By far one of the most important yet tedious parts of planning a major remodel is developing a timeline and a budget. Then comes the really difficult part; actually sticking to either one!
When we first started planning our project, I had no idea where to start. I didn’t have a clue how much anything cost or how long each process would take. I took careful notes throughout the entire home remodeling process so I could share what we learned with all of you!
First, I’ll share with you our general timeline so you can see how long each part of the process took, but be aware that much of this is dependent on the schedule of your sub-contractors and may change if when you encounter any problems.
After we talk about home renovation timelines, I’ll share with you our construction and remodel budget so you can see where all the money went. Yes, this is our REAL budget!
If you’re just joining us, be sure to check out this post on how I inherited this house, and this post on how to begin planning a remodel.
Timeline
- Planning
- Demolition
- Electrical & Plumbing
- Framing & Drywall
- Paint
- Cabinets & Fixtures
- Doors & Surrounds
- Cleaning
- Flooring
- Trim & Finish work
You may be wondering what order to do home renovations. Here’s why it is important to do it in this order:
1. Planning: hopefully you understand the importance of planning everything out before you get started! Determine your scope of work, and do what you can to get rough estimates from sub-contractors to help solidify your budget. Make a list of what can be put off and what needs to be done now. Acquire any plans and permits necessary to complete the work.
2. Demolition: Things have to get worse before they get better! Get all of that old crap OUT of the house. You may want to rent a dumpster. Once you get all of the old cabinets and vanities out of the way, have your cabinet makers drop by to measure. It will take a few weeks for them to build and stain the cabinets, so you better get going on them early.
3. Electrical and Plumbing Rough-In: First of all, rough-in refers to the work that is done behind the walls or beneath the floors. This should be done before you take care of drywall, paint, and flooring so you don’t have to damage anything by trying to re-wire electrical or bring plumbing up through the floor. You’ll need to have a schematic of your kitchen and bath plans (and any other room requiring plumbing or electrical work) available to your sub-contractors so they know what the end goal is. Your electrical won’t know where to put light switches or outlets if he doesn’t know where your cabinets or fridge will be! Your sub-contractors can also help give you direction towards purchasing the right products. You don’t want to buy a bath tub that won’t work in the space!
4. Framing & Drywall: You might use the same sub-contractors for framing and drywall, or you might have one outfit do the framing and another come in to take care of putting up the drywall and texturizing the walls. Once the drywall is done, you’re done with all of the nasty work and now you get to put all the pretty new stuff into the space!
5. Paint: If you had any drywall work done, they likely put down plastic and taped off the areas where they were working. Check to make sure the seals are still good, then you can tape off anything else that needs to be protected from paint. For large projects, professionals use paint sprayers and the residue gets just about anywhere that isn’t taped off!
6. Cabinets & Fixtures: Ready for the fun stuff? This is when it really starts coming together! Get those cabinets installed so you can sort out your countertops. Work with your electrician and plumber to install fixtures and finish work. For example, we installed a new free-standing bath tub, so the plumber did the rough-in work of making sure we had water/drain access in the right places before the drywallers came in. At this stage, we had the plumber come back to actually set the tub and hook up the faucet. This is also when we had our fireplace refinished with cultured stone.
7. Doors & Window Surrounds: If you are installing any carpet in any of your rooms, you’ll want to have the interior and closet doors hung in those rooms prior to installation. You can usually install laminate flooring before the doors are hung.
8. Clean House & Air Vents: Sweep or use a shop vacuum to remove any remaining debris from the house. Hire professionals to come clean out your air vents and furnace. There’s likely a lot of construction debris in the vents!
9. Flooring: Install carpet, tile, and any remaining laminate flooring. Cover the air vents if you are cutting any flooring in the house.
10. Trim & Finish Work: The last thing to do before you move on in is install the trim and finish work. Most of the dirty work was done in step 7, but the baseboards and door frames will probably be nailed up at this stage.
