Buzz
Renovating or remodeling a home is a challenging, costly, and often overwhelming task. The average cost of a home remodel is currently close to $50,000, but this can escalate depending on the size, condition of the property, and the scale of your plans. Such figures can be daunting. It's not just the cost that’s daunting: Most renovations take an average of around three months—that’s three months of dust, debris, workers coming in and out, or even temporarily relocating while the work is completed.
This, of course, assumes you’re undertaking the renovation of the entire house at once. While renovating the entire house simultaneously offers some efficiency benefits, there are times when a phased renovation—tackling each section of your home as a distinct project with breaks in between—might be a more practical approach.
Budget
One of the primary reasons to consider a phased renovation is financial—do you have an endless supply of funds? Nearly a third of home renovations end up over budget, so it’s smart to set aside an extra 10-15% for unforeseen expenses. Once you begin tearing down walls and delving into your home's structure, you’re almost guaranteed to encounter unexpected issues and extra costs.
If your home renovation budget is extremely tight and you can't afford surprises, a phased renovation might be the better option as it gives you more flexibility to adjust to unforeseen circumstances. For instance, if your kitchen costs $10,000 more than planned, you can pause the project, save more money, or secure additional financing before moving on to the next stage. A phased approach allows you to plan for such scenarios, giving you ample time to save and manage finances between phases.
Time
If you plan on staying in your home for a long time, opting for a phased renovation can be a more sensible choice than renovating everything all at once. Without a fixed deadline, your contractors won’t be under pressure to finish by a specific date. A longer, phased timeline also means that if unexpected repairs are needed, they won't throw off your entire project. You can address these issues calmly, while the rest of your home remains fully functional.
Having extra time offers another benefit: If the contractor you hired for the early phases doesn’t meet expectations—whether due to subpar work or difficult working conditions—you can settle with them and hire a new team for the next phase, without being stuck because of a hefty deposit already paid.
Logistics
Living through a full-house renovation can be a truly miserable experience. From surviving on microwave meals for months to dealing with dust covering every surface and item of clothing, staying in the house while workers dismantle and rebuild is far from enjoyable. This is why many people opt to renovate before moving in, or find a temporary rental nearby to live in while the contractors work their magic.
However, renting a temporary home can be expensive, especially with rents soaring. Plus, moving everything into a new space can be stressful in itself. The constant sense of being displaced and cramped can be even more overwhelming if you have children or pets who don’t understand the disruption. A phased renovation allows you to remain in your current home, saving money and staying in a familiar, comfortable environment with much less disruption to your daily life.
Another advantage of logistics in a phased renovation is the ability to adapt your design and plans as the project progresses. If you’ve ever hastily picked out a backsplash tile only to hate it for years, you understand the difficulty of committing to every detail of a remodel at once. With a phased renovation, you can adjust and refine your plans based on the outcomes of previous phases—if something doesn't turn out as expected, you have the flexibility to reassess and modify. Breaking the renovation into manageable phases can ease the pressure and give you more room to make changes as needed.
