Remodel Contracting Podcast

Your House Is Telling You It's Time for Change—Are You Listening?

• Jeff Bass • Episode 11

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What Are The Signs It’s Time To Remodel My Home?

Your home speaks volumes before it ever utters a word. Those cracked tiles? They're whispering about foundation issues. That skyrocketing energy bill? It's shouting about outdated windows and poor insulation. In this eye-opening conversation, renovation expert Jeff Bass reveals the unmistakable signs that your living space is ready for transformation.

Beyond the obvious aesthetic concerns—like that avocado green bathroom that stopped being charming decades ago—Jeff guides us through the functional, safety, and financial indicators that signal remodeling readiness. From outdated floor plans that disrupt your family's flow to safety hazards hiding in plain sight, these warning signs deserve your attention before minor inconveniences become major headaches.

The discussion takes a fascinating turn when Jeff shares a remarkable transformation story about a Texas family who couldn't even use their sun-drenched living and dining rooms during summer months. With interior window temperatures reaching a scorching 140 degrees despite tinting and shutters, these spaces stood empty until the right renovation reclaimed them. "We spend 93% of our time indoors," Jeff reminds us. "Shouldn't we make our indoors as comfortable as possible?"

Perhaps most surprising is Jeff's practical approach to timing and financing renovations. Gone are the days when homeowners needed to save for years before updating crucial systems. With competitive financing options now available, the question becomes not if you can afford to remodel, but whether you can afford to wait—especially when it comes to energy-efficient upgrades that start paying you back immediately.

Ready to stop tolerating and start transforming? Take Jeff's advice: prioritize your needs, set a realistic budget, and reach out to professionals who can help you reclaim every square foot of your home. Your space should work for you, not against you. Call 469-831-5620 or visit Remodelcontracting.net for a free consultation and discover how your house can finally become the home you deserve.

To learn more about Remodel Contracting visit:
https://www.RemodelContracting.net
Remodel Contracting
801 Alpha Rd, Ste 133
Richardson, TX 75081
469-831-5620

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Remodel Contracting Podcast, where outdated spaces meet their modern makeover destiny. Hosted by Jeff Bass, general contractor, home renovation expert and guy who firmly believes your avocado green bathroom has gotta go. Based in the DFW Metro, remodel Contracting is here to help you level up your living space Because, hey, you updated your wardrobe, now it's time to update your home. Expect more, live better. Let's remodel.

Speaker 2:

Cracked tiles, outdated layouts and rising energy bills might be trying to tell you something. Jeff Bass shares the top signs that your home is ready for a remodel and how to know when it's time to take action. Welcome back everyone. I'm Sofia Yvette, co-host and producer, back in the studio with general contractor and home renovation expert, Jeff Bass. Jeff, how are you today?

Speaker 3:

Doing wonderful. Sophia, Nice to be here.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and it's nice to have you back on. So, jeff, we know how important this topic is. This is something every homeowner wonders. What are the signs it's time to remodel my home?

Speaker 3:

Awesome. That's a really good question, Sophia. So there are different types of signs. Those signs may be functional. They may be related to safety or maintenance, could be comfort or lifestyle changes, even aesthetics, or even future plans or financial reasons. So, just talking about those a little bit so functional signs that your house needs to be updated would be an outdated floor plan, Maybe there's. You want to have an open floor plan. There's too many closed off spaces, poor lack of flow, not enough storage, not enough bedrooms or bathrooms, or maybe functionally, the utility isn't working in the house. Maybe your AC is getting old, maybe plumbing appliances, things like that.

Speaker 3:

Those are some functional signs that it may be time to remodel. And, of course, there's also important things to look at, such as safety or maintenance issues cracks in walls and floors, foundation shift, outdated wiring in an older home, water damage, mold, maybe even you know something. Maybe there's a wrong type of tile was put in a bathroom and the floors are slippery now outdated, poor lighting. I mean, we have do a lot of every project we do. We upgrade lighting to LED, which makes a huge difference. There could also be, you know, just aesthetic reasons. Right, your decor and finishes are stuck in the 70s, 80s or 90s. Maybe there was some updates done by a previous owner that are mismatched. Maybe you have light fixtures or flooring that's beyond any cosmetic repair. Let's see Also some comfort or lifestyle changes Kids moving in, or maybe having more kids or kids moving out.

