Renovating your new home? What to keep in mind before you start

Renovating a home opens the door to endless possibilities. There is the chance to uncover original features hidden within your home that is brimming with character. If you were to sell the property further down the line, you could make an impressive return on your investment.

On the other hand, without proper planning, what was once an exciting renovation project can become a money pit, draining your funds. Such risks are easily avoidable with thorough planning, research and budgeting.

If you are about to embark on a renovation project, here are a few things to keep in mind before work gets underway. Some of these might help to save you time and money in areas of the renovation process.

Have a realistic timeline

Renovating or renovation projects are likely to take longer to complete than you might have initially planned. Be prepared and accommodating to any changes in the schedule to avoid frustration. Removing old fixtures might take a few hours. However, locating new appliances and fixtures could take weeks. Aside from finding the ideal fitting, there is the time it takes before it is delivered and then having it installed. Your expectation that you will be able to use your new bathroom in a week, could take longer.

To avoid these disappointments, create a realistic renovation process and timeline. Before you have any of the existing features and fittings removed, have your updates selected and ready to be installed.

Decide what needs an expert and what can be DIY

As you create your plans and vision boards for how you want each room to look, consider who will complete the renovation work. If you were looking to renovate your house on a budget, you might want to consider completing some of the work by hand. Aside from saving you money, it will also be a rewarding feeling when you complete each task.

Completing the renovation work yourself might help to save money. However, it is worth investing in professional help for other tasks. Some tasks, such as fitting a new kitchen, will benefit from being professionally installed. It will ensure that the suites have been properly fitted. Additionally, it means there will unlikely be costs further down the line to repair anything that was not installed correctly originally.

Keeping safe whilst working

If you do decide to undertake some of the renovation work, safely perform tasks. When completing more physically demanding tasks, ensure that you are wearing protective gear. For instance, as you will be on your feet most of the time, ensure that you are wearing the right comfortable shoes. Work boots, like the ones from Safety Boots UK, are a great choice for keeping your feet protected when moving heavy items or when you are knocking down walls.

Fitting a new plumbing system

The two most expensive parts of a renovation are rewiring and replumbing. Despite being the most challenging, they both provide the chance to install systems that are tailored specifically to your lifestyle and energy usage. Additionally, you can design the system around any plans that you potentially have for the property. If you decide to sell the house in the future, updating the electrics and heating could add significant-end value to the property.

Removing internal walls

With most renovating or remodelling projects, structural changes are key to make transforming the house into a modern-day living home. Whilst period houses boast character, they were designed to incorporate lots of smaller spaces. If you want to utilise the space by changing it or extending it, you will likely knock down some of the internal walls to create more space. Alternatively, you may also build out into the garden or make use of redundant spaces. This often leads to attic, basement or garage conversions.

Painting can influence the lighting

Painting can affect the lighting in a space. During the planning stages, you might have decided to choose a new paint colour for some of the rooms. If there are rooms in the house that you want to create the illusion of a bigger space, choose to paint it a light colour. Applying light coloured paint to a room that you want to feel is more spacious than it is, is a quick and affordable decoration tip. It is helpful if you were trying to avoid extending the room to create more space.

Renovating a property is both a time-consuming yet rewarding project. The result is a property that reflects your style and your lifestyle. Although it can be costly at times to achieve the desired outcome, the result is often worthwhile. To ensure this, be thorough with your planning, decision making and investing will help you to keep you within your set budget. The result is your dream property.

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