You may also need to decide what type of light fixture. If you want recessed canned lights, you make that decision in advance. LED skinny recessed can lights use a different type of wiring, and vanity lights also usually have a different type of wiring.

Security Camera Placement

Outlet Placement

Window Size and Placement

Phase Two: Demo

Once floor plans are finished, demolition will likely happen next. I recommend that you start working on picking out the following items.

Type and Style of Windows

Brand. The brand will also typically determine what type of material the window will be made of, vinyl, aluminum, wood, etc.
Color. (In our market, having black on the interior of the windows is a more expensive product, so you may want to decide this in the budget phase)
Grilles. Also called grid lines, these are the lines that go across the glass panes.
Frosted glass. This is a useful option for bathrooms or for anywhere you want complete privacy.
Privacy glass. This glass creates a mirror effect on the outside, making it harder for anyone outside to see it. It’s not completely private like frosted glass, but it’s more private than a traditional window. Keep in mind this type of glass usually blocks some light too.

Exterior siding and brick

Brand
Style
Color

Your contractor may have preferred brands or suppliers, and you will pick the color and style from that supplier.

Shingles or Roofing Materials

Brand
Style
Color of roof

Your budget may be for a particular brand from a supplier your contractor works with. You will likely only need to pick a color. In addition to shingles, you will need to decide on a color for any window trim, gutters, fascia, or other trim pieces on the exterior of the building.

Size and Type of Hardwood

The wood plank width.
The type of wood. In our market, red oak and white oak are most common.
The hardwood stain. Even though you won’t need the floor stain until later in the process, have it picked out early on. Depending on the stain color you choose, the contractor will help you decide whether to do red or white Oak hardwood, . For instance, red oak holds light colors better. They stain will be less likely to turn orange. Most contractors in our region use Duraseal brand stains.

When there are long lead times for materials, your contractor may ask you about the below items far ahead of when they are needed. Other times they may not ask about these items until closer to when they are being installed.

Doors

Interior Door Material. This decision was likely already made in the budgeting stage since these options can affect pricing. Door material options include solid-core doors, MDF doors, hollow-core doors, and doors with glass.
Interior Door Style. There are numerous styles to choose from, and depending on the popularity and availability of each door style, it can affect your budget too. There are flat doors, one-panel, two-panel, three-panel, four-panel, six-panel, arched-panel, and many more.
Exterior Doors. These will need to be ordered in advance too. You can consider steel doors, wood doors, partial glass, or full glass doors for the exterior.

Trim

Baseboard style and height- you may also need to pick the
Crown molding style and height
Additional Trim- wainscoting, shiplap, chair rails, etc.

Appliances

Plan to pick out and order your appliances at this stage or earlier. To get a full selection of appliances the more lead time you have for ordering them the better. You will need to know the exact dimensions of your appliances before you create your final kitchen layout and order cabinets.

Phase 3: Framing

Once the framing of the interior is finished, the next items you will need to decide on are:

Kitchen Cabinets

At this stage, you will need to both pick out:

Cabinet style. It doesn’t hurt to start this process earlier, even right after floor plans. It can take time to get samples, for you to take a sample home to evaluate, etc. You won’t need to order the cabinets until this stage.
The cabinet layout. A cabinet layout includes decisions like: should drawers or a cabinet go here, what size cabinet do you prefer in each location, where should each appliance go, etc. Think through what you have in your current kitchen and where it will be stored in the new kitchen. Most cabinet suppliers have a design team to help you with this portion. Cabinet suppliers typically don’t like to build out kitchen layouts for clients until the framing is complete. There are often changes during the framing that will affect the kitchen layout.

Bathroom Cabinets

If you want to order custom order vanity bases and then have quartz, granite, or marble cut for them you will need to order the cabinets at this stage. For any vanities that you want to order a pre-finished counter and cabinet in one, you can order them at a later stage,

Plumbing Fixtures

Although they won’t be installed until almost the end, the rough-in plumbing, and the valves, will be installed once the framing is finished. Valves are not universal, so you need to pick the exact plumbing fixtures you will want now. The following items all require valves during the rough-in stage:

Shower heads
Tub spouts
In wall faucets

Some shower heads include the valve and some the valve needs to be bought separately. Websites like Home Depot will outline whether or not the valve is included, and if it’s not they will tell you the model number of the valve that is needed.

Bathtubs

These are also typically installed pre-drywall (unless it is a free-standing tub). Your contractor may buy standard ones without asking you, but if you want anything specific let him/her know at this stage.

Lighting Fixtures

You do not need to have every fixture bought at this point, but you need to know what type of fixture you want for each location. When the electrician starts the electrical work after framing you will need to make electrical decisions like if you want a sconce, multiple sconces, a light above a mirror, or just a ceiling light in a bathroom.

Doorbell Style

Many doorbells these days are wireless, but if you want a hardline for a doorbell run be sure to let your electrician know at this stage.

Island Placement

If you are doing a kitchen island at this stage you should decide exactly where it will be placed. The electrician will pull the wiring for pendant lights, and outlets for the island based on the decided placement. The island was likely already in the floor plan, but the location may change slightly during the framing and kitchen layout process.

Low Voltage Wires

This again may have already been decided in the floor plan stage, but if you want any ethernet outlets, cable lines, or built-in speaker systems to have wires run inside the walls, make sure to do that before they start closing up walls in the next stage. Some of the new fiber internet providers need certain wiring within a home for their system, so you may even want to start internet service with them now so that everything can be run inside the walls.

Phase 4: Drywall

Once all of the rough-in plumbing and electrical work is complete they will start to close up the walls with drywall. The drywall then requires sanding and priming, but after that, you should be ready to go with a lot of items.

