One of the most stressful things a homeowner may endure in their lifetimes is surviving a home remodel while living in the house.  A lot of us have been through it before and vow to never do it again.  Washing dishes in the bathroom gets old very quickly!  Why is it so stressful and what can we do to ease the pain?

1. Hiring the right people is the key puzzle piece.  I’d encourage you to get at least 3 different bids from different contractors about the work you are looking to have done.  Do they do the work themselves or do they hire it out to other companies to do the work for them?  How long have they been in business?  Do they have referrals and pictures that they can show you of past jobs they’ve completed?  How long does it take them to do a job like yours?   It’s always best to get personal referrals from friends if you can.  If your friends have had a good experience, it’s hopeful that you will too.
2. Negotiate time penalties into the contract.  Maybe you could give them a bonus if all the work is completed by a certain date and if it’s not completed by then, you could penalize them for every day or week that it’s not finished.  This will put a lot of pressure on the contractor and allow you to hopefully get them out of your house in record time!  If they are not agreeable to something like this, it might mean they aren’t confident in their work and scheduling abilities.
3. Pick out all your selections early.  It’s easy to put off tile selection, color schemes and knob choices for cabinets.  The longer you wait to pick everything out, the easier it is to get delayed on the whole project.  Oftentimes, the painters, flooring people, cabinet installers, and everyone else have to juggle their schedules around each other.  Delaying your choices could throw them off kilter and it could cause the whole supply chain to backlog and be delayed.
4. If possible, try to have one area of the house as a clean sanctuary for yourself where you can escape while the remodeling work is being done.  If you can section off an area of the home and keep it free from contractors and debris, it will go a long way in keeping your sanity.

Don’t give up halfway through the process!  It will be frustrating along the way, but remind yourself of how excited you will be when it’s all complete.  Remember why you’re doing it and when it’s done you will be extra happy and appreciative of all the hard work that went into beautifying your home!

Gabe Mellein was voted a Top Real Estate Agent – Exceptional in Service and Overall Satisfaction by Gulfshore Life Magazine in 2012 and 2013.  He is the broker of Gulf Pointe Properties, Inc and has over 9 years experience in the SW Florida Real Estate Market.  He is a member of The Naples Area Board of Realtors, Bonita Springs – Estero Association of Realtors, Realtor Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, The Florida Association of Realtors, The National Association of Realtors, and is nationally certified in Feng Shui for Real Estate.  Need real estate help?  Please contact Gabe at:  239.825.2234, Gabe@GulfPointeProperties.com  or www.GulfPointeProperties.com