A home renovation is stressful and frustrating but with the right advice, contractor and plan – it doesn’t have to be. We’re going to identify all the steps to follow and give you the full run-down on everything you need to know about home renovations.
What is a renovation?
The term renovation is often confused with remodelling and restoring. For a successful renovation, clear communication between owner, contractor, and architect is critical. Understanding the correct terminology is the best place to start;
Remodelling
Remodelling is often used to describe any kind of change to an existing house. Technically, it’s more accurate to say that remodel means to change the structure or form of a whole house or a portion of a house. For example, when you combine a kitchen and dining room into one large eat-in kitchen you’re remodelling the kitchen and dining room.
Renovating
Renovating is a more specific term that means to literally make something new again. An out-of-date kitchen, updated with new finishes and fixtures, has been renovated.
Restoring
Restoring a house is the opposite of a renovation. Instead of updating your home, you revert the house back to its original state.
This may seem obvious but these terms often get confused and misused so it’s important to completely understand what you need and want before you start.
7 Steps to follow
Renovations are the best way to increase your home’s resale value and keep your home up-to-date with modern designs. Keep the entire process as simple as possible by following these steps;
1. Figure out what you’d like to renovate
Renovations can be pricey and invasive so it’s vital to have a clear understanding of what you want to renovate, why and stick to this decision. This decision will affect your budget, time and personal space depending on how many rooms you want to renovate.
2. Set a budget
Understanding what you want to renovate is one thing but how this affects your budget is something completely different. It happens too often that people start a renovation dream but realise far too late that it doesn’t fit into their budget. You need to have a precise number in mind of how much you can allocate to a renovation and do not deviate from this.
3. Find a reliable contractor
This is one of the most important steps. All we can say is – DO YOUR RESEARCH! Having someone refer a contractor to you is one of the best options because you can see a real-life example of the contractor’s work and get an authentic review.
If you can’t get a referral, do as much research as possible by finding various contractors you can compare against each other. Go through images of the work they’ve done and read their reviews. You can then make meetings with the best-suited contractors to decide who can fit your budget and deliver what you want.
4. Have an open dialogue with your contractor
You need to be in open communication with your contractor about exactly what you want, and create a plan and a blueprint design. This way you can avoid miscommunication. Have a complete and comprehensive plan: it is cheaper and less frustrating to correct mistakes before the renovation takes place.
5. Secure contracts and permits
Make sure you and your contractor have everything in writing and a signed contract. You need this avoid any ‘he said, she said’ conversations and ensure you’re both on the same page.
Sometimes permits are required and are critical in avoiding having to redo work. Make sure your contractor checks your municipality’s latest regulations since inspection rules change and vary in different locations.
Once you have the permits sorted out, you may also want to start ordering the necessary materials needed for the project.
6. Follow the plan
Keep in mind that it makes it difficult when plans change while the renovation is in process. This can prolong the renovation time or add extra expenses. Try staying with the original plan as much as possible.
7. Once everything is complete
Everything is done and your renovation is amazing! Be sure to do a quality assurance check to ensure the contractor or builders have not left wires hanging out or missed patches of paint. It’s important to get any little fixes done right after the project is complete rather than waiting and only realising at a later stage.
What to renovate to increase value?
There are some parts of a house that are vital to keeping up-to-date so that your house value remains at its peak and to keep your house modern. Some of these are:
- Kitchen
- Bathrooms
- Cupboards
- Flooring
- Even plug or light fixtures
How to keep your stress levels under control
Renovating any part of your home can be stressful and the entire process can be frustrating. We have some top tips to ensure you remain sane the entire time.
- Find a contractor you are comfortable with
- Trust the process
- Find a place of solitude (stay somewhere else if the renovation project is too invasive)
- Remember the end product will be SO worth it
Renovations are necessary to keep your house from crumbling or falling behind in trends. Make sure you follow these steps and your next renovation will be a breeze.
