A stretched budget, unforeseen circumstances and other obstacles can quickly diminish the thrill of a home renovation. Fortunately, you can mitigate most mishaps or avoid them entirely by planning and staying vigilant of warning signals.
Here are five tips to help renovate your home easily.
1. Set a Sensible Budget
While we cannot dispute the necessity of a budget for keeping project costs at bay, striking a balance between the amount you allocate for the project and your preferred designs is not always easy. Having a stellar comprehension of pricing, both for labor and materials, will help you gauge your expectations realistically.
Begin by visiting this website to calculate an accurate estimate of your project’s total cost. Remember to dedicate 10%-20% of your allotted amount towards covering any unexpected expenses and have a contractor run through your budget to confirm its feasibility.
2. Focus on a Practical Scope of Work
After setting a realistic budget, you will need to specify the type of work that needs to happen and an optimal timeframe. Be honest with yourself and draw the line between your desires and the essentials. This will enable you to lay out some ground rules, schedule the work and create a list of priorities.
3. Have a Vivid Vision in Mind
From the ceilings you will install to the doors that need repainting, anyone who has ever renovated their home knows the importance of picking out everything before work begins. You are more likely to make better choices and avoid rash decisions by picking your materials beforehand.
You can gather ideas through online research, showroom visits and recommendations. Once you are satisfied with your ideas, you can create a moodboard and do not hesitate to purchase items to get things started.
4. Determine The Splurge-Worthy Materials Upfront
Clarifying the items worthy of spending more money on coincides with setting a reasonable budget and specifying a practical scope of work. The sooner you determine the splurge-worthy items, the better your chances of working within budget.
Create a list of the materials you will use more frequently because they are the items that warrant a higher quotation. You might want to minimize any cosmetic finishing if you are working on a tight budget because you can easily modify them in the future.
5. Know the People You Hire
Whether you opt for individual subcontractors or a general contractor to handle your renovation, what matters most is the quality of the team you hire. Although recommendations from the people you trust might be enough, you may perform full-blown checks on potential contractors to ensure you are dealing with professionals in healthy financial standings.
Consider looking into their lien history, license, bond number and certificate of insurance. Also, hold a preliminary discussion or interview before any formal engagement to ensure the contractor understands your vision and can get along with you.
Conclusion
While building a new home or having a home renovation project may seem overwhelming, it does not have to be. Creating a thoughtful plan that considers every element from the funds available to the labor and materials required, and how everything fits into the bigger picture can offset any uncertainties and make the project easier.
