Remodeling your house is a wonderful way to bring new life into your home. It can also be a tremendous stress on you and the other members of your household. A home renovation can be dirty and noisy, so if you plan to live in the home during the remodel, you can expect some level of discomfort. It can help to have a trusted team in your corner so you know that the ultimate product will be everything you dreamed. John Elliott Interiors is just such a team! We are the best interior designers at the Lake of the Ozarks, and we have your back. Read on to learn some of our great tips on how to make the most of your home renovation!

Make a Plan

Once you’ve made the decision to remodel your home, it can be hard to wait for a full plan to be developed before you start digging in. But planning is an important step. If you get started without thinking ahead, you could end up with a disjointed design or a layout that doesn’t quite work with the structure and flow of your house.


Determine which parts of your home you want to redesign and consider all aspects of the design that will need to be addressed… Plumbing, electric, overall layout, furniture placement, painting, etc. Once you know everything that the remodel needs, start calling contractors to set up appointments. This could be the sticking point between a good renovation and a bad one. Imagine the two contractors you want to use are only available 6 months apart. If 6 months is too long of a time frame, you may need to consider other contractors or adjust your plan.

Keep it Tidy

As the renovation gets underway, there will be a lot of dust, construction debris, and other clutter that will start to take over your home. It is important to hire a contractor that values cleanliness and finishing the job completely. The last thing you want to end up with is an area that is remodeled, but also full of construction debris that has spread throughout the other rooms in your home as well. If you are remodeling on your own, be sure to use tarps and remove trash at the end of each day to prevent the mess from piling up and getting out of hand.

Plan for the Unexpected

Even if you have the perfect plan detailed out to the smallest penny, minute, and nail… Something will go wrong. There will almost always be a wrench in your plans that you will have to adjust for. For example, when you knock out a wall, you may find pipes that have to be relocated. That is why it is so important to allow yourself extra money in the budget and extra days (or possibly even weeks) in the timeline.


Every time a hitch comes up in your plans, take a deep breath and think of how much you will love the final product - it will all be worth it! Take a break when possible and go out of town for a weekend to get away from the construction dust and stress.

Keep Communication Open

Communication is the key to good relationships, right? That is also the case between clients and contractors. Be open and honest about what you want from them so they know what you expect. The clearer your communication, the more likely you are to be happy at the end of the process. It’s important to have a solid contract that communicates what happens if either party does not meet their end of the agreement.

Home Design at the Lake 

John Elliott Interiors is the best interior design company at the Lake of the Ozarks and we have a lot of experience helping clients redesign their spaces. Once the bones of your remodel are complete, be sure to contact our expert team at John Elliott Interiors to help create a beautiful design that helps make your dreams for your home come true.

Remodeling a room, or multiple rooms, in your home is not only a wonderful way to bring new life to it, but the changes can add value to the overall worth of the house too. A home renovation is dirty and noisy, and if you will be living there during the remodel, it will definitely disrupt the regular flow of your day to day life.

The thought of the finished product combined with some wonderful pieces from our luxury furniture store at the Lake of the Ozarks may help you get through the process, but some careful planning ahead of time is the best way to truly get through it. John Elliott Interiors has a few tips for you today that should help you do that. 


Plan Before You Demo
Make as many arrangements for your remodel as possible before any work begins. Set appointments, work out a schedule with the contractor, and make sure the necessary items are ordered and on their way. If you wait until everything is "in the works" to make your calls, you may end up adding additional waiting time before everything can be finished.

Plan For Everday Life
If you will be living in the home while the renovation is happening, it is best to tackle just one project at a time. That way you still have the rest of the house to live in and try to do things as close to your normal schedule as possible. Depending on which room is being remodeled, you will need to make plans to move tasks you regularly do in that room to another one.

For example, during a kitchen remodel, you will want to move things you will need to use to a new makeshift "kitchen" area. A place where you can set up the microwave, toaster, a mini-fridge, etc... If it is a bathroom remodel, you will need to have access to another usable bathroom, and if there are a lot of people in the house, you may need to come up with a schedule for use. If the water will be turned off at any point, have lots of bottled water on hand.   

Plan to Keep Things Clean
There will be lots of debris as things get torn apart and removed, and even more construction dust settling over everything in its path. Speak with your contractor about making sure that all trash that can be removed is taken care of daily, and hang tarps in the doorways leading into the room being renovated to try to contain as much of the dust as possible.

Make sure that electronic equipment, furniture not in use, and other valuables are covered or even packed away if they will not be needed until everything is finished. Every evening you may want to give everything a quick sweep and wipe-down to better keep the mess under control. 

Plan for the Unexpected
No matter how many plans you make or how prepared you are, most likely something unexpected is going to happen to throw a wrench into those well-laid plans. The more flexible you are, the easier it will be to handle any surprises that may arise. Your budget should have enough set aside so that unforeseen expenses won't break the bank. Also, there's a very good chance that the expected timeline for finishing projects will run over schedule. If you expect that the remodel will take longer than planned, you will be ready and a little less disappointed if it does. 

Communication is Key
In addition to planning, good communication during the remodel is extremely important. Throughout this entire process, keep the lines of communication open with your contractor, as well as the other people living in the home. When you know what to expect from each other along the way, there will be fewer "surprises" that could drive you all crazy. The better you work together, the smoother the remodel will go.


There will very likely come a time when you will need to leave your home for a day or two. When that happens, plan to make a mini-vacation out of it. That will give you a refreshing break after all of the construction you have been living through.

Once the rooms are completed and brand new, head on over to John Elliott Interiors to find the home furnishings to dress up those gorgeous new rooms. Our Lake of the Ozarks interior design team can put the finishing touches on the new room you have long been waiting for. Then you can sit back, look around, and know that all of the "hassle" of the renovation was truly worth it.