Renovation Solutions: What reality TV doesnt tell you about home remodeling

A reality TV remodeling show doesn't quite share the entire process.

Scot Zimmerman, Renovation Design Group

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Everyone knows reality TV isnt actually reality, right? We know an hour in real life is never that entertaining. There is a lot of editing, slicing and dicing behind the scenes to put those shows together.

However, the pop culture of home-remodeling reality shows has a lot of people believing that the TV version of remodeling is reality or very close to it. Yes, those projects really happen, but they are missing a few truths regarding remodeling and are misleading the masses in the process.

Time

Sorry, folks. You cant just go in and look around your house, say, I want a door here, a window here and boom, one hour later, its done.

Obviously, in a one-hour TV show, you cant comprehensively show how a remodel really happens, but you need to understand a large project takes months of planning and more months of construction. While it would be nice to go on a weeklong vacation and have a newly remodeled house waiting for us when we come back, that part is not reality.

While most people are rational enough to understand a home renovation will take longer than a couple of weeks, that same majority still seriously underestimates how long it really will take. Most projects take a bare minimum of six weeks of design and planning to create a master plan, eight to 12 weeks to complete a set of construction documents, another two to eight weeks to obtain a permit, and four to 12 months for construction (depending on the size and scope of your project).

Other scheduling factors to consider include the fact that good contractors are usually booked out two to three months before they can schedule in a new project. In addition, weather and the time of year will impact construction schedules. Many contractors give homeowners the option of either dedicating more time (and budget) to the project for those wet, snowy and blustery days or waiting until spring.

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Renovation Solutions: What reality TV doesnt tell you about home remodeling