Sun Gazette
More People Are Turning to Phased-In
Home-Renovation Projects
“Most people don’t think of their house as 10 projects they want to do and prioritize them,” says Matt Lederer, president of Mahogany Builders in Chicago. “It’s not a one-time shot: People choose projects they can afford and will influence resale.”
“In a lot of these situations, homeowners buy an existing home with the idea of changing things after they move in,” Lederer says. “They are not flush with cash, or they just don’t have it in them to do a series of projects, so they break them up.”
Phasing a remodeling project has a number of benefits, Lederer says. For homeowners who can’t fund the entire project up front, breaking elements of a major home remodel into stages can help extend costs over time and buy homeowners more time to save or find funding. Embarking on a series of smaller projects also keeps homeowners less stressed.
“Everyone has what I call a ‘construction tolerance,’” Lederer says. “Some people get excited about the remodel, but a few weeks into it they get tired of people showing up at their house at 7 a.m.”