Thinking of Renovating Your Home? Don’t Forget These Key Steps

Whether you have found a bargain building that you plan on flipping or your family home could do with a bit of love, you might be considering renovations. Various reality TV shows suggest carrying out such work is quick and straightforward.

However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Therefore, you must understand what you are getting yourself into and prepare adequately if you want the process to be as painless as possible. Here are some things to remember before beginning work.

Start With a Plan for your home renovation

You might have a plan in your head, sketch your ideas on a napkin or opt for full-scale architectural designs, but this doesn’t change the fact that you need a firm set of goals for the project. Understanding what you want to achieve and how the renovations should ideally progress is essential before work begins. 

Having a robust plan before the project will help you correct any mistakes before they happen, saving you considerable time and money. Additionally, this planning phase is essential to determine your project budget and allocate the funding you need. 

• Make a to-do list for your project.
• Price out the supplies and tools you will need
• Use a binder to keep all of your project notes and inspiration in to help organize your project and make it easy to keep on top of it all.

Move Your Belongings Out

If you already live in the property but want to freshen it up, you will need to move your possessions and furniture out during the renovation process. The scale of your works will likely determine your requirements for storage. 

If your renovations are modest, it might be enough to simply move your belongings out into the garage or a spare room. This is great for if you are working room to room or only have one room that needs renovation.

For really small projects like painting your home, you may be able to get by with simply moving everything to the center of your room and using dustcovers.

However, should the process be more in-depth, you will likely need to rent a nearby storage locker. When storing furniture in such units, you must clean it beforehand and ensure that it is well covered to prevent damage while you work on your house. 

If you are looking to find local storage units, check out SafeStore for reasonably priced options. 

Preserve Period Features

It is a great shame that so many period homes have had their charm stripped away during renovations over the years. Many property developers decide to cover the ancient beams, replace wooden doors and windows with PVC alternatives and clear out beautiful original fireplaces. 

Therefore, while it might be tempting to modernize the home, it is vital to strike a balance between this and preserving the features that gave it character in the first place.

Research the building and the period it was built in. Generally, the best approach is to repair the already present features or find accommodations. A great option is to add an electric fireplace insert to a no longer functional fireplace instead of removing it.

Ultimately, you will likely achieve the best results from the project if you preserve the period features that convey the history of your home.

Communicate With Your Neighbours 

Many people forget to talk to their neighbors during the renovation process. However, you must understand that living next to a building site can be almost as stressful as living in one.

Therefore, you should be considerate and transparent about the work you are carrying out to avoid any potential conflicts with your neighbors. Do not work with loud power tools late at night or place worklights in windows facing your neighbor’s bedroom at night.

Additionally, you should brief any contractors on site to keep the streets and shared entryways clear of materials, so they do not inconvenience others living around you. Also, you must let people on your street know that there might be large vehicles and heavy machinery nearby and beware of excessive noise in the early hours.

Overall, the points mentioned above are some things that people often neglect when carrying out renovations on their homes. However, ignoring these steps will undoubtedly make the process more complex and generate headaches, so it is essential to consider these tips before beginning the project.