Are you ready to embark on a mission to renovate your home? Or maybe you have already decided on renovating your home, but don’t know what to do next?
Well, before you start your renovation project, it must be planned and budgeted well. Home renovation projects are big and special to everyone.
It might sometimes be as simple as opening a wall between the kitchen, and the dining room to build a breakfast counter, or as hard as demolish an old room and building a classy one in its place.
However, before you hop on to hire a contractor, or maybe doing everything by yourself, there are certain things that you need to take care of.
For instance, you would not want to run out of the budget when you are halfway through the project or hire the wrong contractor spending more for nothing. Thus, pre-planning everything beforehand would be a great plus on your side.
Below are 31 Do’s tip For House Renovation
1. Ask Ourselves Does Our House Really Need Renovation
Renovation work involves high cost and messy works. Before we start the renovation, we need to think through whether we really need renovation. Is renovation a must or we can have other option? If we are clear about our purpose, we can make a better decision and minimize unnecessary cost.
2. Assessment of The House Before Renovation
The 1st and very vital stage for any home renovation project is to get a detailed assessment of the current location. Hire an expert surveyor to look at your property and provide high-level cost estimation. If you get the go for home renovation, you can think of the renovation plan otherwise you can entirely demolish and build it from scratch.
3. Approach The Project With a Goal
Before you jump off into chopping and slicing down your house, think of what you want to achieve? If you want to change the windows for a bigger one, then think of the reason why you would want to do it. Is it for more light, heat, or better access to the garden? Think twice before concluding.
4. Consider All Your Requirements
Once you find out what you would like to renovate, run your eyes around your house checking for something that you would like to renovate other than the thing that you have decided upon. Because, renovating once in every year is not practical, and it could empty your pockets faster. Bring together all the things that you want to change, and finish it off in the same project.
5. Set Specific Budget
Plan your budget effectively. Do as much as window shopping as you can, and grab quality without hunting for cheaper renovation. As they could get damaged easily, and you would have to spend again within a few months on the same thing. You could even decide on your budget with the contractor.
6. Make a To Do List
By listing down what needs to be done and prioritize it, we can have a peace of mind and make us on track. Always start from a list, and do follow the list. This is the systematic ways to get every renovation done rather than missing out anything that shall be done initially.
7. First Thing First
Some renovation work can be done congruently while some renovation works need to be done first. Always communicate with your contractor and Let them know what is important to you. Get the most important things done first. In case you are short of budget, but at least you have done the most important work.
8. Do consider an option of bank loan
Some banks offer loans, iron mortgage top-ups for people who are thinking of renovating their home. One could make use of these opportunities if they are running short of money. However, make sure to add extra repayments to your budget. Don’t use up all your saving and work with a predefined budget.
9. Get Necessary Permissions
Once your site is accessed and all the things are in place, contact local government officials to inform them about your home renovation. Ask for adequate water, electricity, power tools, bulldozer and more. Get the necessary approvals before you start your planning and designing activity. These will ensure you won’t face any issues in future.
10. Select The Right Contractor
Finding the right contractor is sometimes hard with the number of agencies that pops up every day in the world. While looking for a contractor always come up with a good referral. However, if you can’t, then there are plenty of sites online, where you could find details. Get quotes from the various contractors before deciding the final one.
11. Focus on Quality Rather Than Price
If you come across a contractor who offers a price that seems too good to be true, don’t rush into a decision, you can ask for their testimonials as your reference. There is an average price for a renovation, cheap does not mean good, always look for the value rather than the price.
12. Set Realistic Target
Obviously, everyone dreams about a beautifully renovated home. But while dreaming be realistic, and dream of what you can afford with your budget. And, if you are stubborn to make your dream come true, then you could even do the renovation in stages. This will ensure that you are achieving your dream step by step within the set budget allocation.
13. Do Proper Research Work
Talk to your relatives, and friends who have once or twice undergone a renovation project. This would help you get an idea of how things should be done. They could help you with all your doubts, and may direct you to some good contractors with whom they have worked with. Hence it very vital to take a view from those who have already experienced.
14. Hire Designer If You Want Perfect Design
Well, if you are too overwhelmed with the ideas that you have brought down to the table from magazines, and Internet, then you could probably hire a designer. The designer would lead the way, and tell you what should be placed where, and how to make use of the space efficiently.
15. Do Market Price Survey and Comparison
Before you start taking any final decision, always compare products from various vendors. This is a tedious task, but it is must if you want to complete renovation at a minimum price. Even a saving of single penny can ultimately result in millions of saving. So start comparing as well as savings.
