Case Study: A homeowner’s complete home renovation guide

Meet Casey Evans, a 52-year-old single man residing in Calgary, Alberta. Casey spent ten years working in the service industry as a restaurant manager and has made quite the career for himself. As a Canadian homeowner, it has always been his dream to remodel his home since he first bought it in 2015. After owning and selling two houses, he found his dream home, perfect for the renovation plans he had in mind. 

Determined to increase his home’s curb appeal and improve its energy efficiency, Casey overcame the challenges he faced and achieved the dream home remodel he was working towards. His story is a testament to how homeowners can achieve the renovations they have always dreamed of despite how daunting and complex it may initially seem. 

Like many other homeowners undertaking major renovation projects, Casey struggled to find funding for his renovations. He found it difficult because his credit score wasn’t the best due to a few issues with debt management in the past. He spent months talking to different lenders and banks to try and secure funding that accommodated his situation but was ultimately unsuccessful. Fortunately, his close friend told him about Alpine Credits and how they have assisted many homeowners who faced similar credit challenges.  

A Financial Solutions Specialist at Alpine Credits provided Casey with the help he needed; they investigated how much equity was available in his home and found that he had a good amount of equity stored within it.  

His house was valued at about a million dollars, and his home equity was worth 500,000, allowing him to borrow up to 250,000 for his kitchen renovations. The home equity was his current home value minus any outstanding amount owed on his mortgage. Thanks to Alpine Credits, he successfully secured the funds he needed to kickstart the renovation of his dreams. 

With some home equity, you may be eligible to get a home equity loan at Alpine Credits, too. Get your free estimate today.

The focal point of Casey’s home renovations was remodeling his kitchen space. He spent years using a kitchen with outdated appliances, making cooking his daily meals inconvenient. He was an avid cook who enjoyed being creative in the kitchen and cooking exciting meals for his friends and family, so he needed a state-of-the-art kitchen. 

Like most homeowners looking to renovate aspects of their home, he started by creating a plan. This plan included a vision for the type of appliances he wanted and the kitchen’s aesthetic. His home had a rustic and classical feel, so he preferred to incorporate wood and stone in his project. The idea was to balance a rustic aesthetic and more contemporary appliances.

Creating a budget helps homeowners get a clearer idea of how much each renovation would cost and the overall cost of your renovations. This translated to Casey’s project as well. He created a realistic budget before authorizing the construction work, which helped him plan his finances more efficiently and spend on suitable materials and appliances. 

It’s also essential to set a realistic budget to avoid overspending. In doing so, Casey was able to navigate his renovations comfortably in a cost-effective manner without compromising his financial stability.

Casey made sure that the space was optimized to fit all the appliances he needed and had enough room for him to cook comfortably as well. He decided to go with an island-style countertop with a wide pathway where he could move around comfortably. On top of that, he found efficient ways to store additional items like blenders and containers in storage units to create more space on his countertops, making his kitchen space much more efficient and aesthetically pleasing.

Choosing the suitable materials for a kitchen remodel is an important aspect of a kitchen remodel from both a financial and stylistic perspective. As mentioned previously, Casey preferred an aesthetic that complements his home’s rustic and classical style with a modern finish.  

Therefore, he focused on using materials like wood and stone for his countertops and cabinets and added a splash of modernity with LED lighting controlled by an app on his phone. Moreover, these lighting fixtures use energy-efficient light bulbs, making his kitchen much more eco-friendly.

At the end of his kitchen remodel, all that was left for Casey to do was carry out a few final inspections on the new kitchen and ensure everything agreed with his initial vision. Even though this may seem trivial to most, it can be beneficial to do a final check to assess how the project turned out fully.  

After a brief quality inspection, all that was left was for Casey to add a few personal touches to the kitchen. He added an old photo of him and his parents in middle school. In addition, he also added two paintings that his sister made for him on his birthday. Personal decorations such as these helped give the room a more homely feel.

Upon successfully completing his dream renovation project, Casey realized that he learned a lot during the process. For starters, he was anxious when he struggled to find funding for his project due to his credit challenges and thought it would be a significant obstacle.  

To his surprise, he found that alternative lenders, such as Alpine Credits, were willing to help him achieve this dream despite his credit score.  

Moreover, he learned the importance of creating a plan before diving into the project, as it helped him treat each stage of the renovation process with equal importance. Ultimately, with a positive and determined mindset, he was able to make his dream come true despite the challenges he faced.