Renovating Your House? Follow These Valuable Tips And Tricks
Owning a home is a life goal for almost everyone. Having your own place and enjoying the freedom of being able to do whatever you want with it is one of the best experiences, as you create your family home. Some prefer an easy life with a simple, brand new home, while others like to take on a challenge and buy a home in need of renovation.
If you’re planning a renovation, there’s a lot to think about. Whether you’re doing one room, the whole house, interior, or exterior, there will be plenty of tasks to manage all at once. So, whichever renovation path you are on, follow these valuable tips and tricks for help along the way.
Get Your Budget Sorted
One of the most important things when starting a renovation project is budgeting. There are no two ways about it, renovating an entire home can be an expensive undertaking. Before you commence work or start properly planning, you need to have a firm budget in mind and ample funds in place. Without a strict budget, costs can quickly add up and run away from you, causing you to spend far more than you ever intended.
When budgeting, take everything you can think of into account – then add 10%. The thing with renovations is, you’re never quite sure what you’re going to find behind those walls or under those floorboards. There could be serious electrical issues, structural problems, or plumbing disasters waiting for you, so, it’s essential to have around 10% of your budget set aside for the emergency fund.
Seek Professional Help With Certain Tasks
Renovating a home is fun, challenging, stressful, and rewarding all at the same time. However, to make things go smoothly you should seek professional help along the way. Some tasks are just that little bit too challenging for a DIYer or novice renovator.
Take bathrooms, for example. There is a huge amount of plumbing involved in replacing a bathroom, or kitchen, especially if you’re changing the layout of the room. It is recommended that you get expert advice before taking on this sort of challenge. Search for bathroom renovations in Sydney, for example, and speak to a local renovations team. They will be able to help you during the planning stage, helping to make sure your plans are going to work properly. Also, as the project progresses, they will likely be able to provide expert local plumbers and other tradespeople to help with your project.
Get Planning Permission
Depending on where you live and what you are planning to do to your home, you may need to seek a development application or planning permission. This usually covers work done externally, such as changing the roof, adding an extension, or adding new materials to the outside walls. However, in some cases, internal modifications may require development application approval, too. This usually only applies when you are restructuring a home to a great level.
Get Quotes From Contractors
So, as mentioned, you may need some contractors to work on certain parts of your renovation. Anything from plumbing in a new kitchen to installing new roofing should be done by an expert, so while finalizing your budget stage, you should start to get quotes from contractors. This helps you finalize your budget and get ready to move onto the construction stages of the renovation.
All good contractors will visit your home and offer you a quote for free. This allows you to compare multiple quotes and meet multiple teams, meaning you can choose who you like and trust, while also choosing a quote to suit your budget. It’s worth pointing out that cheapest doesn’t always mean best when it comes to quotes. You should also look at the contractor’s prior experience and get to know them a little rather than just opting for the cheapest quote.
Plan and Plan Again
With all the major construction work planned and quoted for, you also need to consider all the finer details. These form a huge part of your budget, as items like white goods, fixtures, and furniture can also add up to a large cost. Decide whether you are going to install new flooring, new storage, new windows, or any other large project pieces.
Then work on how you think the final decorations and furnishings should look. The design specialists mentioned earlier should be able to help here, as they will be able to create 3D renderings and VR versions of all of your ideas, helping you visualize how your final home might look with different choices.
Assign a Project Manager
This could be yourself or someone else – like someone from your design team. This person, whoever it may be, is in charge of keeping everything on time and budget. For example, ensuring contractors are booked in at the right time, making sure all invoices are accounted for and paid, and making sure everything is happening on schedule.
Let’s face it, it probably won’t all go exactly to budget or always be on time. That’s ok! That’s what your project manager is for. If you do this job yourself, be prepared for moving dates, rebooking deliveries, and keeping a level head through potentially stressful moments!
Choose an Order to Work Through
Time to start your renovation. It is common for people to work through the home in a certain order, especially if you are living in the property throughout. For example, start with the master bedroom, then work your day down through the rest of the home. This allows you to have an escape in the form of one finished room, giving you a break from the building site.
Alternatively, you could decide to live elsewhere during the project. Renting a home nearby or staying in a hotel for short periods could help the project run quicker, as you can tackle the house as a whole, all at once. However, this can add more expenses to your overall budget.
Following these key steps will put you on the right path for a successful and beautiful home renovation project. It may not be easy and it may not be quick, but it will be worth it when you come out the other side with the house of your dreams!
