Great Renovation Project in Noe Valley/Dolores Park
21st Street, Noe V alley Current Use: Single Family List Price: $1,650,000 Estimated Improvements: $600,000 Estimated Value after Improvements: $2,500,000 Value Created: $250,000 Value Proposition: This is a funny place because it is a classic house placed on a prominent corner lot with a very mid-century addition tacked on. The neighborhood can support homes with values up to $3 million. The Liberty Hill area is one of the best in the city. By renovating this home it will appeal to a wide variety of homebuyers. Creating Value: I think it would be very nice to make the mid-century addition look like a separate house. A completely sleek, modern home, with metal facia wrap and modern style windows on the upper floor and a nanawall (folding patio doors that open up an entire wall) on the bottom floor that open on to a walled garden. Then I’d put smooth crisp white stucco on the body of the addition, replace the garden wall with sandblasted glass, and match the garage door to the wall. You could build the walls around the balcony (on top of the garage) higher and out of sandblasted glass for privacy. The original house could be painted dark to contrast. The mid-century addition has a horrible floor plan and needs to be gutted. The bottom floor becomes a huge kitchen/family room opening to the garden and the top floor is a huge master suite with a balcony which does have a city view. The floor plan of the original house does not need changing much, just bathrooms moved around and a huge skylight over...Home Renovation Sucess Story, Consider Hiring a Coach
It has been said that a home renovation can involve as many as 15,000 decisions. That is a daunting number, and many homeowners who intuitively understand this either refuse to do a needed home renovation at all, or end up with a “nightmare remodeling contractor” story to tell at cocktail parties. There is another option that is gaining popularity for home renovations. It involves hiring a renovation consultant, also known as a remodeling coach. Unlike a remodeling contractor, a renovation consultant acts as your agent, and is paid to look out for your interests. Whether you are thinking about a home addition or a simple kitchen remodel the process can be a mystery: Do you start by calling a remodeling contractor? Or should you select a designer or architect first? Do I need a designer? Can I move a wall? Am I overbuilding for my neighborhood? All valid concerns. Renovation consultants are individuals or companies that guide homeowners through the home renovation process from beginning to end. While services vary depending on your needs, a renovation consultant can help you put together an action-plan that makes sense. This plan should include establishing a budget and developing a prioritized list of needs and wishes, and should help you understand what to expect before, during, and after, the home renovation. If needed, the consultant can become part of your permanent home renovation team to ensure that communication, quality, and scheduling are maintained. Acting as your agent on site, they are your eyes and ears while you continue to live your life. Renovation consultants also can assist you in the purchase of...
How to Finish a Home Remodeling Project On Time and On Budget
One thing I hear a lot is “our remodeling project took twice as long and cost twice as much as the contractor told me it would”. There are several reasons this can happen, most of which can be avoided by getting a neutral, third party (ie. someone unrelated to the contractor or architect) help get and keep your remodeling project on the right foot. That third-party can evaluate the existing conditions of your home, help you develop a game plan for the project with a realistic budget and schedule, and then establish – and enforce – the budget and project timeline. I would recommend that you hire a renovation consultant (also known as a remodeling coach) to help you set up your project for success. For example, before you begin your project, these are just a few of the questions that arise: Where do I begin? What can be done in this space? Can I add a bathroom in “that” space? Do I hire a contractor or an architect first? How much is this going to cost? How long is it going to take? Can I live here while the work is being done? How can I get more of what I want with a small budget? The chances are that you will get different answers to these questions from the architect, the designer, the plumber or the builder – if only because their interests are all subtly different to yours. The best way to get answers to these questions is to hire a remodeling coach, or renovation consultant, whose interests are more closely aligned with your own. A...Using a Home Renovation Consultant
Many homeowners are anxious and overwhelmed when it comes to home remodeling or renovation. Indeed, even those who have been through the process before can be wary of tackling another one. A home renovation can put a stable a marriage to the test and turn best friends against each other. It is for these reasons that a new trend is developing: hiring a home renovation consultant also known as a remodeling coach. Once it was only multimillion dollar renovation projects that would hire a project manager or consultant to oversee the process but now with a plethora of finish and product choices, stiffer building and zoning codes, demanding work schedules, family and personal commitments, and the shear volume of decisions that must be made, it is often necessary to involve an expert as the homeowner’s advocate or agent. As the homeowner’s agent the interest of the renovation consultant and homeowner are aligned. Home renovation consultants become the eyes and ears of the homeowner. While the homeowners are busy with their normal lives, the renovation consultant is monitoring the process, organizing and prioritizing decisions and filtering information so that the homeowner is able to concentrate on important issues and decisions. From the designer to the plumber everyone involved in the project feels that their job is the most important and can overwhelm the homeowner by presenting too many options and asking too many questions that all seem important to answer immediately. A renovation consultant can cut this chatter down to a manageable stream and help the homeowner concentrate on the elements that will keep the project moving along as efficiently...Overwhelmed By the Prospect of Remodeling? Hire a Renovation Consultant
I’m a proponent of buying property that needs work. I like to shop for a specific location and then find a property in that location that can be changed to fit my needs. But how do you know if a property can be adapted to meet your needs at a budget you can afford?