Easy Steps To The Perfect Home Renovation
Home renovation is usually a huge project that starts off very simple. You peel back a corner of your carpet at the start of what should be another lazy weekend, then the inevitable cartoon like light bulb goes off in your head: Why not refinish these hard wood floors?
Time seems to stand still and six months later, what should have been a couple of days’ worth of work has seen torn down walls and ripped up floorboards. Not to mention that most of the family are now avoiding any kind of communication with you. Little do you know that with a bit more planning the flip side of this could have been oh so very different.
This blog post will try to examine some of the areas that should be explored before picking up that hammer or in this case pulling back the carpet.
Go it alone or Phone a Professional
The simple choice here revolves around doing the work yourself, calling the professionals or a mixture of the two. No two home renovation projects are ever the same, as a result of this, differing levels of expertise might be required. Some tasks will require seasoned professionals whilst for other tasks it might be possible to enlist the help of a handyman or even just do it yourself.
Pride will often come before a fall. So with this in mind it is a good idea that you are actually equipped to complete the task, that is if you do decide to go it alone. It is worth remembering though, there is no shame in calling in the experts.
Who’s paying for it?
The question really should be, how are you going to pay for it? Given that most home renovations go over budget it will be worth checking on how your budgets are. Labour costs can vary depending on not just the size of the task, but also the location. So as a general rule, a loft conversion in Manchester is normally a little bit cheaper than a comparable job in London.
Saving might well cover what you need to do. The alternative will be some kind of funding from the bank or similar. Prudence would suggest building in a buffer for the circumstance when your loft conversion goes a little over its original budget.
Managing with Authority
Even when you decide to go it alone there will almost certainly come a time when you need help. In the case of the larger jobs this could well involve a team of people. The important thing is to make sure that you know how to manage them, keeping them doing what they are meant to be doing. The skills that the professional brings will be a god-send in getting your task done. However, it should be noted that even the most gifted will not complete work by sitting around and chatting; this is where you come in with your authoritative tone.
Are you adding to the Property?
Fewer people will live in a property for ever. This means that at some point in time you will be looking to sell up and move. Hopefully this will allow you to cash in on the renovation work that you have completed. However, sometimes the work might not actually add any value to your home and in some cases it can actually serve to detract value.
Although, quite clearly one of the main criterions of the renovation is for you to enjoy the finished work, you should also have one foot in the next buyer camp, if at all possible. Extreme styles may not always date as well as you would like in the years to come.
Thinking Ahead
With home renovation projects such as a loft conversion, it is worth remembering that some of these might require an element of planning permission. It really depends on just how radical the renovation work will be.
Disaster will almost certainly strike, if you push ahead with the job only to find half way through you should have gained approval. The delays will be fairly painful and costly, but give a little thought to what will happen in the event of permission being denied.
The wrap up
The most important thing to remember is to plan as much as you possibly can. Ultimately “proper planning prevents unexpected and costly surprises.”
