Make the most of your remodel with this home renovation checklist

Home improvements-from painting your walls to completely gutting your kitchen-are a popular way for people to make a house feel more like a dream home. However, home renovations can also be an expensive undertaking. Homeowners spent $463 billion on home renovations in the first quarter of 2024 alone.

Fortunately, this major investment often pays substantial dividends. One study pegged the average ROI of a remodeling project at 69%. While the payout depends on the type of remodeling job, your geographic location, and the amount invested, the right tools and techniques can help you get the most out of any upcoming home renovation.

That's why we've compiled expert advice to serve as your home renovation checklist. Below, you'll find a walkthrough of the typical stages of a remodel, how to prepare for one, and some tips to ensure you get through the process with as few hiccups as possible.

Phases of remodeling: What to expect during home renovations

When undertaking a remodeling project, there's more to the renovations than simply hiring a contractor and getting out of their way. While each project is unique, home renovations typically unfold over several stages, including:

Initial planning and budgeting

In this first stage, you'll nail down what you want to do and how much you want to spend.

A few items to consider:

1. Take inventory of all the changes you want to make in your home. Do you want to remodel, tackle a bathroom renovation or gut the kitchen reno first? Pick the priority project based on your immediate needs and budget.

2. Jot down some notes about your big-picture vision. What do you want to achieve, and what do you hope the end product will look like?

3. Figure out how much you can spend and where you want to spend it.

4. Hire a designer (if you plan to work with one).

Design and permits

Designing your new space is often the most exciting stage of a renovation project. At this point, you'll work with your designer to suss out what you like and finalize your desired look.

First, look for inspiration to figure out what styles, colors, and fabrics you like. Lean on inspiration sources like interior design magazines, design websites (Apartment Therapy is a favorite), and social media (try Pinterest for broad exploration).

Once you know what you like, you and your designer can collaborate to put your design ideas down on proverbial paper. This is where it pays off to have the right tools on hand. Use a robust platform like Matterport to create a digital twin - a three-dimensional virtual replica - of your home to capture the "before" state. Digital twins also include Property Intelligence features that enable you to virtually obtain precise measurements of every room in your home, which makes designing for your unique space easier.

From there, your designer can leverage their design software to layer your ideas over your digital twin. Then use Matterport to virtually stage your space to test out different configurations, furniture types, and structural changes.

Once you've finalized your design for your renovation, you can work with your designer and/or contractor to apply for any permits from your city. If you'll be changing the structure of your home, you'll likely need a permit and to have an inspector review the work once it's completed. The city will often need blueprints of the proposed changes, but your designer or renovation team can liaise with building officials for handoffs and approvals.

Pre-construction preparation

After you've finalized your design, it's time to prep your home (and yourself) for renovations to begin. That translates to:

• Taking photos. You may want photos for sentimental reasons, but it's also a good idea to document what your home looked like prior to renovations. That way, if anything is damaged during your remodel, you have proof. For comprehensive documentation of your home in the "before" state, consider using a platform like Matterport to create a digital twin -a virtual, three-dimensional replica of your home inside and out.

• Ordering supplies.Your renovation pro will work with vendors to get what you need for your project (for example, contractors will order drywall and designers will order decor). Although you can order supplies yourself if you plan to DIY your reno, you'll need to be prepared to accept deliveries, store the materials until the reno begins, and return any unneeded supplies.

• Booking another place to stay. If your home is undergoing a significant remodel, you'll need alternative living arrangements like a hotel or short-term apartment. While this is yet another cost, it may be worth it to avoid living in the middle of a construction zone.

• Packing up your belongings. Put away any fragile or valuable items in the area of the house you're renovating. That could be art, vases, furniture, or photos. Either put your possessions in another area of your home or rent a storage unit to warehouse them. Don't forget to clear entryways for workers carrying in building materials or furnishings.

• Giving your neighbors a heads up. Maintain good relationships with your neighbors by letting them know about your renovations ahead of time. They'll likely have to deal with construction dust and noise, so let them know what's happening and when.

Demolition

It's out with the old to make room for the new! At this point, you'll break down your rooms to be renovated so that you can start with a blank canvas.

