Top Tips for Renovating Your Home

November 19, 2013

Top Tips for Renovating Your Home

Inaccurate measurements, cheap materials, skipping the preparation work, using the wrong tools, forgetting about lighting …………… there are so many things that can go wrong when renovating. Sticking to a practical and realistic plan can help alleviate all of these. Renovating your home can breathe new life into it and be significantly less costly, less hassle and take less time than moving house. Renovation when done correctly, can increase the value of your house if you do decide to move in a few years.

 

Top Five Renovating Tips

1. Set your budget and be realistic with it. Going over it will only be more stressful when it comes to paying the monthly mortgage. Where possible, always have a contingency budget as back up for unforeseen circumstances.
2. Shop around to compare the various different types of flooring, windows, doors and wall coverings. Price is not always the best indicator, quality and durability play a big part here.
3. Take all the measurements of the room or rooms you are renovating and make sure to log them by writing them down. You will need to refer to these when you are purchasing materials to determine the quantities you need.
4. Doing up an actual rough drawing layout to visualise where everything is placed and how it looks is crucial. If possible, run it by a professional like an Interior Architect before construction stage.
5. Prioritise any construction projects in stages and make sure to think about the things that become important down the line such as plumbing and electricity. Don’t leave this until last, making sure the necessary arrangements are in place will alleviate any doubt of having to rip up floor boards or break through walls at a later more advanced stage.

 

The Biggest Impact Rooms

Many people make the mistake of taking on too much work at once. Don’t focus on the entire house. Focus on one room at a time and don’t move on until it is complete, exactly how you want it to look and you can afford to budget for the next room.

 

Kitchen

Renovation experts, interior experts, property and estate agents all agree that the one room in the house that increases a houses value more than any other is the kitchen. It is the core of any house and the room where families spend most of their time. Key upgrades include replacing appliances with stainless steel upgrades, installing granite countertops which are easy to clean and look impressive, and replacing the knobs on kitchen cabinets. Changing the lighting and upgrading the windows to add more light can brighten up and make a big difference to a kitchen.

 

Bathroom

A big bright beautiful bathroom with his and hers sinks, double showers and a built in Jacuzzi might be at the top of the list but when these are not possible due to time and budget constraints, small changes can make a big difference. Lighting is key to a bathroom. Installing a window into a bathroom totally changes the room and natural light will illuminate it. Re-glazing a bathtub is a very practical step to upgrading your tub without the cost of purchasing a new one. Installing a vanity that recesses into the wall will save on space and give the impression of a bigger room.

 

The Overlooked Spaces

Have a small single downstairs bedroom that is never used? Convert it into a pantry to store all of your cooking items which tidies up your kitchen. Add in a second fridge for drinks storage or a large deep freeze to increase storage options. If you are not much of a cook, but hate having laundry all over the house, convert it into a laundry room. Take the washing machine and dryer out from under your kitchen sink and place them here. Purchase some simple shelves and hang them on the wall to place fabric softeners, cloths pegs and baskets, and general cleaning supplies. Use this room to store mops, brushes and buckets.

 

Renovation Benefits and Challenges

One of the most significant benefits of renovating your home as opposed to moving house is that it is cheaper. There are no moving haulage costs, no dealing with banks, no storage costs in the interim and no having to rent in the middle of moving because your new house isn’t ready yet. Renovation also breathes fresh life into the house and adds value if you do decide to move at a later stage.

If you have children then you don’t have to relocate them to a new school if you are staying in the area and you don’t have to go out and find new amenities or get to know new neighbours. You still have all the benefits of staying where you are. The main challenges involved in any home renovation project is putting in time, project management, and budget management and knowing when you have overstretched your skillset and being able to ask for help from the experts.