I'm not renovating yet. What should I do now?
Nothing drawn, nobody quoted, walls closed: the cheapest week there is. Six things to write down before a drawing exists, none of which cost money, so the decisions land on the drawing instead of in change orders.
What you can change in a rental without asking
You can't put wood behind a landlord's walls. You can change the handles, the shower head, the bed height, the light, where everything lives and the route through the room this week without asking. What's worth asking for, and the one thing not to buy.
Which floor should the bedroom be on?
A flight of stairs is part of the bedroom. Why one bedroom and a full bathroom on the entry level is the first decision in a renovation, why it's free on a drawing and a second renovation later, and what to ask if the bedroom has to stay upstairs.