Dollars to Dreams: Matching Your Renovation Vision to Your Budget

Renovations. It’s something every homeowner dreams of. Even if you’ve moved into a move-in ready home or a new build, you’ve probably dreamed at least once of renovating or remodeling a portion of your home.

More often than not, one word prevents or prolongs homeowners from realizing their renovation dreams and that word is money. Unless you’re a multi-millionaire, your renovation plans are likely limited to a budget, but that doesn’t mean your renovation visions go out the window. In today’s blog, we’re discussing how to match your renovation dreams to your renovation dollars.

The first step in mapping out your dreams to budget is asking yourself, “What do you want?” Are you wanting small changes like new backsplash and cabinet facings and maybe new tile for the floor, or are you looking at a complete gut job?

What if you don’t know exactly what you want or need, you just know your home needs help?

This is where hiring an architect, designer, or design-build firm comes in. Even if you don’t have a clear vision of what you want, a professional can help you figure that out based on your budget and your home’s needs. They’ll also be able to tell you if your dreams of ceiling-high cabinetry, smart technology in every appliance and drawer, and marble flooring are feasible with your budget, or if you need to hone in your vision to match reality.

Here’s a piece of advice that may come as a surprise.

Don’t be afraid to share your over-the-top, unlimited budget dreams with your design professional, even if you know that your budget will never achieve most of them. This allows the designer to understand who you are and what you really want in a home so they can find a way to give you at least a piece of your dream while still ensuring your home also gets what it needs from the renovation.

Once you’ve laid out your renovation goals, your designer can design and revise, then check the design with your contractor to get a budget estimate. You’ll then be able to figure out realistic renovation goals after getting an initial cost estimate. To help you figure this one out, we recommend listing your family’s top five priorities for the home. Are ceiling-high cabinets as important as the need for a larger island or a breakfast nook? Does every appliance have to have smart technology or would you settle for just a smart fridge if it meant you could get the flooring you really wanted? The end result should be a renovation that delivers everything you need along with a bit of what you want.

Don’t know where to begin making your kitchen renovation dreams a reality? McCarley Cabinets can help. Give us a call to get started with a free estimate today.