Home Projects

With the new year fast approaching it is time to start making your list of resolutions. Many of you will have getting your home projects on there. Maybe tackling the big projects. For us it will be finding contractors to deal with updating the bathrooms. It is something that needs to be done and something I have put off for as long as I could.

One of the biggest reasons is that I didn’t know what I wanted them to look like once updated. I know sort of what I want but there are so many other more important things I need to make sure I have done before I get started.

Permits

I have to check with my county and find out if there are any permits that I need. I am planning on some construction but I don’t know if I need to have a permit for that or not. I have scheduled a time for me to go to the county office and found out what I need or don’t need.

Research

Researching any contractor I may hire is so important. I want to talk with past clients if possible so I can assess their performance better. If they can do what I want, within the budget I set, and more. We have an acquaintance who does some construction work but if anyone asked me I would never hire him to do any work at my home. He shows up whenever he wants, expects to be paid daily, and so many other things.

Insurance

Another thing to do is make sure that the contractor I hire takes the time to buy performance bonds. They guarantee that the contractor will complete the job based on the contract. This is the best way to protect myself and my money. If the contractor doesn’t complete the job I can file a claim.

Budget

Finally, I need to set a budget. I took some time to research the items I want so I have a range of costs. I need to figure out the costs of labor and work. I am planning on speaking with a couple of different contractors to get the best price. I want to make sure they can stay within the budget I set. It is not a huge one but one that I think can be managed. The shower nor bathtub in any of the bathrooms need to be replaced. Those are the biggest costs. I would like to update the floors, the vanities, the walls, and put in new toilets.

I am also planning on taking out the medicine cabinets since they are never used. I will put up just mirrors. The bathrooms are just the beginning of a whole house redo at some point. That is if I don’t decide we are moving. Having the research and budget done will allow me to (fingers crossed) have everything go smoothly. I know there may be some unforeseen bumps that come up. I am allowing a little bit more in my budget for such things.