Hi! I’m Danielle Demerino, also known as Danielle in the City. I am a Toronto Realtor at Royal Lepage Signature and I love to help people not only find their dream home, but find gems that can be turned into their dream home. My partner and I are on our third home renovation and I thought it would be fun to bring you along for the ride while creating a renovation guideline for anyone looking to get started on a reno project. Please come back and check out my blog regularly as I will be posting a weekly guide.
As some of you already know, my partner Sohail and I have taken on some pretty big renovation projects over the past three years. Our first project was a semi-detached home in Parkdale on Seaforth Avenue in 2017. When I say it was a project, IT WAS A PROJECT. Maybe even a little more than we bargained for. We are talking renovations from the bottom to the top. We dug out the basement which is referred to as underpinning, in order to create more height to build a rental apartment in the basement, new kitchens, washrooms, a big deck, etc. If you would like to take a look at that journey, check out my blog titled: My Toronto Home Renovation Story.
The next project we took on was a semi-detached home in Riverdale. Side note: this is while we were in the midst of our Parkdale renovation. Somehow we managed to handle the two projects overlapping. When our Parkdale renovation was coming to an end we found out we were expecting! Just like that, we decided to make the leap east and move into the Riverdale home. Moving to Riverdale was a smart move for our family because of the access to good schools, parks, family-friendly dining, etc. We started designing a home to accommodate not only our lifestyle, but a baby too!
In what felt like forever, but was exactly 1 year start to finish we moved into our fully renovated family home. Everything from a basement apartment (which we also underpinned), to new kitchens, bathrooms, fancy toilets (not my choice), thoughtful pieces like a built-in drying rack for laundry, built-in baby gate, etc. It was the whole nine yards. We were in love with the final product. It was perfect! But when baby Rafi came along, we quickly realized that we were outgrowing the space just as quickly as it took us to renovate it.
Fast forward to last month…WE BOUGHT ANOTHER PROJECT! Believe it or not, we bought the semi-detached that is connected to our current home. Let the project begin. This time, my partner and I both have more experience in the process and we wanted to bring you all along on the journey with us. While I will be posting updates throughout our journey, I also wanted to create a blog series that may help guide my readers through their own renovation journey. Let’s kick it off with Part 1 – Home Renovation Overview.
Since there are so many moving parts to a renovation, I thought I would start off by giving you an overview of the steps involved. The best thing to do is take a step back and look at everything involved, then you can really see the full picture and keep yourself organized.
Step 1: Planning Out the Renovation
Taking the time to really think about your goals and intentions of the renovation can make your entire journey run much smoother and in a more timely fashion. Think about not only what you want your space to look like but the type of feeling you want in your renovated home. We often use Pinterest to create the vision, look and feel that we desire. Another great option is a vision board. Get some design magazines, watch HGTV, read about the latest trends online and make note of what really gets your juices flowing. We will give your some more tips and pointers in our next blog, as this is just an overview of the steps!
Step 2: Let’s Talk Budget
If this is your first renovation rodeo, you most likely have no idea how far your budget will get you. That’s why this step is incredibly important. In our experience, there is always some surprises along the way so you want to determine your renovation budget max. What is your drop dead budget. Of that budget, you should determine a reserve fund for any “surprises” that come up along the way. You may know exactly what you have to spend or no idea, we will talk more about this in a later blog.
Step 3: Create a Wish List & Prioritize
Once you determine your ballpark budget, it’s time to create your wish list! You are basically creating a list of everything that you hope for in the renovation and then prioritizing these items. Marking these items as “wants” and “needs” will also help to categorize which items will fit within the budget. It’s ok to include everything you want in this list. Just be realistic about it from the get go and know that not everything on the list will be completed. That is just the reality of the process.
Step 4: Scoping Out the Cost
OK, it’s time to start shopping around to uncover what is the going rate of items on your wish list. While I understand you may have no idea where to start, you have some different options. You can contact the trades yourself and get a breakdown of the cost. While this is more work you can save more money. You could contact a third party, for example an interior designer, builder, renovation company, etc. This will certainly eat at more of your budget should you chose that option. Brace yourself, this is where the numbers will likely exceed your budget and that prioritized wish list will come into play. We will go more into detail on the process of getting a quote in a later blog!
Step 5: Getting the Approval
After you have decided on which items on your wish list will be a reality, it’s time to figure out if any of the items on your list will need to be approved by council. While this step seems to often scare so many people off, it’s not as bad as it seems. If you are interested in a list of items that you do not need a building permit for in Toronto, click here. We will also go into more detail about getting any necessary permits to continue your project in some of our later blogs.
Steph 6: Selecting Your All-star Team
Let us emphasize that this is a very important part of the process. Finding the best team for the job is key. Quality of work, timelines, trust are all things you want to look into. You can check out previous jobs, references, Facebook groups, google reviews. Really do your research here before selecting your team. It isn’t always about the cheapest price remember. Use your own resources. Ask your friends and family if they can recommend anyone. If you are planning to do the project on your own…we wish you all of the best of luck and wish we had those skills! Over the course of our renovations, we have met some amazing contractors, cabinetmakers, suppliers, etc. We will create a list of helpful resources in a future blog.
Step 7: Get Your Finances in Order
Time to talk money! While some people have been saving and plan to use money they already have on hand, others will need to go to the bank to fund the project. Depending on the type of loan you apply for, there will be different steps and administrative work involved. For example, if you get a construction loan you will likely have to provide approved plans and a detailed contract that lists the scope of the work and the estimated costs involved. In some cases, the funds will be released in the stages of your renovation progress. We will talk more about this in a later blog to come.
Step 8: Let the Renovations Begin
While the renovation stage is incredibly exciting, it can also be very overwhelming. Throughout this process you will learn a lot about making decisions on the fly, learning about construction lingo and about managing timelines. This stage has a lot of moving parts. Get used to talking to several different people and arranging to let people in and out and when to start the next phase. This sounds daunting, but it is about getting yourself organized and learning about communication! You need to ensure you are keeping all parties informed and on the same page throughout the process. More to come on communication tips in a later blog.
Step 9: Quality Assurance, Certifications & Cleanup
Depending on the length of the renovation, at this point you are likely more than ready to send your contractors on their way. After the project is complete, ensure you go through the house with a fine tooth comb and point out anything that hasn’t been completed to your standards. Also, make sure you request any official certificates from your electrician, plumber, builder, etc. to prove the work has been done to the required standards. You can also guarantee at this point that your home is going to need a serious clean. The dust that flies and settles during a renovation can be shocking. It’s sometimes just worth it to bite the bullet and hire a professional. You will also need to close your permits by a city inspector. The inspector will make sure that the job has been done to the exact drawings that were proposed and approved by council. We will go into more detail about this in a later blog.
Step 10: The Finishing Touches
This step in my opinion is the most fun! It’s time to apply your steez and dreams to the space. Your selection of colours, furniture, finishes, art, lighting is everything. Take the time to really remember what you had originally planned and wanted out of the space and get that home furnished. Perhaps your colour palettes have changed and that’s ok. Do your research, take your time and apply it! We suggest taking pictures along the way so you can see the before and afters at the end of your project. It’s the most rewarding part of the journey!
There you have it. I hope this overview has you interested and you follow us to read our renovation series and check out updates on our own renovation project along the way!
