On your marks, by a house, get renovating!
Part 1: project definition and getting started
Both actions are easy to say but neither the buying nor the renovating process is easy. My hat off to all brave souls who dare buy a home and then proceed to renovate it; especially, those who take on whole house projects, and are not investors or contractors!
My daughter and I are amid renovating the townhouse she just bought. In our case, it was relatively easy to identify what needed to be renovated and make the decision on which project to tackle first because we had had the time during the buying process to make assessments of our goals and talked to contractors about it. During the inspection process, S&I Construction was able to meet with us to discuss the home inspection findings, and to make a list of projects to tackle. We then had to decide on priority.
First project: New Full Bathroom
Our first project is the construction of a brand-new FULL BATHROOM. When we toured the townhouse, we realized that we could convert two small, awkward closets into a nice-size full bathroom. By adding a full bathroom to the upper level, we were going to make the space more accommodating to its future occupant, and the value of the townhouse will be drastically improved. Full bathrooms are a great way to add value to your homes.
Now that we knew the project at hand, we needed to get started asap. We had a personal deadline to meet. My dear friend, and colleague Kevin Duong from Cloud 9 Construction, LLC, met with us to evaluate the project, talk to the architect and contractors. Within 72 hours, we had an estimate of the project, county permit forms as well as a schematic diagram of how the project was going to be developed. I was excited to read the plans, it took me back to my high school engineering and architecture classes.
Permits, and initiation of project
Cloud 9 Construction broke ground shortly thereafter and by the end of Day 1, the framing process had begun. I could not believe it and was surprised at their progress. The county permit approval was received by day two or three, for all plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and development services.
Day 3, the electrician was coming out to do his magic, and on a subsequent day, the plumber. While the architect, engineers, and contractors did their magic, my daughter and I were given the task of going to select tile for the floor, the bathroom wall, vanity, light fixtures, and toilet selection. The shower stall was easy to select as we had to economize the space available, so we didn’t compromise the bedroom square footage. Cloud 9 did a phenomenal job guiding us through the development of the space available between the closets, the bathroom already installed in the townhouse, and avoiding too much encroachment into the bedroom space.
Amenities Selections
Cloud 9 Construction gave me a list of vendors for me to consider in my evaluation of amenities. I am familiar with The Home Depot, and Lowes stores, so I started my selection process there. Kevin and Ashton from Cloud 9, worked patiently with me, and the selections I initially made. They gently suggested I consider Floor and Décor. The Home Depot and Lowes stores are great for home repairs, and some renovations BUT their tile, flooring, and showroom selections, have nothing on Floor & Décor. If you are serious about renovating your bathrooms, your kitchen, flooring, you need to go to Floor & Décor. I fell in love with that store. They have a vast selection of floor samples, wall tiles, stone, and wood floors. The store also has sections where you can test out your ideas, and they have some pre-selected arrangements as well. Going to Floor & Décor was like going to a candy store and not having a cap on how much candy you can eat. Floor & Decor also has pre-set bathroom showrooms, as well as vanity, mirror, and wall display. Seeing the various combinations possible with the different materials, cemented in mind the style and look I was trying to achieve.
First selections of wall and floor tiles
Tile combinations
Floor tiles
Tile floor selection was no easy task. It was actually a little more difficult than selecting wall tiles as some of the floor tiles had slight differences in shades or textures.
Final *** Tile *** Selections
After spending a few short hours at Floor and Décor, evaluating the various colors, mediums, textures, and combinations, I made my selections; lol…my final selections. I also got ideas for a few long-term future projects.
The separate pieces of tile do not look very impressive at all. When you put them together, the pearlized glass makes a waterfall effect and the blue forest porcelain tiles brighten and balance the colors so a small room doesn’t feel overwhelmed or confined.
I can’t wait to show you the final product. The display at Floor & Decor is a show-stopper!
Investing the time to make educated decisions was worth time and effort. I have only related my adventure with the wall and flooring tiles. In a later episode, I’ll let you know of my crazy adventures with the faucet, light fixture, vanity, and showerhead. Seriously, who would have thought that selecting items of this caliber would be so difficult?
Project assessment, budget, and inspections
Seriously speaking, for your next renovation project, I highly recommend that you budget some time to evaluate not just what you are trying to achieve but also the time it will take to accomplish it. Reserve time to visit various stores to compare materials from textures, colors as well as prices. The prices I saw at all three stores, were for the most part, compatible, but the variety of selection was far superior at Floor & Décor. Do your homework. Personally, selecting and comparing materials was far more daunting than I expected.
Another point to consider in your evaluations of a project is the amount of time it will take for the project to be completed and how it will displace your family. In my daughter’s case, she’s living in her basement, for the most part, unaffected by the renovations. Occasionally, the power was not operational as the electrician had to work in a safe environment. We had planned accordingly, so this has not been an inconvenience for us. For larger families or families with young children or pets, this may add another point of stress.
Our project has a couple of weeks to go as some materials make take a little longer to arrive, and more importantly, the county has to do a periodic inspection. Our first inspection is coming this week.
Seeing the daily progress is exciting, especially now that I do not have to make selections of wall tile and flooring. I can’t wait to show you the final product. Stay tuned.
Special thanks
A special thanks to S&I Construction for their professionalism and guidance during the home inspection phase. Your input is of tremendous value to us. Cloud 9 Construction, thank you for all the professional and hard work you have done thus far.
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