Planning a Home Renovation in Milwaukee? 7 Things to Consider Before You Begin
A well-planned renovation has the ability to completely change the way a home looks, feels, and functions. But long before demolition begins, some of the most important decisions have already been made.
For homeowners considering a renovation in Milwaukee and the surrounding area, thoughtful planning can make the difference between a project that simply updates a space and one that truly improves the home for years to come.
Whether you are renovating a kitchen, reworking a bathroom, finishing a lower level, or considering a larger whole-home renovation, here are seven things worth thinking through before construction begins.
1. Start With How You Want the Home to Function
It can be tempting to begin a renovation by choosing cabinetry, tile, countertops, or paint colors. Those decisions are important, but they should come later.
The best place to start is with the way you want to live in the space.
Ask yourself what is currently not working.
Perhaps your kitchen has enough square footage but lacks useful storage. Maybe the bathroom layout feels cramped despite having room to improve it. A formal dining room may rarely be used while the kitchen feels disconnected from the rest of the home. Or an unfinished basement may represent valuable square footage that your family could be using every day.
Before discussing finishes, define the problems the renovation should solve.
Think about questions such as:
Where does your household naturally gather?
Which rooms feel underused?
Where do you consistently run out of storage?
Are there areas where circulation feels awkward?
Will your needs be different five or ten years from now?
Are you renovating primarily for your own enjoyment, future resale, or both?
A beautiful renovation should also make the home easier to live in.
At Holmes Remodeling, we believe the construction and design process should begin with understanding how the homeowner uses the space—not simply what they want it to look like.
2. Decide Where Your Budget Will Have the Greatest Impact
One of the most useful conversations to have early in the process is not simply, “What is our budget?”
It is:
Where do we want to invest within that budget?
Two renovations of similar size can have very different costs depending on the decisions made along the way.
Cabinetry, natural stone, specialty tile, custom millwork, plumbing fixtures, appliances, flooring, structural modifications, and changes to mechanical systems can all significantly influence the overall investment.
There is also a difference between replacing what already exists and substantially reworking a space.
For example, replacing kitchen cabinetry and countertops while maintaining the existing layout is fundamentally different from removing walls, relocating plumbing, changing electrical service, adding custom cabinetry, and modifying the footprint of the room.
Neither approach is inherently better. The right choice depends on the home and the homeowner's priorities.
Before beginning design, determine which elements matter most to you.
Perhaps custom cabinetry is a priority, but you are comfortable selecting a moderately priced tile. Maybe natural stone countertops are important, while the existing hardwood floors can be refinished rather than replaced.
Establishing these priorities early helps direct the budget toward the details that will have the greatest impact on the finished home.
3. Understand That Older Homes Often Require a Different Approach
One of the things that makes Milwaukee-area homes so appealing is their character.
Older houses frequently include details that would be expensive—or sometimes nearly impossible—to recreate today: substantial woodwork, original masonry, unusual architectural proportions, plaster walls, built-ins, arched openings, historic flooring, and craftsmanship that gives the home a distinct personality.
A thoughtful renovation should recognize those qualities rather than automatically erase them.
At the same time, renovating an older home can reveal conditions that were not apparent before construction began.
Behind the finished surfaces, a contractor may encounter previous renovations, outdated electrical or plumbing systems, unusual framing conditions, deteriorated materials, or structural elements that affect the proposed design.
That does not mean homeowners should avoid renovating older properties. It means the project should be approached with an understanding that existing conditions can influence both the construction process and the final scope.
The goal should be to determine what is worth preserving, what needs to be improved, and where modern construction can make the home perform better without stripping away its character.
That philosophy is particularly important when renovating traditional homes throughout Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, and many of the area's established neighborhoods.
4. Plan the Construction Before Falling in Love With the Finishes
Design and construction should not exist in separate worlds.
A beautiful concept still has to work structurally, mechanically, and practically.
Before finalizing the visual elements of a renovation, it is important to understand what may be happening behind the walls.
A kitchen renovation, for example, may involve much more than cabinetry and countertops. Depending on the scope, the project could affect plumbing, electrical service, lighting, ventilation, framing, flooring transitions, HVAC, and adjoining rooms.
A bathroom may look straightforward on paper until the location of existing plumbing, joists, ventilation, or electrical components is taken into consideration.
