Expert Joe Smith talks about how important bath and kitchen selections can be on the overall progress of a remodeling project.
Related Video
How important is a budget when considering a home remodel? Expert Joe Smith of Owings Home Services shares the impact of setting and keeping a budget when remodeling your kitchen and bath. Watch Kitchen & Bath Remodeling Budgets Video.
Video Transcription
Selections
On a bathroom, most companies(us included), like to have everything selected, ordered, in place, on site and then do your bathroom remodel. It’s a more efficient way to approach it. Remodeling is fraught with many potential problems. Hidden walls, the older the home probably the more potential for problems. People have done other things to the home that we are not aware of that are behind the walls.
Lead Time
Having all selections figured out and keeping your selection lead time to a minimum. So if you are looking at tile and it is a six week lead time, we get in there and there is a bad batch of tile. We can’t finish your backslpash or we can’t finish your floor because you can’t set you cabinets because of your tile. Six weeks later that can create problems. So I try to tell people to keep it between a 3 and 4 week lead time on items. On faucets try to keep with standard Kohlers and American Standard. All of those things that you can get readily available within a week or two helps things go a lot smoother.
Cost Overruns
Cost overruns are a big topic. I would say 90% of cost overruns are due to homeowners selections. They like the bling. So I inherently get someone that says, “Here is my budget – we are going to stick to my budget”. OK, we go out and look at things and they are picking their tile, “Oh I like this glass tile – Oh I like this appliance. Oh I want to do this upgraded granite with the blue pearl. I really like this floor”. So all of a sudden the allowances that were $5,000 to $10,000 are now $15,000 to $20,000. In a blink of an eye. So you have to be studious in making the right decisions in understanding your budget and maybe have a designer that can help you select and bring things together. You don’t have to spend a lot to make things look nice. You can get a $4 or $5 square foot tile with little glass accents that will look just as nice as an all glass tile – all glass wall.