16. Create Detail Plan
Details are sometimes the things that make or break a renovation. When renovating a house, something even simple as a cabinet door would really play an important role in deciding the look of the room. Pick everything, the tiles, the faucets, the switchboards, etc. before the renovation starts so that there are no final moment hiccups.
17. Communicate With Your Contractor Regularly
The more professionals you employ to renovate your home, the better it gets. It lets you know where you stand and saves your money. Even if you want to spend more on some things, the professionals will let you know where you can save money. They surveyors would even keep bills on the budget from the very first day.
18. Take Advice With Open Heart
After you have talked to the experts, came up with a plan, and referrals, now it’s time for you to go to your friends, and relatives to have one more chat. They would assess the plans and tell you about their opinions, and you will get a thorough idea of everything, and may sometimes even help you save some amount of money.
19. Monitor the Progress to Ensure On-Time Completion
Make sure that your contractor and engineer have the right qualifications. If the project lasts for more than a month, be sure to appoint a supervisor who keeps track of all the safety measures, and the work being done. This will ensure timely completion of work without causing any health damage to you and your family member.
20. Purchase Quality Materials
It is essential to purchase quality materials. Quality materials do last longer, you can save more money in the long run. Buying it from a recommended store will ensure you have fewer headaches and also most extended durability, warranty guaranteed. So suggest this recommendation to your contractor as well.
21. Demolition Within Your Limits
Deliberately demolish all or a portion of the house that will be remodelled. Demolish as required and ensure you are not staying at your home during demolition. Exercise alert during demolishing, your house will be extremely dusting, make sure you have relocated your family, furniture and the electrical device. Also, ensure you are not causing any structural damage to your neighbour house as well as to your vehicles.
22. Do Consider Future Trends
The renovation is all about creating a space which you would love to stay with family in future. Don’t shy to try colourful paints, wallpapers, decorative doors, flourishing garden space and the list is uncountable. If you invest considering future trends, you won’t going to regret ever. These will also prevent any future renovation need.
23. Be Flexible With Target Date
Due dates are imperative; there is no uncertainty. However, with such a large number of parallel activities, it is reasonable that the project might be postponed. What would you prefer – a project finished to perfection yet three days late, or a messy task hurried to completion? So don’t stress if it is postponed by few days.
24. Do Flooring Work At Last
Make sure that the contractors you have hired ensure that the flooring work is completed at the end. Since tile, solid hardwood, engineered wood, laminate are costly, installing them, in the beginning, may bring significant damages to the surface. As a thumb rule, completing flooring process, at last, can give a soothing look to your entire renovation project.
25. Do Consider Disruption Factor
If you decided to go for home renovation, do not underestimate the degree to which your life will be disturbed. In case you have embraced a bathroom renovation, for instance, you will have to consider an alternative area for you and your family to shower. Hence do consider all prerequisites.
26. Do Visit Renovation Site Every Day
Most architects will advise you that you just need to visit a site once per week. This definitely is not a good advise. You have to do a site visit each day. Unless you have an unfathomably trusted individual to direct your renovation, you can go once in two days. Your daily visit will keep the check on the work and deadline.
27. Do Details Checking After Renovation Work Is Done
Small issues will undoubtedly manifest with the renovation over the resulting months. Fix these problems as they emerge, or, call the contractor to get it done. If you have hired a contractor, keep some final amount as the last installment. Release the final amount once initial issues are fixed.
28. Do Consider Proper Lighting Fitting
Most of the homeowners forget that lighting can bring drastic changes to the entire home renovation project. If you miss this point, I will challenge that your renovation will not be successful. Ensure you have proper lighting fitting as per room. These will double the success of your home renovation. So, choose energy-efficient electrical fittings.
29. Do Keep Memories
While doing a home renovation, there will be lots of memories which is one of its kinds. Make sure you take photographs and use it in your living room. This has a dual benefit. It will enhance your room ambience as well as preserves memories.
30. Clean Before Final Movement
Your renovation work is almost completed, and you are planning to move back to the home, however, before doing so, it is a smart thought to have a last clean all through. This is to evacuate any stray mortar, dust materials, and bundling, to expel protective covers and to get the windows cleaned.
31. Do Not Regret
Never regret the renovation you have done. Your renovation can be good, best or worst, but always take outcomes as a learning experience. If you have followed the above steps, the chances are that you won’t be regretful about anything in the future. So go through each step in detail and fulfil your dream of home renovation.
So whether you are patching up a space to make it more practical or renovate your house to increase its property value, hope these useful renovation tips help you move forward.
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