Home renovation can be a bank-breaking affair, so as a homeowner, you rarely dedicate time into thinking about how you can best splurge your savings on a new porch.
Yet you can’t afford to live in a rotting house as well. So when it starts to show that a repair or renovation is inevitable, you need to pay attention or risk paying more in the long run. But how do you exactly know when a renovation is due?
Your Floor Is Damaged
Your floors are put to the test each day, bearing the brunt and wear of dirt, claws, scratches, and stains. So it’s really only a matter of time before you require some much-needed update.
Carpets, in general, last for around 10 years while laminate, wood, and tiles usually last for around 25 to 30 years. Once they start showing rips, tears, cracking and detachment from their grouting, they can easily make the house look old and outdated.
While this can be terrible news, the upside is, a remodel can completely flip the look of your home. If you choose to replace with wood flooring, that can give a good return on investment as well, in case you’re looking forward to sell.
You can also explore nontraditional flooring options, like stained concrete, cork, and reclaimed hardwood. Not only are these choices aesthetically pleasing, but they are also eco-friendly.
According to HomeAdvisor, the average cost of repairing a floor in the US is $337, with the high-end average at $2,800. The cost of repair fluctuates among different types of flooring. For example, carpet repairs cost anywhere between $130 to $300 per project, laminate floors can cost around $140 to $600, tiles at $200 and $700, vinyl at $100 and $300, and hardwood at $200 to $650.
If the cost of repair exceeds the cost of replacement altogether, it’s best to just have your old flooring replaced all the way, especially if the type of damage is impossible to fix.
Your Roof Leaks
If your roofing has been installed properly, there’s a good chance that they will reach the natural end of their useful life without failure. That does not mean you have to forgo regular maintenance.
As a homeowner, part of your regular home-maintenance checklist is to inspect the health of your roofing. Otherwise, when damages have started and they are left unchecked, they can lead to more problems down the road.
While it’s natural for some chipping to occur from time to time, nonstructural problems don’t typically warrant a replacement. However, once you spot these signs, perhaps it’s high time you consider getting a new one installed:
- Cupped shingle tabs or shingle tabs with curled edges
- Shingles starting to crack
- Spots where granules are missing
- Dark streaks
- Moss growth
- Your neighbors are getting new ones (chances are, your home was built at the same time, making it subject to the same agents of natural wear and tear).
- Old roofing (at least 20 years)
- Leaking
- Cracked flashing
- Skylight leaking
- Cracked vents
The national average for roof-repair cost is $795 with high-end repairs at around $4,200. Again, the cost of repair will vary greatly depending on the replacement material. It also matters whether you choose to do the repair on your own or hire a contractor to do the job.
Your Locks and Knobs Are Hard to Turn
While this sounds like a minimal problem, that won’t be what you’ll say when someone is locked inside the bathroom and you need to dismantle the whole thing. Or worse, you get robbed. If nasty thieves can easily manipulate a well-functioning door, how much more a faulty one?
When your locks start to get hard to deal with, it’s time to replace them. Don’t wait until they become a problem. A doorknob and lock replacement should not cost you a fortune. To check the effectiveness of your locks, use a set of lockpicks to test if you can easily open the door.
The Paint Is Chipping Off
Another telltale sign that should signify an impending need to renovate is paint chipping. That can easily make your home look worn and dirty.
Paint chipping doesn’t necessarily mean your paint is old. Sometimes, it’s the result of a paint job. However, regardless of the causes of chipping, you still need a trip to your home depot for a repaint.
Fortunately, repainting is one of the easiest repair jobs you can do on your own—and it can instantly transform the look of your home too! Include your baseboards and crown moldings, if possible.
For a home repaint project, you need steel wools or manual scrapers, a wire brush, or a heat gun. Purchase some wall putty to cover any holes in the wall. Then prime your wall to make sure the paint adheres to your wall and to prevent easy chipping in the future.
You can either choose your previous paint color or give your home a little makeover by changing your paint color. Get creative and experiment with various painting ideas that work well with your personal space.
Your Home Plumbing Malfunctions
Your home’s plumbing system includes your water and gas supply pipes as well as your drain-waste-vent pipes. A necessary inclusion to your regular home-maintenance checklist, your plumping should always be kept at its best, and when it’s time to replace, never have second thoughts. Small problems can be annoying at the least but very harmful to your family’s health at worst.
Your plumbing system is a complicated network, so if you don’t have complicated knowledge of how things work, it’s advised to take matters to the experts. Call a professional plumber to do the job.
One of the most common plumbing problems in most households is a clogged bathroom. In which case, you may want to consider replacing your toilet with a macerating option. They are designed with a grinding mechanism that helps move and transfer waste efficiently, thereby helping to do away with frequent toilet-clog issues. They are also easier to install than standard toilets are.
There Are Now More Members in the Family
You may have childproofed your home some years ago and have installed additional safety features that you no longer use. Or perhaps you’re pregnant and your guest home will have to be transformed into a baby room. Your home evolves as your family does, so it’s only natural to hit redo every once in a while.
Termite Invasion!
This one speaks for itself. If you haven’t had your home checked for pests in a while, your house may be susceptible to these nasty insects. Look out for the signs:
- Noisy sounds inside your walls
- Flying termites
- White ants
- Papery or hollow-sounding timber when you knock on it
- Tight-fitting doors or windows that are hard to open
- Tunnels in wood
- Suspicious insect droppings
If you spot these, call pest control immediately, and perhaps start planning for replacements as well.
You Simply Want Change
Do you really need a hard reason to get a remodel done? If you have awesome ideas in mind and can afford it, why not? On the plus side, renovations don’t have to be expensive.
Small changes in the details, arrangement, and wise use of space can turn an outdated home into an interior design model. The secret is in making your pieces work together.
Need some tips? Here’s a handy guide from House Method.
Final Word
There is no such thing as the right time to renovate. Sometimes, the need comes totally unexpected and you still have to do it.
The best way to counter the unpredictability of necessary repairs and replacements is to be diligent with your home maintenance. This way, you will be able to spot problems as they arise and prevent them from turning into a huge mess, which will be more costly to address.
