Do you have a major home renovation project coming up? Get ready to become a bonafide project manager.

There are plenty of home renovation fails that you can see for proof as to how bad these projects can go. You want to avoid these examples as much as possible.

That’s when a home renovation planning checklist can be handy. It can help you stay organized, on time, and most of all, on budget.

Read on to run down the list of everything you need to think of to ensure your project goes off without a hitch.

1. Start with Your Dream List of Renovations

If you could renovate anything in your home, what would it be? This is the fun part because you’re essentially creating your dream home.

Go through each room in your home and make a list of everything that you’d like to see. You don’t want to forget about the exterior, either.

You may want to change up the landscaping or spruce up your walkway to make it more inviting. There are so many possibilities to document, you’re going to wind up with a huge list.

2. Get Real with Your Budget

How much money are you willing and able to spend on the home renovation? This is the difficult part, because you may not know what the full costs of the project are.

How will you pay for the project? Will you pay out of pocket? Will you have to get a personal loan, or can you get a home equity loan for the renovation?

You have to look closely at your financing options. This is a project that could take you years to pay off, so choose carefully.

3. Pare Down Your List

This is the hard part because you’re so excited about your project and all of the possibilities you discovered in the first part.

Now comes the harsh dose of reality. Your budget will only allow so much. This is the part where you have to prioritize your list.

You may find that there are projects that you can do yourself, but tread carefully here. You may save money to begin with, but if you do a shoddy job, you’re going to have to spend more money to have someone fix your mistakes.

Here’s the best way to prioritize your list. Start with the projects that must be completed and then decide which things are just nice to have.

Once you have those two categories down, then decide which ones you know you can handle and which ones need to be left to the professionals.

4. Draw Plans

At this stage, you’ll need to work with an architect to draw up the plans for your project. You can start by drawing plans on a computer program yourself, but an architect will bring their building expertise to the project.

Architects balance the design and the function of the space, which can make sure you have a beautiful home and a functional one.

5. Hire a Contractor

Now that your plans are put down on paper, you can start the process to hire a contractor. The architect may already have a working relationship with one or several contractors in the area that they can recommend.

You want to start to gather names of remodelling contractors. Check with chambers of commerce and with your network for names. Visit their websites and look at online reviews, then narrow your list down.

You’ll want to get bids from several contractors and interview them. Take your time with this process. You don’t want to rush through and get a bad contractor as a result.

6. Know the Permits You Need

You’re going to need permits in order to have work done on your home. Which permits you need and how to obtain them depend on your municipality.

Your contractor may already have contacts within your city that will make the process easy.

You want to make sure that you stay on top of the permitting process. They can take a while to obtain, and they can hold up your entire project. That can cost you a lot of time and money in the process.

7. Project Insurance

Anything can happen during home renovation projects. You want to be prepared as much as possible. Your contractor should have insurance in case they do anything wrong on the job or if an employee gets hurt on the job.

However, it would be wise to cover yourself with builder’s insurance. Your homeowner’s policy isn’t going to cover anything related to construction.

After the project, you’ll need to have your homeowner’s policy updated to reflect the remodel.

8. Final Prep for the Project

By this point, you should have everything in place. You have the details and timeline of the project, the permits have been approved. You just need to prepare your home for a major remodel.

This is the perfect time to go through your stuff and clear out the things that you’ll no longer need. For example, if you have an old refrigerator, furniture, or appliances that are no longer need, call a junk removal service and have them taken out before the project begins.

Home Renovation Planning Checklist for a Smooth Renovation

Home renovation projects are big undertakings, and they can be scary. Anything can happen that can turn these projects into huge disasters.

There are some things out of your control, but the more prepared you are, the better. That’s why a renovation planning checklist can help you. You can get your thoughts organized, understand your needs and have a contingency plan for the worst.

The key parts of the project are in the preparation and planning phase, which is where you decide on your budget, needs, and choose a contractor.

Do you want more great tips? Check out this site often for more great articles on topics like business and travel.