Renovating a house is a very long and involved project, and you should be prepared before committing to it. Planning can get especially difficult when it comes to specific kinds of homes, such as the American foursquare. If you want to preserve the American foursquare design, there are certain requirements that need to be met. As such, before you get started on the renovations, you should do your due diligence when it comes to research. And, of course, you should know exactly what you want out of the renovations in the first place. So, in order to help you out with the process, we put together a list of 6 tips for renovating an American foursquare house.
- Decide on the timeline and budget, and prepare contingencies
Before you can decide on anything, you need to know what you’re working with when it comes to money. Figure out exactly how much you’re willing to spend on the renovations. Take a close look at your financials, and once you have the details down, you can start making a plan. The first step of planning should really be a timeline. After all, it’s a long process and you might not be able to stay in your home during it, so knowing the timeline is fairly important. Once you figure these two things out, start planning contingencies; at the end of the day, you can never guarantee nothing will go wrong, and you should be prepared. And when it comes to renovations, consider things such as hardwood flooring. If you’re replacing the flooring too, then remember to consider the drawbacks and advantages of every type before choosing one.
- Decide on the scope of the renovations
This is where renovating an American foursquare house tends to get complicated. The scope of the renovations is obviously vital to the planning process, but somewhat limited in this case. After all, the American foursquare design is standard across the board. The house is a square, boxy design, two and a half stories tall, with four rooms to a floor except the attic, which is either one or two rooms. Therefore, changing the layout of the house breaks the foursquare design. However, you can also consider some variations of the design, such as the Seattle box. If you do want to remodel the home into a different variation, remember that renting out storage space can simplify the entire process significantly. Knowing what you’ll do with the belongings in your home before the process begins is vital. But, remember to be careful as well and look into the storage company first.
- Consider the order of changes
Another important factor when planning is the order of changes. This is because certain changes can interfere with other ones. For example, if you get the flooring replaced first and then do work on the walls or ceilings, the flooring can easily get damaged. Similarly, changing the plumbing in your bathroom should be done before replacing the tiles. So, when planning out the renovations, make sure you have the order properly worked out. Of course, expert contractors will know the optimal order of renovations anyway, but it’s good to plan ahead anyway. And when it comes to planning ahead, remember to think about smaller details such as lighting and interior decorations too. Even small details like this need to be worked out ahead of time in order to minimize the chances of things going wrong.
- Make sure to schedule the materials properly
Fixtures, appliances, raw materials, and so on are, obviously, vital to the renovation process. After all, you can’t exactly renovate a home without the necessary materials. In order to avoid any delays, scheduling the arrival of the materials needed properly is absolutely vital. The last thing you want is to miss the timeline because the flooring arrived a day or two later than it was supposed to. This might not seem too complicated at first, but the larger the scope of the project, the easier it is for things to get out of hand. So, take your time when planning and make sure the availability and lead times for these things are acceptable. And if you’re renovating the house before moving in, experts from hansenbros.com note that your plans should be done as early as possible. You need to give yourself as much time as possible, just in case.
- Know where you can cut corners
Renovations are expensive, so knowing where you can cut corners to make it cheaper is important. For example, you can use cheaper finish materials, or keep the paint job as simple as possible. Additionally, you can consider pushing back any upgrades which aren’t immediately needed for later. For example, things such as pattern blinds or new appliances. Alternatively, if you are considering high end fixtures, you can instead for relatively cheaper options instead.
- Be aware of the common problems with renovations
In order to prepare the proper contingencies in case something goes wrong, you need to know exactly what can go wrong. It can be something as simple as a construction delay or, in a much worse scenario, going over budget. Unskilled labor and poor work can also be problematic, as they often require more work to be done in order to fix it. The last two examples can be avoided by simply researching your contractors before hiring them. However, going over budget is significantly more difficult, as any number of unforeseen circumstances can lead you there.
6 tips for renovating an American foursquare house – closing thoughts
Renovation projects are long, expensive, and can get very complicated. Even more so when dealing with a specific house design such as the American foursquare. As such, it pays to be prepared before getting started with renovation plans to know what to expect and to look out for. At the end of the day, doing some research and taking your time with planning is vital to successful renovations. We hope this list of 6 tips for renovating an American foursquare house helps you out, and we wish you a good day.
