Deciding to update your home is an exciting milestone, but it quickly brings up a major logistical question.
Should you remodel the whole house at one time, or tackle it one room at a time?
If you are updating a recently purchased home before moving in, tackling everything at once is usually an easy choice. But for homeowners currently living in their Florida homes, the decision is more complicated. Both approaches have advantages and drawbacks depending on your budget, timeline, and tolerance for disruption.
Whole Home Remodel Where to Start
If you are staring down a massive list of updates, bathrooms, kitchen, flooring, ceilings, paint, and doors, figuring out where to start can feel overwhelming. The best first step is to categorize your needs into "wet" and "dry" spaces. Kitchens and bathrooms require extensive plumbing and electrical work, while flooring, paint, and doors are surface updates.
If you are preparing for multi-generational living, such as converting a formal dining room into an accessible primary suite, you must tackle structural plumbing and electrical for the en-suite bath first.
Talk to a designer before you start tearing up floors, as the footprint of your new kitchen or bath will dictate where continuous flooring and trim need to go.
S&W Kitchens remodeled the exterior, kitchen, living areas, staircase, bedroom, 3 bathrooms and a wine room of this Tampa home. Learn more about the Jetton project.
Should I Renovate All at Once or One Room at a Time?
When it makes sense to remodel your whole house at one time usually comes down to budget and efficiency. Bundling your projects together means tradespeople, like plumbers, electricians, and drywallers, only have to come out to your house once. However, remodeling one room at a time (phased remodeling) can be easier to cash-flow and allows you to keep parts of your home functional.
Feature | All at One/Whole Home | One Room at a Time/Phased |
|---|---|---|
Cost Efficiency | Generally cheaper overall due to bulk material delivery and avoiding repeated delivery charges, contractor setup and permit fees. Like, Is it cheaper to do the kitchen and floors at the same time? Yes. | More expensive over time, but allows you to cash-flow the project rather than financing a massive, whole-house rush. |
Timeline | Faster total completion time, but more rigorous remodeling schedule. | With A phased approach plan on your remodel taking longer to complete |
Design Flow | Guarantees cohesive flooring, paint, and trim throughout the house. | Takes a bit more planning, but our designers make it easy. We help you choose adaptable materials that mix and match beautifully in the event something goes out of stock between phases. |
Living Arrangements | Often requires moving out or setting up an external temporary living space. | Allows you to live in the home by retreating to finished rooms. |
The Reality of Living in Your Home During a Full Renovation
Many homeowners hope to stay in their home while the kitchen, bathrooms, and flooring are updated. While possible in some phased projects, staying in your home during a full renovation require preparation, especially if you have kids and pets.
Trades Move by Trade, Not by Room:
It is a common misconception that contractors finish the kitchen entirely before moving to the bathroom. In reality, renovations move by trade. The demolition crew will gut every slated room at once. The plumber will run pipes for the kitchen and baths at the same time. This means multiple rooms will be out of commission simultaneously.
Managing Dust, Pets, and Kids:
Drywall and plaster dust can find its way onto your belongings when you are remodeling, particularly during demolition. If you stay, invest in HEPA air purifiers for your sleeping zones and keep pets strictly sequestered for their safety.
Navigating Florida Permits and Insurance
Whether you remodel in phases or all at once, protecting your home is paramount. When a renovation involves moving plumbing, updating electrical panels, or altering structural walls, Florida's strict building codes require comprehensive permitting. Navigating code compliance and pulling multiple permits for a large, whole-home renovation can be an overwhelming logistical hurdle for a homeowner, but S&W Kitchens will help you with this throughout the entire process.
The Advantage of a Single Remodeling Contractor
If you decide to tackle multiple projects, the advantages of a single contractor cannot be overstated. Some homeowners try to hire separate service pros, a cabinet guy, a tile guy, a painter, to save money. But who schedules the plumber and electrician during a whole house remodel? If you hire separate trades, you do.
When you hire separate trades, you become the general contractor. You have to schedule them, handle the permitting, and resolve disputes when the tile pro blames the drywall pro for a crooked wall. By hiring a single remodeling company, like S&W Kitchens, you get one dedicated Project Manager. We coordinate the schedules, handle the county permits, ensure the design flows seamlessly from the kitchen to the master bath, and take full accountability for the final result.
Tackling multiple rooms at once is the fastest way to turn a new house into your "forever home." By using a single remodeling team for their kitchen, powder room, and bedroom flooring, these Viera homeowners were able to source their dream materials and keep a complex timeline on track and within budget:
Creating a Forever Home in Viera
"My husband and I bought what we hope will be our forever home here in Viera last December and were on an exciting mission to make it ours. We were looking for a reputable remodeling company to renovate our kitchen, guest and powder rooms, and tile our bedroom floors. One of the key services the company would need to provide is replacing our granite countertops with Cambria Quartz. After going to 4 reputable tile stores, unfortunately none of them carried Cambria. There was only one store left to try and that was S&W Kitchens in Melbourne, FL. That is where I met Karen Brvenik and our renovation journey began. She helped us design our effort and advised us on kitchen sink and bathroom faucets that we did use. More importantly, she kept all the projects on schedule and prevented cost overruns. Finally, under her and her project manager, Carlos's supervision, our house was beautifully transformed into our forever home and has received many compliments from our guests and neighbors. We were so honored for our home to be selected in S&W's magazine. We highly recommend S&W Kitchens to anyone for their next renovation." - Ana & Charles Morris
Questions to Help you Decide the Best Approach
- Does our current budget allow for a complete overhaul, or is cash-flowing one room at a time more realistic for our finances?
- Are we updating this home for our own long-term enjoyment, or are we preparing for a sale where speed is the priority?
- If we decide to remodel over time, are we open to choosing adaptable materials with our designer so future phases blend seamlessly?
Let's Create Your Remodeling Plan
Whether you want to get everything out of the way in one big push or thoughtfully update your home one room at a time, having a solid plan is key.
Schedule a free consultation or visit one of our seven showrooms near you to speak with a remodeling designers. We can evaluate your space, discuss your budget, and help you determine the most logical and least stressful way to sequence your home's transformation.