Improving a Home can be as simple as changing your interior decorating scheme, or as complex as a major construction job. It can be done in a jiffy, or involve spending long stretches of time in a house that looks more like a construction site than a residence.

It can be a quick and painless process, or it can involve weeks or months of living in a virtual construction site – it all depends on the planning you do in advance.

No matter what the project, however, it will require careful planning if you are to avoid expensive delay and unnecessary expenses. Put together a simple list of needed supplies, block out the time, and visit the local home center for paint color charts and suggestions. Most homeowners can figure out what’s needed: paint, brushes, rollers, a tarp to protect against spills – and even one of those cute little paper hats to keep you from inadvertently changing the color of your hair. Even if you’re more comfortable hiring a handyman to do all the prep work, painting and cleanup, from a planning standpoint this is not a very daunting task.

Even if you’re not the do-it-yourself type, hiring a painter or a handyman for a project like this is not difficult. There are probably a dozen ads for small contractors in the local pennysaver or advertising journal. Such jobs can be difficult to coordinate and plan, and these are obviously not only more expensive remodeling jobs, but also ones in which costs can become unpredictable.

As the scope of the project increases, so do the number of decisions you have to make – it’s not just picking a color anymore. Will the floors be hardwood or covered in plush wall-to-wall carpeting? Do you require a paper-hanger or a painter for the walls, or should you attempt it yourself? Drapes or blinds for the windows? Which colors and textures work best? It may still be a do-it-yourself project, or maybe even a semi-DIY, but coordination with some contractors and fabricators will certainly be necessary.

We’ll take you through all aspects of the remodeling process – from the big stuff, like room additions, through the small stuff, like picking out a bathroom sink. We’re not going to overload you with lots of complicated do-it-yourself tips, but we will try to point out the who, what, when, where and why of home remodeling. These types of home improvement projects are prone to unpredictable cost overruns, and are inherently difficult to coordinate and plan. These are precisely the reasons why more time must be spent in the preparation stages of the job.

c43% The largest remodeling jobs will require plenty of help, since they are well beyond the skills possessed by the average homeowner. Quite likely you will need to employ the services of an architect or engineer; you will need to hire a licensed contractor for the construction.

Frank Sarntarpia