You know you want to remodel the kitchen. The bathroom could use some attention too. The mismatched flooring runs through both spaces, and you know the house would look so much better if the flooring simply flowed from one room to the next. And while you're thinking about it, there's that wall you've talked about changing for years. So where do you start? For homeowners with several projects on their wish list, one of the first decisions is whether to tackle everything at once or remodel the home in phases. There isn't one right answer for every house or every homeowner. Budget matters. So does how much disruption you're willing to live with, which areas of the home are involved and whether one project will affect another. But there is one thing worth figuring out before the first wall comes down: What's the bigger plan?
When Remodeling in Phases Makes Sense
Sometimes breaking a larger remodel into smaller projects is simply more practical. You may be ready to remodel the primary bathroom now but want to wait a year or two before tackling the kitchen. You may have several areas you want to update but prefer to spread the investment over time. Phasing can also make living through construction easier. Instead of having several areas of your home under construction simultaneously, you can complete one project, get your house back and then move on to the next. And sometimes there's one room that clearly needs attention before everything else. There's nothing wrong with remodeling one space at a time. The important part is knowing what may come next.
The Problem With Treating Every Remodel Like a Separate Project
Imagine remodeling your kitchen this year and replacing the flooring throughout the adjoining living areas next year. Or finishing a bathroom only to decide later that plumbing or electrical work elsewhere in the house needs to pass through a wall you just finished. Maybe you remodel several rooms independently and eventually realize the flooring, trim, cabinetry or finishes don't quite connect the way you hoped they would. None of those individual decisions necessarily seemed wrong at the time. The problem is that the projects weren't considered together. When several remodeling projects are likely to happen over time, planning them as pieces of one larger picture can help prevent completed work from having to be disturbed later.
Some Projects Naturally Belong Together
There are times when doing more than one project at once makes sense because the work overlaps. Flooring is a perfect example. If you know you eventually want the same flooring to flow through the kitchen, dining room, living room or adjoining spaces, it may make sense to tackle those areas together—even if replacing all of that flooring wasn't originally at the top of your list. Why? Because flooring gets discontinued. Tile collections disappear. Hardwood colors, widths and finishes change. Manufacturers discontinue product lines. Even when you find something that looks almost identical a few years later, "almost" can become pretty obvious when the old and new materials meet in the same sightline. If you already know you want continuous flooring through several connected spaces, doing it at the same time can save you from trying to match a product later that simply isn't available anymore. If walls are already being opened, it may also be the right time to consider electrical, plumbing or other changes that you know will eventually be needed nearby. If you're painting several connected rooms, completing them together may make more sense than bringing everything back out for another project six months later. And if you're making a major change to the floor plan, it's worth considering how that change affects the rooms around it—not just the room where construction begins. This doesn't mean every item on the wish list needs to become part of the current project. It means they should at least be part of the conversation.
Doing Everything at Once Has Advantages Too
For some homeowners, one larger remodel is the better choice. There's one period of demolition and construction rather than several. Materials and finishes can be selected together. Work that affects multiple rooms can be coordinated as part of one project instead of being revisited later. And when the work is complete, it's complete. That last part matters. Remodeling is disruptive. Even when a project is going smoothly, there are workers coming and going, tools, dust, noise and areas of your home that temporarily can't be used normally. Some homeowners would rather live through a larger disruption once than repeat the construction cycle every year or two.
But Bigger Isn't Automatically Better
Combining projects just because you can isn't necessarily the right answer either. A larger scope requires a larger investment at one time. It may involve more decisions, more selections and more areas of the house being unavailable during construction. If you're unsure what you ultimately want in another part of the home, there may be no reason to rush that decision simply because construction is happening somewhere else. The goal isn't to make the project as large as possible. It's to determine which work makes sense to do together and which work can comfortably wait.
Think About What's Behind the Walls
This is where planning ahead becomes particularly important. Paint can be changed relatively easily. Plumbing, electrical, HVAC, framing and other work behind finished surfaces are different. If you already know that a future project may require changes to those systems, tell your remodeler before the current project begins. It may change the way the work is planned now. The same applies to additions, major layout changes and projects that will connect previously separate areas of the house. You don't necessarily have to build Phase Two today. But you don't want Phase One standing in its way tomorrow.
Don't Forget the Finishes
Planning ahead isn't only about what happens behind the drywall. It can also help your home feel intentional when projects are completed years apart. Will the same flooring eventually continue into another room? Do you want trim and door styles to remain consistent? Will cabinetry in different areas of the home relate to one another? Does a countertop, tile or flooring selection need to be available again when the next phase begins? Your home doesn't have to use the same materials everywhere. But if you want the finished spaces to feel connected, it's worth thinking about that before making selections for the first project.
Start With the Whole List—Even If You Only Build Part of It
Before beginning a remodel, make a list of everything you can realistically imagine wanting to change in the next several years. Not because you need to do all of it now. Because the project you're planning today may affect the one you're dreaming about for later. A kitchen remodel can absolutely be just a kitchen remodel. A bathroom can be remodeled without touching the rest of the house. But when you already know there are several projects ahead, looking at the whole picture first can help you decide what should happen now, what can wait and what needs to be planned together. Sometimes the best remodeling plan is one big project. Sometimes it's Phase One. Either way, knowing where you're ultimately headed can make the first step a much smarter one. At Anderson Remodeling, we help homeowners look at both the project in front of them and how it fits into the rest of their home. Whether you're ready for one room or have a longer remodeling list, give us a call.
One Call Does It All
281-320-8886
12346 Spring Cypress Rd.
Tomball, TX 77377
