Remodeling your home can be a major undertaking or just as simple as a new color theme. There are so many choices out there as to what can be done it will make your head spin.

So you need a place to start to get the best job done for your money. I personally like to do the work myself so I get the benefit of creating the whole thing. That gives me a huge sense of pride too. It also saves me a ton of money on labor costs.

Now you might be thinking “I am not a contractor so I can’t do the work myself”. That’s simple not true. If you have a desire to do anything a little study of it and you can do anything. That goes especially for construction/remodeling. None of the steps of construction is particularly difficult if you know the basics of the step. The people that do this all the time have the basics and then they have the repetitive experience so it looks like you can’t do it like they can. Part of that concept is true. They are used to doing it. But know this. Before they ever started to do that work they were just like you. They didn’t know how to do it.

Now for those of you that know a bit about construction / remodeling work you have some skills to work with. There is still plenty to learn too. I’ve been at this for 35+ years and I learn new stuff all the time. I always try to take on work that I haven’t done before just so I can learn it and it puts another feather in my cap.

So here we go, this is a pretty good way to go about a remodeling project. First off you should do your home work. A very good way to find ideas to help you decide what your project is going to become is looking through magazines for interior design. There are several to choose from. I go to the big home improvement stores and I take my wife there as well and we look through their books and magazines. When we find ones that fit our desires then we purchase those. There are times I get ideas from these publications and I just go do it without getting the book.

For the most part those publications don’t tell you how to do the work they merely show you the pictures and have some write ups on the projects. My point here is to just get the pictures for the sparking of your own ideas. Or to simply copy something in there that you fall in love with.

When you get some ideas figured out it is a good idea to write them down. You can even cut out the picture and paste it to the list. Then it is time to go pricing all of the stuff you want so you can figure out your budget. Keep in mind that those pictures are sporting some pretty pricey fixtures and components so you shop around for the best deals of quality fixtures and components.

By this point in your journey you should have a very good idea as to the materials cost for the job. Now it is time to figure out the labor costs. This is where many home owners can get into trouble. If you choose to do the work yourself then you will be able to save a very large amount of money and be able to buy the more expensive components if you choose. If you decide to hire a contractor to do the work then you need to shop around for a good one.

Here are some basics for finding a good contractor. Please don’t just grab the guy that worked for your friend just because your friend says he’s a good guy. You could actually lose a friend over it if things go sour. By all means do check out the friends suggestion by asking him to see some of his work and getting some references from other clients of his and contacting them to see how the job went for them. You want to be able to communicate well with the contractor you choose. Personality is vital because you are going to be building a relationship here and you don’t want to hire someone that grates at you because your two personalities clash.

So look around for at least 3 contractors and get bids from each of them to install exactly what you have chosen. Side note here, they will have their own ideas on how it should go and what to do so be advised. If you want your job done the way you have chosen then make that specifically clear up front. If you are still a bit unsure as to what you want you can ask them and they will usually have some good ideas.

Do not fall for the lowest bid right off the bat. Go look at some of this persons work and talk to the people he has worked for. You are about to spend a good deal of money and you don’t want to waste it and poor workmanship trying to save a few bucks.

Usually your best work comes from the middle bid. They are very good at their work and they know the value of it. The low bidder is generally trying to get any work they can with hopes they can charge more as the jobs goes along and the people want to change things. The contractor with the highest bid is usually having to support a huge overhead and the service isn’t always that great because they are off to the next job asap and don’t seem to have time to help you until you are on the phone yelling at them. I’m not saying they are all like that but it is something that does happen with your huge contractors and small alike.

That’s why I say check them out and ask their customers what their relationship experience was like.

With these simple steps to take you can be in control of your project and have a wonderful experience. Of course you will have to deal with the household disruption of a remodel but that will pass easy enough. A bad experience with a contractor will stay with you though.

I hope this has been of help to you.

Glenn Gehrke / Professional builder/remodeler. 35 years experience in the construction fields. I find it is time for me to pass on some of my knowledge to as many people as I can. I’ve done so much it’s become a bit of a task to keep track of it all.

My blog on remodeling: Fixing Up The House.