From Wondering to Next Step: Bellingham Family Starts Exploring the Cost of a Home Remodel
- Jayme Walker
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
We recently met up with friends at Fairhaven Park. While the kids played, I chatted with another mom about the remodeling plans they’re considering for their home. They bought it back in 2017, before having kids, and later refinanced when interest rates dipped below three percent.
Like many Bellingham homeowners with low fixed rates, they’re facing a familiar dilemma: their home no longer quite fits their growing family or evolving lifestyle—but the idea of giving up that low mortgage is tough. So the big question is: do they stay and renovate, or sell and move? And how do they decide which makes the most financial sense if they don't know how much a renovation would cost?
This is where most people get stuck. They have plenty of ideas and lots of questions, but no clear way to bring them together into a practical next step—so nothing ever moves forward. That’s exactly why we created our Home Remodel Start Guide, a free resource that walks Bellingham homeowners through key decisions and questions to consider. It includes:
Vision and goals worksheet
Timeline and logistics
Financing and budget
What type of contractor you might need
Next steps
The guide isn’t about jumping straight into a remodel. It’s designed to help you take a thoughtful first step: to explore whether a remodel is the right path for you, whether it’s feasible, and whether it truly supports your goals for your home and family.
So after we left the park, I sent our friend a copy of the Start Guide and let her know that Kevan would be happy to stop by, take a look at their home, and offer a no-obligation ballpark estimate, to which she responded,
"Thanks! This is a great guide you put together! Very helpful. It would be great to hear Kevan's thoughts on what we could do and what different levels of remodel would cost. Definitely hard to know how to plan/save or pull the trigger without knowing the target."
A couple weeks later, Kevan went out to meet with them and see their space. They had broken out their vision into three different remodeling routes:
Level 1 (good): cosmetic updates, non-structural
Level 2 (better): cosmetic updates, structural/layout changes
Level 3 (best): full renovation, added powder room and addition
We converted these three visions into three ballpark estimates within our construction management software Buildertrend. Each ballpark estimate includes line items for every cost anticipated on the project from portable toilet, dumpster and demo all the way through to final cleaning. Because there are no actual plans at this time, these figures are rough numbers based on past projects in Bellingham and Whatcom County, as well as ballpark figures provided by our subcontractors.
We packaged their ballparks into a Ballpark Estimate Comparison Chart based on their three remodel levels.
These ballpark estimates are a starting point intended to help these Bellingham homeowners evaluate the feasibility of their project and determine which direction, if any, makes the most sense for their family before proceeding with construction plans. If they decide to proceed with a remodel, the next steps are to determine budget and financing, and then meet with a designer to start the construction plans process. Once they have plans, we can prepare a Proposal. They also might decide the remodel is not the route they want to go. Either way, they are out of the wondering phase and onto their next step.
Wondering how much your Bellingham home remodel would cost?
You’re not alone. For most homeowners we talk to in Bellingham, the first big question is, “how much would our home remodel cost?"
That’s why we’ve built a process that guides you through every step.
Then, when you’re ready, fill out our short Start Your Project form and Kevan will reach out to schedule a Discovery Call.
From there, we’ll talk through your goals and provide a no-pressure ballpark to help you decide what’s next.