Renovating a house is not all that simple regardless of how big or small a house might be. Here in Malaysia, it is even a bigger challenge because of the climatic conditions and there are a lot of dos and don’ts we have to consider.
Also, home renovation is not just about making your house look better. There is a lot more regarding your investment and here are a few important considerations you should consider before renovating your house. If you want to attract millennial buyers, you need to renovate according to their styles.
Your home renovation ideas should answer the following questions comprehensively.
- Is it about impressing your neighbours, friends and family?
- How long would you expect the current renovation to hold?
- Does it give you a decent Return on Investment (ROI)?
There can be a lot more questions you might have to deal with but in this article, we will particularly focus on the last one. We will talk about home renovation ideas that offer you better chances of a good return on investment so that your money doesn’t go to waste. If you have plans to sell or rent your house in future, you may well want to read the following home renovation ideas.
How Renovation Helps
Before we jump to the ideas, it’s important to know why renovating your house is important. Property values in Malaysia are fluctuating all the time and it’s nothing to be afraid of. Since our country is one great touring spot for the visitors, there is always a huge influx of people every year.
Also, foreign students and professionals have been inhabiting Malaysia at a quick pace in the last few years. This is a reason why property dealing has been so common in this part of the world.
Therefore, you would want to keep your house in the best possible shape in case there came a time when you wanted to sell it. Regardless of the market value, if your house is in a good shape, you will get a good value for it and so, renovation becomes so crucial to the cause.
It is time we take you straight to the ideas we have compiled for you.
Here are some tips to polish and upgrade your house.
1. Modern Kitchen
The kitchen is one of the critical parts of a house which can boost your property value. Especially the living cost is getting higher in Malaysia, people prefer to cook
According to some analytics, kitchen renovations can give you an ROI in the range of 60 to 120 percent.
While there can be so many possibilities of renovation, it is important to keep things on a budget as well as potential buyers so that you do not invest too heavily. Here is what you can do for your kitchen renovation:
- Update the countertops. Go for lighter shades to give a fresher and cooler look to your kitchen.
- Replace relatively older appliances and go for more compact designs because they give more space to work with.
- Add a backsplash with complimenting colours.
- Upgrade the cabinets and shelves with new material.
Here in Malaysia, the weather is normally on the warmer side so we would suggest you to look for lighter colours. They also give a spacious feel to the kitchen.
2. Elegant Curtains
This one might surprise you but curtains hold quite an integral value to your house’s looks. When you have decided to change your curtains, go for the modern designs and materials. There’s a wide range of colours you can choose from.
If your rooms are not air-conditioned then we would suggest lighter materials. Curtains can help change the look of your room and give it a fresher look. This is a good option for those who want to rent out their homes. Curtains can add a great overall themed look to your interior that can have an excellent effect on first-time visitors.
In addition to curtains, you may also want to update the upholstery and use colours that compliment your curtains.
3. Upgrade the Front: This Is Visitors First Impression
The first impression is the last impression and it holds absolutely true for property dealing.
Around 90% of buyers make their buying decisions based on what they see from the outside.
Therefore, it is important to keep your house front clean and fresh all the time. There are a lot of options to make your property look more attractive. Here is what you can do:
- Replace the front doors with the most advanced designs. You can even paint the doors if you think the material is good enough.
- Apply fresh coats on the front walls. Rainproof materials will stay on for longer so they are a good option to go for.
- Add landscaping in front of your house. A small garden or even a few flower pots will do well. They make your property look more attractive.
- Decorate your entrance with plants. You can ask your gardener for the best soil options. This is to ensure that the plants are well maintained.
- Focus on the looks of your house at night. Add a few spotlights. You will be surprised to see how much difference a few lights can make.
House front upgrade can remarkably improve your ROI. If you can impress the buyers with the first looks, they will be much more eager to buy your property. If you have a spacious area in front, you can consider building a car garage as well.
4. Furnished Bathrooms
If a bathroom is updated, it’s a great sign because it’s the last thing to be renovated in a house. A lot of us do not really focus too much on bathrooms but they have potential to boost your Return on Investment (ROI) a fair deal.
However, you should know that renovating a bathroom doesn’t mean you have to get inexpensive materials. If everything is updated and functional, that’s good enough. Here are a few suggestions for bathroom upgrades.
- Add a frameless glass stall in the shower area. You can also re-glaze your bathtub to give it a newer look.
- Install cabinets and shelves. It gives a much cleaner look to the bathroom.
- Replace fixtures such as shower heads, towel racks and toilet paper holders. They normally have a chrome finish which can fade with time because of much humidity in our part of the world.
These are some of the cheaper options but they can boost the ROI quite a bit.
