Every homeowner seems to have ideas in their head about what projects they would like to improve their home. The ideas are endless and vision of “what could be” makes us happy in our dreamlike state. Then reality hits.
The woman wants a new kitchen. She also hates the carpet in the bathroom. The man wants a “man cave” big screen TV or theater room. The hot water is not hot anymore and the hot water heater may need to be replaced. The kids want a pool. The budget is tight and you can’t afford everything. Choices need to be made. The negotiations, or selling pitches, begin on why this project is more important than the other. Planning out all your projects is critical to managing a home and keeping healthy relationships in the home.
The problem is all these projects are in everyone’s head and no one can sit down and assess all the projects at once. It is good practice to write down and start planning out all your projects with the decision makers in the home and review all the great project ideas that everyone has with financial constraints and usage of the projects. Not all projects will cost the same, so put down a high level estimate as well. Identify if the project is a “must have” or “nice to have.” Identify whether each project might improve the value of the home or if it will improve the quality of life in the home, or both.
Just sitting down and looking at a list of all the “wish list” projects, with budgets and value of the project will get everyone at least on the same page. Everyone may still not agree on which is most important, but at least everyone can “see” all the options at once and move the discussion to a more rational state.
