Before you start
Remodel tips
What we tell friends who are about to remodel. Read these before you talk to anyone, including us.
Decide what the room has to do before you decide how it looks
Write down how the space fails you today. A kitchen with one cook and no landing zone next to the range is a layout problem, not a cabinet color problem. The list becomes the brief for your first meeting.
Finishes are the fun part, and they come later. Layout, storage and light are the decisions that make a remodel feel right for the next fifteen years.
Set a budget range, then leave room in it
Give your remodeler an honest range, not a single number. Scope and materials get shaped to fit it, and you avoid the round of redesign that follows a surprise.
Keep a reserve of roughly ten percent for what the walls reveal. In homes built before the 1990s, plumbing and wiring updates are the usual finds.
Order long-lead items before demolition
Custom cabinetry, windows, specialty tile and some appliances take weeks to arrive. A good schedule starts construction only when those items have dates.
Ask for the lead times in writing and check them against the schedule. A kitchen torn out while cabinets are still in production is the most common cause of a remodel that drags.
Plan the kitchen around the work triangle, then the island
Sink, range and refrigerator should form a compact triangle with clear paths between them. An island belongs outside that triangle, with at least a comfortable walkway on every side.
Put the dishwasher next to the sink, a landing counter on both sides of the range, and a pull-out trash where you prep. Small placements make a kitchen pleasant to use.
In a bathroom, spend on what touches water
Waterproofing behind the tile, a properly sloped shower pan and quality valves matter more than any finish. They are also the parts you cannot upgrade later without opening the wall.
Choose large-format tile for fewer grout lines, a curbless or low-curb shower if the framing allows, and lighting on both sides of the mirror rather than above it.
Check the HOA before you fall in love with a design
Most master-planned communities in Collin County require architectural review for exterior work: additions, patio covers, outdoor kitchens, roofing and even paint colors.
Reviews take time and sometimes ask for changes. Send the application early, with the drawings the committee wants, and build the review period into the schedule.
Give an addition the same foundation care as a new house
North Texas clay soil moves with moisture. An addition needs an engineered foundation tied properly to the existing slab, and drainage that keeps water away from both.
Match the roofline, brick and window proportions of the original house. The best additions look like they were always there, and they appraise that way too.
Agree on communication before day one
Ask who your single point of contact is, how often you will hear from them, and how change orders are handled. A written answer to each of those questions prevents most remodel frustrations.
Walk the site with your project lead at the end of each week. Ten minutes of questions on a Friday saves a week of rework later.
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Bring your list to the first meeting. We call within one business day.
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