On the list of overwhelming life circumstances, a home renovation ranks quite high. With so much uncertainty and a lot of your money involved in a project, it’s no wonder there are so many questions and so much to consider.
It’s fair to say that the only task tougher than buying a home is buying one that needs work or renovating your existing home. There’s nothing quite like the excitement of a home renovation to suck you into months of stress and uncertainty.
Preparation
Your first task is to make a list of everything that needs to be taken care of. Make a list per room, and once you’re done, you can organize it further. Prioritize each room and then prioritize each of the tasks that will take place in the room, from painting to decorating. Remember, you can’t tackle the paint job before the plaster has been taken care of. Before you lay any flooring, you should paint the walls first. There is a right way and a wrong way to renovate a home, and while it’s all down to common sense, it’s easy to get mixed up if you’re not organized.
If you plan to knock down walls, you should have a discretionary budget to repair any issues resulting from this type of work. You may uncover dampness, rotting, pointing issues, etc. If this type of situation crops up, then there will be electrical, plumbing plastering, windows, tiling, painting, decorating, flooring, etc., to consider after the fact.
It would help if you considered what needs to be done as soon as possible, as well as what you’d like to take care of to improve your standard of living. You can cut corners on in terms of budget and others that you should not take that risk. Know where you want to spend big and shave the budget to benefit the bigger picture.
Reality
From there, you can dip into detailed planning. It’s the bit where your planning takes shape in reality.
You thought your list was detailed? Right now, you have a detailed snagging list, but you need to expand on it for every point. So, say you want to paint every room. What does that look like? Are you going to pick the colors, design, and paint it yourself? Or, do you plan on enlisting the services of a professional painter who can come in and easily take care of that job for you? This is something you have to consider for the majority of points for each room. If you plan to hire a painter, how do you work that into a budget?
Always check with your local council to determine what permission you will need for your work if any. This will depend on both your local council and the size of your project. Do not take action until you have permission in place.
As your planning continues, always be realistic about the budget. Seek written quotes from three builders at the very least. You should always ask that they highlight what those quotes include, cost-wise. Don’t forget to include costs like permits and storage.
Execution
If you are planning major work, you might want to enlist an architect’s time and expertise. Otherwise, a designer can do the job. However, it’s up to you to ensure those drawings comply with planning and building regulations in your area. Always check credentials.
One more thing, builders typically handle project management as well. Be sure that this cost is included in the initial quote, whether it is billed separately or is up to you to deal with. The same goes for interior design. It will likely be in your hands unless you hire one.
Finally, if you want your renovation to shine and you want to enjoy it for years to come, then invest in good-quality material. This is where an interior designer comes in handy as they know where best to allocate the budget. If you’re environmentally minded, you might want to think about sustainability beyond the norm.