Remodeling a home is a major investment anywhere, but Colorado adds a few challenges of its own. Our climate, intense sunshine, temperature swings, snow, hail and rapidly changing weather can all influence the materials you choose and how a remodeling project should be designed and built.
There are also practical questions. Which improvements add the most value? Do you need a permit? Should you remodel everything at once or complete the house in stages? And perhaps most importantly, how do you find a contractor who can turn your ideas into a finished project without making the process miserable?
If you’re considering remodeling a Colorado home, this guide will help you understand what to think about before construction begins.
Start With What You Want to Change About Your Home
Before choosing countertops, flooring or paint colors, think about why you want to remodel in the first place.
Maybe your kitchen is too small for the way your family uses it. Perhaps you need another bathroom, a dedicated home office or a finished basement. You may love your neighborhood but have simply outgrown the original layout of your house.
Other homeowners are less concerned with adding space and more interested in updating an older home. New flooring, cabinetry, bathrooms, lighting and finishes can dramatically change a house without altering its basic footprint.
Knowing what problem you are trying to solve helps determine where your remodeling budget will have the greatest impact.
Think About the Entire House, Even If You’re Remodeling One Room
A successful remodel should feel like part of the house rather than something that was added later.
For example, opening a kitchen into the living room may affect flooring, lighting, electrical work and traffic flow in both spaces. Expanding a bathroom could affect an adjacent bedroom or closet. Finishing a basement may require changes to heating, electrical service, plumbing or egress.
Thinking about these connections during the planning stage can prevent expensive surprises later.
It also gives you an opportunity to create consistency throughout the home. Flooring transitions, trim, doors, hardware, lighting and architectural details can all be coordinated so the finished remodel feels intentional.
Colorado’s Climate Should Influence Your Material Choices
Colorado homes experience conditions that can be tough on building materials.
Strong sunlight and ultraviolet exposure can affect exterior finishes. Large temperature swings cause materials to expand and contract. Snow and ice introduce moisture. Hail can punish roofs, siding and other exterior surfaces.
Even the dry Colorado air matters indoors. Wood flooring, cabinetry and trim can react to changes in humidity, particularly when materials are not properly acclimated or installed.
When remodeling a Colorado home, materials should be selected for more than appearance. They should also make sense for the environment in which they will be used.
Kitchen Remodeling
The kitchen is often the center of a major home renovation because changing it can affect how the entire house functions.
A kitchen remodel might involve new cabinetry, countertops, flooring, appliances, lighting and fixtures. More extensive projects may remove walls, relocate plumbing, add an island or completely redesign the layout.
One of the most important considerations is how you actually use the kitchen. A beautiful design that doesn’t provide enough storage, counter space or room for people to move around quickly becomes frustrating.
A good remodeling plan balances appearance with practical considerations such as storage, work surfaces, lighting, electrical outlets, appliance placement and traffic flow.
Bathroom Remodeling
Bathrooms pack a surprising amount of construction into a relatively small space.
A complete bathroom remodel can involve plumbing, electrical work, ventilation, waterproofing, tile, cabinetry, countertops, fixtures, lighting and flooring.
Water management is particularly important. A beautiful shower isn’t much of an improvement if poor waterproofing eventually causes damage behind the walls or beneath the floor.
This is one area where the quality of the work you cannot see can be every bit as important as the tile and fixtures you can.
Basement Remodeling
Many Colorado homes have basements, making basement finishing or remodeling one of the best opportunities to add usable living space without constructing an addition.
A basement can become a family room, theater, office, gym, guest suite, additional bedroom or a combination of several spaces.
Basements also bring their own considerations. Ceiling height, moisture, insulation, heating, electrical capacity, plumbing and emergency egress may all affect what can be done with the space.
Planning those details before construction begins can make the difference between a basement that feels like an afterthought and one that truly feels like another level of the home.
Home Additions and Major Layout Changes
Sometimes remodeling the existing space isn’t enough.
