Many remodeling projects begin with a wish to modernize or upgrade the "wet" rooms — the kitchen or the bathrooms … for two good reasons: wet rooms may be the first rooms to need repair, and remodeling a kitchen or a bathroom will often pay for itself in increased home equity value.

Because kitchens and bathrooms are the most complex rooms in the house -- with plumbing, heating and air-conditioning, ventilation, electricity, appliances and fixtures, cabinetry, countertops, and lighting all playing important parts -- work in these rooms will be more expensive than work in any other rooms in your home. Changing the décor of a kitchen or bath will almost certainly require that you move pipes, wiring or ductwork behind the walls.

You can maximize the return on this investment by doing some careful planning before you spend a dime:

1—Determine what you like and what you don’t like about the kitchen or bathroom you have. Be super-conscious about how you use that space, what works and what doesn't, and you'll begin to see what your design challenges are. They may not be exactly what you thought.

2—Now begin to look for solutions to the design challenges you identified. Study photographs in design magazines and visit kitchen and bath design showrooms. Take pictures of the design elements in your friends’ homes that particularly appeal to you. Consider all possibilities; do not limit yourself. If you like two different cabinet styles, that’s ok. If you need more light consider adding a window, adding a skylight, adding under-cabinet task lighting, and adding additional ceiling fixtures. Each of these alternatives will cost and achieve something different from the rest. You’re not the designer; you’re just going to help the designer understand what you like.

3—Set a prudent budget based on the value this remodeling project will have to you. You might consider spending 10% of the value of your home to renovate a kitchen that takes up 10% of the space in your home, for example. Or you may use the amount by which your property will increase in value as a result of this project as your guide.

Once you've determined what your total project budget will be, deduct 30% of the bottom line and set it aside for professional fees and construction surprises. Professional fees may take as much as 10% of your total project budget. Your banker will charge you a loan closing fee, your designer will charge for her services, you may choose to get a home inspection to look for hidden problems before you finish your design, and you may have other non-construction expenses as well. And as the contractor begins opening up your walls and floors during the work period, you'll have 20% of your total project budget, 2/3 of the contingency fund, available to pay for repairs that you hadn't anticipated. If you set your construction budget at 70% of the total project budget, you'll have the money you need set aside to you won’t overspend in the process.

4—Now test that budget. Estimate the cost of your preliminary plan even before you go to a designer and begin polishing it all up. You can take a stab at this yourself by doing some shopping. The contractor's costs are made of both materials and labor, with labor costs generally being about 3 times the cost of the materials. If you're considering replacing your cabinets, for example, and the new cabinets will cost about $3,000 to purchase, you can figure that the cost of having the contractor build and install them will be about $12,000. Your alternative is to hire the professional cost estimator from a good architectural firm to do some moonlighting for you. Before you begin designing, you ought to know whether or not it will be possible to do what you want for a price you can afford.

5—Once you’re sure you want to go ahead with the remodeling project, share your ideas with an experienced, professional designer. There are three very good reasons to do this:

• A professional design will add grace and polish to your room and will maximize the return on your investment.
• A designer will provide you with a complete set of drawings and specifications that will so clearly define what you want that the contractor will know exactly what he has to do to make you happy.
• Designers speak both English and Contractor, so they can help you talk to the contractor;

Be sure that your designer sticks to your budget.

6—When you're designer has completed the drawings, hire a great general contractor. Negotiate a contract you can both live with and be sure to stipulate your requirements for insurance and to agree on a payment schedule that is based on the work progress, not the calendar.

7—While you’re waiting for your contractor to finish the project he's already working on, pack up all of your movable belongings. Secure any valuables. Figure out how you’re going to live without this bathroom or your kitchen for several weeks. Perhaps set up a temporary kitchen in a spare room.

NOTE: To determine about how long you'll be under construction, divide your project budget by about $5,000, which is about as much as a contractor will earn each week he's on the job. If you're doing a $40,000 kitchen remodel, for example, you can figure you'll be without your kitchen for about 8 weeks.

8—Monitor the work in progress, calculate and release fair payments to the contractor, in accordance with the terms of the contract. To make a fair assessment, you'll need a cost breakdown of what your contractor is charging you for each task in order to determine the value of the work he's done. By working collaboratively with him on this payment calculation, you'll greatly decrease any chance of money disputes.

9—When the work is finished, issue the final check, clean up and decorate a bit, and have a big party to show off your new space!

Great Kitchen & Bath design and remodeling resources:

• Managing a Renovation: Staying in Charge & Out of Trouble; Susan Solakian
• National Kitchen & Bath Association: 877-652-2000: http://www.nkba.org/
• The Bathroom Design Planner; Vinny Lee, et. al.
• Bathing Spaces: Designs for Pampering Body & Soul; Ali Hanan
• Beautiful Built-ins: Plans for Designing with Stock Cabinets; Connie Edwards
• Bungalow Bathrooms; Jane Powell, Linda Svendsen
• Bungalow Kitchens; Jane Powell, Linda Svendsen
• Great Kitchens: At Home with America’s Top Chefs; Ellen Whitaker
• Kitchen Idea Book; J. K. Bouknight
• Kitchens That Work: The Practical Guide to Creating a Great Kitchen; M. Edic
• The New, Smart Approach to Kitchen Design; Susan Maney
• Reinvent Your Bathroom: Over 60 Projects and Quick Decorating Ideas; Sunset, et.al.
• This Old House Bathrooms: A Guide to Design and Renovation; Steve Thomas, et. al.
• Smart Approach to Kitchen Design; Maney, Robitz & Elliott
• The Bathroom Idea Book; A. Wormer
• This Old House Bathrooms: A Guide to Design and Renovation; S. Thomas, P. Langdon
• Universal Kitchen & Bathroom Planning: Design that Adapts to People; Mary Jo Peterson

MORE INFORMATION

You’ll find lots more information about the home remodeling process in Managing a Renovation: Staying in Charge and Out of Trouble, our friendly and comprehensive homeowner’s guide to remodeling project management. Download the table of contents and a sample chapter, or go to the order form to purchase it.

We offer ready-to-use construction forms, including a complete remodeling contract, in our Bookstore, as well. Have a look.

And, you may want to look at our list of More Resources for some great design ideas.

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