This is why bringing design and construction thinking together early can be so valuable.
When the contractor, designer, homeowners, and specialty trades are working from the same plan, decisions can be made with the finished result and the construction required to achieve it in mind.
That coordination can also help avoid situations where a material is selected, cabinetry is ordered, or a layout is finalized before an important construction consideration is discovered.
5. Understand Permits, Approvals, and the Scope of Work
Permit requirements vary depending on both the municipality and the scope of the renovation.
For example, the City of Milwaukee notes that most residential remodeling projects require plans to be reviewed before a permit can be issued, and projects involving electrical or plumbing work may require separate permits from properly licensed trades. Wauwatosa distinguishes between straightforward cabinet/countertop replacement and renovations involving structural changes, walls, plumbing, or electrical work.
That distinction is important.
Changing countertops is very different from removing a load-bearing wall.
Replacing a vanity is very different from relocating an entire bathroom.
A renovation involving an addition, structural work, major plumbing changes, electrical work, or modifications to a historically designated property may require substantially more planning and municipal coordination.
A professional remodeling team should help identify these requirements before construction begins rather than treating them as an afterthought.
Homeowners should also understand who is responsible for obtaining the necessary permits, scheduling inspections, and coordinating required trades before signing a construction agreement.
The more clearly those responsibilities are established at the beginning of the project, the smoother the process becomes once work is underway.
6. Make Major Selections Earlier Than You Think You Need To
One of the easiest ways to disrupt a renovation schedule is to wait too long to make important selections.
A construction schedule is often influenced by materials homeowners rarely think of as scheduling decisions.
Cabinetry is an obvious example, but the same can apply to windows, specialty plumbing fixtures, appliances, custom millwork, stone, tile, lighting, and other products with manufacturing or delivery lead times.
There are also dependencies between selections.
A countertop fabricator may need final cabinetry dimensions before templating.
Cabinetry design may depend on appliance specifications.
Plumbing rough-ins may depend on the exact fixtures being installed.
Lighting locations may depend on the final cabinetry and furniture layout.
Each decision affects another.
For larger renovations, we recommend developing a selection schedule alongside the construction schedule.
That does not mean every paint color must be chosen before demolition begins. It means identifying the decisions that can delay later phases of construction and making those selections early enough that the project can continue moving forward.
Good planning creates breathing room.
7. Choose a Remodeling Team You Can Communicate With
A renovation is both a construction project and a working relationship.
Depending on the scope, you may be communicating with your remodeling team for weeks or months. During that time there will be decisions to make, questions to answer, selections to finalize, and occasionally unexpected conditions to address.
Communication matters.
Before selecting a contractor, understand how the project will be managed.
Who will be your primary contact?
How will changes to the scope be documented?
How will you receive schedule updates?
Who coordinates subcontractors?
Who is responsible for material ordering?
How are design decisions communicated to the construction team?
What happens when an unexpected condition is discovered?
The answers to these questions can tell you almost as much about the experience you will have as the estimate itself.
At Holmes Remodeling, our goal is to create a process in which homeowners understand what is happening with their project, what decisions are coming next, and how those decisions affect the work ahead.
Because successful remodeling is not simply about arriving at a beautiful finished space.
It is about managing everything required to get there.
A Better Renovation Starts With Better Planning
There is no single formula for the perfect renovation.
Every home has its own architecture. Every homeowner has different priorities. And every project comes with its own combination of design possibilities, construction considerations, and budget decisions.
The most successful projects begin by bringing those pieces together early.
Before choosing finishes or beginning demolition, take the time to understand what you want the renovation to accomplish, where you want to invest, what the existing home may require, and how the project will be managed from design through completion.
That preparation gives the construction team a stronger foundation—and gives the homeowner greater confidence in the decisions being made along the way.
Considering a renovation in the Greater Milwaukee area, including Wauwatosa, Bay View, Shorewood, Mequon, Cedarburg, Brookfield or beyond? Holmes Remodeling works with homeowners to thoughtfully plan and execute renovations ranging from kitchens and bathrooms to larger, whole-home projects.
Thinking About Remodeling Your Home?
Whether you’re beginning with an idea or already have plans in development, we’d be happy to learn more about your home, your priorities, and what you’re hoping to accomplish.
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