Speaker 3:

Or maybe you would like to age in place. We all know buying a new home is expensive and it's a lot more comfortable just to stay where you are. So it may be that you want to make some modifications to make aging in place a little easier. Maybe you've got your family's growing. You need more bathrooms. They don't function for your family's needs. Maybe your kitchen is too small for the number of people you have. You avoid having guests because of the home's condition.

Speaker 3:

Those are some good comfort and lifestyle reasons to look at remodeling financially. You know it's funny because, uh, spending money on a on a remodel is a financial decision, but it could also help you. For example, if you have older windows, replace your windows with new, updated windows that are going to help you with energy efficiency. Maybe a new roof. Maybe you have poor insulation. Even if you're planning to sell and you would like to maximize your home's value, that's another great sign that it's time to remodel and yeah, I mean, those are some good reasons to look at. It possibly be in time to remodel your home.

Speaker 2:

So, Jeff, from the first moment you notice these signs to the time it's time to give you a call. How long should that turnaround time be?

Speaker 3:

Well, that's going to depend upon you know, the client's own particular timeline and their budget. I would say the first step to do would be to get a realistic picture of what it's going to cost and and you know a lot of that really is you know we'll go to homes and people will have a list, a page long, of things they want to do, and really an important thing of that is to take an honest look at what your personal budget is and then look at the things on that list that are most important to you. I mean, it's possible to go in and just remodel the entire home if your budget can handle that. But a lot of people they want to tackle one project at a time, which is fine too. But the homeowner is going to need to first of all prioritize their list before they call a contractor. It's not the contractor's job to determine if you want to do your bathroom or your kitchen first. That's up to your needs.

Speaker 3:

So take a look at what your needs are and prioritize the projects you would like to complete based upon your needs. Then, as far as finding out what it's going to cost, that's when you get a contractor involved find out what it's going to cost and contractors we offer financing now, so it's not like something that you have to save up for five years. Just to, you know, remodel your home. We offer financing on competitive terms, just like any other any other thing you would go and get money for. So it's quite possible people can can complete more of their projects than they would like. But you know, I would say, get your list prioritized and then reach out to a contractor and then you can start talking about design decisions and budget and see what a realistic, realistic time timeline looks like now, what role does energy efficiency or outdated infrastructure play in the decision?

Speaker 2:

does a decision like that need to be made more quickly versus if it's cosmetic reasons?

Speaker 3:

Well, I would say, the sooner you make a decision on increasing your home's energy efficiency, then the sooner you start to get that ROI, that return on investment, right. If it's May and summer's coming in Texas and I wait until October to replace my windows, even though I need to replace them Well, I've just lost an entire summer of efficiency through those windows again. You know. So it's a decision. If it's affecting your finances, then that's a decision that should be made sooner rather than later.

Speaker 2:

Then that's a decision that should be made sooner rather than later, can you?

Speaker 3:

share a story when a remodel truly transformed how someone lived in their space, absolutely. I have a house where the house faced west two-story house facing west direct sun. They had windows across the entire front of the house going up to 19 20 feet high. It was a tall house and they could not use the rooms. The. The living room and the dining room were in the front of the house with windows and they could not use those rooms in the summer because it was too hot.

Speaker 3:

They had shutters on the windows that could have shutters on them. They had tent on the windows and when we went there on an evening when the Sun was setting and checked the temperature, the interior temperature of the window, even with tent on it, was 140 degrees, so that Western Sun can get hot, it can make your house hot. I mean they couldn't even touch the outside of the front doorknob because it was so hot. So you know, taking and replacing all of those windows in the front, it helped their electric bill and really just helped with the entire comfort level of their house. And that's where we spend most of our time. Right, we spend 93% of our time indoors. Shouldn't we make our indoors as comfortable as possible, so it can really have life-changing effects. Absolutely.

Speaker 2:

Wow, Jeff, that was incredibly helpful. Thank you for helping us to recognize when it's time to stop tolerating and start transforming. We'll catch you in the next remodel contracting podcast thank you, sophia that's a wrap for this episode of remodel contractinging Podcast.

Speaker 1:

Ready to kick that 90s kitchen to the curb? For a free in-home consultation, call 469-831-5620 or visit remodelcontractingnet. Expect more, because your home deserves better and, honestly, so do you.