DIY: Should I Tackle Renovating Myself?

Doing your own renovation isn’t always the cheapest solution. But when you can do it right, and do it well, it can be rewarding.

Professional design/build contractors may have an understanding of every aspect of renovation, but they also have a full range of tradesmen available in their renovation tool box. From general carpenters, roofers, plumbers, electricians and painters, at PROBUILT by Michael Upshall, we know when to call in the troops to tackle certain aspects.

But, if you have the time, the skill level required for the task, and own or can get your hands on the quality tools you will need, then there is nothing more satisfying than a job well done.

It’s all about checks and balances. So before you tackle a renovation yourself, make sure you can pass this checklist:

Be Realistic:  Have a “Plan B” as well as a “Plan C” in mind, just in case you get in over your head. Sitting in on a course at a big box store doesn’t make you an expert. Make sure you have the skills and know-how to do the task at hand. A bad renovation stands out more than a good one, and poor workmanship is glaring.

Plan, plan, plan, & plan some more:  You know the saying, “Measure twice, cut once.” Apply it to every aspect of your renovation by preparing a checklist for everything you do, and checking it twice. The better the planning, the smoother the execution. Checklists are your blueprint plans and hopefully will keep your chequebook in balance.

Budget:  Money matters and you must keep a handle on it. If you budgeted $5,000, your plans should be designed to spend only $5,000, and you should not buy materials without checking your plans.

Know the Local Building Regulations:  Sometimes municipalities don’t make it easy to acquire permits, but they are necessary. Consider it a stamp in your renovation passport. If you can’t get a permit, then the renovation isn’t to code and, most likely, not a good idea.

Expect the Unexpected:  Keep an eye on your expenditures. Try to be one step ahead, and foresee problems. It’s easier to catch and fix them when they are small.

Work Site:  Designate a work area. Do not invade and take over the kitchen; the family breakfast table is not your workbench!

Protect your Investment:  There is a reason why the better renovation professionals carry a minimum of 2 million dollars in liability. Call your insurance company and make sure you have sufficient coverage.

 

Ready to renovate? Pick up a pencil and begin designing your plans.

Watch Your Step. Renovation Flooring.

Flooring forms the base in any interior design. You have to use it, and everything rests on it.

It begins the styling tones of a room or acts as a quiet backdrop on which everything else takes centre stage.

Whether you are a modernist or traditionalist, hardwood flooring will add interest, timeless appeal and versatility to your home décor.

At PROBUILT by Michael Upshall, we give a lot of attention to what lies underfoot.

 

Hardwood flooring provides a seamless flow of connectivity. However pleasing the painted walls and tailored millwork assist with the visual transitions, in this renovation, we quietly broke up the monotony of Brazilian cherry flooring by applying parquetry to the dining room planks with a subtle border and herringbone pattern.

Renovation: Indoors Out & In Again

To achieve the contemporary, open concept feeling the Client wanted, the flooring needed to be continuous and ever flowing without barriers. There are no breaks or borders disrupting any floor lines in this remodel.

 

Renovation: Stylish Green Contemporary

When one floor must meet another, not only does the transition between the elements need to complement, but the room transition must seem uniform. For this remodel, existing hardwood was given a small profile border when abutted to the new slate. But the drywall returns and ceiling bulk heads continued from one room to the next maintaining connectivity from one area to the other.

Renovation: New is Made Old and Old is New

 

Sometimes, remodeling is done in stages, and the chances to match old flooring are slim. For this remodel, we were very fortunate that the marble tiles were still available, and we were able to unite the new entry with the existing foyer through flooring. How did we know the new tiles would match? We were able to reference lot numbers on old and new packaging.

Renovation: Roof is the Icing on Top

 

For this award-winning remodel, we used tile borders tactically throughout the basement renovation. Not only did we border the outer walls, we used border to define the living areas within the open space.

Renovation: BILD Award Winning Renovation

 

At the 2008 National Home Show in Toronto, the Dream Home hallways were tiled while the living areas had hardwood. To help transition to the outdoor living space, the flagstone flooring along with a water feature started inside the home, and continued once you crossed into the backyard. Literally, this floor treatment brings the outdoors inside.

Renovation: 2008 Dream Home

Sometimes, flooring can give a ceiling visual interest, as in this Dream Home at the 2009 National Home Show. With a ceiling this immense, the flooring planks up high ground the vastness, providing warmth to a potentially cold architecture.

 

To help anchor your focus in this very busy, attention grabbing setting, a circular floor transition adds interest to this large open space and we positioned a circular sectional couch to mimic the border. With the contrasting textures and colours, flooring sets the styling tones to this room…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…yet in the bedroom, flooring becomes the backdrop on which the décor and the wall treatments took centre stage.

Renovation: 2009 Dream Home

 

Are you having trouble with what flooring solution is needed for your upcoming remodel?

We’d like to help. Just email us with your situation, or begin your renovation with our Renovision process. It’s simple, as it all begins with a consultation. Click here to learn more.

5 Things to do Before You Renovate.

You’ve watched the shows and heard the stories. Renovating or building your new home can make or break a family.

It will be stressful. Your house will be a mess. This isn’t television; this is reality, and it’s YOUR reality.

Whether you are doing it yourself, or hiring a contractor, there are five things you must ask yourself before you begin to renovate:

 

Why are you doing this?  You need to understand what you are about to embark upon, and why you are doing it. Do you really need an addition, or do you have to just reconfigure your existing space to achieve what you want? What are your objectives? What do you want it to look like at the end? How do you want it to feel? Renovating is very emotional. Make sure you have thought of everything before you begin.

