1. Staycation at a Nearby Hotel

You can eliminate a lot of the stress by removing yourself from the situation. For instance, with large home remodels, there’s usually a lot going on that can disrupt the flow of daily life. Don’t hesitate to pack up and enjoy a hotel during some of the louder or messier parts of the project.

2. Make Backup Plans

If you’d prefer to stay in your home, make sure you have backup plans so the renovations don’t disrupt your daily flow too much. Most importantly, you should have a plan for if the vital areas of your home become unusable.

3. Treat Yourself to Fine Dining

Is today the day you have new cabinets installed in your kitchen? Then, this is the perfect opportunity to splurge on your favorite restaurants. Above all, you want to keep your and your family’s spirits high. Nothing does that better than an incredible dinner at a five-star restaurant!

4. Ask Yourself Some Questions

This article by Bob Vila will help you determine whether you’re equipped to weather a remodel on-site or if you should move out during construction. Deciding this ahead of time can certainly improve your quality of life. In addition, it can make the remodel a lot simpler for everyone.

5. Take a Day Trip

Even if you can handle the renovation, there could be days when it all feels like too much. Don’t stay in a stressful environment; head to the beach, go shopping, or get out in nature. Do whatever you need to come back refreshed.

6. Book a Spa Day

Do you typically enjoy a day relaxing on a Sunday afternoon, but there’s too much noise during the renovation? Book yourself an appointment at the spa. It will help you get out of the home and destress.

7. Plan Mental Health Strategies

Large home renovations mean you’re in for the long haul. It’s essential that you get creative and do something that makes you feel good! For example, you can try things like:

● Planning distracting indulgences

● Scheduling regular outings with friends and family

● Improvising on the spot

In short, you’ll want a lot of strategies ready, especially when your go-to ones don’t seem to be working.

8. Find Normalcy

If you have to move electronics, furniture, or other items around in your home to gain access to them, do that. The less you disrupt your routine, the happier you’ll be overall!

9. Rearrange Specific Areas

Block off sections of your home for certain things. Use barriers and alternate routes to help re-imagine where you’ll be working, playing, and relaxing.

10. Book a Vacation

When all else fails, there’s always taking an actual vacation. Getting away from it all and trusting your contractors could be what you need during a longer renovation.

Making Your Home Remodel Easier

Homeowners undergoing extensive renovations don’t need to stop enjoying life! If you’re still asking yourself, “How can I make my home remodel easier?” you can partner with Gulfstream Homes! We’re the home renovation professionals that can make your renovation or remodel a breeze. Contact us today to get started!

The post 10 Tips to Make Your Home Remodel Easier first appeared on Gulfstream Homes.

Remodeling

Remodeling gives you the opportunity to remain in your home but gives you the chance to upgrade the interior, layout, design, color scheme etc… It’s almost like starting from scratch in your own home. If you feel like it’s time to make some changes on the inside or out, here are the benefits of remodeling:

• Increase market value.
• Customize in the comfort of your own home.
• Reduce maintenance and utility costs.
• Feeling cramped? It’s easy to expand.
• Remain in your home while you renovate.

Let’s go over these benefits one by one. By updating your home and seeing it as a long-term investment, remodeling it will only increase its market value because the appeal of the home will go up. If you go with remodeling, you can tear down walls to expand space and create extra room or storage. Customization is important! You want to be able to design something that makes you comfortable and fits your lifestyle. Remodeling can help you do just that. Last but not least, maintenance and utility costs can be lowered. How, you ask? Because doing some replacements on parts and appliances around the house will save you in the long run from having any unnecessary problems.

Limitations:

• Costs could outweigh savings.
• Hiring and finding a contractor can be a task.
• Unforeseen surprises.

As with any home renovation project, it takes time and money to find a good contractor. For some, it might be a task but to try and save money, the homeowner will often get their own hands a little dirty. Of course, you would hope that things run smoothly during the whole remodeling process but there can be surprises. You don’t know exactly what’s behind the walls or near the pipes until you start knocking things down and opening things up. So because of these reasons, the cost could potentially outweigh the savings. Just make sure you are aware of how much the remodel will cost beforehand. How does remodeling sound to you so far? Let’s see what you think about tearing down…

Tearing Down

If you completely want to start over, then tearing down is the way to go. When tearing down a home, you can think of a whole new floorplan or work with home builders that can help you achieve your vision.  From the floor to the ceiling and every little detail in between, it’s easy to personalize your home the way that you see fit. Let’s go over some of the benefits as well as limitations when it comes to tearing down your home.

Benefits:

• When you tear down you get to create the look you want.
• Architectural benefits are significant.

Tearing down your home gives the property and the home’s market value a huge jump. Since everything is brand new and custom, the long-term benefits of tearing down are worth it. When having a clean slate to design a house exactly how you want it, the architectural benefits should outweigh any doubts that you might have.

Limitations:

• With tearing down, there’s no turning back.
• Time and money will be spent on the rebuilding process.

Tearing down and starting from the ground up is a big commitment. If this is something that you’re really passionate about and have a vision and goals set in mind for your custom home then tearing down might be the right choice for you. The process of tearing down can take some time and definitely some money but if you are ready to take the leap, Gulfstream Homes is ready to help you build your perfect custom home. We can’t wait to get started on your project. Call (239) 254-1664 or visit gulfstreamhomes.com today.

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The post Remodel vs. Tear-Down: What Should You Do? first appeared on Gulfstream Homes.

Renovating a Fixer-Upper What is a fixer-upper exactly? A fixer-upper is a house that needs a little TLC. Getting involved in renovating a fixer-upper can include projects such as tearing out old appliances and cabinetry and replacing them with newer, updated models, ripping out old tile or carpet, tearing down walls to create space, re-painting the outside or inside of the house, etc. While the list goes on, some people really do enjoy long term home projects… while others may not. Some advantages and limitations to buying a fixer-upper include:

Advantages:

· House is already built

· More house for the money

· Location is set

· Property taxes are lower

· Lower purchase price

Limitations: · Could run into renovation mistakes

· Possibility of being a long-term construction zone

· Investments that don’t equal increased value

· May go over planned budget

Renovating a fixer-upper can take a lot of time, effort and money but it’s all worth it in the end if you are happy with your home and the results. If you’re not sure if a fixer-upper is right for you or your family, read on to learn more about the advantages and limitations of building a new home.

Building a New Home

We’ve all fantasized about building our own home from the ground up. Imagine having a house that you designed from the roof all the way down to the floor and everything in between. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the average time that an existing home is on the market has decreased by 29 days. This in turn, means that there is less competition when building your own home. Building a home can also be an easy process if you work with the right people. Keep in mind the following:

Advantages:

· Modern features and finishes

· Customize home details to your lifestyle

· Annual savings · Predesigned floor plans and various options from your developer

· New appliances

Limitations:

· The need to find land

· Time to build the house

· Construction loan and permits

· Possible setbacks

Whether you decide to take the renovation route or go with building a home, both options are great to consider if you plan on making a long-term commitment to a home. Of course, the deciding factor should be whichever is best for you or your family. After all, you should love where you live!

The home building professionals at Gulfstream Homes are ready to get to work on your home! Call (239) 254-1664 or visit www.gulfstreamhomes.com to learn more.

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The post Is It Better to Renovate a Fixer-Upper or Build a New Home? first appeared on Gulfstream Homes.