Long before you hire a contractor, you can being working on your remodel project on your own.
What we don’t mean by this is grabbing a sledgehammer and ripping into walls. While the demo may seem like a fun, inspiring, or even cathartic first step, we would not advise you to start here. Although demolition may seem like a straightforward brute strength exercise, it can be more delicate than expected since you don’t know what may be inside a wall until it’s open. Electrical, water, or gas pipes can lead to a dangerous (or deadly) can of worms causing more issues for the homeowner if not handled properly. Walls can be load-bearing (even when you think they aren’t it is best to let the experts handle this!), or you may expose your room to the open attic space. Suffice it to say, that there is a lot to consider before beginning the demo, and when the time comes leave it to the professionals.
But the real way to get started on your own is by doing your creative research. Let your fingers do the walking and spend time exploring pictures of homes that you love.
Here are our favorite resources:
Pinterest is the gold standard for browsing and saving images online. This platform was built to make visual ideas easy to search, and simple to group and save. Start by searching for ‘kitchen design ideas’ or ‘modern kitchen design’. Any image that comes up that you like – no matter if it’s one detail or the overall look – pin it! Pin it to your board titled for that project. Add as many as your fancy. Come back to this process many times. Do this with your partner as well. Once you have built up a good size collection on your saved board, use the ‘More Ideas’ button at the top of your board. Pinterest will handily use its algorithms to analyze what you have saved there and suggest similar ideas. This is often a simple way to begin to distill your ideas into a more cohesive design theme. It’s also a nice way to let Pinterest help infuse the best of what you like with what your partner has gravitated toward (as long as you have pinned to the same board).
Realtor Sites
Similar to Pinterest, real estate websites and apps can offer beautiful images of homes of all styles and budgets. Some Suggestions are Realtor.com, Zillow, or Redfin.
Design Websites and Magazines
Some of our favorites include Dwell, Architectural Digest, Magnolia, and Southern Living. Some really great digital options include Houzz, and Apartment Therapy.
Collaborate with Professionals
Lastly, self-guided research can become overwhelming for some people. If you feel like you are just not able to create an abstract vision for your new space, it may be time to enlist the help of a designer or a general contractor. This can help you get clear on what the limitations of your structure and space are such as load-bearing walls, minimum clearances, etc. A general contractor can help you understand the engineering and structural considerations you may not have taken into account when brainstorming.
A Designer (and sometimes a General Contractor) can help you think about options you never knew were possible, and open up your mind to concepts and configurations for your space that you may have never imagined on your own. This is where their expertise and experience really come into play. You will need to connect with a Contractor eventually anyway, so sometimes beginning in the design phase may make sense.
At Terrarium Homes we are here to guide you through the process. We are always happy to answer any questions on the process, trends, structural considerations, and design. Have a question? Reach out.