How much do you have to spend? This is a loaded question. Many different types of spending occur during a remodel. The first and most major consideration is who is going to do it. If you hire a contractor following good practices doing so, it total half the cost of the planned object. In my upcoming book, I cite what I call the "Bob Vila Quotient". If you are not very handy and you usually know this without someone telling you, you should hire the contractor. Whether you look at the house as an investment or simply someplace you call home, a botched remodel or worse, a half finished one is not likely appreciated in the years to come. Hire the contractor and get less done much better than you would have done.

If you are handy are you capable of planning for all of the incidentals that will occur? Several years ago we replaced all of the plumbing in my old house. So we thought we should add a bathroom while things were all torn-up. Throughout the whole project with a wide variety of contractors doing a dance around each other, electricians setting up for the drywall guys setting up for the plumbers and so on, we understood one thing. We would have never been able to spend the time to learn many of these skills, nor could coordinate these professionals for jobs we were not capable of doing. City inspectors, which come with the proper permits, caught a drain line that actually ran in an uphill direction.

It turned out great and we had to stop right there.

First tip is to have a good idea of what you will spend. The only thing when looking a contractors bid is that most materials are generic. Italian tile and marble countertops are the same as laminate. Overspending is common when they send you out to shop for fixtures. Do it your-selfers will need to calculate the demolition including hauling away the old and transporting the new. You may be able to calculate the equipment costs as well but be careful with the rental time.

Know thy skills is as good a tip two as one can offer. After twenty years in my house, almost everything I have built of tried to fix has been repaired by outside help.

Because everything about a remodel is essentially about spending money, knowing when to stop is extremely important. If you have completed the part of the remodel you had planned on finishing, it may not be worth incurring a budget overrun to begin what could be viewed as a whole separate project.

I had a very good friend who took two weeks off to paint his house at the beginning of the summer. The project took on a life of its own and the remainder of his summer evenings and weekends were spent completing the painting. Your time, your relaxation and the stress of having unfinished projects linger over long periods of time are a serious consideration.

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