Step-By-Step Home Project Planning

We've talked about why it's essential to plan your project before you start doing anything. I've also outlined the steps you should take to create that plan and created a free worksheet for you to use to make it super straightforward. Now, I want to show this to you in action, and I'm going to use my primary bedroom, an up-coming project, as an example. 

A little backstory on this space: When we bought our house over six years ago, we had all the carpet removed, the walls painted white, and some light fixtures changed to bring it into this decade (the home was stuck in Grandma' sville). In our primary bedroom, we had to buy all new furniture because the stuff from our old house was worn, too small, and no longer fit our needs. I am happy with our choices but have never felt like this room is finished from a design standpoint. It's still missing the cozy factor that comes with more colors and layers, and there are probably some things I would want to swap out now that we're six years down the road. 

So here it goes, the Project Planner in action with my actual bedroom: 

Project Name: This may seem obvious, but if you are tackling multiple rooms, it's important to label what room each worksheet is for

Today's Date: This will serve as a reminder of when you started your plan, so as you return to the worksheet, you can track how long a phase or an entire project took. This also helps set realistic expectations for future projects. 

Items To Buy or Help To Hire: List everything you need to transform your space. Don't hold back; just dump it all in here. If you need help figuring out where to start, slowly scan your room from one corner to the next until you've gone around the whole room, writing down what you want to complete your space. You can also use the resource included in the Project Planner to get ideas of commonly included items and professions.

Need or Want: Now go down that list and mark what's a need; this is defined by something that is crucial to making your space function efficiently or to get the exact look and feel you need, along with things that a professional should be hired for safety and/or code reasons. Mark what's a want; this is defined as something that's nice to have but that you can forgo by using something you already own and what work you can do by yourself. Be honest with yourself about what is what.

Budget, by item: Assign a dollar amount to what each thing on your list will cost. Notice I didn't say what you want to spend, I said what things will cost, meaning you need to write down how much the marketplace charges for the items on your list. If you need help deciding what to put in here, take the time to hop on a favorite retailer's website to look at prices. Google average labor costs. Put some research behind it. 

Home Project Investment Planning

Budget, total: Add all the needs and enter that dollar amount in one column. Add up the wants and enter that dollar amount in another column. Add up needs and wants to get your total projected investment. There may be intimidated by this number. You may have a knee-jerk reaction to go back and start undercutting those estimated costs. DON'T. The number you see is reality based on your actual research. Suppose the final spend comes in less, that's great. If not, you can sleep well knowing you went into your project with clear expectations of what you're investing. 

Project Deadline: Ask yourself when you want this done. It might be tied to an event like hosting a family reunion or, more abstractly, like the end of summer. Either way, set a date because what doesn't get scheduled doesn't get done. 

Notes: Jot down anything else that may be included, changed, or added to your project. Does a store come to mind that you would love to get your bed from? Write it down. Do you need a referral for a painter? Write that down. While in the mindset, take time to note everything swirling in your brain and get it all in one place. 

Here's my completed list. Will I get everything on my need and want list? Probably not; I'll have to do some gives and takes. Will all my estimated costs end up being spot on? Unlikely, they'll be close but not perfect. Will I hit my project deadline? Yes, this is a hard stop for me. 

Please take the time to work through this, exactly as you would be doing with me as your interior designer or, should be doing, with anyone else you hire. 

Feel free to ask me questions as you dig in by leaving a comment below, sending me an email or a DM. I am more than happy to help you.

XOXO

-L

---