Here’s how this worked out with our timeline (remember, we also had to work around all the crazy holidays!):
- Planning: This took me about a month before we actually started the project
- Demolition: 3 weeks (Day 1 through 21)
- Electrical & Plumbing Rough-In: 4 days (Day 22 through 26)
- Framing, Drywall, and Texture: 10 days (Day 29 through 39)
- Paint: 5 days (Day 39 through 44)
- Cabinets and Fixture Installation: 10 days (Spread out between Day 45 and 70)
- Doors & Window Surrounds: 5 days (between Day 64 and 74)
- Clean House & Air Vent: 1 day (Day 65)
- Flooring: 9 days (between Day 66 and 90)
- Trim & Finish Work: 7 days (between day 73 and day 90)
Budget
Our budget for the entire project was $100,000. Holy CRAP, right?! That’s a LOT of money.
I won’t lie; it was a little freaky blowing through that much money in just 3 months. I tried to remind myself that we weren’t really “blowing” money, but we were just sort of transferring it from our bank account into our home equity. Just remember, all that hard work and investment creates additional equity in the house! (If you do it right, that is.)
Here’s a breakdown of where that money went:
- Demolition: $0 (we did it ourselves!)
- New appliances: $8,833
- Fridge: $1,849
- Oven: $1,388
- Gas Range: $0 (repurposed)
- Dishwasher: $999
- Microwave: $809
- Washing Machine: $989
- Dryer: $799
- TV: $2,000
- Electrical: $4,599
- Labor: $1,700
- Supplies: $419
- Fixtures: $1,806
- Bath fan: $110
- Pantry Lighting: $80
- Studio Lighting: $24
- 7 Flush mount Ceiling Light for Bedrooms, Closets, Hall: $154
- Stairway Sconce: $55
- Living Room Sconce: $55
- New Globes for Downstairs Fan: $23
- Master Bedroom Ceiling Fan: $75
- Tub Area Lighting: $60
- Vanity Lighting in Bathrooms (2): $229
- Kitchen Floodlighting: $88
- Master Bath Can Light: $24
- Track Lighting for Kitchen: $200
- Track Lighting for Living Room: $200
- Under Cabinet LED Lighting: $151
- Dining Room Lighting: $80
- Entry Way Chandelier: $198
- Smoke Detector Alarms: $50
- Carbon Monoxide Alarm: $40
- New Switches, Receptacles, Dimmers, and Covers: $584
- Plumbing: $6,443
- Labor: $1,680
- Fixtures: $1,445
- Tub Filler: $638
- Instant Hot Tap: $213
- 2 Toilets: $420
- 2 rain shower heads: $52
- 1 tub/shower fixture replacement kit: $122
- New Bathtub: $1,343
- Bath and shower refinishing: $1,525
- Kitchen Sink, faucet, and bathroom faucets: $0 (provided by Kraus!)
- Bathroom sinks (2): $263
- Downstairs Tub Surround: $187
- Bathroom Accessories: $145
- Shower Rod: $50
- 2 toilet paper holders: $37
- 2 hand towel holders: $26
- 1 towel bar): $32
- Framing: $2,275
- Materials: $225
- Labor: $2,000
- Drywall Labor & Materials: $4,600
- Doors, Window Surrounds and Trim: $18,706
- Installation for Doors, Trim, and Window surrounds: $3,200
- Door Stops: $23
- Keyless Entry System: $233
- Door Locks and Hardware: $550
- Manufacturing & Staining: $14,700
- Paint: $926
- Behr Marquee Paint: $0 (Provided by Behr!)
- Paint Labor: $800
- Supplies: $126
- Tile & Labor (kitchen and bathrooms): $900
- Carpet, pad, and installation: $1,713
- Laminate and pad: $6,506
- Cabinets (Kitchen, both bathrooms, laundry): $15,400
- Cabinet Hardware: $750
- Kitchen: $500
- Bathrooms: $200
- Laundry: $50
- Concrete Countertops (kitchen, both bathrooms, laundry room): $6,240
- Masonry + Glass Fireplace Doors: $3,100
- Supplies: $303
- Chip Board: $254
- Underlayment Paper: $36
- Protective Plastic: $13
- Pantry Storage: $180
- Kitchen Eating Bar Slab: $800
- New Fireplace Mantle: $800
- Air duct cleaning: $450
- Expenses related to maintain dual residences: $3,000
GRAND TOTAL: $86,669
Well, there you have it! A complete rundown of our remodel construction timeline and budget.
