House renovations can be tasking to even the best of us. Things can quickly spiral out of proportion if you don't plan accordingly. To help you save time and money, we've put together nine pro tips to prepare you for a renovation and ensure it runs smoothly.
Renovating a home requires thorough planning. You need to start early. The preparation starts mentally. Anticipate the stress that may come with the whole process. Your life will be disrupted for some time. Again, the chaos that comes with moving things and strangers hovering in your space for weeks or even months can be draining.
Go through your calendar and block a period of time that you will pack the items you need to move. You can also use that time to clean and research self-storage services within your area.
Pro-tip, it's best to schedule renovation during spring and fall. During these seasons, the weather is conducive. It's neither hot nor cold. Further, it will be best if the time coincides with your family schedule. Let it be a time when your life will be less disrupted.
House renovations can transform your house completely. So, instead of letting the memory of your old home disappear, take a picture before the renovation starts and when it's done. You can reminisce on how far you've come.
If it's a small renovation, you can rest easy. However, you'll have more to do if it's a major renovation. To make your work easier, try clearing the stuff in your pantry and fridge. You can make meals around the foodstuff that you have.
You can also reduce the items you'll move by decluttering your home. Do away with things that you don't use often. You can also donate others to charity. This will reduce the things you'll take for self-storage, which will reduce the amount you'll spend on the same.
Inquire from the planning officer at the local authority whether there are regulations you need to meet. Are there permissions you need to seek or building regulations approval? Apart from the local authority regulations, ask the solicitors to check the lease agreement or title deed for any restrictions concerning the renovation.
If you are a professional in the construction field, say a building engineer or an architect, you can be in charge of the renovation project yourself. If you don't have any expertise in this field, you'd rather employ a professional.
Doing the project yourself may seem like the best way to save money, but in the long run, you may lose more. Paying a professional means everything will be done with expertise, on time, and within budget.
When hiring a professional, ensure you have a signed contract that outlines the whole project. The contractors must have in writing what they are going to do, how they'll do it and how long it will take. Again, the contract should also highlight the payment plan. They should indicate the number of instalments and how much you'll pay per instalment.
A contract is a compass for how the project will work and the different timelines. Of course, there's a possibility of things changing like delays, but at least you'll have something to work with.
Most architects advise homeowners to move out during a house renovation to give enough room for the work to be done properly. With that in mind, it will be best to either stay at a relative's place or simply rent a place for the duration of the renovation.
Staying in the hope of saving some cash may lead to a longer renovation period as you'll get in the way of the contractors. Further, you'll be highly inconvenienced when it comes to cooking and bathing, not to mention the dust.
Staying is a good option if it's a small-scale renovation. But even with a small renovation, you need to consult with your constructor on how your staying may affect the workflow project. Further, you can stay if it's a big house whose renovation is broken down in phases.
The bottom line is that you should decide with the constructors if you should move out or not.
It's important that you have a clear picture of the end product, and you can explain this to the constructors. You can get inspiration from platforms like Pinterest. With a clear idea of what you want, you need to reach a consensus with the constructors on the final product of the renovation.
Once you've agreed on the results, you also want to know the type of finishings and their qualities. Go further to find out the prices. Knowing the quality and prices of things like flooring or worktops can help you decide which parts of the budget to slash and which ones to increase.
It will be best to visit the shops yourself to ascertain what will work for you. Of course, you can also consult the constructors or go with them.
We mentioned earlier that when recruiting a professional, it's wise that you have a signed contract for the project. The contract should outline the project, timelines, and budget.
When it comes to time and budget, it must be detailed. The contract should break down the different parts of the job that go into the renovation, the order to be completed, the materials, labour required and how long each job will take.
The budget should also take the same approach. The payment plan should break down the payment by percentages. How much should you pay after what duration of time? For example, the first instalment may be 50%, and the remaining amount is spread across different timeframes up to the finishing time. With each payment, there must be a receipt indicating payment.
Apart from these crucial areas, the contract must also outline the penalty if the project goes beyond the projected timeframe.
Lastly, prepare for when things go wrong. Usually, it's the budget that often goes overboard. The standard practice is to have between 5% and 10% of the renovation cost as an emergency fund in case of extra expenses.