Description:
Any home-renovation project--whether it's building a dream home from the ground up, remodeling the kitchen, or redecorating a child's room--is a complex job with hundreds of details that need to be thought through, planned for, and tracked. The Home Renovation Workbook is a project-management binder created to guide you, step by step, through such complex projects. The author, a writer who renovated her own northern California home herself, provides all the tools you need, including graph paper, glossaries, checklists, conversion tables, and useful resources. Divided into five core sections that mirror the renovation process itself--"Plan," "Schedule," "Budget," "Design," and "Work"--this handy workbook will help you navigate the job from conception to final product. "Plan" encourages you to begin by creating a wish list and then to get practical by setting priorities. "Schedule" offers calendar forms that allow you to map out the project, while helpful time estimates let you gauge how long each phase will take. Worksheets in "Budget" help you compare bids, record final budgets, and track actual expenses. "Design" includes sturdy design boards that let you paste up and evaluate paint and fabric ideas for each room. "Work" explains what you should expect from architects, contractors, designers, and other key players and how best to negotiate their agreements and manage those relationships. Finally, "Resources" includes a glossary of common building terms and points you toward many valuable sources for additional information--from associations that list architects and interior designers to Web sites that provide interactive budgeting tools. Though the book's construction doesn't quite live up to its claims that it is "designed for heavy use," it is a truly useful reference filled with expert tips and advice, as well as lots of handy tools to help you plan and execute your home-renovation project without a hitch. --Robin Donovan
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