You’re probably wondering how I knew how much to spend on each of these items without having a budget to work from to begin with, right? I mean, I didn’t just contract for all this stuff and *happen* to come out at a grand total under my maximum budget. I’m awesome, but I’m not that awesome.
Where Do I Start?
Basically, I put together a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel and just started coming up with categories. I didn’t really know where to start, so I just started adding line items for the things I knew I wanted and took a guess at how much they would cost.
For example, I knew I wanted one of those cool, ultra-modern free standing bath tubs and I though they probably cost about $600. WRONG! Try $1,300 on sale!
I also knew we wanted to replace all of the electrical switches, receptacles, and covers in the house. With the cost of product and labor, I thought we’d be looking at close to $1,500. Wrong again! All in, we spent about $585 and I installed all of that stuff myself (with the help of my parents, of course!).
You have to start somewhere, so just start making a list and then do some online research or call around to ask about costs.
Because I’m a freakishly-over-prepared type person, I also included the cost associated with maintaining two residences (property taxes, insurance, etc.) into our budget so I could keep track of what the “real” cost of the project would be.
What about Labor Costs?
The most difficult thing to budget for is the cost of labor. Sometimes I hear people say that labor will account for 30% of your total budget. For us, the total cost of our labor was close to $15,000. Granted, it is sometimes hard to determine if a line item counts as labor or materials.
Take our concrete countertops for example. Our contractor isn’t charging us “x” amount for materials and “x” amount for labor; the cost is simply determined by square footage. Our contractor is “laboring” to make our counters, but in the end he is simply delivering us with a “product.” I didn’t count our countertops as “labor” for this reason. Generally speaking, if you can breakdown a cost “by the hour”, it’s probably a labor expense.
Budgeting for actual labor costs (like when you are paying an electrician or plumber for their time on the job) is made even more difficult by the fact that you don’t know how long a given project will take. You have no idea what kind of electrical nightmares may be lurking behind your walls, or how difficult it might be to move plumbing around to get your ideal kitchen layout.
If you are working with a general contractor, your contractor should be able to give you an idea of how much labor costs should be for a given project. Of course, in order to do so you will have to know exactly what needs to be done so your general can estimate the time that it would take a subcontractor.
The Dreaded Contingency Budget
The best thing I did in our budgeting and planning process was build a contingency budget into our plan. Most people will tell you to budget for 10-20% contingency depending on the complexity of your project.
If you are just installing new flooring, updating fixtures, painting, etc., a 10% contingency budget will do just fine. If you are moving walls, changing any plumbing or electrical, or pretty much doing anything in the kitchen, I’d plan for a 20% contingency budget.
I know that this sounds CRAZY because you need every penny you have to do the remodel, right?
Well, here’s the fun part: Plan everything like you only have 80% of your total budget to get it done. Once the walls are closed up, you get to consider spending that money again. Generally speaking, the vast majority of things that could go wrong will happen or be discovered between demolition and drywall. This is the time when you find faulty wiring, leaky pipes, black mold, termites, cracked foundations, etc.
Once you get through that stage, you can use what you have left of your contingency budget to do the fun stuff and splurge for that awesome chandelier you love instead of going with the boring pendant light. It’s like finding surprise money!
You may have noticed that while our renovation budget was $100,000, our total came out to $86,669. What are we going to do with the leftover $13,331, you ask?
Well, we have a few ideas!
I’d love to get your opinion on what we should spend it on:
- New stamped concrete patio between the house and the pond (with build in fire pit, duh!)
- Update the exterior with a new paint job and a custom timber frame entry (maybe we could even paint the pole barns!)
- Convert the original “residence” on the property (a small shop fitted with a 70’s style kitchen, bathroom, and wood stove) into extra housing for our family and a fun recreational area for the husband and his friends.
