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Remodeling can be such a daunting prospect that you might keep putting off the day of decision. However, the time comes when you can put it off no longer.

The rest of your life will be going on during the time the remodeling takes shape, but you obviously wish to minimize the disruption the work is going to cause.

The best way to approach the whole project is to first get yourself organized. That in itself will be a satisfying task and you never know, you may even find ways to reduce the size of the project by making better use of existing space.

One of the first things getting organized will do for you is help you decide how much of the work you are prepared to do yourself and how much you would prefer to pay a contractor to do for you. You don't need the stress of doing jobs you don't feel confident handling yourself. A little challenging is fine, but sleepless nights are unacceptable.

Where do you start? The first thing to do is set up a comprehensive filing system just as you would set one up at work.

If you don't have a filing cabinet or a couple of spare drawers at hme, an ordinary loose-leaf binder will do, plus some of those plastic envelopes to keep the separate aspects of the project in order.

Before you start contacting relevant suppliers and contractors, you need more than just a vague idea of where you're heading. Devote a portion of your filing system to design ideas. The notes you've scribbled on the backs of envelopes, the magazine articles that inspire you, anything that will help you formulate your remodeling designs.

By the time you come to start the project you will have peace of mind knowing that you have carefully considered your plans. Your direction is now clear.

You'll need a section for the names, addresses, and contact numbers of the various people who will be involved in the project. (A card index file carrying the same information might be useful next to the phone.)

Estimates will comprise another section of your filing system. Keep the brochures, letters, and quotations from the contractors and suppliers you have contacted. When you want to make comparisons it will all be handily available in one place.

Once the work is under way you'll be accumulating invoices, contracts, and other legally binding bits and pieces so make a section for that. This will be an especially important part of your system as you'll want to keep a running total of your expenses as the project progresses.

One golden rule is to keep EVERY piece of paper relating to your remodeling project in your files. You have no idea what will happen in the following few months. You certainly don't want to dispute something with a supplier or contractor and find that you can't place your hands on the contested receipt.

By making a filing system like this well before any work is undertaken you will help to make your next remodeling project exciting and manageable.

Learn more about this author, Lesley Allen.
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