~ This is a featured post. ~
Now that winter is most definitely here; it is the perfect time to plan out some home renovations for the new year. You can take the time to sit down and scour the magazines and websites that will give you inspiration, or you might find that you are more easily able to get in touch with professionals who can come and appraise your property and give you a cost for the job or jobs that you want to get done. Book them in for the spring, and you have plenty of time to save up the money and increase your budget if need be, plus you will be able to prepare your home in advance for the renovation work that is to come.
Although this might not seem like something that you need to think
about, it is essential. Without the
proper planning, you can become stressed,
your budget might run out, and your home may be much more of a mess than you
ever thought it would be. Preparing your home for a renovation is vital for
everyone’s comfort and happiness; here are six ways to do it.
1. Work Out Your
Budget
Yes, financial
budgeting can be dull, and it certainly
isn’t everyone’s forte, but without a budget in place, how will you know how
much you can spend on your home renovations? How will you know whether or not
to accept a quote from a builder or craftsman if you don’t know if you can
afford it or not?
The size of your budget is less important than having one, to begin with.
Even a small budget can be enough for some excellent
renovation work, depending on what you have done, who you hire, or whether you
do the work yourself. The key, though, no
matter what size your budget might be, is to have one in place and not to
deviate from it. Once you start to think that a little extra here and there
won’t hurt, you’ll soon find that you’ve added a big chunk of money to your
budget that you can’t afford.
2. Research Costs
Once you have your budget in place, you can then start looking at how
much different items might cost you. Start by looking at home improvement
websites to get some idea of the kinds of styles and looks you
like, and then, when you know what it is you are looking for, work out how much
it would cost you in terms of both materials and labor (your own or someone
else’s) to get it done.
Compare that cost against your budget and see if you can afford it. If
not, you will need to compromise. The granite countertops may need to be changed to tile or wood, or something even
less expensive. Your roll-top bathtub may
need to become a standard corner bath. Make little changes and adjustments
until your shopping list matches your budget.
3. Know What You
Want
You have a budget to work to, and you know what materials you can
afford. Plus you know whether you can use a professional or whether you should do some of the work. Now you need to
determine the look that you want.
This is the fun part, as long as you stick to your budget
and your skills. There are many different styles that you can choose from, and
each one will offer you something wonderful.
You can pick something classic and
comfortable, or something wild and wacky. The choice is yours, but you should
know what you want before you get started otherwise you may find the job takes
a lot longer than it should do.
4. What Can You Do
Yourself?
Now you know what design you want and how much it is going to cost you,
but is there anything you can do yourself? Some of it will be
possible to DIY in some cases, and this, of course, will reduce
your budget (you may even be able to switch back to granite in the kitchen
after all). Working backward like this
means that your budget is only going to reduce, and that’s a positive thing,
giving you more leeway in what you can choose or who you can use to do the
work, or saving you money.
Jobs such as painting, tiling, or even putting furniture together if
need be can usually be done yourself, but
larger or more complicated jobs such as
plumbing and electrics should only ever be handled by a professional.
5. Speak To The
Professionals
Once you have determined what it is you are going to need a professional
to help you with, it’s time to speak to at least three to get an idea not only
of price but of what they are like to work with as well. This is particularly important if the job is a
long one, where they will be on site (in your home) for many days or even
weeks. You need to be able to get on with them as well as afford them, and this
is why interviewing more than one is essential.
Find the professional that you like and whose estimate fits with your
budget, and you will have a much easier time when it comes to having the work
done and feeling less stressed about the situation. Of course, you should also look at
testimonials and reviews to make your final choice, but a gut feeling,
although not scientific or quantifiable, can often be a help.
6. Declutter
Once you have booked in your home renovations, you have the perfect
opportunity to declutter your
home. Whichever room the work is going to be carried out in, it will ideally
need to be cleared and tidied to make it easier to get the job done in a
timely, professional way. Take a good look at what you have in the room and
place it into three piles. One pile is to keep, one is to take to Goodwill or
to sell online or even at a garage sale, and the final pile is to put in the trash.
The items that you want to keep will need to be kept elsewhere during the renovations, and if many rooms are being worked on at once, a
storage facility may be your best option. Paying a little for this for a month
or so will save you a lot of worry and is
well worth the money.