to craft the colours and textures in your home to provide continuity and flow, but they will know where these materials are coming from and how they are made. They may know in advance of any problems with specific suppliers and materials, as well as the recycle-ability of the items. It makes a lot of sense to not only hire a very qualified design build team to design the interior of your home, but to have one company, one team in charge of the renovation from top to bottom and start to finish.<
