Know the Basic Steps of a Renovation

Before we kicked off the renovation, it was crucial to understand all the steps of a renovation. We looked for step by step or “How To” documentation on renovation stages to get started. We knew we needed an architect and likely a structural engineer. After doing many Google searches we quickly learned this would take longer than we first thought. Luckily, we have renters in the upstairs unit and have a little extra time.

A friend recommended the book “What a Contractor Can’t Tell You” by Amy Johnson. It is an amazing resource. After reading the book and interviewing quite a few architects I have a better understanding of the process. I also learned what I needed to do in my role as the owner, which is important.

Below are the steps I identified from my research.

1. Prepare: make sure you have a clearly articulated goal, list of all projects to be completed and ideas for finishes. My full-time job is in digital advertising and I work with briefs all the time so I created a brief for our renovation project to ensure that I documented all of our ideas for planning discussions.
2. Selecting an Architect: this took a long time with a lot of stumbling blocks. We spoke to large firms that felt the only option was to completely gut our house. We spoke to independent architects who varied in their enthusiasm. One pointed out everything we should be terrified of, so he was immediately eliminated. The home is built in 1910. We know there will be issues and need someone who can stay calm and attack them one by one. We also spoke to medium firms that had experience with these old conversions but limited architects during initial conversations. In the end we went with the medium firm as I have a passion for drawing up floor plans and designing and just need an expert to partner with. Hopefully, putting a little faith in me will pay off.
3. Planning: we are about to start this phase, but it will consist of measuring the current home, drawing up the new floor plans that will be submitted for permits and used by the general and subcontractors for the renovation.
4. Bidding & Permits: Once the plans are created, it is recommended to garner quotes/ bids based on the drawings from multiple contractors to ensure you are getting a fair price. Plans need to be submitted to the city for permits to start work.
5. Construction: once the contractor is selected then it is time to schedule the work and manage the budget based on the bid.

There are a lot of additional details in each step that you can find during your research phase, but the above should get you started and is a good overview on all the steps involved.