5. Look for Wall Repairs
When we say wall repairs we don’t only mean paint. To prolong the life of your house, it is important to focus on the status of your walls. One of the key things buyers look at is the strength of your house and that obviously lies in the strength of your walls. Here is how you can improve the health of your walls.
- Repair cracks and rough patches on the walls.
- Replace rotten patches that tend to develop due to moisture. Here in Malaysia, humidity is a big factor to deal with, therefore rotten patches must be addressed.
- When you are repainting the walls, choose waterproof materials because they reserve they look for longer.
6. Fix Sealing to Ensure No Leaking
This is a crucial part of any house which normally goes unnoticed because it’s not that visible. However, it has great importance in keeping the inner temperature of your house in a controllable range. Since it’s quite humid here in Malaysia, the inner temperature is normally warmer. However, if your house is nicely sealed and there are no leakages through windows and doors, you can keep things cool inside.
Fixing seals is not all that expensive and you can even do it by yourself. You can use wood fillers and sealants to avoid water and air leakage. Plaster fillers are also good for the job. Not only will it be a good ROI booster but it will also improve the inner environment of your house.
7. Re-polish Flooring
Another instrumental variable in your house is the flooring. This can be somewhat troublesome especially if you have faced crack problems in your floor. At present, there are quite a few flooring options available and here are a few suggestions from our side.
- Polish your tiled flooring to give it a new look.
- You can varnish your wooden flooring.
- Replace cracked patches with planks or tiles.
- In case you want new flooring, go for Vinyl flooring because they are cheap and are available in a wide range of textures and colours.
- Vinyl flooring is easy to install and maintain and a cheaper option as compared to tiled or wooden floors. Find this article to understand more about Vinyl Flooring.
Upgraded flooring has seriously good impacts on your house’s looks. One important thing to consider is that if you are looking to sell your house any time soon and want to lay new flooring, you should go for Vinyl Flooring instead of more expensive options such as tiles or wood.
8. Refurbish Doors and Windows
It’s needless to mention how doors and windows add to your house looks. Broken doors or windows don’t give a great impression to the buyers. This is why, you should make sure that they are well painted, polished and more importantly, hold the glass. Replace any cracked glasses in the windows and if you are willing to upgrade, you can replace the older style windows with sliding designs.
Similarly, for the doors, sliding options give you more space to work with and definitely add to the looks of your house. One important consideration with doors and windows is to install insulating and reflecting glasses. This will greatly improve the inner temperature of your house.
9. Focus on Plumbing and Electrical Wiring
These are two big variables when it comes to house maintenance. When buyers come to your house, they inspect your electrical wiring to ensure there are no life risks. Normally, electrical wiring and plumbing are one time investments and last for years. However, it’s better to check on them after a while. Here are few considerations to maintain your house’s plumbing and wiring.
- Check for line leakages in the water supply as well as sewerage.
- Replace older water taps and water outlets.
- Grills that cover the gutters can collect a lot of dirt and rust at times. Replace them with newer ones.
- Replace electrical switches and sockets with new and stylish designs.
- If you previously had batten, capped or cleat wiring before, it is time you upgrade to concealed wiring in your house. It is a big ROI booster for your house.
10. Increase Storage Options
You can have as many storage options in your house as possible. Having more storage options gives you more space to work with and as a result, your house looks a lot cleaner and spacious. Any areas such as your garage, garden, laundry area, lounge etc. can have storage cupboards. Here are some storage options for you.
- Long heightened cupboards in bedrooms are trending these days so you may want to upgrade to that if you haven’t already.
- Folding shelves in smaller areas such as kitchen as bathrooms can also add value to your house and hence boost your ROI.
- Add sliding doors to your cabinets to conserve space.
11. Revamp Front Doors
You might be wondering we have already discussed the front part as well as the doors. However, the front doors get a special mention because they make a statement. A lot of people judge the interior of the house just by looking at the front door so you have to be on your ‘A game’ with this one.
Replace the front door with the most updated designs. Your designer can help you out with what suits best but it’s really important that you don’t ignore the front gate if you want the best ROI on home renovation.
Conclusion
This article pretty much sums up all possible house renovations. There may be a few more if you look into things deeply. Here in Malaysia where property price is rising, these home renovation ideas can help you attract the most prospective buyers so that you get the best Return on Investment.
To conclude, we leave you with some general considerations for home renovation.
- Since it is normally hot and humid here in Malaysia, you should select calm and lighter colours for your house.
- It rains throughout the year. Therefore, it is better to use materials that can withstand moisture.
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Always start with a low budget just to make sure that you don’t face too much of a loss. However, that’s just a minor possibility especially if you focus on the point we put forward for you.
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