How to Create a Home Renovation Binder
Perhaps you purchased a fixer-upper or perhaps you simply want to remodel your existing home. Whatever the reason for taking on a home renovation, just know that this project will inevitably dominate your life over the next few months. However, the time and energy spent creating your dream home will be well-worth the effort at the end of the day. Plus, for those who enjoy a creative project, renovating a home is an especially rewarding experience.
As someone who spent nine months remodeling a 2,000 square foot house, I know a few things about what to do and what not to do when taking on a home renovation. In addition to seeking multiple bids and hiring a stellar contractor, I strongly recommend creating your own home renovation binder. Remodeling a home means coordinating and organizing many moving parts. Chances are your contractor won’t be handling every aspect of the renovation. For instance, you may find it’s more affordable to hire your own independent architects, designers, painters and landscaping services. This means, in addition to coordinating projects with your contractor, you’ll be arranging services from outside vendors and subcontractors.
The best way to keep track of tasks during a home renovation is by maintaining an organized home renovation binder. While many prefer to save documents and spreadsheets on their computer, we recommend keeping an old school binder as well. Trust me, this handy binder will be your saving grave in the midst of all the remodeling chaos. For tips on what to keep inside the renovation binder and how to organize it, take a look below.
What will go inside your renovation binder
Inside the binder, there should be room for anything and everything related to your home renovation. If you find the amount of paper documents overwhelming, we recommend creating a second binder to hold all of the separate interior and exterior design notes and samples. However, if you can manage to fit it all inside one binder, then try to do so. Examples of items that may go inside your home renovation binder include:
- Floor plans with elevation details
- Room sketches
- Overview of your project plans
- Contractor estimates
- Exterior landscape architect plans
- Design inspiration photos
- Contracts and proposals from contractors and subcontractors
- A list of vendor contacts
- Information about city regulations/historic district rules, etc
- Permits
- Manuals and warranties
- Paint samples
- Fabric samples
- Brochures
- Budget details
Where to start
Start by gathering the right supplies. We recommend a large binder that is at least two to three inches thick, tab dividers, tab labels, 3-hole punch and sheet protectors (if you prefer to keep things laminated). Make sure the binder is strong enough to hold paperwork and various fabric and paint samples.
Break binder up into categories using tab dividers
The categories you choose to have in your binder will depend on your preferences and what you need. For instance, not everyone needs a category solely dedicated to the timeline of the project – but some do. Categories to consider including in the home renovation binder include: