10 Important Tips to Maximize Your Whole-House Renovation
If a whole-house remodel or second-story addition is in your future, here are 10 tips to maximize your investment, increase the functionality of your home and make future work easier. Keeping these ideas in mind when working with your remodeler can help lower your costs and stress during your next remodel.
If a whole-house remodel or second-story addition is in your future, here are 10 tips to maximize your investment, increase the functionality of your home and make future work easier. Keeping these ideas in mind when working with your remodeler can help lower your costs and stress during your next remodel.
1. Consider water.
When adding bathrooms look carefully at your water supply lines and the capacity of your water heater. A smaller tank or one with lengthy recovery times may not meet your needs.
This is especially true if you select a new 80-gallon soaking tub and you have a 50-gallon tank. Consider a separate tank-less or tank heater for your second story, or a larger tank with a recirculation pump that keeps hot water right at your taps.
Also consider how large your street-side water supply lines are. If you add enough fixtures, the plumbing code may require you to upgrade to a larger supply line. And if you still have galvanized piping, this is probably the time to take it all out.
2. Get the right gas meter.
More gas appliances usually mean a larger meter. Most utility providers will require you to add up the BTU (British thermal unit) requirements of your appliances (furnace, water heater, range, washer-dryer, barbecue, fireplace) and size your meter accordingly. Or maybe you’re adding that barbecue and fireplace in a few years. Sizing the meter larger now and running pipe where you will need it can save you money and time in the future.
3. Deaden the sound.
You can choose from insulation, sound board or drywall specifically designed to deaden sound transmission through wall cavities. Using resilient channels in ceilings can also help stop sound transmission from one floor or room to another. You may also want sound insulation around your laundry room and media room and in shared bedroom walls.
4. Avoid hearing water running through pipes.
It is not ideal to hear water running through your walls. Plastic waste pipe in walls — insulated or not — can create the very audible sound of falling water. This is not an issue when the pipes run into an unfinished basement, but when you add a second story those waste lines come down through one or more main floor walls. Upgrading to cast iron waste pipes will go a long way toward deafening the sound.
5. Invest in quiet exhaust fans.
They are required by code in many locations, generally where you have running water. But if you intend to regularly use your exhaust fans, invest in quiet ones. A loud fan can be audible and even shake the floor in which it’s installed.
Consider carefully how you will use your fans and make the most frequently used ones as quiet and low vibration as possible. Consider timers for them too, or humidistats, which measure the humidity in the air and turn the fans off when they reach their set level. Motion-sensor fans are also an option.
6. Plan ahead.
Think you might like to add solar at some point? Plan for it now. Pondering an electric car? Install a circuit for a charging station just in case. You may even have a second phase for your remodel planned. Make sure all the engineering and mechanical systems for that next phase are in place and ready to go. Taking pictures is important when you go this route. Take multiple photos with a measuring tape in the picture before covering these provisions for your future project.
7. Upgrade your electrical panel.
Take a really good look at your electrical panel. If it’s 100 amperes and every slot is filled, chances are that you’re a prime candidate for a panel upgrade. Even if it’s 125 or 200 amperes, added rooms and an updated kitchen will often require a panel upgrade. Remember, too, that code determines where panels can be, and that means not in a closet. If you still have antiquated wiring, this may also be the ideal opportunity to run new wiring and ground all those outlets.
8. Weigh the pros and cons of new siding, windows and doors.
A second-story or bump-out addition begs the question: Stick with the windows, doors and siding you have or choose something new? Your decision may be forced by structural requirements. If enough of your exterior walls need siding removed and plywood nailed on, it may make sense to replace everything. But if you have brick at the main level, you may want to use cement or wood siding on your addition. Window and door matching generally makes sense only if what’s existing is already in pretty good shape or is prohibitively expensive to replicate. The choice is unique to every home.
9. Don’t be short sighted.
Installing baby gates permanently on beautiful custom-built railings doesn’t make a lot of sense. Or the idea of an adjacent bedroom for a toddler may sound great now, but once the teen years come you are sure to desire separate bedrooms. You’re investing a lot of money and time on your remodel, so make sure it will last longer than the current phase your family is going through.
When planning for a lifetime home, think about grab bars, accessibility and universal design — if not for you then for older adults who may visit. An accessible home is also valuable for resale.
10. Ask your designer what they would do.
Designers are generally focused most on meeting the needs you have stated. But asking them what they would do if it were their house is likely to yield some interesting and thought-provoking suggestions that might otherwise pass you by. Your designer has seen what works, what is worth changing and what may be worth dropping altogether. Questions like these will keep you from overspending on unnecessary items and allow you to put your money in the places that count in the long term.