How to Stay Organized When Building a Home

There are few experiences quite as stress inducing and time consuming as building a new home (or completely renovating an old one). It’s the surest way to create the Canadian home you have always dreamed of, but it’s never as simple as you imagine it to be. The process is long, filled with speedbumps, and almost always more expensive than you had planned for. But it is always worth it. Here are a few ways to keep everything on track.

Keep all your paperwork organized. There will be a plethora of receipts, invoices, permits and other paperwork that you will end up losing track of if you don’t have a system set up to organize it. Keep all your hard copies together in organized folders for easy access, and create accurately labeled digital folders for receipts and items you receive via email. 

Make a build binder. The benefits of a build binder cannot be overstated. Having a binder that includes every detail of your project from start to finish not only keeps your stress levels down but keeps your contractors on track, giving them easy access to the answer to which type of flooring you want for which room without having to track you down and wait for your answer. Build binders are key to ensuring the experience runs as smoothly as possible.

Always make digital backups. Paperwork is great, but it’s easy to lose track of. Make digital backups not just of your paperwork (receipts, invoices, permits) but of your build binder, so there is never any stress about forgetting exactly which paint or appliance you had picked for which room. The last thing you want to be doing is relentlessly Google-ing to find that perfect fixture you picked out months ago because the contractor lost the binder and needs you to tell him ASAP so he can place the order.

Create a dedicated folder in your inbox. Keeping a clear inbox is hard enough during the regular work week. Imagine how much harder it is when you’re dealing with constant emails from your contractor and designer? Create new folders for everything related to the construction of your home so it stays out of your main inbox and you always know where to find it.