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Unexpected Key Players In Your Home Remodel Story

Thinking of a remodel? Here’s Who you’ll want to consider first.

There are two key players in your home remodel story you might not be thinking of. These players have the ability to make or break your project. It’s easy to get wrapped up in your grand master plan – but before you dive headfirst, have you stopped to think about what your city and your neighbors may think about your plans?

That’s right, your city and the neighbors… they hold a lot of weight as key players in your home remodel story!

Builders permits are a requirement for home improvement projects and while navigating this process you may encounter some unexpected requirements that can bring your plans to a halt or further push the boundaries of your wallet, your expected timeline, and quite honestly, your sanity. This is how our own home renovation project in Laguna Beach went from 7 months to a full year.

To top it off, your neighbors who will have to endure the noise, the mess, and the sights of it all could also decide one day that they’ve had enough! Perhaps they are unhappy with your design choices and then next thing you know they’re filing formal complaints with the city.

Things can get ugly fast – we were lucky to avoid some of these, but we’d like to share our learnings to help you take preemptive action to manage the unexpected.

Key Player One For Remodel – The City.

You truly need to understand your city’s role in the remodel. From our experience in Laguna Beach, fortunately, our General Contractor did the tough work of working directly with the city to get the proper permits. However, we weren’t expecting things like required fire sprinklers or limitations on plans for the garden given our yard is technically city property. We advise you to ask questions early and often about what your city requires so you can set the proper expectations for your timeline & budget!

Key Player Two For Remodel – Your Neighbors.

Put yourself in your neighbor’s shoes. Let them in on your plans. We know construction sucks, that’s why we let our neighbors in on our plan early. We wanted them to see the value we were bringing to the neighborhood with our remodel.
Sell your neighbors on your vision so they can be just as excited by the change! Also, be kind and shower them with bottles of wine. It’ll help get them through those noisy months, and they’ll thank you for it!

After going through an intense remodel ourselves, we feel confident in sharing our various learnings with you. Maybe you’re thinking about remodeling a new home you just purchased? Or perhaps you want to remodel before you list your home? Whatever your situation may be, we’ll be happy to help guide you through the process. Contact us today if you want to learn more about our experience.

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