Renovating your home can be extremely enjoyable or extremely stressful work. On one hand, it feels great to finally turn your ideas about a new home into a reality, but on the other, it’s hard work which will cost you a lot of time and money. Here are the 7 best tips to make renovation an enjoyable experience:
Research and plan ahead
Before you start doing any real work, you need to know exactly what you want and put your ideas on paper. Start by defining what your expectations are and then do the necessary research to find out what it takes to get there. Your plan should be as detailed as possible in order to avoid unwanted surprises. Every time you need to change your plans, you will have to devote extra money and time towards those changes. So in order to finish the job as soon as possible and with minimal budget alterations, you need to be prepared and deal with problems quickly.
Think about the neighbors
Your neighbors can be your greatest asset or your biggest problem depending on how you approach them. When renovating, the people around you might get annoyed because of the noise and ruckus. In order to avoid that, get in contact with your neighbors and inform them about your plans to renovate. They are less likely to get upset if they know in advance what to expect. Also, try to get them involved by asking for advice. Often, you will find that they did similar projects in the past and they might be able to give up a few tips on how they handled it.
Choose your style
A lot of people go into a renovation project without having a clear vision of how the new home will look. Because of that, they usually panic when it comes to the finishing touches and things end up looking out of hand. So before you start your work, think about what kind of style you want for your home and stick with it. Don’t go too diverse or you might end up with a mess.
Safety first
A construction site shouldn’t be taken lightly when it comes to safety. Even smaller indoor renovations can cause accidents if people are not careful. There is always the danger of electricity, water, and other potentially dangerous things. Make sure you have the right equipment such as reliable scaffolding, protective helmets, and safety suits. Try to keep the people who are not contributing away from dangerous areas; this is especially true for children.
Plan your budget
Carefully plan how much each detail will cost and make sure you have enough available funds before you start your work. Having to stop halfway because of insufficient funds will have severe consequences. Either you will have to settle for a different idea from what you originally planned or you will have to live on a construction site until you find more cash. Because of that, your budget needs to include some emergency funds in case of unexpected costs.
Find the right crew
Construction crews are notoriously famous for not finishing projects on time and dragging out at the end. Before you hire anyone to start working on your home, you should do some research and make sure they are able to deliver what they promise. Try to find some of their previous projects and research whether their work was satisfying. Don’t settle for the first person you encounter as you are more likely to get better deals if you spend some time negotiating with different construction crews.
Plan your stay
Because of the work being done in your home, you might have to find another place to live for a while. It, of course, depends on the scale of work that you are undertaking. If you are only renovating part of your home, you might be still able to live there, but under vastly different conditions. So either plan for the inconvenience of having part of your house inaccessible, or make arrangements to stay somewhere else. This could be a good chance to visit relatives and catch up.
These are the basic tips to get you through the highly uncertain period of home renovation. If you have a good understanding of what you are getting yourself into and take the appropriate steps to plan and prepare yourself, you should have no problem turning your vision into reality.
