Home Renovation 101: Things You Should Consider Before Starting

A total home renovation is no simple task, as it will cost you time, money, and effort. That is why it is important to be spot on from the first to the last nail. The planning is crucial because it is here that you are calculating the workforce and the budget necessary to usefully pull off the improvement. Furthermore, you need to choose what to improve and prep the future homebuilding site.

If you have done home improvements before, then you probably already know the ropes but for homeowners who haven’t any anything added to their house, the project might seem confusing. That’s why it is useful to get to read abort home renovation 101 so you would know what factors to consider before starting the job.

Timing is everything

Since you want to get the renovation completed as soon as possible, at times there will be several crews operating simultaneously. To prevent the plumber from bumping into the electrician, you have to create a schedule of all the different types of repairs planned. Such a schedule would not merely list what needs to be done to the house but it would establish a general timeline. This will prevent fixes from overlapping with each other because some rooms, like the attic, can are too cramped for two people to work at the same time inside.

In general, planning will get you far because it is incomparably easier to plan a full renovation in phases. Unless you hire a manager, which would be a pure waste of money, it is impossible for you to keep an eye on all the work. However, if there are stages, then it would be easier for you to keep track of what is being done.

New wires

Most house fires are caused by faulty electrical wires so replacing the wiring in the entire house should be a must. Regardless of the repairs and improvements, you have settled on, once the sledgehammer goes into action, take the opportunity to replace the wiring. You are highly unlikely to get another chance like this when the walls are bare to perform this important and potentially lifesaving fix. Throw out everything and replace fuse boxes, pin plugs, light switches, and outlets as well throughout the house. Of course, this replacement will have to make its way onto the to-do list in order to plan a budget for electrical wiring.

Underneath your feet and over your head

Almost as important as the wirings are the floor and the ceiling plans, respectively. It is not all the save what type of wood you choose for the flooring, that is, if you choose wood at all. The kitchen, the lobby, and the bathroom will probably have floor tiles so don’t let this tiny issue slip your mind. Conventional hardwood floors are expensive so you might want to install cheaper bamboo floors instead.

Furthermore, if you wish to drop the ceiling a bit as most people do in the bedroom, this will cost you extra. Handymen usually forget to mention this when they are giving a quote so ask before they climb the ladders.  Additionally, the colour of the ceiling is often different than the colour of other walls in a given room. That is why you should select the right colours from the palette offered by the contractor before the renovation begins. If you are planning for a nursery, then a starry night pattern is also an option for decorating the ceiling that should be prearranged.

Be prepared for incessant cleaning

Because construction workers will tear down walls and possible remove the roof and replace floor tiles, clouds of dust will form. After the completion of the renovation, you will scrub the whole place but this will be futile. The fine dust particles will be appearing and reappearing for months after the build is done. You need to psychologically prepare for several cleaning sprees that will be necessary before you can say you live a (cleanly) renovated house. It’s not all about the money, there’s something in psychologic approach as well.

Plan your finances

We reach the milestone of every renovation: the finances and their careful planning. Basically, you need to account for every last dollar after the job is done. This might seem odd, stingy even, but unless you keep track of your expenses, you are bound to overspend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. It is prudent to expect that the initial budget won’t be sufficient and to plan additional funds.

A well-thought-out contingency fund should be set at 10% of the whole renovation budget. In the case you don’t have enough money to finance the entire project in one go, there are companies offering home renovation loans that have favourable interest rates. This solution is ideal for instance when you are missing a couple of thousands of dollars to start the home renovating. Unless you loaned the amount, you would have to wait as long as an entire years before the renovation could commence.

(Not) doing it right the first time

Be advised that the work handymen leave you with is still unfinished. Apart from cleaning the house (for months on end), you will be the one responsible for adding the final touches. This is something that many homeowners fail to realize so they blame the contractors for flaws that are not really flaws. For instance, you might not like the shade of the wood built on the hardwood floor in the middle of the living room. However, you or the interior designer planned for a large carpet to go over the troubled patch sop you are creating a problem where there is none.

However, this does not mean that you shouldn’t check up on the progress of the build. Making sure that workers stick to the blueprint might not be your primary task but don’t expect anyone else to take better care of your house than you yourself. That is we pointed out from the very beginning that it is easier to oversee one phase at a time, than several at once. For example, if the ceramicist installs a tile that doesn’t match the décor of the bathroom, you can react immediately, even before the tile adhesive dries completely. This way, it will be easier to mend any smaller disparities that are typical of every contractor. After all, they are all men who make mistakes but are willing to correct them.

Choosing the right contractor

Speaking of contractors, many families complain they have either ripped them off or that the service was utterly poor. The best pieces of advice you can get regarding this human factor of your home renovation is that you have to choose carefully. Never hire the first contractor you run across and always ask your friends and family for advice. Personal referrals are perhaps the most reliable method of selecting the best contractor in the area.

Even after you have been suggested by your friends that a particular contractor is good enough, your detective work doesn’t end there. Visit their website and social media pages to look for users’ testimonies and why not, go through the comment section on Facebook. Be sure to give their portfolio a look because you need contractors that are experienced in the particular improvements you need. What good is it to you if they are excellent at installing heritage roofs if you need to replace your windows.

Do I need a warranty?

By law, contractors are not obliged to provide a warranty because they are not erecting a new structure from grounds up but merely repairing the existing one. However, most contractors do give a warranty on their work and even if they don’t you should get one on your own. This way you will be covered against potential flaws in the design of the improvement or building material of poor quality. This is especially important if you have added a novel part to your house or apartment, like a room over the garage or a balcony.

The typical length of a house warranty is ten years but this period can be extended but that will cost you extra money. Also, if you are able to start paying the premium well before the start of the build that would be excellent. Warranties get more and more expensive to purchase as the work on the house progresses.

In order to fully prepare for a home renovation, you need to identify problem areas and work out a solution to mend them. Hiring the right contractor, enough good-quality material, and getting a warranty are only some of the issue that you need to consider before starting. Create a meticulous plan and do your utmost best to stick to it, especially regarding the financial part. Don’t be afraid to take the plunge and get a loan to finish the job, as home improvements are actually investments into your real estate. They have the potential to increase the market value of the house so a good portion of the money you invest now will return to your home budget when you decide to move house.