What is your timeframe?  Is there a life event you need to be ready for? If there is a delay, is there enough time to get back on track? For our BILD Award Winning Renovation, we needed to have the basement finished for a wedding. We allotted 5 months. However, we encountered difficulties with the municipality when acquiring building permits and what should have taken two weeks took six, leaving us only three months! We utilized the lost time in acquiring materials and were grateful for no other setbacks. Luck isn’t always on your side. Make sure to pad all renovations with an additional month if you can.

What’s your budget?  Funding has to be in place, and should include an additional 2-3% or more for contingency. The worst thing is to run out of money, bringing your renovation to a standstill, or even worse, unable to be completed.

Are you renovating for today or tomorrow?  Trends are great “for the moment” but can quickly become outdated. Make sure your design is classic and complements your home for many years.

Do you stay or do you go?  Live through it, not in it. Depending on the renovation, in most cases it is wise to find temporary accommodation outside of your home during the construction. However, being offsite doesn’t mean being absent. You need to live the reno … be involved. Be there every day, be accessible, be aware and be reactive.

 

If, after you have answered all these questions, you haven’t run the other way, then you are ready to embark into the world of home improvement.

Now breathe – and remember to have fun!

Need to discuss ideas with a design/build contractor? Daniel and Michael of PROBUILT by Michael Upshall can meet with you. It all begins here, with a consultation.

Built-In-Spirations. Built for Today's Renovations.

Built-ins: Where function meets beauty, limited only by your imagination. They are the ultimate storage solution in today’s modern lifestyle.

Built-ins were used for centuries and, although our ancestors had fewer things, their homes were better for hiding them. Tall ceilings had little cubbies atop closet doors and, though you required a ladder, they were ideal for occasional and seasonal storage. Today, built-ins are considered premium, custom applications.

Whether for displaying or hiding stuff, at PROBUILT making storage from negative space is a terrific architectural element and a must in today’s design/built home.

A well designed and organized closet is any girl’s best friend, even when she’s only five! Millwork is built with enough room for hangers, shelves and drawers, replacing bulky armoires and dressers which take up floor space.

 

The formal dining room was made in a rich mahogany with glass doors to handsomely display and store china. However, in the family room the built-ins are a little more casual, with open storage for decorative items and books, and hidden storage to accommodate games, CDs & DVDs.

Renovation: Indoors Out & In Again

 

Traditional bookcases/shelving can give a new look in a contemporary setting. For the 2008 Dream Home at Toronto’s National Home Show, we built a large library complete with rail & ladder but, instead of housing books, it displayed home décor accents. This gives an old world charm to a modern application.

 

 

 

 

 

We did the same thing in the kitchen, using shelving instead of traditional uppers. Bold colour and modern materials can add visual interest and contemporary appeal to any kitchen.

 

 

Built-ins work well in unconventional areas like the kitchen. Appliances are housed within millwork, providing additional storage up high for seasonal/occasional kitchen accessories. They are not only out of the way, but conveniently accessible with the aid of a step ladder when needed.

 Renovation: Indoors Out & In Again

 

This custom built-in was made to look old in order to complement existing cabinetry on the opposite wall. Though new, it’s timeless!

 

 

 

 

 

And who said built-ins were limited to indoor applications? Incorporating boxes into the deck wall outside allows plants to soften the edge of this new cedar deck.

 

 

 

 

Linen closets and medicine cabinets are essential for any bathroom. But who said they had to be hidden behind hollow-core doors and mirrors? The built-in in the powder room not only hides necessary supplies, but provides visual interest. And for the guest bedroom en suite, occasional towels with graphic appeal can be displayed as part of the décor.

 

 

 

 

What are your favourite built-ins? What do you have, or wish you had, in your home?

Dream the DREAM Home.

Before you grab your hard hat and your home becomes a building site, you need to start dreaming about your dream home.

Just like any dream sequence, it doesn’t need to be “to scale” or make any sense. It just has to tap into your wants and needs, as they are at the core of any home improvement.

To get started, gather together the following items:

• Magazines – ones that you don’t mind tearing pages out of;
• Construction paper;
• Good pair of scissors;
• Sharpie markers in black, red and green;
• Box of crayons &/or coloured pencils;
• A scale ruler;
• Tall glass of beer or a wine cooler!

You probably think it would be easier to Google a program that creates floor plans. But, at the start of any home improvement, you really need to know what you want from each room before you can figure out locations or design, let alone HVAC, plumbing or utilities requirements.

Concentrate on one room at a time, asking yourself the following questions:

• How big do you want/need this room to be?
• What storage does it need?
• How much sunlight do you need?
• Do you want a window that opens?
• Is it a room you will use year round? In winter, do you need it to be comfortable?
• What pieces of furniture must fit into this room?
• Does the room have only one purpose, or does it have a second function?
• Is there another room you would like to connect to this room?

It is the arrangement and accessibility of its rooms that make a house into a functional home. So look into your house and assess what you should do. You may discover your wants and needs require you to finish the basement, convert a few rooms, build an addition or perhaps you have to build a whole new house.

At PROBUILT by Michael Upshall, this is how we begin to DREAM in RENOVISION®

Click here, and start planning your Dream Build/Renovation with PROBUILT.