(Without feeling overwhelmed, stressed or broke)
By Gia Miller
Design by Justin Negard
They say every home tells a story, and we’ll bet most of them are lovely. But what about every renovation? What story does that tell? Is it one of stress and overwhelm coupled with delays and “surprise” expenses? For some, the answer is yes, but the reality is there are steps you can take before you begin a renovation to guarantee things run smoothly, minimize your stress, eliminate delays and prevent (most) added costs.
It all begins with a conversation.
Talk to the experts
We know your first step will probably be to do some online research, don’t plan out your entire project without talking to the professionals. While the internet is a great source of inspiration, what worked for someone else may not work for you, even if your homes are the same style.
“You’re going to read so many different things, but every home and every project is unique,” says Michael McDonough, owner of Jilco Window Corp. “People think they need to figure everything out, but remodeling is complex. Some people get so far into it that they get analysis paralysis, and they cannot do anything. So, utilize the internet to create idea boards or a wish list, but you don’t need to solve everything online.”
Even if you think you can figure it all out beforehand, you may miss some crucial details. There could be a load-bearing beam or a pipe that thwarts your dream of adding a large picture window to your solid wall, or your dream kitchen would mean bumping out over your septic tank. And if your plan is to renovate in stages, you might end up needing to redo work you completed just a few years prior.
“We get a lot of calls to do a project, only to find out they installed a brand-new floor in their kitchen a year or two ago, and now they’re ready to redo the kitchen with a completely different layout,” says Anthony Palladino, founder and owner of Southeast Kitchen & Bath. “That means they’ll have to put in all new flooring. It’s always best when people tell us they want to redo the kitchen this year and add a jacuzzi tub to the bathroom upstairs next year. So while we’re doing the kitchen, we can bring the necessary wires and plumbing up to that bathroom, tap them, leave them and then open the walls to install the jacuzzi when they’re ready. That’s why one of your first steps should be to create a master plan. Without one, you’ll waste a lot of money.”
Financing your renovation
After creating your master plan, it’s time to arrange the financing.
“If you’re buying a home with a plan to renovate, a lot of mortgage companies will now give you a renovation loan on top of your regular home loan,” explains Jamey Gelardi, a licensed real estate sales agent with Houlihan Lawrence in Armonk and a project construction manager.
When you’re gathering all your costs to apply for your loan, don’t forget to consider the cost of permits, along with any required upgrades your town requires.
“There are soft costs to permits,” says Gelardi. “There’s usually a fee to receive your certificate of occupancy, and whenever you do a renovation, the town will check to make sure you have all the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors you need and they’re all linked together on every floor. That wiring can cost between $5,000 and $15,000, depending on the house. And it’s a required additional cost even if it has nothing to do with your project.”
Plus, if you’re adding square footage or finishing your basement (therefore “adding” livable square footage), your taxes will likely increase, creating an additional regular expense on top of your new loan payments.
Finding the right contractor
To put it bluntly, you cannot and should not be your own contractor (unless you do it for a living). Palladino says he’s taken over numerous jobs where the homeowner believed they could do it themselves only to have the plumber tell them the electrician’s wiring is in their way, or other similar fiascos. This results in the homeowner-turned-contractor paying the electrician extra to remove and reinstall the wires.
“Unless you’re an experienced contractor, you have no idea if the wiring is done correctly, if the plumbing is in the right location, or, for that matter, even if the framing is done correctly,” he says.
So, get referrals from trusted family members, friends, neighbors and/or colleagues; read online reviews; interview several contractors. Then, get approximately three bids and compare prices; ask for references; and absolutely call those references (this last part is essential).
“I recently went on an appointment, and the homeowners hired a ‘certified Angie’s List contractor,’” says Palladino. “The guy took their money, ripped the bathroom apart, piled the garbage in their front yard, told them he was going to come back to clean it up, and he disappeared. To make matters worse, the guy is a 911 survivor, and he has Parkinson’s. He needed a handicap bathroom fast. They thought they hired a good contractor because he was certified by Angie’s List. But you need to check the contractor’s license [not required for project managers] and make sure they have the proper insurance that includes workman’s comp.”
When checking references, all experts said you should ask for three references, and, we repeat, call them all.
“Ask for references who had similar projects done,” McDonough recommends. “If the reference tells you the contractor did a great job with their roof, that doesn’t mean they’ve ever done a kitchen renovation. Ask each reference about the entire process, from start to finish, and the information you need (responsiveness, timeframe, organization and cleanliness) will usually come out naturally.”
“Everybody hears horror stories,” he continues. “But the truth of the matter is, 90 percent of all installers and contractors are great people. It’s that 10 percent who ruin it for everybody.”
Gelardi says you should also inquire about follow-up and flexibility.