If you love your house and location but need significantly more room, an addition may make more sense than moving. Depending on the property, homeowners may be able to add bedrooms, expand living areas, enlarge a kitchen, build a new primary suite or create additional garage space.
Major additions require more extensive planning because they can affect the home’s structure, foundation, roof, mechanical systems and exterior appearance.
The goal should be to make the new space look and function as though it was always part of the original house.
Don’t Forget Energy Efficiency
A remodeling project is also an opportunity to improve how your home performs.
If walls or ceilings are already being opened, it may make sense to address insulation or air sealing at the same time. Window and door replacements can improve comfort in certain situations. New lighting and appliances may reduce energy consumption, while improvements to heating and cooling systems can make remodeled spaces more comfortable.
These upgrades aren’t always the most exciting part of a remodel, but you may appreciate them every month after the project is complete.
Will Your Colorado Remodeling Project Need a Permit?
Many remodeling projects require permits, although the exact requirements depend on the project and the municipality where the home is located.
Structural changes, electrical work, plumbing, additions and significant alterations commonly require permits and inspections. Smaller cosmetic improvements may not.
Permit requirements should be determined during the planning stage rather than after work has begun.
A professional general contractor familiar with the local permitting process can help determine which permits are necessary and coordinate required inspections throughout the project.
How Much Should You Budget for a Remodel?
There is no useful one-size-fits-all answer to the cost of remodeling a home.
A bathroom refresh and a complete structural renovation are both technically remodeling projects, but their budgets have very little in common.
Cost depends on the size and scope of the project, material selections, structural changes, plumbing and electrical requirements, accessibility, permit requirements and the condition of the existing home.
Rather than beginning with a generic cost-per-square-foot figure found online, start by establishing what you want to accomplish. A contractor can then help determine what is realistic within your budget.
Plan for the Unexpected
One of the realities of remodeling is that contractors don’t have X-ray vision.
Once walls, floors or ceilings are opened, existing problems sometimes appear. Older plumbing, outdated wiring, water damage, improper previous repairs or structural issues may have been completely hidden before demolition began.
A good remodeling plan anticipates that possibility rather than pretending it doesn’t exist.
Having some flexibility in both your budget and schedule makes unexpected discoveries much easier to manage.
Should You Remodel Everything at Once?
If you are planning several projects, there can be advantages to completing them together.
Related demolition, electrical work, plumbing, flooring and painting can sometimes be coordinated more efficiently as part of a larger renovation. It can also produce a more consistent finished design throughout the house.
However, remodeling in phases can make sense when budget, timing or the inconvenience of construction makes a whole-house project impractical.
If you expect to remodel in stages, tell your contractor about the long-term plan. Decisions made during the first project can sometimes make future projects considerably easier.
Choosing the Right Colorado Remodeling Contractor
Your contractor will have an enormous influence on both the finished project and your experience getting there.
Look beyond the final price on an estimate. You want to understand what is included, what isn’t included, who will actually perform the work, how changes are handled and how communication will work throughout construction.
You should also be comfortable asking questions. Remodeling involves hundreds of decisions, and good communication between the homeowner and contractor is essential.
The lowest estimate isn’t necessarily the least expensive project in the end. Missing details, unrealistic allowances and poorly defined scopes of work can turn an attractive initial price into a very different final bill.
Good Planning Makes for a Better Remodel
The most successful remodeling projects begin long before the first hammer swings.
Taking the time to define your goals, establish a realistic budget, choose appropriate materials and understand the construction process helps eliminate surprises and keeps everyone working toward the same result.
That’s particularly important when remodeling a Colorado home, where local climate and construction considerations should be part of the project from the beginning.
Planning a Colorado Home Remodel? Talk to Accell Construction
Accell Construction provides professional home remodeling and general contracting services for homeowners in Aurora and throughout the Denver metro area.
Whether you’re considering a kitchen or bathroom remodel, basement renovation, major interior update or a larger transformation of your home, we can help you evaluate the project and determine the best way to move forward.
Contact Accell Construction to talk about what you’d like to change about your home and let’s start turning those ideas into a plan.
