Home renovation? Here’s what to do!

When one buys a house, it is very likely to have to do a minimum of renovation, tending to be at least the bathroom(s), often the kitchen as well, and review the electrical system.

When facing a renovation, however, the risk is running into mistakes that will make you waste time and money, as well as bring you a lot of stress!

Today I would like to share with you some tips to succeed in your renovation and get to have the home of your dreams.

– WHAT ONE USUALLY DOES…

I know: once you buy a house, you can’t wait to do the work, furnish it to move, and live in it FINALLY.

It is normal and understandable, but precisely this rush will lead to stress, loss of time and money, and the risk of not having the desired result, above all!

What usually happens is that you buy a house, decide to redo the bathroom, maybe the kitchen, throw up a wall here, pull up a wall there, and maybe overhaul the electrical system.

So you call a constructor company, chosen, if it is good, by word of mouth, if not searched online.

You bring it into the house, explain what work you would like to do, and ask for an estimate.

Maybe you bring in other constructor companies, to get more estimates to compare, then with the same amount of work, you choose the least expensive.

And finally, it’s off to renovation!

Assuming that everything works during the renovation, this could lead to problems later in the furnishing phase.

The first is that maybe you fall in love with a piece of furniture that doesn’t fit, and it would have been better not to knock down that wall or build that other one!

Or you still miss a socket where you would have needed it, and so, then, you have to compromise!

1 – START WITH THE 360  PROJECT

Once you have bought a house, the earliest first thing to do would be a detailed project, including furnishings.

By furniture, I don’t mean knowing precisely what sofa, for example, you will want to buy.

But knowing that in that room, you will want a sofa of that size, shape, and color.

The essential is to have a clear idea of what furniture you need and how you want to place it so that it is functional for your everyday life!

You may find that that wall you wanted to tear down is better to maintain instead!

Also, by knowing exactly where you want to place the various pieces of furniture, you can put sockets and lights in a way that is actually useful and practical!

The kitchen is one of those rooms that should be studied first and carefully so that you can get the connections put in the right places.

Don’t let the connections determine what the kitchen should look like!

Once you’ve studied the furniture layout and then planned for any structural changes, it’s time to create a mood board to figure out the style and colors you want in your home.

A mood board is a sheet where you put all the pictures of the furniture and accessories you would like to have; putting it all together gives a complete view of the final result.

(If you want to know more, I’ll talk about it here.)

Of course, if you already have furniture, you will have to start with its style and colors!

The mood board will not only help in buying furniture and accessories but also when choosing materials such as doors and tiles!

2 – CHOOSE THE RIGHT CONSTRUCTOR COMPANIES

Once you have the project in mind and seen the feasibility (especially if you’re tearing down or building walls) with a surveyor or architect, you can search for the proper construction companies.

A single contractor with turnkey or individual workers? Both of these choices have pros and cons:

• with a single contractor, the various workers know each other and have already worked together, and you will have a single point of contact
• with individual workers, you will have lower prices, very likely; the company will not add its percentage on the various professionals.  The choice, I would say, is very personal.

Having a detailed plan, whether you choose individual workers or a sole contractor, will be very helpful because you will know what type of work, what materials you want to use, how many sockets and lighting points you want, and where you want them.

It sounds like a no-brainer, but this will get you a much more accurate estimate and not be dictated well or poorly by the experience taken of similar works!

As for materials such as tiles and doors, I suggest that YOU go in search of the ones you want.

I know it can be long and maybe even boring after a while, but this will bring you two huge advantages:

• you will have a wide selection, and you can touch it!
• you will know with certainty the value of what you have in your home.

If you go through the construction company, you will have a much more limited choice because they will only bring you what their dealers offer them, and most importantly, you will not be sure of their actual value.

You might pay dearly for something of low quality (I speak, unfortunately, from experience! I’ll tell you about it here!)

3 – ALWAYS TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE EXTRAS

When there is a home renovation, consider that there will be extras that could not be budgeted for before.

Generally, once you have an estimate, calculate at least 10/15% more!

However, in order not to run into nasty surprises at the end of the work, with significantly higher bills, I recommend that you always get a status of the extras!

Always keep track of everything so that you always know where you are going and have the option, possibly, to give up or modify some work!

Always be aware of everything, don’t get carried away by events!

4 – WAIT TO SCHEDULE MOVING AND/OR DELIVERIES

When you ask for an estimate and start the work, you are also given an end work date…

As small as the renovation is, like you have to expect extras, keep in mind that there may be delays!

That can happen for a thousand reasons; it is part of the “game.”

If you “trust” the agreed-upon date and schedule the move and/or new furniture deliveries for that time, you are actually at risk of throwing money away.

That’s because, as just mentioned, delays are almost inevitable, and if you’ve arranged everything, you’ll have to block and organize it all over again!

Now if it goes well, it will just be a hassle time-wise with increased stress.

But if it goes wrong, you may have to pay a penalty for canceling or pay to keep the furniture in storage at the store!

Don’t be in a hurry!

I know you are looking forward to living in your new home, but haste is always the wrong counselor!

It will bring you a lot of stress, charge you more, and maybe you won’t get the result you want and deserve!

I hope this article was helpful and you love it; in case, let me know in the comments!

Feel free to share it with anyone you think might be interested, I will be honored, and it will help me get my name out there.

If you feel that your home, or some environment of it, does not reflect you enough, do not wait any longer and book your consultancy!

This post is also available in: Italian