The holidays spark a time of getting together with friends and family for big dinners, party games and socializing. While a crowd of people are visiting, it can be easier to see flaws in your living spaces—the kitchen is cramped, the living room lighting scheme is too dim, —and you see where you could use some expanding, reconstructing, and updating to make you and your guests more comfortable. But by the time you come to this realization, it’s already too late to renovate! Why? Remodeling is a complex and long process that will take months to complete from start to finish. You’ll want to remodel BEFORE the holidays, so your kitchen, bathrooms and living areas will be ready for hosting guests and family. To help you get a sense of what a remodeling project takes, Home Artisans of Indiana member, David Decker of The Affordable Companies, discusses the well-structured process his clients go through to streamline their remodeling projects.

“We at The Affordable Companies start with an in-depth free consultation. We sit down and talk with the homeowners to understand their vision, needs and desires, and then give them advice on the best way to make it happen. Their goals are what will drive the design—renovating with entertaining in mind means you are looking for more space and better functionality. Fortunately remodeling is a great time to reorganize and redesign the space you already have, offering you more effective solutions to create even more free space.”

“Our second step is to create a budget and design plan. By developing a detailed list of costs, we can ensure our clients are not blindsided by unexpected expenses. The budget also lets us know what options are available when we make choices on products and materials. Its our job to ensure that we maximize the benefits of what the homeowner can receive with their given budget, and not just choose the cheapest option. With the budget set, the homeowners decide on the final design plan to go with. Lots of tweaks and revisions happen during this step.”

“Before construction starts, we conduct a job site meeting to coordinate access and scheduling. All plans and materials need to be verified in order to avoid unnecessary delays. Coordinating schedules continues into the construction phase, as well as managing work quality and solving any issues that pop up. The time-frame of this phase depends upon the extent of the remodeling project, but once construction is complete, the clean up crew comes through, and the homeowners get a beautiful new space to live in!”

Remodeling is a detailed process you will definitely want to tackle before the holidays if you plan to update or expand your current home. Want more information on how to approach your remodeling plans? Reach out to Home Artisans of Indiana member David Decker.