Move a wall, and suddenly the flooring needs changing. Make changes to the kitchen sink, and now your plumbing must change. Open the ceiling, and the existing lighting must change. An experienced home remodel contractor understands how remodeling decisions in the design change trigger other changes.
Managing the domino effect represents a key part of a whole-home renovation. Big changes rarely happen in isolation. Understanding how one decision triggers other decisions keeps the design cohesive and minimizes surprises.
Home Remodel Contractor Sees the Big Picture
Imagine opening a kitchen to the family room. The designer creates a plan that removes walls to create the open layout you crave. Easy right? After all, the design shows on TV feature homeowners gleefully blasting out walls with a shop hammer. Looks fun. Can’t wait!
Not so fast. Better consult a home remodel contractor to determine if that is a load bearing wall. Removing a load-bearing wall requires careful planning. These walls transfer weight through the home. Improper removal threatens the structural integrity of the home.
Working with a design/build home remodel contractor makes sure the designer, architect, and general contractor understand the broader impact of changes involved in the remodel.
For example, if the removed wall contains electrical wiring, plumbing, or ductwork, it must be relocated. Flooring must be cohesive, and lighting may need to be changed.
Just removing one wall creates a surprisingly long to-do list.
Moving Plumbing Moves More Than Pipes
Relocating sinks, showers, tubs, and toilets gives homeowners a blank slate to redesign dream kitchens and bathrooms.
However, changing plumbing impacts more than pipes. Often, walls, floors, and ceilings may need changing too.
Often moving a second-floor bathroom fixture requires access from the room below. Now two separate floors and rooms are involved in the change. Relocating the kitchen sink may change water supply and drain routes. Moving appliances may require new electrical or gas connections.
A home remodel contractor understands the proper sequence and coordinates these trades accordingly.
Coordination compounds when the remodeling involves several rooms at once.
Stair flooring is not a DIY project
New Flooring Connects the Remodel
Flooring changes create another domino effect.
Change the flooring material and the finished floor height might change. The different height affects transitions, doors, baseboards, cabinetry, and stairs.
Whole-home remodeling also creates an opportunity for continuity. Running one flooring material through connected spaces can visually unite the home.
Decide early, and the design team can coordinate surrounding materials and finishes accordingly.
Today’s Decisions Affect Tomorrow’s Work
Some remodeling choices disappear as soon as the drywall is hung. Timing is important.
Electrical wiring, plumbing lines, insulation, structural supports, and other components must be in the proper place to support the design before the first drywall nail goes in.
Want a television mounted without visible wires? Plan before drywall installation.
Want sconces beside a bathroom mirror? Determine their locations early and make sure the proper wiring is in place.
Thinking ahead prevents crews from reopening finished surfaces to perform work that should have been done previously.
Whole-Home Remodeling Requires Coordination
The larger the remodel, the more each decision connects.
When considering extensive renovations, you must look beyond the individual rooms. Inspired Remodels approaches whole-home remodels as coordinated projects. The team works with architects and structural engineers when needed and manages city permitting.
Their design/build approach creates kitchens, bathrooms, and living areas where everything from lighting to architectural details work together. Rooms flow, and the home has a cohesive feel.
Controlling the Dominoes
A major renovation involves hundreds of decisions and relies on each being made in the proper order.
An experienced home remodel contractor anticipates those connections. The contractor coordinates the trades, catches conflicts early, and keeps the entire home in view.
Change one thing during a remodel and something else often follows.
The trick isn’t stopping the domino effect. It’s knowing exactly where those dominoes lead.