“Ask them, ‘If you had an issue after the renovation was complete, how were they with that?’” he advises. “And also ask how they managed any changes, because no matter how well someone planned, there will always be changes. I’ve never, ever done a renovation where there weren’t a couple of changes here or there, whether minor or significant. And that doesn’t usually fall under the agreed-upon scope of work, so find out how was it handled. Did they overcharge for the extra time and labor?”
What you should & shouldn’t buy yourself
Honestly, we can’t tell you what to do here, as there are pros and cons for each. So instead, we’ll let the experts tell you why they do and don’t provide certain items.
“Being a one-stop shop can often save the homeowner money,” says Palladino. “When you supply your own plumbing fixtures, for example, and the kitchen faucet malfunctions six months after we installed it, who handles getting the replacement? Who pays for that repair? The homeowner. Or let’s say you order your own kitchen cabinets, and we install them as soon as they arrive. When you come home later, you notice they’re the wrong color. Now you have additional costs, like paying us to take them down, shipping costs to return and replace them and our labor to reinstall new ones. But if we had ordered them, we would’ve known they were the wrong color and immediately sent them back ourselves.”
Gelardi does the opposite, believing the homeowner should choose whatever items they want, with the exception of standard building materials.
“Many contractors shop for the cheapest stuff, and you might not want that,” he says. “It doesn’t matter to me whether you’re using cheap Home Depot tiles or top-of-the-line marble tiles—the install price is the same. I don’t expect a homeowner to price out the cost of sheetrock; we include those types of items in our pricing. But the price of tiles, a shower door, the toilet or the hardware can greatly fluctuate, yet it really has no effect on the contractor doing the work. Whether we install solid gold handles or hollow chrome ones, it doesn’t matter to us. The work is pretty much the same.”
However, as you receive estimates, look carefully to make sure you are truly comparing apples to apples, including all the small details. Palladino and Gelardi say the best way to do this is to ask for a full breakdown of the costs, not just one final number.
“Our estimates can be 14 pages long,” says Palladino. “We go right down to how many pounds of nails we’re going to use.”
Preventing delays
All three experts gave the exact same reason for renovation delays: the materials. Obviously, if you’re waiting for something to be delivered, it cannot be installed. And if that item needs to be installed first in the process, or at any other stage but the last one, you cannot move forward until it arrives.
“We don’t start the job until all the materials are in,” says Palladino. “This way, once we start the job, we finish the job. If we’re not tearing down walls or moving windows, we can complete an average kitchen in three weeks or less.”
When you do begin before all your materials have arrived, everyone suffers the consequences if there’s a delay.
“It not only messes up the homeowner’s schedule, it messes up my schedule and my plumber’s schedule, etc.,” says Gelardi. “I also make sure the homeowner checks all the products before we begin. We don’t want to open a box of tile when we’ve already laid half and find that most of the tiles are broken. That sets everyone back, too.”
Unfortunately, when there are delays, it’s often out of anyone’s control. Yelling at customer service on the phone won’t magically make your missing items appear. Instead, ask the right questions before you order.
“Delays usually occur because they’re out of the raw materials,” McDonough explains. “It’s best to work with manufacturers that have plenty of inventory well ahead of orders so you don’t run into problems.”
So, there you have it: What you need to know to make that renovation happen without too much additional stress or uncertainty. With all the advice provided here, we’re almost certain the story of your home renovation will be one that’s told with a smile on your face and a few bucks left in your bank account.
This article was published in the March/April 2025 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.
Gia Miller is an award-winning journalist and the editor-in-chief/co-publisher of Connect to Northern Westchester. She has a magazine journalism degree (yes, that's a real thing) from the University of Georgia and has written for countless national publications, ranging from SELF to The Washington Post. Gia desperately wishes schools still taught grammar. Also, she wants everyone to know they can delete the word "that" from about 90% of their sentences, and there's no such thing as "first annual." When she's not running her media empire, Gia enjoys spending quality time with friends and family, laughing at her crazy dog and listening to a good podcast. She thanks multiple alarms, fermented grapes and her amazing husband for helping her get through each day. Her love languages are food and humor.
Justin is an award-winning designer and photographer. He was the owner and creative director at Future Boy Design, producing work for clients such as National Parks Service, Vintage Cinemas, The Tarrytown Music Hall, and others. His work has appeared in Bloomberg TV, South by Southwest (SXSW), Edible Magazine, Westchester Magazine, Refinery 29, the Art Directors Club, AIGA and more.
Justin is a two-time winner of the International Design Awards, American Photography and Latin America Fotografia. Vice News has called Justin Negard as “one of the best artists working today.”
He is the author of two books, On Design, which discusses principles and the business of design, and Bogotà which is a photographic journey through the Colombian capital.
Additionally, Justin has served as Creative Director at CityMouse Inc., an NYC-based design firm which provides accessible design for people with disabilities, and has been awarded by the City of New York, MIT Media Lab and South By Southwest.
He lives in Katonah with his wonderfully patient wife, son and daughter.
