What should I do first when remodeling a room?

Start with how the room gets used

Most people start with a paint color or a floor sample. That’s the fun part, but it comes later. First, stand in the room and write down what bothers you about it. Is it dark? Cramped? Do the walls look beat up? Are the doors hollow and dented? Is there nowhere to put anything? Then write down how you’ll use it after the remodel. A spare bedroom that becomes a home office needs more outlets and better light. A den that becomes a playroom needs tougher walls and flooring. Those answers tell you what’s worth spending on.

Look for problems before you plan finishes

Next, look at what might be hiding. In older Long Island houses, like the capes, high ranches and colonials built from the 1950s through the 1980s, a few things come up again and again:

• Water stains on the ceiling or soft spots in the walls, which point to a leak that needs fixing first.
• Walls with layers of old patches, torn paper or texture that won’t look good under fresh paint.
• Outlets and switches in the wrong spots, or not enough of them.
• Floors that dip or squeak, which can mean the subfloor needs attention before new flooring.
• Windows that stick, leak air or have rotted sills.

Finding these before you pick finishes keeps the budget honest. It’s much easier to plan for a wall repair than to discover it halfway through.

Set your priorities

Once you know what’s wrong and what’s hiding, sort the list into three piles: must fix, want, and nice if it fits. Must fix is anything structural, wet or unsafe. Want is the stuff that makes the room feel different, like smooth walls, new trim and better doors. Nice if it fits might be crown molding, a built-in bookshelf or a new window. When the written price comes back, you’ll know exactly what to keep and what can wait.

Plan the work in the right order

A remodel goes smoother, and looks better, when the steps happen in the right order. For most rooms it goes like this:

• Demo and repairs. Take out what’s going, fix leaks, rot or damaged framing.
• Framing changes. New walls, closets or openings.
• Behind-the-wall work. Electrical or other changes while the walls are open.
• Walls and ceiling. New sheetrock, patching, or wall smoothing (skim coat) so the surfaces are flat.
• Prime and paint walls and ceiling.
• Flooring.
• Doors, baseboard and trim. Then caulk and the final coat on the trim.

Doing it out of order is where problems start. Put the floor in before the ceiling is painted and you’re protecting it from drips the whole time. Hang trim before the walls are smooth and you’ll see every gap.

Make your choices before work starts

Pick your paint colors, flooring, door style and trim profile before the start date. That way the price is complete, materials can be ordered, and the crew isn’t waiting on a decision. It’s also how you avoid the price creeping up mid-job.

Think about how you’ll live around it

A room remodel changes how the rest of the house works for a while. If it’s a bedroom, figure out where that person sleeps. If it’s the living room, plan where the furniture goes. Empty the closets and take things off the walls ahead of time. Pets and kids do better when they know which door stays shut. None of this is complicated, but deciding it early keeps the start date smooth.

Decide who does the work

A room remodel usually touches several trades: carpentry, sheetrock, painting, flooring and trim. You can hire each one separately and coordinate them yourself, or hire one crew that handles all of it. Separate trades means more scheduling, more waiting, and more finger-pointing if something doesn’t line up. If you’re weighing that choice, our page on what a handyman does vs. a contractor may help.

Get it in writing

Before anyone starts, get a written, itemized price that includes a start date and how long the job will take. That’s how we work: we look at the room, listen to what you want, and write it all out. Our same crew handles the room from demo to the last coat of paint. See how our room remodeling works, or call 631-745-9982.