Take Remodeling Projects One Day At A Time

A remodeling or redecorating project is definitely cause for celebration and you have every right to get excited about it! After all, it isn’t every year that we can splurge and indulge ourselves in a much-needed make-over. Kitchen remodeling projects alone can run into the tens of thousands of dollars by the time you include niceties like flooring, cabinets, and new appliances to make the space look all shiny and new! And though we have saved and sacrificed for years to be able to go out and buy the furnishings and materials we want most-patience is an absolute must during any remodeling project!

No matter which room you are redecorating or giving a makeover, it is in your best interest to take your time when buying supplies, furniture, or selecting contractors. In fact, the first order of business is to decide upon your maximum budget for the project. Now, the key is to only spend 80% of that dollar amount to buy everything you wanted in the project. That way, any unexpected surprises will be covered by your budget and you won’t be caught in a cash crunch if a contractor happens upon an unknown termite colony or something. The last thing you want to do is end up delaying a project because of funding problems so don’t try and blow the whole budget up front-the unexpected will happen when you can afford it least.

In most cases, we simply cannot get everything we wanted in the first big push anyway. Oftentimes, overages and unforeseen events dry up the funds quicker than we anticipated and major aspects of the project may go unfinished for months-even years. That is why you always want to start the budgeting process by knocking down the big ticket items first-especially if you are using a contractor. Let’s use the living room as an example:

The five potential big expenses in a living room include the flooring, windows, fireplace, light fixtures, and the furniture. Whichever aspects of the space positively must be included in the redecorating of the living room-budget first. Flooring will likely top this list unless you happen to have a mammoth fireplace or happen to have a lot of windows. Windows will likely come in second unless you happen to really be decking out the hearth area and buying some really awesome fireplace accessories!

Most people will naturally budget for the flooring, windows, and hearth. Costs will often exceed budgets with these items (especially if contractors are involved) which tends to leave people having to make a choice between the light fixtures and the furniture. As furniture will likely be the more costly (and wanted!) of the two, most people opt for the sofa, coffee table, or perhaps even hearth accessories before deciding to buy the light fixtures-but this is often a mistake more often than not.

Buying the furniture prior to the light fixtures will likely leave you with little to no money left these critical accessories. Your light fixtures should not only be complementary in design-but also in the type of lighting they provide. There are three basic types of lighting:

Ambient: The general or overall illumination in a space
Task: For specific tasks and tends to be more concentrated and provide less ambient illumination-like for reading, homework, or related tasks.
Accent: This is typically the illumination we leave on at the end of the night to prevent us from walking into things; or, small accent lamps used to illuminate keepsakes, bookcases, etc.

Whenever possible, you want to use all three types of lighting to provide a more balanced, well-rounded lighting; thus, a living room might have a flush mounted ceiling fixture for the ambient lighting; a couple of table lamps sitting atop accent tables for task lighting; and maybe some wall sconces or accent lamps for the accent lighting. Remember to also buy light fixtures that are of similar design (like Traditional, Contemporary, Mission, Arts & Crafts, etc.) as this gives the space a more sophisticated and unified look.

As for the furniture, always begin with the big items-including things that must be bought in matching pairs, like sofa, love seat, chair-or perhaps a coffee table and a pair of matching accent tables. It is entirely possible that you will end up running out of money before buying everything you envisioned in your dream room. However, it is better to invest in high quality furniture rather than spread the money to thin and wind up with a bunch of mismatched, poorly made furnishings. In the long run, you will end up saving money, being happier, and winding up with a much more complete, sophisticated, and relaxing space-so be patient!

Pamela Tice
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/take-remodeling-projects-one-day-at-a-time-108701.html