The house renovation plan is probably the most important part of any remodeling project. It’s the dreaming time with a true glimpse of the final destination. My house renovation plan helped to make the process go smooth. 

After moving into my home I felt overwhelmed. So much needed to be done and our budget and time was scarce. I knew I would have to wait on major house renovations and prioritize smaller projects first. I also knew living in my house for a couple of years would help me realize how I wanted to use the space that would function for our family.  

With that said, let me say, patience is key.  (which I lacked immensely). 

Dreaming of what my house could be was how I created the perfect plan.  

Creating an inspiration board gave me a clear vision of where I was going.

I’ve always been a fan of the movie “Somethings Gotta Give”. The entire interior, and mostly, the kitchen is where I gathered my inspiration from, or any of Nancy Myers movies for that matter. (If you haven’t seen her movies… oh my! You are in for a treat! Her interiors are inviting, charming, and make me want to live in them.) The “Somethings Gotta Give” kitchen had dark soapstone countertops, subway tile, white cabinets, natural light, and complete charm.

The movie gave me most of my inspiration for this kitchen board.

1. Subway Tile Backsplash/ 2. Quartzite or Marble Island Counter/ 3. Black/Charcoal honed granite or silestone perimeter counter/4. White Dove Walls and Cabinets/ 5. Chrome Pendant Lights over Island/ 6. Ballard Designs Counter Stools from my previous kitchen / 7. Grey Painted Island or Butler Pantry cabinets/ 8. Grey-Brown interior doors/ 9. DIY table (Restoration Hardware style)/10. Caned back French chairs/ 11. Linen Drapery Panels

Creating a vision board helped me to visualize my style and direction. It also helped so others could see my vision.  This inspiration board was created using Photoshop. If you don’t use Photoshop, Pinterest boards and magazine clippings are extremely helpful when curating a style or vision board.

Drawing up a plan was crucial.

This is true because a plan is like a road map. It gives contractors an exact measurement and shows them how all of the pieces fit together and where they should go. I drew a rough elevation sketch of my kitchen before we met with a cabinet supplier. With our budget I wasn’t sure if we could purchase new cabinets and I wanted to at least look at the cost of new compared to painting the existing cabinets.

Here is a look at the cabinets before…

and here is the elevation of the back wall…

You can see I wanted to add drawers on both sides of the wall. I felt this would balance out the cabinets well and provide the “look” I was going for. In the end, the cost of doing this was not in our budget. We stuck with the existing cabinets and the original layout of the upper cabinets. The lower cabinets changed as I wanted to remove the built in desk and insert a range top instead of a stovetop. I will share more about that in a later post.

Not only is an elevation plan helpful, a drafted floor plan of the entire space is crucial. If you’d like to learn how to draw up a floor plan, check out this post where I show you how. There are also online programs available.

A floor plan shows exact measurements. In a kitchen, clearance for appliances is extremely important. No one wants the refrigerator hitting the island or a dishwasher door hitting a counter top without being able to fully extend to unload the dishes. So, minimum clearance is a must.

A floor plan can also define where light fixtures are placed. For instance, I used pendants over the island.

Making surface selections BEFORE the house renovation helped the process move quickly. 

I mean selections of tile, grout color, paint, countertop selection, trim molding, baseboard, lighting, etc. The kitchen was the biggest change in the house, so that is where the budget and planning were most critical. I wanted to make sure all of the selections blended well together and the flow was not choppy throughout the house.  

Once the surface selections were decided, we ordered everything. Our garage was full of tile, appliances, wood, boxes of lighting etc. When the workers showed up at our house, we wanted everything there for them to start. If they would have to wait for tile or any surface it would delay the process. I definitely learned a lot about countertop selections and I will share that with you in a future post.

Just a little side note… I am a thrifty shopper and am always looking for the best deal or sale. In future posts I will share with you where I found the best deals and how I found them.

Having a clear idea of budget before starting any house renovation project is important.

Things come up along the way that you don’t think of or extra items you may want to add. Trust me, it happens. We added a cushion to our budget by taking our budget and doubling it. We used most of it. I wanted to spend more of the budget on a refrigerator and I added a light and outlet where I didn’t think I could. I wanted a dimmer switch instead of a normal electrical flip switch.

Keeping a house renovation plan spreadsheet with anticipated expenses kept us on track and really helped the project run smoothly. We also kept a file folder with everything including business cards, manuals, and receipts.

We lived in the house during the renovation.

It was messy, but we were able to sleep in our home. The renovation was completed in a timely fashion, but without a kitchen, eating out and microwave cooking would have been tough for an extended period of time. Our meals were mostly made quick with a microwave or toaster oven. 

Hiring a general contractor can make the process go smooth.

We chose a contractor who allowed us to have a hands on approach and act as a team. We hired some of our own sub-contractors, but he took care of the major aspects of the job. When choosing our contractor I made sure to see previous homes he renovated and asked for several referrals. I didn’t want mistakes where work would need to be redone.

This pretty much sums up the house renovation plan. Are you planning a renovation? Have you remodeled your home and found something you have to share? Please do! Leave a comment as I would love to hear. All homes are different and experiences are not the same from person to person.

If you are planning a renovation, I hope my experience may help you. It definitely is a fun journey with the proper plan.

I can’t wait to show you the house finished. If you look at my instagram page you may see a few sneak peeks in my posts. Also, if you missed the before pictures of the house, check them out here.

Until next time,

Have a beautiful day!

Enjoy!

Every. Single. Moment.

Angie 

Don’t forget to pin this page for your reference when you need a house renovation plan.

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Oh, I almost forgot! If you would like to watch Something’s Gotta Give, I have an affiliate link for you here