The home remodeling craze continues this year, with Fast Company’s survey of 70,000 respondents showing a 10% increase in these projects. Ranging from kitchen renovations to outdoor additions, home remodeling can add value to your property and add charm to your home life. However, this task can be time-consuming and tedious, especially if you’re remodeling an area like your attic. Often used mostly for storage, attic remodeling requires more tweaking—such as insulation, flooring, plumbing, and access points—which can be a handful. Therefore, if you’re planning to remodel your attic but want to save yourself from a headache, here are some helpful tips to improve the process:
 

1. Check your local building codes early

   Building code violations happen more often than you think. According to reports from U.S. News, more than 60% of newly constructed properties have a code violation. Once a code violation has been found, homeowners may be fined, asked to immediately rectify this, or demolish the erring structure. All of which can be an expensive hassle. Thus, rather than checking to see if you’re up to code only after the remodel or plan is finished, review your local code before you even start anything. This way, you can hire the necessary professionals to make adjustments before you waste any time or energy.
    

2. Have your space professionally cleared

   Your attic can have piles of items that need sorting, organizing, and moving out. This can be a daunting task, especially if you’ve got larger or more delicate items that need extra TLC. To save yourself the mental and physical hassle, consider hiring professional movers to help. As explained by AskMoney.com, some movers specialize in moving large or fragile items. On top of this, some movers also offer off-site storage and reusable storage crates. These ensure that you won’t be damaging any of your assets nor will you have to worry about looking for a new store location. Since movers also come with other tools to protect the rest of your home, you don’t have to fret about damaging anything else.
    

3. Realistically plan out your traffic patterns

   As important as it is to let your creativity soar during a remodel, you also need to be realistic. One of the biggest planning considerations you should make is in regard to human-traffic. For instance, if an attic will be busier (think a game room), It’ll have to include space to move freely. Conversely, if the attic will be more private (like a home office) then you can sacrifice some room for furnishings. To further streamline this process, it’s also highly recommended you hire a professional. As we’ve discussed in our post on Planning Large Projects, designers and project managers can help you with research, rendering, and costing too. This makes sure that your attic will account for your traffic, your space, and your vision.
    

4. Set a decent budget to stick to

   It’s easy to get carried away with the potential of an attic remodel. But, if you’re not careful, this can lead to you going over budget. In fact, remodels often tend to end up costing more than initially expected. In a report by CNBC.com, since 2020, home remodeling projects are said to cost 50% more when finally completed. To avoid breaking the bank, make sure to give yourself a decent budget to start with. In this, you should already account for materials, labor, and any extras. If you can, try to pad this a little just in case some things don’t go as originally planned. Communicate this with your family and the team you’re working with, so you’ll all be aligned throughout. By doing so, you can mitigate unnecessary spending.
    

5. Be patient and be kind

   In the same report mentioned above, it was also revealed that home remodeling projects can take up to 50% longer to finish. This is usually due to supply chain issues which are outside of your control. Therefore, instead of losing your temper over this, try to be patient instead. Approaching the remodel with a cool head will help you make clearer decisions and establish better working relationships. Ultimately, this will also shape how smooth your project goes, and how positive your space will be.

   A remodeled attic can add joy, value, and space to your home. However, to ensure that the process is just as positive as the final product, it’s important that you and your team observe certain considerations from the start. With this, your new attic will only ever be a source of good vibes and happy memories. 

 

 

Article written by Remi Jo for the exclusive use of castlebri.com