Who knows… if I budget it correctly, maybe we could do all three!
I’d love for you to keep in touch! You can enter your email address below to get new recipes (and remodel updates!) sent to you. Join me on Facebook and Pinterest!!
Special thanks to Behr and Kraus for sponsoring this series!
Comments
I may have missed it, but can you give more information on the scope of your project? How big was the home? How much sq/ftg did you add? Single or two story? Crawl space or slab foundation? Area of the country you live in?
I am in Northern CA and on the brink of adding a master bath and some additional sq/ft to the master bedroom. We intend to incorporate some space from covered porches into the interior footprint and completely open up one side of the home for an open concept kitchen/dining/living… I love what you have put together and will use it as a template for my planning and budgeting. As of now we are just finishing up our own drawings for the designer to use for his professional drawings we will use for permitting and architectures.
Wish us luck,
Brian
Hi Brian,
There is a whole series on this, where you can learn more. Start here: https://thewanderlustkitchen.com/plan-house-remodel/ or search for remodel.
Agree! Planning is the most important for whatever you do. Identify your budget and renovate within your means. Will definitely bookmark this awesome guide for future reference. Thanks a lot!
You make a good point stating that shopping around can help save money on quality faucets, doorknobs, etcetera. I’m currently remodeling my bathroom and we’re on a budget so my husband wants me to buy the least expensive items. I know in the long run this can be a bad idea because we’re going to have problems when they start wearing out faster.
Remodeling your home helps the soul so much. Always love bringing new things into my home.
It really seems like a hard time, but it can be joyful if done properly. It is the first thing we have to do this summer vacation with my husband. Glad to read your process step by step, you really expose the budget and explain the pros and cons of it.
As you mentioned that one should plan a remodel in order to know the scope of the work and get rough estimates for the budget, I believe that it is important that they have a plan in order to get heavy equipment on and off the site. I would like to suggest finding a transportation company to assist in this part of the process. Availing their services will not only help safely deliver these to and from their respective locations but also help extend their lives as well.
The planning process in my mind is probably the most important part of the process. If we can find out what can be put off when we are doing home improvement and prioritize, then that is a good factor. I would love to start planning now for when we are going to do home improvement.
I have read your Blog it is very helpful for me. I want to say thanks to you. I have bookmark your site for future updates. You can also try home remodeling contractor.
Wow, thank you, those were just some wonderful tips. I will definitely use them when I have my new flat remodeled and then cleaned with the following company. It will escalate the process.
I would love to do a big home remodel. I’m sure the planning process is one of the most important steps. Getting various quotes can help you solidify your budget during that process, like you said.
Thank you. I always spend more than I plan during a renovation. Sometimes it’s because of unexpected problems that come up, sometimes it’s because I changes my mind about what I want during the process, and sometimes it’s a direct result not having an proper renovation budget.This timeline will be really helpful for the next home remodel.
You have some great tips here for planning a house remodel. One of the things I always overlook is the demolition process. It is definitely a good idea to rent a dumpster, thanks for the advice!
I love knowing that I don’t have to micro mange the condition of baseboards and etc when remodeling. I have been considering the project for the last year, but this article makes me feel taking the plunge into renovation would be worth it. I will be getting my waste disposal in place soon to start. Thanks for the helpful plan.
Anetta, you have done a remarkable work! It is a very big project to plan and you did it just perfect. It takes a lot of patience and research to complete it.
As a worker in a rubbish removal company I might just add and and after builders clearance service to the bill.
I bought a 950 sqft house a 1.5 years ago and been “cleaning” it ever since, between my 70% overseas travel schedule and with the help of my 2 best friends. I sat on a chair several times wondering what I got myself into. Today I got a plumber/HV-AC contractor to come for a quote.I got done cleaning the outside (little 0.7 acre forest) and run out of reasons not to start the demo and get it over with.
Looking for a planer/schedule guide I came to your website. It is awesome! You are my idol! If you can do this with your huge house, I have to be able to do a third of the size.
