Home Project Summary

Decorate Interior

Ideas, costs, tips and plans - the information you need for a successful Interior Decorating project

February 2011

Homeowners have many important questions about their Interior Decorating Project. How much will it cost? How long will it take? What problem areas do I need to watch out for? Can I recover my Interior Decorating investment when I sell? Can I do some of the work myself? What can I do to make sure that the work is done right?

Costs, materials and best practices for the example Interior Decorating project will help you answer these questions. Use this information to develop a budget, bid requirements, hiring contracts and a project plan.

Use the following information to understand your options, make good decisions and get quality work at a fair price.

Interior Decorating - Project Overview

The approximate costs and value of a typical Interior Decorating project are summarized below. Use higher estimates for larger metropolitan areas and the lower estimates where home prices are below the national average. Adjust costs for substitutions or refinements in the last section. For size differences of up to 25%, scale total costs in direct proportion to the size of your project. Use the adjusted costs as a basis for setting a material budget and for comparing contractor bids (if you choose to have a professional perform the work).

Project description	Decorate existing room. Update molding, flooring, doors, switchplates and decorative hardware. Add built-in speakers and modern recessed lighting. Install new window treatments.
Project size	210 square feet
Material and labor cost	$5,261 - $6,137
Material cost	$4,005 - $4,673
Do-it-yourself assessment	The typical Interior Decorating project can be completed by a moderately skilled do-it-yourselfer; as with any project, high quality Interior Decorating requires attention to detail and careful planning.
First year Return on Investment - ROI	Returns vary widely and are affected by the range of home prices in your neighborhood, the overall condition of your home and sensible design choices. A high quality Interior Decorating project in an appropriate neighborhood can return as much as 77% - 91% of its initial cost.
Long term Return on Investment - ROI	Returns will be impacted by the range of home prices in your neighborhood, the overall condition of your home and sensible design choices. A high quality Interior Decorating project can return as much as 67% - 78% of its initial cost
Green rating	Interior Decorating projects can incorporate renewable or sustainable resources and environmentally friendly materials.

Interior Decorating - Proven Ideas and Project Tips

Review these tips, design suggestions, options and lessons learned before finalizing your Interior Decorating project plan.

To maximize return on the Interior Decorating project, limit cost to no more than 1.75% of home's total, post project value
For best home resale value, follow a consistent design and decorating theme throughout the home
To keep Interior Decorating costs low, do not move walls or relocate plumbing fixtures or electrical boxes
For best resale value, select a taste neutral design for your Interior Decorating
For best resale value, select components, appliances, finishes and fixtures of comparable quality
Recess speakers into walls or ceiling to share media system access and create room ambiance
Use underfloor electrical receptacle(s) to provide interior portion of room with cord free electrical power
Use low voltage interior lighting to illuminate pathways used at night

Interior Decorating - Project Plan and Details

The following list includes major work tasks commonly performed during Interior Decorating. Use this list to understand the timing and sequence of different steps in the Interior Decorating project. Click any Task name for a complete written specifications, FAQs and quality checklist for the task - this essential information will help you control Interior Decorating project cost and quality.

Task

Service Provider

Duration

Do-it-yourself difficulty

Target cost

Develop Home Design Ideas

Architect

5 to 20 d

Level 3 - Complex, Difficult

$1,800 - $3,006

Prepare Home Lighting Ideas

Lighting Designer