Rehabbing a home can be difficult. Whether it’s your own or you are getting ready to sell. There can be tons of expensive upgrades and features, as well as unseen underlying problems. At Onyx Home’s we were lucky enough to partner with an insightful local real estate agent named Liza, who had already been through tons of renovations and had ingenious ideas on each room of any house. She was able to inspire us and keep us under budget. She has become an integral part of our team so, Onyx wants you to experience her expertise first-hand some of her strategic design ideas.

Chapter 1: How To Strategize Your Stretch Your Budget

Whether your flipping houses in Chicago or upgrading your kitchen, each renovation, despite the size, needs to start with a detailed plan including; blueprints, an itemized need of repairs in order of importance, budget per room, a list of wants, possible caveats, and two backup plans. In life, hardly anything will go the way you want it to the first time, so accepting that from the beginning and having multiple strategies: A, B,& C can save time and heartache later.

An Example:

Let’s begin with the basic kitchen from above. So, in our example, we will say that we have an 1100 square-foot kitchen that hasn’t received an update since 1977. We will first grab the blueprint to gain an overall feel for the layout without physically being inside the space. It is always a good idea to gain a bird’s eye view because sometimes you may have been living in a place for so long that it inhibits your brain from seeing the hidden potential.

The BluePrints

As we examine the kitchen blueprints, we can see that the area is more than adequate in size and has an open-feel general flow. From these two observations, you can see that no additions are required or appliance removals. If you have to change the overall space and tear out walls, now is the time in the planning phase to see that. In this case, that is not necessary, and therefore we can take our first peek into the room.

A Walk-Through

As we enter the kitchen, the first thing to note is a musky odor, possibly implying mold damage. Next, we see outdated appliances, original fixtures, lighting, and wallpaper. The cabinetry is high-end wood and can be updated and kept as-is with only paint and new hardware. The flooring is the original vinyl and needs to be torn up and substituted. Next, we move on to examining the counter-tops which, also need to be replaced. They are an odd mix of aluminum and vinyl, which Liza immediately wants to re-use the aluminum.

With her head beginning to spin, she continues through the checklist of baseboards, doors, air vents & ducts, ventilation systems, and finally, electrical connections. She has her summation list of repairs needed and is ready to begin the discovery phase.

The Assessment

The smell is the first and most troubling item Liza must analyze. She does this by removing some of the wallpaper and the flooring to find the location of the odor. Liza is very thankful to find that the mold is on the bottom of the vinyl flooring and not on the walls. She sighs of relief, knowing that this now doesn’t add the potential huge unforeseen cost she had feared.

With the information in hand, she can complete her repair estimates for different styles & options.

Budgeting Multiple Plans

There are a few ideas behind developing multiple plans. First of all, your client may not like the first option, and secondly, your first plan may fall through for one reason or another. The ability to quickly provide a suitable alternative to complete the renovation and remain within budget is a key in timing.

The overall budget for this kitchen was $25,000.00. Liza knew that might be a tight squeeze for all of the repairs and upgrades needed. She devised three plans for different repairs, each including the floor replacement as a mandatory item, all within the budget to present to her clients.

Plan A:

Budget: $25,000.00

Repairs:

•Flooring: $12,000.00 – Cherry Wood Flooring

•Appliances: $4,700.00 – Midgrade Black

•Counter Tops: $1,512.00 – White Quartz

•Lighting: $1,800.00 – Coastal Chandelier &

Pendants

•Backsplash: $395.00 – Herringbone

•Paint: $103.99 – BEHR MARQUEE Stain-Blocking

Satin Interior Paint & Primer

•Hardware: $250.00 – Stainless Steel

•Accessories: $1,040.00 – Towels, Plants,

Tablescape, Spice & Wine

Cabinet, Cart Island

•Labor: $3,200.00

Work Performed Manually:

•Change out the lighting fixtures

•Install the backsplash

•Painting

•Adding Hardware & All Accessories

Plan B:

Budget: $20,000.00

Repairs:

•Flooring: $8,000.00 – Travertine Tile

•Appliances: $6,250.00- Midgrade Stainless Steel

•Counter Tops: $945.00 – Butcher’s Block

•Lighting: $900.00 – Track Lightening & Chandelier

•Backsplash: $699.00 – Ceramic Tile

•Paint: $82.97 – PPG Timeless Interior Paint &

Primer

•Hardware: $179.00 – Glass & Chrome

•Accessories: $820.00 – Towels, Plants,

Tablescape, Wine Rack, &

Mini Lemon Tree

•Labor: $2,211.00

Work Performed Manually:

•Counter Top Installation

•Change out the lighting fixtures

•Install the backsplash

•Painting

•Adding Hardware & All Accessories

Plan C:

Budget: $22,000.00

Repairs:

•Flooring: $4,000.00 – Grey Laminate Click Flooring

•Appliances: $12,500.00 – High-End Oversized,

Stainless Steal

•Counter Tops: $1,755.00 – Natural Stone In White

•Lighting: $650.00 – Brushed Nickle

•Backsplash: $247.00 – Glass

•Paint: $49.25 – BEHR ULTRA SCUFF DEFENSE

•Hardware: $79.84 – Satin Nickel Square

•Accessories: $221.00 – Towels, Plants, &

Tablescape

•Labor: $1,500.00 – Installing Appliances & Counter

Tops

Work Performed Manually:

•Flooring installation

•Change out the lighting fixtures

•Install the backsplash

•Painting

•Adding Hardware & All Accessories

The Outcome

Liza’s clients chose plan B. The construction began. They started from the ground up and placed the flooring first. They got a discounted deal on the travertine tiles from Liza’s wholesaler and only spent a total of $6900.00 for the floors. The savings from the flooring allowed them to spend a bit more on accessories and smaller appliances later, even a pasta arm!!

They did run into some minor electrical issues and had to have a professional come out, which ended up adding $750.00 to their overall budget. Liza found the savings from that in getting discounted lighting features on clearance from Home Depot. She maintained a balanced budget and found wiggle room in other areas. Because she had given her client a realistic expectation of the renovation challenges, they were willing to make changes to the original design.

Key Take-Away’s

Liza is an expert in her field and very educated on different money-saving techniques. She suggests research your most significant problems first, fixing those, and then budgeting out the rest accordingly.

Making at least three budgets in case of misstep is also a key. If one area does not go according to the plan, then you can alter it as needed. Aim to also stay under budget by $5000.00 to leave room for overages. Finally, do everything you can to prepare yourself or your client for the very raw fact that things may not go according to plan and that substitutions happen.

Onyx Homes is grateful to have an industry expert on our side and is excited to show you room by room how Liza can build a beautiful room on any budget. Stay tuned for the bathroom edition Onyx has tons of great ideas coming up.