Are you bored with your home? Are the old walls and ceilings outdated? If your answer’s yes, it’s time to renovate your home. Home renovation is a big project that consumes considerable time and money. However, the result is fruitful and worth the effort.
If you’ve decided to renovate your home for the first time, we have listed a few precautions you should follow for a smooth transition.
1) Make An All-Inclusive Plan
Do you need to update the old and broken features or improve your house aesthetically to increase its property value? Either way, you must assess why you require a renovation and work on the plan. The plan should include all your goals and expectations from the project and the budget you’ll set aside for it. Since a home renovation is an extensive project, it requires a detailed and comprehensive plan.
You should mention the things you want to add, replace, or enhance and make sure it’s practically feasible. For instance, if you’re installing a new roof, you might consider adding drains so the water doesn’t accumulate during rain. But it’s not as simple as mentioning what you want. You’ll have to dive deep into the details and even calculate roof drain size.
Your plan should also include a timeline to know when you’ll complete the entire project. You can mention each task and the date on which it should be completed. Remember, after your plan is ready, you need to stick to it till the end of the project!
2) Hire Professional Help
With so much to do, you’ll probably feel overwhelmed. It’s best to hire professional help to get the job done effectively. If you’re planning to modify the structure of your house, you’ll need to hire an architect. If you want to improve the design of your home, you’d want to hire an interior designer. Hiring professional help will save you a lot of time and give you better results with minimum wastage of resources. You’ll also need qualified labor to assist in construction and to move bulky items.
3) Acquire Necessary Authorizations
Getting authorization for the renovation project is important to avoid unanticipated legal claims. If you’re restructuring your house, you’ll need to provide the municipality with documents mentioning the changes and time required to complete the project. Only upon approval can you proceed with the renovations. If you’re living in a condo or apartment, you’ll require similar permission from the apartment manager.
4) Inform Your Neighbors
Renovating a house means constant loud sounds of drilling and demolishing, excessive dust, smoke, and debris in the area. Apart from you and your family, the people living next door to you will also be affected. Ethically, you must inform your neighbors of your plan before the renovation begins. You should also be mindful of the timings and avoid constructional sounds late at night or early in the morning.
5) Purchase Good-Quality Material
A renovation project is occasional and cannot be planned and executed repeatedly. For this reason, it’s essential to invest in good-quality materials. With new designs and technology, there are a lot of new durable materials that you can purchase within your budget. Make sure to do a market survey before purchasing the final products.
6) Protect Your Furniture
Renovations bring a lot of dirt and dust that can damage your furniture. The first and foremost precaution you can take is to wrap your furniture in plastic or cloth or put them in boxes. If you need space in the house, you can temporarily move your bulky furniture to a nearby storage facility. Your furniture will be safe and secure in the storage unit until your project is complete.
7) Track The Renovation Costs
Creating a financial budget before initiating the renovation project won’t suffice. The actual prices for services and materials bought are quite different than those written on paper. You’ll need to closely track and monitor the costs to ensure you’re within your budget. It’s best to purchase all the required material yourself rather than handing the job over to someone else. It would also help to keep the invoices for the items bought and add them to your expense sheet. This way, you’ll be able to predict if you’re in line with your budget.
Conclusion
Renovating your home can be exciting and creative but involves a lot of hard work. The first thing you need to do before starting the project is to create an extensive plan. Your plan should also include the financial budget you’ve set aside for each material and service. Once you’ve planned out everything, you’ll need to share the changes with the municipality or the apartment manager for the required authorizations. You’ll also have to inform your neighbors. With that done, you can reach out for professional help and purchase materials beforehand. Lastly, make sure you take all the safety measures before you embark on the project.
