Home Renovations at the Beginning of the Year

Renovating a room or area of your home is a great way to raise your property’s value. It can even drive up the value for your entire neighborhood. The first thing you’ll have to do is plan the renovation. Are you going to use a contractor or are you going to do the work yourself? Remember, some times are better than others for different phases of jobs, as well as for cost-savings. So, what about getting a fresh start on your renovation project at the beginning of the year?

Before you know it, it will be 2020. The Climate in Colorado in January can be extremely cold with snow flurries and dreary overcast skies. You’d think that starting a project during this time would be a mistake, but that’s not necessarily the case for every type of project. Despite the thought of working outside in the cold winter months, this is actually a good time to start an addition. Frozen ground and dry air are better for digging foundations and pouring concrete footers than muddy ground and humidity. Of course this means that you’ll have to keep the snow out of the area so that when it melts it doesn’t make the ground wet.

If your foundation is completed and the room addition is framed before the snow melts, the space can be under cover during the unpredictable spring weather. In addition, the winter months tend to be less busy for builders, because everyone is waiting for spring and tax refunds to start their home projects.  If you are looking for qualified contractors in Colorado, contact the Eibner team today and let us tell you about the people we’ve worked with in the past. Rethinking your renovation? Want to sell instead? We can help with that too! Give Mark a call today.

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When Should I Start My Home Renovation?

Doing It Yourself

Before you definitively decide on when to start your project, you should understand hold supply and demand works. Supply and demand is one of the main factors in how much we pay for just about everything. What does this have to do with your renovation project? Those bathroom tiles you’ll be buying, or those new cabinets for the kitchen—and the labor to have the work done, if you’re not putting in the hours yourself—will cost you money. Just as school supplies are cheaper after the school year has starter, the price of building materials like paint, lumber and cement also changes depending on the time of year and the demand for that particular material.

How do you use supply and demand to get your materials cheaper? Plan ahead! Planning your project in advance means you can get your materials when they are at their cheapest and simply store them until you are ready to begin working on your home.

Using A Contractor

Not doing the renovation yourself? Paying for a contractor? Knowing when to renovate is not just about material cost but about contractor availability, too. Your contractor is more likely to make mistakes when he or she is juggling several other, similar jobs. Contractors have busy seasons where they are turning away work and times of the year when they can’t find enough.

Depending on where you live, it is bad to enter some projects in the off-season. For example, installing a pool during a Colorado winter when there is snow on the ground is probably a bad idea. However, with some early planning and a little flexibility, you might be able to get your project in motion well before the main rush, allowing you to finish a little earlier and allowing your contractor to work more efficiently, as he or she won’t have any other projects to contend with. Since you’ll be providing work for your contractor when little is available, you are likely to get excellent service.

If you are looking for qualified contractors in Colorado, contact the Eibner team today and let us tell you about the people we’ve worked with in the past. Rethinking your renovation? Want to sell instead? We can help with that too! Give Mark a call today.

Preparing to Move?

I know how tough it can be to move—I’ve done it several times throughout my life. Packing for a move is often a stressful and labor intensive activity, but it doesn’t have to be. If you prepare your move ahead of time, you can eliminate the stress from moving and enjoy it! Moving can be scary, but it is also a time to celebrate the new and exciting things you’ll experience in your new home. The tips found below are what helped me get past all the unorganized, stressful mess packing has been for me. I hope they help you too!

Your Moving Journal
You don’t have to document every step of the process. You’re not writing a novel. Just keep a notebook to help you plan your move. One of the biggest problems I’ve had is remembering where I packed specific items. To help me remember, I wrote things down, so that when I got to my new place I knew exactly which box they were in.

Moving Costs
I don’t know about you, but I’m not made of money. When I’ve moved in the past, I had to have a budget. Getting everything you need for a move, even if you’re doing all the packing and moving yourself, can get expensive. So, I’d suggest you figure out what moving supplies you’ll need to purchase ahead of time so that you can budget your spending. Here are some things to think about:

Supplies: moving boxes, tape, padding, and supplies.
Cleaning: carpet shampoo & cleaning of prior residence.
Travel: gas, food, lodging, or bus/plane tickets.
Other: storage units or temporary housing accommodations.

Don’t Go It Alone
One of the reasons why moving is so stressful is because a lot of people try to do it all by themselves. There is no shame in asking for some help with your move, so do it! However, don’t go asking for help the day of your move. Call around to friends and family days or more before your move. Give them plenty of time to take the day off, cancel, and then reschedule.

Label Everything
You don’t have to go out and buy an expensive label-maker; just using a good old sharpie on the top of the box will do the trick. Labeling your boxes will save you time and energy in the long run. The last thing on your mind while packing is the unpacking, but if you plan it out before hand then your first experience in your new home will be a good one.

Empty Your Pantry
Having to lug your entire pantry to your new home will be a lot of work. Therefore, during my last big move, I stopped buying groceries a few weeks before moving and just ate what I already had. By the time I moved, I barely had to pack any food items at all! So, try to eat and drink your fridge and freezer dry before you move out. At the very least, you’ll want to consume your perishable food items before moving.

Pack Your Essentials Last
In my quest to make sure I was prepared, I packed my things early. Too early. I found myself having to unpack a few of my boxes to find items that I use on a daily basis. So, my advice would be to pack your essential items last so that you won’t undo any of your hard work. Packing early is a good way to get a head start on your move, just be smart about what you’re doing. If you have to pack your essential items early, keep the box open and in an easily accessible place.

Your Moving Kit
Now you’ve packed and moved to your new home, but where is your laptop? Your vitamins to take in the morning? Your toilet paper? Labeling is a good way to eliminate the problem of finding the things you’ll need right away, but you can take it a step further. Pack everything you’ll need the first day or two in a separate bag so that you won’t have to hunt them when you get into your new home.

In your moving kit, pack basic toiletries, medications, vitamins, a change of clothes, eyeglasses or contacts, ID and wallet, moving contracts, bills & other important paperwork, phones / tablets & chargers, and a first aid kit with bandages and antiseptics just in case. I would also suggest you put any tools that you’ll need to put together furniture pieces in your moving kit as well. I couldn’t put my bed together for four days while I searched through a mountain of boxes for an Allen wrench!