The wallpaper is peeling, the tiles have cracked and the kitchen sink is leaking. You really can’t stay in a house in this shape forever. Have you been looking after the house you’ve been living in for so many years? Perhaps it’s time for a house makeover. Delaying any longer could be regrettable.
The house you’re staying in can be yours or a rental, but maintaining is your responsibility nonetheless; even if the landlord will execute the renovations of a rental apartment. But with your initiative, the renovations will take place when necessary and finish efficiently. And if you are the owner yourself, then knowing these methods is a necessity. If you don’t know which steps to take in which order, you’ll just be wasting tie and money. So to save you all that trouble, let’s take a look at the 6 steps to take when renovating your house.
Make a checklist
Instead of rushing to get the job done, take your time to think it through. What are you about to begin? If you don’t plan renovating your house accordingly, you’ll never get it done right. You’ll just be wasting your precious time and money. So before you begin, walk around the whole house and make a checklist of all the things you need to get done. Make it according to priority, if that helps. Execute the tasks serially so that nothing is missed out and it takes the least amount of time to complete.
Have a reasonable budget
Now that you have a checklist, you know what needs to be done. Now comes the hard part: creating a budget. This is especially true if you haven’t made a budget before nor have done prior renovation work. What you can do is visit the markets and find out how much things might cost you. From this information, you can find out which renovations you can attend to immediately and which you might want to postpone. Wallets might feel a little tight, but that is no reason to just grab the cheapest things for a quick fix. It might serve the purpose for now, but there’s no guaranteeing the durability of the renovation this way and it might just be a waste of funds.
Get Permission for renovations
Even if it is your own home you live in, taking on larger renovation work will require you to get permission from the right authorities. You really don’t want to get caught breaking rules or laws without even knowing about it. The repercussions aren’t worth it, so do your research. For example, if you live in a condominium apartment, you should get the right permission for any major renovation you may want to do. The floor, ceiling and walls are all mostly shared resources and it’s best not to perform any renovations without first taking permission. If necessary, wait. It’s better than starting the work and having to stop halfway through.
Hire a contractor
Hiring a contractor should be the most important task on your checklist. You can’t just get anyone to start renovating your house. A contractor is the person that can make or break the successful renovation of your house. So before you hire someone, find out more about them. It would be great if they are did renovation work for someone you know; you can rest easy knowing this person is reliable. It’s rare that you can do major renovations successfully without a contractor. Hire one and you’ll see how smoothly things run.
Get the right measurements
Renovating your house correctly would be impossible without the right measurements. Every inch has an impact. So be cautious taking them to avoid any possible error. Jot these down alongside your task so as not to forget anything important. In the case that you’re having trouble taking measurements yourself, get someone to help out. With the wrong measurements, you might discover scary results in renovating your house.
manage EQUIPMENT yourself
Manage the equipment yourself if you can manage the time. The contractor can do this themselves, but if you really want to save every dime possible, you should be the one managing it. Or when you do hire a contractor, make sure he can manage the most efficient equipment for your budget. Never lose sight of the renovations; a little time spent will be well worth it for the best renovations of your house.
What is apparent is, you need to do everything with patience. Rushing is never a good idea. Renovating your house is not the task of just a few minutes; it’s as lasting a job as it is time consuming. So consider everything you truly want when renovating your house.
When was the last time your house was renovated? Or are you planning to anytime soon? Don’t forget to let us know everything in the comments section below!
