After 20 years in the renovation and home remodel business, one of the things we have found that most people struggle with during our initial consultations is managing expectations. Everyone wants the most popular trends in bathrooms, kitchens or finished basements. From shaker cabinets and the most popular quartz counter tops to the big bar or the gaming room downstairs. Here is a little insight on home remodeling projects that you want to keep in mind while you interview contractors.

When it comes to managing expectations there are three main areas that impact the quote for your project:

1.Budget
2.Time
3.Quality

The Remodel Sliders

Imagine you’ve got these three areas on sliders that are all linked together. Each one moving in response to the others. Let’s take a look:

If you raise the quality slider: the project takes longer to complete, and your overall budget increases.

However, if you lower the budget: something the other sliders will move as well. Perhaps you’ll lose in the quality of the materials? Maybe you rush the time frame? Maybe you have to cut corners. That means the finished product is diminished.

Maybe you can stretch out the timing of your project: making it last years instead of months? That’s a matter of how much your time is worth then! Most people don’t want their home to be a construction zone for years, but for you: maybe it’ll work out!

Another consideration: the moment any other factor drops into these sliders – the way they interact can change wildly. Want to change the layout of your kitchen, rather than just update the cabinets? The budget and time sliders are going to affect one another way more, while the quality slider stays consistent.

Want to remove the tray ceiling to your master bedroom? The quality and time sliders will affect one another more than the budget in this particular instance.

Need a new countertop in your bathroom, but don’t mind the cabinets? The budget and quality sliders might go up without moving the time slider at all.

Remodel the HGTV Effect

Managing expectations will be your key to success when it comes to your next home renovation. Taking the time to educate yourself on the construction process, the work and effort that goes into it is just as important as the vision board for your dream kitchen.

In this day and age, we all love an amazing transformation: from Flip Flop to the Property Brothers we’ve seen what’s possible with a home remodel. Even social media provides all kinds of inspirations to those of us dreaming about our perfect home. The effect we’ve seen though is this: like everything else we see on television and social media – it goes through a fast paced edit and beauty filter. It looks great, but doesn’t reflect reality. The fact is: home remodels take time and can cost a lot of money! So, managing the expectations of your renovation are very important.

Every decision you make has an effect. Getting the best possible work, for the lowest possible cost, in the quickest time frame possible is simply not realistic in the remodel world. It is a balancing act instead. If your budget is a problem: you’ll have to decide where to make compromises.

Of course, it requires a lot of consideration in regards to the value of your home, your neighborhood, your lifestyle, your income, and all of those responsible decision making factors. Whether you are doing it all DIY or hiring a professional contractor: we encourage you to do a little research on the construction process and exactly what your budget and time constraints are.