6 Expert-Approved Tips You Should Know Before Starting a Remodel

You may finally be ready to update your home whether it's trying a new paint color or swapping out your current light fixture. However, there are some fundamental things that designers, architects, or renovators want you to keep in mind before beginning a home remodeling project, so you don't end up unhappy or unsatisfied with the new remodel.

Experts share their best tips to save before your next home project.

Erin Williamson Design

It goes without saying that budget is paramount in any remodeling or renovation project, but the cost of goods and labor might still shock you.

«Add 15% of your overall budget as a contingency for the unexpected,” Tanya Selway, co-principal of Austin-and London-based interior design studio Stelly Selway, says.

During a remodel, you may face tough discoveries like severe damages that call for an unplanned overhaul of the electrical system or plumbing. Selway recalls working on a gut renovation where her team learned the plumbing wasn’t as recent as they thought and had to replace the whole piping.

Also, keep in mind that governing laws of your home location may require additional work.

“In some regions, if you renovate more than a certain percentage of a structure, you’re obligated to update the entire property to the current codes,” John Cialone, partner and vice president of Chicago's Tom Stringer Design Associates and current board chair-elect of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), says.

This will typically involve electrical wiring or plumbing. Still, other state laws might require new systems such as a high-efficiency heat pump or preventive measures against weather events such as hurricanes.

Desiree Burns Interiors

Gideon Mendelson, founder and director of the