Hats off to you, and also thank you for sharing the story about your father. It was healing.
Wow, Marta – thanks for leaving such a touching comment! Remodeling can be so overwhelming, I’m really glad that you found some help through my site 🙂
U create constructive design.I want to change my kitchen who will help to keep me on budge. Thanks for this stunning blog.
Amazing..!
you have provided very useful information to renovation kitchens in affordable budget. I want to sell my house and now I am thinking that I should sell my house after remodel its kitchen because it will be very useful to add its value.
Wow, with that much of an an investment, sticking to your budget would be really important. My husband and I are remodeling our master bedroom, so following your example will be really helpful. It is impressive that you handled the demolition yourself, but we plan to hire a professional. I’m just worried that something would go wrong if we tried to do it on our own. We will make sure to make room in the budget.
Thank you for the insight about the demolition process. Especially about getting a dumpster. In the back of my mind I always knew that it would be a big mess, but it never occurred to me that I’ll need to get a dumpster. That being said, this will definitely make the process go a lot smoother and reduce the mess that will be made. Great insight!
Thanks for your outline on how to set a timeline and a budget for remodeling. You make a great point to include time for trim and finish work. A lot of people can get impatient and rush through installing their drywall trim and other finishing work. This can make your project looked rushed, even if you took time for everything else. I’ll keep your post in mind when I do remodeling.
I really appreciate you letting me know that when demolishing a house, things have to get worse before they get better. I’m going to be remodeling my dad’s home soon, and that’s going to require us to tear his home down to rebuild it. It’s going to be hard to have this kind of mindset while going through it, but I’ll try to keep it. Thanks a ton Anetta for letting me know about this.
By the way thank you very much for appreciating my comments!
Is that you Anetta the little cute girl in the picture with bathtub when you are still very young because she looks similar to you?
That’s my niece! She’s the apple of my eye 🙂
Actually you can have a home with stunning design without spending to much. It is smart to work from room to room instead of doing all the renovating and remodeling at once. If you know how to draw that’s a great advantage. Use your drawing skills to make a beautiful plan. Conducting heavy research online for different models of interior home design. And be a smart shopper, if you cannot afford to buy expensive decors and materials try to look for alternative similar design. Shop at thrift store for materials that can be fixed up with a fresh coat of paint or other easy techniques. Replace your rusty appliances and with dents such as base board heater cover. I suggests try to shop at baseboardradiatorcover.com they offers high-end products with less expensive products in order to save money as well as achieve the look you are going for. List down all the materials and try to compute including the labor cost and make an additional budget allowance for hidden expenses. And then try to layout now in your drawing all the materials to be put, note that you should make accurate measurement of every corner of your room in-order that your appliances will not over crowded and will fit inside the room.
It definitely helps to do your research! I spent a lot of time shopping around for good deals 🙂
I agree with you that labor cost is one of the most difficult thing you have to consider, because if you will pay a laborer for a daily basis, some workers when you are not around what they will do to have more income from you they will usually slow down their work. So what will happen is that you are paying the worker without doing nothing. That is why when I need to add additional cabinet for my kitchen I’m the one who made it to avoid headache to some dishonesty worker. Lucky for me that I have a good skills for carpentry and painting.
Such a good point, Dennis!!
Thanks for sharing this! I recently bought an old worn down house on a nice piece of property. Obviously, I would love to renovate the entire thing, but it is hard to do that when you don’t have a clear plan. I’ll be sure to write down this process, and make sure everything goes smoothly.
I’m so glad you find it useful, Seth! It’s definitely overwhelming to start such a big process 🙂
Well, you haven’t seen you dad’s and my bill yet! lol
Absolutely loved this article! So many important details you shared which I will need to know eventually! Are you posted before and after photos soon?
Ohhhh, yes. LOTS of before and after pictures are coming soon!
You amaze me 🙂
As a woman with a Masters in Accounting, I love to see things UNDER budget lol!! And that you can do so much more because the pins you have on the patio look so cool! I can’t believe all of that was finished in 90 days, can’t wait to see pics!!!!