Whether you are building a new home completely from scratch or you’re renovating an existing home, these home renovation tips will set you on the right path. As I explained in my last post, I have always dreamed of doing a home renovation project, a Grand Design if you like. But after buying our flat and doing some small-scale upgrades, I realised that designing your house is about a lot more than simply getting the design right.
A successful large-scale home renovation also requires getting the organizational side of operations right. It requires going through a series of careful steps to ensure that you get the outcome that you ultimately want. And the logistics of it all are harder than people think.
So today, I am sharing some home renovation tips to help you complete a successful home renovation.
Home Renovation Tips
Define Your Vision And Goals
Before you begin any work, you’ll want to decide how your home renovation is going to meet your needs. You want something that not only looks good but also works for your lifestyle and any family requirements you may have. For example, someone living alone will have different needs from a family of four or someone who lives with elderly relatives.
Think about the type of kitchen you want. For example, you might need something small enough to fit into a corridor-shaped room, or you might want something more expansive with a kitchen island and other amenities.
Also, think about the bathroom. Do you just need a small ensuite for getting ready for work in the morning, or do you have visions of a spa-like experience, complete with a jacuzzi bathtub and rainfall shower?
Don’t forget to consider your outdoor living spaces, too. If you love to entertain, maybe you want to build a sheltered area outside with an outdoor kitchen. Perhaps you want to install a garden shed to house your gardening equipment or your family’s sporting equipment or maybe you want a shed so that you can create an outdoor bar.
Prioritize Your Must-Haves
The next step is to prioritize your must-haves. While your ultimate vision might be expansive, it is a good idea to arrange what you consider the most important first and then work your way down the list.
For example, you might think that the garage is your biggest concern. If so, put that at the top of the list and leave renovating the attic until later.
Prioritizing lets you decide how best to use your budget. Maybe there are areas where you can cut back so that your get your dream kitchen on a budget for example.
You want to engage in projects that will have the biggest impact first before moving on to the smaller items later on. That way, you can get the most bang for your buck and do the things that matter most instead of wasting money on those that are less important or more peripheral.
Estimate Your Budget
Once you have a vision and a list of priorities, the next step is to estimate your budget. Here, you work out how much everything is going to cost and what you can do now versus leaving for another year.
Figuring out how much you need to spend by yourself is challenging, but professionals can help you if you require assistance. Getting estimates from experienced builders and designers lets you see the cost of renovations directly, helping you determine where you need to save and where you should spend. Don’t be surprised if the initial estimates are higher than you had planned.
Gather Your Inspiration
Gathering inspiration will help you find ideas for how you want your interiors to look. Browsing social media platforms, websites, and magazines can help you find ideas that resonate with you.
Don’t be afraid to copy what works. Look for successful interior transformations and base your ideas on that. But make sure you’re adapting things to meet your needs and work for your lifestyle and don’t just copy trends because they are popular. You need to inject some of you into your designs.
Some people find it helpful to create mood boards that showcase their ideas. Putting these up on a wall and adding to them every day often makes it easier to decide on a final design and what you want. If you’d rather create a digital moldboard you can easily do this on Pinterest. I always advise setting aside some time to mindlessly scroll the interest feed simply pinning images you like onto a specially created board. Even if you don’t know what your style is when you start, it will soon emerge when you look at the board as a whole.
When sifting through inspirational material, base your decisions on functionality, visual appeal, and durability. Consider all these factors before making any final decisions.
Develop A Floor Plan
Depending on the work you want to carry out, you might also need to develop a floor plan. These show things like traffic flow and furniture placement so you can get a better idea of how you will move around your property in the future.
A floor plan also shows you what’s possible in the space you have available. You can map out your electrical and plumbing needs, helping you better plan the layout and ensure that you have the utilities and facilities your lifestyle demands in every room.
If you are not changing the location of any walls or windows, experienced designers can usually provide you with a floor plan, showing you where everything can go. However, if you want to change the structure of your property, you should seek the advice of an architect first. Then, you can pass their plans over to your designers once you know the required shape of your new rooms.
Assemble Your Team
With all the preparation out of the way, the next of my home renovation tips is to assemble your team. You need a group of people with the skills to complete the renovation.
Even if you are considering going down the DIY route, it is still highly likely you will require professionals at some point. Managing these individuals is critical if you want your renovations to go off without a hitch.
If you decide to manage processionals yourself, it is a good idea to get software to help you. Companies like BuildOps explain how these tools can enable you to manage who works on a particular job and how much they get paid. You can also plan out when you need certain professionals on-site and the assistance that they will provide.
If all this seems a bit daunting, the other option is to work with a contractor who can manage the teams for you. However, you will need to pay a management fee on top of labour, which can be costly depending on who you hire.
It can also be helpful to use the latest software to ensure the smooth running of your renovation project.
Obtain The Correct Permits
In some cases, professionals can help you obtain permits for home renovations. However, the vast majority of projects don’t require them.
Mostly, you only need permits if you are installing heavy machinery or extending your property. If you are just ripping out an old bathroom and replacing it with a like-for-like new one, then you won’t need to involve the authorities.
Maintain Communication With Renovators
When the work finally gets underway, you’ll want to maintain proper communication with your renovators. Constantly having a line of communication open to them enables you to steer the work in the most desirable direction and stay on top of issues that might affect the building site.
Set realistic timelines with your workers. Ensure that they have milestones, but don’t rush them – that could be costly.
Also, be sure you consult with them about potential challenges that you might encounter as work progresses. While the designers’ plans could look great, there are almost always hiccups and challenges along the way that push out deadlines.
Knowing what these are in advance isn’t always possible. However, experienced professionals can provide you with a list of snags that they typically face on projects like yours. You can then decide whether these issues are likely to arise during the renovation.
Throughout the process, remain flexible and adaptable. Circumstances may change over time, preventing you from fulfilling your original goals. Don’t be afraid to adjust your designs or materials, depending on availability and price.
Get Involved
Hopefully, this post has made it clear that getting involved in the work is also essential. While builders will sometimes deliver on their promises, many require additional cajoling to get them to do what you want. Don’t be surprised if you don’t get exactly what you want on the first run.
Providing direct site consulting or management is a great approach. However, working alongside an experienced manager is often even better. This way, they can explain to you what’s happening and why they are approaching tasks the way they are. Most will be very flexible since their pay depends on labour costs, not the design or materials you use.
While it can be stressful, one of our final home renovation tips it to try to enjoy the process. Most renovations ultimately wind up generating the desired results, giving you a new home you love. Even if things go wrong, you can always correct them later.
Additional Home Renovation Tips
During the renovation process, you’ll want to follow best practices to ensure that you bring the project to a successful completion. Therefore, always set aside an emergency contingency fund, just in case you face unexpected costs.
Also, take basic precautions when it comes to your belongings. Protect your possessions from dust and debris by covering them with sheets and blankets during building work. Stopping dust from getting into your cabinets and sofas prevents harmful particles from damaging the underlying materials.
You will also need to focus on staying as organised as you can. Ensure you keep track of all your receipts and documentation so you can query work if there is a problem or take items back to the vendor if they are damaged or broken.
Ultimately, with careful planning, you can create a successful home renovation.