An apartment renovation is never easy. Apart from the numerous obstacles that you will have to overcome, there is also a multitude of day-to-day challenges that can make your job very interesting, if not derail the project entirely. But there are ways to make the job much easier, and people you can work with who will lessen your burden somewhat. Here are a few tips on managing an apartment renovation job without losing your sanity.
Get a general contractor
Forget about taking on the task of being a general contractor yourself. Unless you have plenty of experience or the job is small enough to handle, hiring a general contractor is the best thing you can do to ensure a successfully completed project. Don’t begrudge the money that you spend on hiring a GC either. The cost will pay for itself many times over in the next several years, so do it right and hire a contractor!
Decide how much work needs to be done
Figure out how much work you actually need to get done for your apartment. Many people find that a full-blown apartment renovation isn’t really necessary at all, and that they could get away with repainting, refinishing, and possibly even just repositioning certain areas of their apartments. Make an honest assessment of what it is that needs to be done, and proceed from there.
Double check construction estimates
Architects very rarely make accurate budget estimates. Most will even estimate the cost of apartment renovation in terms of square feet, which often does not accurately cover the costs of renovation. If you want a more realistic assessment of the cost of renovating your apartment, ask your general contractor to provide it instead. In most cases, the figure that he will come up with will be a lot closer to the mark.