Tile

The actual tiles
Grout color. If you buy the grout yourself I recommend labeling for the floor or wall and which bathroom and then placing it in the appropriate bathroom where it is going. Dark grout is always easier to keep clean. White grout never stays white for long!
Niches. A niche is the inset shelf inside a shower or on a tub wall. They can be bought pre-made in many sizes or custom-built.
Trim tile pieces. Bullnose or accent tiles can be added around the edges or in a stripe on the wall.
Tile pattern. Be sure to warn the contractor ahead of time if you want the tile laid in a certain pattern. Providing pictures or even posting a drawing or picture of the pattern in the actual bathrooms is usually helpful.

Paint

Your contractor may only allow for a certain number of paint colors in the budget (1-3 is common, more than 3 they usually add charges). They also may use a specific supplier for their paint, but most paint suppliers can match the colors from other brand names. If the contractor uses Behr paint and you pick out all Benjamin Moore colors, that’s fine! The standard contract may also only include a certain finish of paint, check with your contractor. Flat paint is most commonly used by developers, it’s the cheapest and easiest to touch up, but eggshell and semi-gloss are easier to clean.

Paint finish. Examples of paint finishes include eggshell, semi-gloss, and flat.
Wall color
Trim and door color
Exterior door color or stain
Stair railing color or stain
Stair handrail color or stain

Plumbing

Any of the plumbing fixtures that didn’t require a valve will need to be bought at this stage.

Kitchen Faucet
Any kitchen faucet accessories. Examples include a built-in soap dispenser, drinking water tap, and hot water tap.
Bathroom sink faucets (unless you already ordered any in-wall ones in the stage above)
Toilets. Your contractor may have a standard toilet they provide, or you may have options and choose to upgrade.
Kitchen sink. Your contractor may have a standard stainless steel sink that they provide, but if you want a specific sink, pick it out at this stage, so that you will be ready to go to order counters in the next stage.

Bathroom Vanities

If you didn’t order cabinets for vanities in the stage above, plan to buy the pre-made ones now.

Phase 5: Post Drywall

After the drywall is finished, they will install hardwood floors, do tile work, install cabinets and baseboards, and any other trim. You should be preparing decisions and/or ordering all of the final items for the last stage.

Counters

Your contractor likely has a supplier for counters that you can work with (oftentimes the same supplier as the kitchen cabinets). Counters typically aren’t ordered until after cabinets have been installed. A rep will come out and take exact measurements when the cabinets are installed. With covid delays on materials though, you may want to start shopping earlier than this stage in case you fall in love with one that is back-ordered or needs extra time for ordering. Then they will order slabs based on estimates from your kitchen layout and not from exact measurements.

You will need to decide:

Type of material. Quartz, marble, wood, stainless steel, granite, and laminate are the most common counter options.
Finish. You can have a gloss, matte, or honed finish with some stone counters options. Typically glossy or a higher sheen finish prevents stains more.
Pattern
Edge style. Beveled, straight, and bullnose are common counter-edge styles offered.
The Shape of Sinks. This will need to be decided for the bathroom and kitchen sink. Rectangular bathroom sinks are currently the most popular in our market right now.
Stone pieces for niches and shower thresholds. If you are adding a standing shower and plan to do a custom glass door it is common to do the threshold at the bottom of the door in stone material, often that will match your bathroom counters. Sometimes the same stone is used for the top of a shower bench or the bottom shelf of a niche as well.

Door Hardware

Door knobs. Be sure to buy the right type of knob for each door. Dummy, passage, privacy, and locked doors are all options. You may also want to buy knobs for any bifold doors.
Door hinges. Most doors come standard with satin nickel hinges. If you want anything else specific, be sure to let your contractor know.
Door stops. There are options for door stops in walls or ones that go in the hinge of the door yourself. Talk to your contractor about what makes the most sense for each of your doors.

Electrical

Smart thermostats. If you want a smart thermostat the HVAC installer will usually install them after the painting is complete. They may install a temporary one before that.
Light fixtures. You should have every light fixture ready to go at this point to be installed in the final phase. Don’t forget about light fixtures inside closets, on the exterior, etc.
Smart light switches. If you want any smart light switches, have them ready to go before the next stage. The electrician can install them instead of standard switches.
Dimmer switches. If you want any switches to have dimmers, be sure to let the electrician know before the next stage. They are typically an upgrade from regular switches.

Miscellaneous

Cabinet hardware. Have all of the knobs and handles ready to go for installation in the next phase. Don’t forget you may need them for the bathroom, kitchen, bar areas, and mudroom areas.
Bathroom mirrors
Mailbox
Exterior street numbers
Towel rings and hooks
Toilet paper holders
Curtains rods and blinds. Contractors will usually only install basic blinds. Custom blinds are installed by each company separate from the scope of your rehab. As soon as the window framing is complete you can have a custom blind company come and take measurements for the blinds.

Phase 6: Finishes

This phase is when all of the final lighting and plumbing fixtures are installed, as well as cabinet knobs, etc. Plan to be available a lot during this time to meet with the plumber, electrician, etc to show them how high to hang light fixtures, which switches you want dimmers on, where to put kitchen knobs, etc. You also will have likely missed picking something out and may need to pick out a few last-minute items.

Custom Glass Shower Door

This can’t be measured until after the stone threshold has been installed (after counters essentially). If you aren’t doing a custom door, then this can be decided on and ordered earlier.

When the supplier comes to measure the doors, you will need to decide:

The color of the hinges and handles. Usually, you try to match the rest of your plumbing fixtures and lighting.
Handle size and placement. Decide if you want any long handles to serve as a towel bar.

RENOVATION SHOPPING AND DECISION TIMELINE

Jump Ahead to a Section Below:

Phase One: The Floor Plan

Floor plan.

Faucet Placement

Light Fixture Placement.