Are you thinking of renovating your property? You’ll already know that the prospect seems daunting and expensive, but if you have the means and the dedication, it can turn a simple property into your perfect home. Proper planning before you begin any renovation work is key to a smooth process.
Take a look at these tips to get you started on your renovation project.
1. Budget for Everything
Especially the unexpected! Problems are bound to arise during any renovation project, so it’s important that you have emergency funds to deal with anything unforeseen.
It’s crucial that you budget for anything and everything, including new electrics, new plumbing and anything structurally or aesthetically which is required.
It’s also a good idea to budget for the final touches, including the painting and decorating of your rooms when you have finished, to truly complete your renovation project. You can search for “interior home painters near me” to look for contractors who can provide quotes and estimations on those tailored decorating projects.
2. Create a Strict Schedule (And Stick to It)
Without proper time planning, the renovation project can become disordered. It’s always easier with big projects such as this to have a desired deadline in mind; that way, every individual is working towards the same date, whether that’s you or the contractors. When you know the deadline date for certain works, it becomes easier to manage when you know something has run over schedule, and it allows you to find out why that has happened.
It also allows you to better plan for booking contractors, so that time slots can be allocated and work better managed.
3. Check Every Inch of the Property First
You need to seriously analyze the property to better understand work which needs doing. An absence of radiators, for example, will tell you that a central heating system will need to be installed, and discovering this enables you to plan and budget to have one fitted. Another example is checking whether the plumbing works, and whether windows are single glazed or need entirely new double glazing fitted. Try not to overlook anything.
4. Check for Rot and Damp
There are many variations of these issues, and many levels of cost depending on how serious the condition is. Hopefully, you won’t find any evidence of rot or damp, but if you do, it’s important not to ignore it.
With damp, it’s important to find the cause so that once fixed, it won’t occur again. Damp is easily spotted, through marks on the walls and floor and your common tell-tale signs. If there is bad ventilation, damp may also form as condensation on glass and windows. Be sure to investigate the cause of damp and rectify it. It may be a simple fix such as a pipe blockage or a leak somewhere, but in more serious cases it may need professional guidance.
Rot affects the wood and timber of a property. This is mostly found in the roof space such as the attic or under floorboards. You can usually smell rot when it happens. It is treatable, and the main thing is you act on the signs before you proceed with any renovation work.
5. Make Alternative Living Arrangements
If this property is your sole living space, or you have purchased it as your new home, you will need to find alternative accommodation while the renovation work is taking place. Ideally, it should be somewhere close to the property being renovated, so that you can easily travel over if you need to address an issue or speak to a contractor – or just generally check on how the work is going.
You could choose a budget hotel, to stay with a friend or relative or maybe set up a caravan on site if possible.
6. Check the Roof
Don’t forget to get up close and personal with the top of your property. This doesn’t just mean checking inside the roof space, as the outside condition of the roof needs to be checked, too. This could include checking that the guttering is fitted correctly, that the tiles are in good condition and none are loose or need replacing, and just that generally everything is okay.
Roof issues can cause serious problems in the long run (such as leaks causing damp, as previously mentioned), so it’s a good idea to tackle these as soon as possible, and then concentrate on the interior of the property renovation.
Renovating a property won’t happen overnight. It’s important that you consider everything involved, set a budget, and allow for setbacks along the way. No matter how long it takes and the challenges you end up facing, with a proper plan in place you can be sure that the hard work will be worth it.
— Featured photo by Flickr user grongar, Creative Commons