interior design wilmington deTips For Keeping Your Home Renovation On Budget

After careful consideration, you’ve decided to remodel part of your home to create a more inviting and functional space that better suits both your lifestyle and your personal style. But, before you start demolition, you need make some decisions regarding your budget. Deciding how much you’d like to spend and learning how to control your budget are critical steps in the remodel planning process. As a leading interior design firm serving Wilmington, DE, we’d like to share a few tips that help our clients stay within budget.

  1. Make a detailed plan and stick to it. At Lisa Quale Interiors, we guide our clients through the process of developing a cohesive and complete plan. Then, we create drawings that capture the details of your renovation. These drawings are a very clear way of communicating precisely what you’re looking for so your remodeling contract  is complete and accurate before any construction starts. Setting clear expectations and making sure everything is included in the bid minimizes change-orders, a common and costly budget buster.  
  1. Know where to splurge and where to save. Investing in the wrong big-ticket items is an easy way to go over budget. To get the most out of your money while still achieving a sophisticated look, it’s important to know which items are worth investing in and which aren’t. At Lisa Quale Interiors, we’ll help you determine where your money is best spent and what you’re comfortable with when it comes to saving. Are you willing to spend a little more to make it eco-friendly? Do you focus on details rather than the big picture? Part of our listening phase includes talking through these spending questions so we get a feel for your priorities and preferences.
  1. Don’t forget decor.  There is more to a renovation than construction materials and labor. Most people are so focused on the contractor’s numbers that they forget to budget for things like window treatments, barstools, art, and accessories. We make sure the decorative part of the budget doesn’t get forgotten so your remodel looks the way it should in the end.     
  1. Budget for surprises. It’s rare that you can do a remodeling project without running into unexpected costs. Make sure you have enough of a contingency in your budget that you can pay for whatever surprises that arise.  We recommend saving 10-20% of your budget for hidden water damage, dated wiring, lack of insulation, and other non-elective expenses.   

Contact Lisa Quale for Interior Design in Wilmington, DE

If you’re getting ready to remodel your home, take a look through our interior design portfolio and reach out for an initial design consultation. We’ll meet to get a sense of your ideas and we’ll determine if LQ Interiors is the right fit for your project.