If you ask most regular folks what they don’t like about their house, they will probably have more than one answer. For some, it’s all about function and for others it’s all about style. For others still, it’s all about function and style. You may want to explore the difference between a whole house renovation and a whole house remodel.

Do you secretly wish your house had more of something and less of something else? If you do, you’re not alone. You don’t have to worry, however, because there are some simple ways to get started rethinking and redesigning your whole house. This doesn’t require a lot of money or a wrecking ball either.

Take Inventory

One of the best ways to rethink and redesign your whole house is to take inventory. Go room by room and make a list of what works and what doesn’t work in that particular room. Then, look at your lists.

Where is there room for improvement? Is there a section where there is no need except for some minor decoration? Assess where you need to work and acknowledge where you don’t.

What Works

Look at what does work for each room and see if you can apply that into any other room in your house. Does one particular room, like your bedroom, have a freedom of clutter? Is it because you insist on your sacred sleeping space being free of clutter?

On the contrary, is your family room full of the rest of the family’s clutter? Can you set up an organization system where there is a space for everything and everything has its place?

Follow what works in other rooms and see if you can incorporate it into another area of your home. Chances are what works in one room may very well work in another.

What Doesn’t Work

Take an inventory of what doesn’t work and see how creative you can get. Go to libraries and bookstores; check out the internet and see where you are able to find creative solutions for what doesn’t work in any area of your home.

If you’ve exhausted all possibilities, you can always focus on other areas of your home to maximize style and function while making simple minor changes to the ones that don’t.

What’s the budget?

If you want to redesign your whole house, look at your budget. Are you tapping into savings or are you taking out a loan? Ask yourself how long it will be before you recoup that money back into savings. Ask yourself how much, if any, you’ve increased the value of your home. Ask yourself how long will it take to recoup the money from the loan and how long you will be staying in your home.

What’s the priority?

Look at each room and your budget. Then, set priorities. Where is the priority for your home? What is most important? If you consider a whole house renovation, it’s easy to get overzealous and excited and lose sight of priorities.

Hire Out or a DIY

After you do some research, take the time to ask yourself whether this is a do-it-yourself situation or if you need to hire a contractor. You can do some things on your own while others need a professional.