Your contractor and their team will start demolition at the stage. That could be as simple as removing old furniture to as complex as tearing down walls or gutting a room down to the studs.

Structural work

Now, you'll begin work on any significant changes to the structure of your home. Depending on the project, that could mean reconfiguring an entire floor, building out the foundation for a room addition, putting in new electrical, or updating the plumbing.

Regardless, structural work is the first step in rebuilding a space. It's the initial brushstrokes on your blank canvas that ensure your space will be as functional as it is beautiful. From there, cosmetic work can begin-like installing new laminate floors, replacing your countertops, adding a new backsplash, painting kitchen cabinetry, and so on.

Inspection and approvals

To ensure quality work, you'll want to bring a qualified home inspector in to review the completed renovations. In addition to reviewing the remodelling work, home inspectors should ensure all major systems in your home are working-mechanical, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing.

From there, your contractor and their team can make changes based on the home inspector's findings.

Clean-up and final touches

Renovations are messy. There's endless drywall dust, dirty floors from workers' boots, wood shavings, and nicked walls to contend with. That's why the final stage in a home renovation is a thorough clean-up of the entire area.

Typically, your contractor and their team will handle the basics-vacuuming dust, cleaning floors, buffing out any wall marks. From there, you and/or your designer can unpack your belongings and set up any new decor or furniture in the space.

5 steps to include in your home remodel checklist

Now that you're versed in the stages of a home renovation, it's time to start planning your own project. Below is a step-by-step checklist of considerations for every stage of your home renovation.

Step 1: Assessing needs and goals

Before you begin any home projects, establish some objectives and a list of must-haves. Writing out your goals and non-negotiables can go a long way to set your home renovation up for success.

Let's say you have your heart set on remodeling your bathroom. You'll need to consider what you want the outcome of the home remodel to be:

• Do you want to give your bathroom a light makeover or overhaul the entire space? Are your changes cosmetic, structural, or both?

• Do you need to improve the functionality of the space? For example, a new layout can help make a bathroom feel larger even though the square footage remains the same.

• Do you want the renovation to increase the value of your home?

Ultimately, your objective could be a combination of the examples above. Your motivations for your project will be unique, but take the time to establish what success looks like for the remodel. Then, it's easier to figure out what you need to achieve that outcome.

Step 2: Budgeting

Cost is often a homeowner's first concern regarding any home remodeling project. Recent Houzz and Home research showed homeowners spent a median price of $18,000 on home improvements in 2021.

Few of us have unlimited financial resources, so it's important to set a realistic budget. When setting your spending threshold, you'll need to take into account:

• The scale of the project (i.e., installing a new kitchen island versus replacing all the cabinets)

• The average cost of labor where you live

• The price for materials and supplies

• Hidden costs or pricey project delays (add 10-30% extra to your budget as a buffer for unexpected costs)

When vetting a designer and/or contractor, get their cost estimate for your project. Try to get multiple estimates if possible. That way, you can compare potential costs and the forecasted timelines before you hire a specific remodeling pro.

Step 3: Hiring professionals

Assemble your team of renovation pros. That typically will include a designer and/or general contractor plus their construction team.

When vetting designers and/or contractors, consider:

• How long they've been in business

• Their licensing, certifications, and insurance

• If they've worked on similar projects

• The depth and breadth of their project portfolio

• References/testimonials from previous clients

• Any warranties guaranteeing quality of work

• Payment process (i.e., do they offer payment plans, deposits, etc.)

But where can you find reputable designers and contractors? Homeowners can:

• Ask family and friends for recommendations

• Search home service pro databases like Angi's or HomeStars (don't forget to read the reviews!)

• Research local pros on your Better Business Bureau website

• Review the business directory on your local Chamber of Commerce website

Interview multiple designers or contractors before you land on one (aim for at least three). These renovation pros will be your guides and will help determine the success of your project-so don't rush the decision.

Step 4: Room-by-room breakdown

If you're preparing for a larger remodeling project, it helps to create a detailed plan with a room-by-room breakdown.

