You’re finally ready to remodel, and you’re doing everything right: checking out references for your architect, making a budget, extending your timeline to account for setbacks, and being careful to avoid overspending on unnecessary upgrades. When it comes to a large-scale remodeling project, a little extra preparation goes a long way.

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Want to take your remodel preparations to the next level? Keep your construction project stress-free and within your budget with these unexpected tips.

• When interviewing potential architects or contractors, ask for a tour of a current building site. Established companies maintain a clean construction site, don’t disrupt the surrounding neighborhood, and are safely maintained, so it’s a great way to go beyond checking references and ensure a successful project. Taking a tour also gives builders and architects a way to introduce you to their building style and can help you visualize their proposals.

• Make decisions in advance. After choosing a building plan, touring a spec home and an active building site, you should have a pretty good idea about your preferred color schemes, fixtures, and appliance upgrades. Make these decisions early on to prevent delays in your project in the future, when you’ll be dealing with last-minute decisions or unexpected design changes. It’s almost a guarantee that some part of your project will need to be changed or re-evaluated, so making any possible decisions upfront will keep the project on schedule.

• Discuss worst-case scenarios with your architect and/or contractor, and make a plan for how to solve potential problems. Ideally, the weather will always cooperate, the permitting process will be efficient and painless, and the building materials will arrive on time. Unfortunately, complications are often part of the remodeling process, but experienced construction professionals should be able to anticipate common problems, and provide possible solutions. Building in a wet climate with frequent heavy storms? How will your construction team protect your property? Is your home in an area suspect to erosion or foundation sinkage? What’s the contingency plan when building an addition? Discussing worst-case scenarios allows you to plan your timeline and budget more accurately, so it’s worth it to discuss both best and worst-case outcomes.

Want to find a construction team as prepared as you are? Contact us today and we’ll help you match with a team that shares your next-level passion for high-quality design and construction.