Home Project Summary

Decorating, Re-Decorating

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

February 2011

Homeowners have many important questions about their Home 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 Home 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 Home 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.

Home Decorating - Project Overview

The approximate costs and value of a typical Home 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 home. Replace existing flooring, doors, switchplates and decorative hardware. Add molding and recessed lighting. Install new window treatments. Use above average grade of materials, fabrication and installation quality. Estimated costs do not include furniture.
Project size	1425 square feet of renovation
Material and labor cost	$11,583 - $13,514
Material cost	$7,592 - $8,857
Do-it-yourself assessment	The typical Home Decorating project involves tasks that are best performed by experienced professionals. Good quality Home Decorating requires considerable experience, skill and attention to detail. Do it yourself mistakes are noticeable, may be difficulty to remedy and may actually reduce the market value of the project and your home.
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 Home 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 Home Decorating project can return as much as 67% - 78% of its initial cost
Green rating	Home Decorating projects can incorporate renewable or sustainable resources and environmentally friendly materials.

Home Decorating - Proven Ideas and Project Tips

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

To maximize return on the Home Decorating project, limit cost to no more than 4.5% of home's total, post project value
Keep the style, scope, scale and character of the project aligned with the rest of the home
For best resale value, select components, appliances, finishes and fixtures of comparable quality
For best resale value, select a taste neutral design for your Home Decorating
To avoid budget busting surprise expenses, it is imperative that you make all component and material selections before any work begins on the Home Decorating project
Update or restore electrical switches, receptacles and switch plates
Recess speakers into walls or ceiling to share media system access and create room ambiance
Add storage access to built-ins used for seating or decoration
Use separate, individually controllable lighting circuits for ambient and task lighting
Select finish treatments that harmonize with furniture and statement accessories

Home Decorating - Project Plan and Details

The following list includes major work tasks commonly performed during Home Decorating. Use this list to understand the timing and sequence of different steps in the Home 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 Home Decorating project cost and quality.

Task

Service Provider

Duration

Do-it-yourself difficulty

Target cost

Prepare Home Decorating Ideas

Interior Designer

4 to 10 d

Level 3 - Complex, Difficult

$760 - $1,269

Produce Home Remodeling Plans

General Contractor