Work with your contractor to outline all the work that needs to be done for each space. List out what tasks are essential and which are on your "wish list." These are tasks you can compromise on if you need to make sacrifices to stay within your timeline or budget.

If you have a Matterport digital twin of your property, you can use Tags to create and collaborate on task lists for each room. That way, it's easier to visualize what work needs to happen and where.

Step 5: Tracking progress

Although you've hired a team of renovation professionals to execute the outlined work, you'll need to check on their progress. That often means phone calls for updates and regular site visits (if you aren't living in your home during renovations).

Site visits are time-consuming and can be difficult to schedule, and phone updates can lead to miscommunications. Instead, lean on a Matterport digital twin to document all the major stages of your build to track ongoing work. This also allows you to plan future projects more easily because you have an exact map of everything inside the walls of your home, which is particularly helpful for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing infrastructure.

For example, you can capture your living space at the framing stage and then again after the fit-out:

Create a realistic timeline for your home renovations

To keep your home renovation project on track, work with your team to create a timeline for each phase of the process. That way, it's easier to align on expectations and prevent potential delays.

Here are a few factors to keep in mind that'll help you create (and keep) a realistic timeline for your remodeling project:

Map tasks to weekly or monthly timelines

Use that handy renovation plan you created to map tasks to specific time periods. That way, everyone is clear on what they need to be working on at any given time and how the project will progress.

When creating your timeline, consider the scale of your project. A full bathroom remodel is going to take far longer than a week (one builder estimates 8-12 weeks to renovate a shared bathroom). Also be sure to follow the right task sequence when laying out your schedule. For example, you can't do structural work before demolition.

You'll also need to account for how long it'll take to order supplies and have materials delivered.

A sample schedule could look something like:

• Weeks 1-2: Demolition

• Weeks 3-4: Structural work

• Weeks 5-7: Lay new flooring and install new windows

• Week 8: Painting

• Week 9: Clean up

Each stage can also serve as a milestone in your renovation-you can schedule check-ins as you move through each stage to assess your project's progress.

Your contractor and/or designer can work with you to help establish reasonable timelines based on how long tasks typically take.

Anticipate delays

No matter how hard you try to prevent setbacks, you'll inevitably run into unanticipated delays. Whether it's supply chain issues dragging out delivery windows, poor weather, or unexpected structural issues that need fixing, you can run into a variety of problems outside your control.

To decrease the impact of potential delays, we suggest building a buffer into your renovation timeline. Look at your expected timeline and tack on 10-15% more time to complete it. That way, if any delays do pop up, you're not left scrambling.

Make the most of your home renovation process with Matterport

If you're ready to move forward with your own home renovation project, don't forget one of the most important items on your checklist: Ensure you have the right tools to make the process easier. That's where Matterport can help.

Matterport offers homeowners and their contractors/designers a suite of tools and features to efficiently plan, manage, and document home renovation projects.

In the planning stages, you can use a digital twin of your home to visualize new design options, room configurations, or layouts. With a few clicks, you can use virtual staging to overlay different designs over your digital twin so you can see what your home will look like in real time.

It's also simple to toggle back and forth between 2D and 3D views of your space, complete with room labels, accurate room measurements, and wall segments.

Collaboration is also easier with Matterport. Contractors, designers, homeowners, and other stakeholders can work within the file so your digital twin serves as a source of truth for your project. Matterport offers multiple ways to share your 3D space-send it to collaborators on social media or even shoot them an email with a direct link.

From there, it's simple to upload files (like permits and approvals), save task lists, and leave comments directly in your digital twin using Matterport tags.

As your project progresses, Matterport also simplifies documentation. Easily capture your project at each renovation stage to monitor where your space is now compared to where it started. This cuts down on time-consuming site visits (Matterport customers' travel times are cut in half) and keeps your project on time and on track.

What do all these benefits add up to? Savings on costs and time. Skipp Renovation Partners found that using Matterport not only sped up the preconstruction stage-it's now as low as 21 days-but it also reduced renovation costs by 30-50%.

Ready to get started? Download a home renovation checklist template here.

Still have some questions about home renovation checklists? We've rounded up a few of the most commonly asked queries; their answers are below.

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