Renovate Before You Move In

The best time to renovate that house you just bought is before you move in.

When you buy a house that you want to renovate you should think of doing some or all of the renovations before you ever physically move into the house.

If you are buying a second home like a chalet or a cottage then you can easily delay the date that you are able to move in until your renovations are finished.

If you are buying a house that is your primary residence then the best thing you can do is get bridge financing so that you can do the majority of the renovations before you have to move in.

There are many reasons to do this:

• Dirt. Renovating is a dirty business and it is always easier to clean up a house after a renovation if there is no furniture in the way. Rugs, furniture, bed spreads can all end up covered in dust if the dust and dirt drift throughout the house.
• Your own stuff. It's hard for a contractor to work around other peoples stuff, they end up having to do things twice and they are constantly moving men, equipment and materials to accommodate the homeowners who need access to different parts of the house.
• Convenience. If you are planning to renovate a kitchen or a main bathroom or the only bathroom in the house that has a shower then you are going to want to have it completed before you move in. Not having a kitchen can be a very stressful thing, especially if you have a large family. 
• Cost. Contractors take into consideration the amount of time they will lose when they have to work around other peoples stuff. They also add more time and money to the job so that they can properly protect the homeowners stuff from dust. Dust screens, the taping of rooms off, the tarping of beds and furniture all takes time and time is money. If a contractor knows that they are going to work in a home that is empty then they are able to plan on less time and less money to complete the renovation.
• Design. It is always easier for your contractor to help you with design ideas and layouts when the rooms of the house are empty. A more accurate readying of a rooms size can be determined when there is no furniture in the house.
• Problems. It is always easier to identify problems in the home when it is completely empty. There are no rugs to hide anything and pictures covering the walls. Everything can be assessed with a simple look around.
• Layout. Once the house is renovated you might think about the layout of your home completely differently. Renovations to kitchens tend to change the whole flow of how the home functions.

The bottom line is moving is stressful and if you can move without having to deal with renovations that are also stressful then you will actually enjoy the whole experience (and you might save some money).

Rob Abbott

Village Builders Inc.