Renovating a home can be a fun process if you plan your approach in advance. After all, if you’ve lived in a home for a number of years, you know its ins and outs, maintenance requirements, and where you could really benefit from an upgrade in construction quality or design. Moreover, renovation can serve as a nice middle ground between living in a newer house without all the effort and re-orientation that requires.

That being said, quite like moving house, it can be hard to know exactly when to renovate. Should I do so now, or would I find more value in doing this next year when I can afford to do two rooms at once? If I’m renovating my roofing system, should I always wait until I can afford to install solar panels? Does a piecemeal approach only prevent me from implementing cohesive design later on?

In this post, we hope to provide you peace of mind by offering three good signs your renovation can start promptly. Let’s get started:

You’ll Want To Avoid The Busy Season if Possible

Data from HomeAdvisor's True Cost Report indicates that spring and summer are popular for home construction projects, since they minimize weather-related delays and discomfort. Specifically, the months from May through September see the highest volume of renovation projects, as longer daylight hours and generally mild weather improve work efficiency. Publicly-available store data from Home Depot and Lowes also support the fact that home renovations are a hot item in warmer months.

There’s a problem though – your contractor will have divided attention, and you may not even find someone who can handle your home remodeling project during the busy season.You may end up on a wait list. If at all possible, speak with a home remodeling contractor 5-6 months before you want to start the project, and get on the schedule. Or, be willing to relocate while a contractor handles your project during the winter months

Consider Your Budget

To begin with, it’s important to make sure you have the mean to pay for the renovation. Note that this doesn’t mean “paying for it all in one go” or “only renovating if you can avoid it all right now.” Many residents apply for a construction loan and then pay that off over the upcoming year, while having money immediately available for contractors. Home equity loans are another popular option for renovations, allowing residents to tap into the built-up value of their homes for necessary improvements. This is especially true in Canada, where trusted lenders like Alpine Credits seamlessly provide home equity loans in Canada at competitive rates and terms.You might also plan out how you might sell your property afterwards, immediately enveloping the cost in your resale budget. Little efforts like this can make a big difference over time.

Researching Current Material Costs

When we factor in the cost of a renovation, we tend to “price in” the cost of materials as it were. As in, you might not really factor in the cost of timber because that’s just part of the renovation as a whole. But the truth is that these resource price fluctuations can change like any other. For a time, for example, construction firms were suffering from the cost of high-priced timber which was reflected in the quotes that were able to give. It’s good to keep an eye on raw materials to make sure 

Consider Weather Conditions

Depending on the extent of your renovation, work can be paused if the weather isn’t appropriate for the building. We all know how strange weather patterns can be as of late, with snow falling in early February or heatwaves stretching into traditional autumn periods. It’s important to try and account for this. That way, you can avoid rainfall causing your roofing renovation to become delayed, or ensure the ground of your garden is dry enough for landscaping. Now, we can’t predict the weather, but waiting another month for a mostly dry season could be worth it if you’re trying to pick the best time to renovate.

With this advice, we hope you can more easily plan the schedule for your home renovation, granting you the peace of mind you deserve.