How ready are you to remodel?
- Shandra McCracken
- Nov 3
- 4 min read
What to know before starting a remodel? Take our short quiz and learn how to plan your project with clarity and confidence.
Take the quiz ↓
How Ready Are You to Remodel?
A conversation about clarity before construction begins.
Each time you pass through your home, you notice something you’d like to change. You jot down ideas, set aside funds, take a few measurements, and find yourself wondering, “Should I remodel my home now or wait?”
That curiosity is exactly where remodeling starts. But between the idea and the reality lies a space that many underestimate. And that’s where our quiz, How Ready Are You to Remodel?, can make a real difference. It’s designed to help you understand how prepared you truly are before committing time, money, and energy to a major project.
Should I Remodel My Home Now or Wait?
This is the best question, and the one every homeowner should ask before beginning a remodel.
In our experience, finances play a part, but they’re not usually what gives homeowners pause. It’s realizing they are unsure of their style and how much guidance they’ll need through the process that opens their eyes. This is sorely missed and underplanned for.
We’ve spoken with homeowners who begin with the best intentions, only to realize during the initial meeting that their expectations were not reality. We have advised many homeowners to pause and complete the proper planning before jumping into a home remodel. Because gone are the days of stressful home remodeling; leave that drama on HGTV.
The three key areas to gauge remodeling readiness are: financial, design, and personal.
Our 10-question quiz is designed not only to help you discover what to ask yourself, but also to provide a framework for determining your readiness. We then offer free resources to support the stage of remodeling that you’re in.
These are the same questions we ask before taking on any new project. Questions that bring clarity to where you’re solid, where you might need guidance, and what realistic home remodeling looks like.
When you know the answers, you can move forward with confidence instead of hesitation.
What to Know Before Starting a Remodel
We believe that you, as a homeowner, need to know the facts because we value educated decisions. There’s a common misconception about pre-construction; it can take just as much time as construction itself.
You’ll make decisions about:
Design direction: The aesthetic and layout that suits your home, lifestyle, and budget.
Material selection: The finishes that fit this aesthetic and style, your durability needs, and your budget.
Logistics: The adjusted arrangements for preparing your home for remodeling, your schedule, and temporary living.
The quiz touches each of these areas, helping you see whether you’re in the exploring, planning, or ready stage.
It’s not about scoring high; it’s about understanding where you are in your process.
Take the quiz ↓
If you discover that you’re in either the exploring or planning stages, that’s a win. It means you have time to shape your ideas before the first contractor visit. If you’re in the ready stage, you’ll be affirmed that it’s time to begin gathering bids, reviewing the scope, and finalizing details. (Included are tips and links to the websites for prequalifying home remodelers.)
Steps Before Hiring a Contractor
Every design-build project begins with the same principle: clarity and planning first, construction second.
Before you hire anyone, you’ll want to feel grounded in a few key areas:
Budget range: Not just what you hope it costs, but what your design goals actually require.
Decision readiness: The ability to make product and design choices in a reasonable timeframe.
Lifestyle planning: Knowing how you’ll live around construction; where you’ll cook, sleep, and store essentials.
These are the details that turn a remodeling experience from chaotic to smooth. The quiz helps you evaluate those things now, not when you’re signing a contract.
Homeowners who invest the time up front move through the process with noticeably less stress. When questions arise, and they always do, well-prepared homeowners respond with confidence and partnership, rather than uncertainty.
What Should I Know Before Remodeling?
Remodeling is exciting, but it’s also deeply personal.
Your home is the backdrop of your life, so every change carries weight in terms of both financial and aesthetic impact, as well as its influence on your lifestyle.
That’s what we hope this quiz gives you: perspective. It doesn’t replace experience, but it’s meant to help you pause for just a minute or so, long enough to understand where you’re at and what your next step should be.
For some, that will mean you’re ready to call a professional to start concrete design plans. For others, it will mean taking your Pinterest scrolling more seriously and checking out financing. No matter, you’ll find yourself with ten helpfully guided questions.
Clarity Before Construction
If you’re thinking about remodeling your home, start with the questions that matter most. Take the quiz, learn where you are in the process, and use that insight to plan your next move.
Because until your ideas become reality, they’re only concepts.
Take the quiz ↓
Written by Shandra McCracken, co-owner of Dovetail Contracting, a design-build remodeling company serving Coeur d’Alene and Spokane.
