Brainstorming ideas for your home, browsing catalogs for an idea that speaks to you, and visualize what your dream home will look like are all great fun, but actually converting that to reality can be a challenge. Especially when you are restructuring a home rather than building it from the ground up, it’s easy to step on your own foot and find yourself facing more problems and expenses because you didn’t plan it out. When renovating a house, you need to find the right balance between what you want and what is possible with the home. Here are a few things to help you keep things under control.
1. Solve Access Problems
If you are getting major repair work done, then you are probably using the services of a contractor. Contractors generally start pretty early in the morning and in some cases might even have to work through the night. Having some kind of access solution saves you the trouble of having to be on-site to open and close the property for contractors. Even if you don’t go for something that gives you remote access control, you can at least use a lockbox. This frees you of the responsibility of having to always be there to open and close the door.
2. Think Long Term
Renovating a certain aspect of the home is only half the battle. For instance, if you are upgrading the bathroom fittings and moving to the rain-style showerheads, you might also need a pressure pump for the new fitting to work properly. Similarly, while sanding down new wooden flooring is great, it also requires extensive post-renovation cleaning services to get the floor to the desired condition. You also want to be careful in these post-renovation jobs, as it can damage the renovation work if it isn’t done properly. Taking these little things into consideration can help you do your work more effectively and save you the hassle of having to come in and redo something.
3. Schedule The Work
If you think that the renovation job is going to take a month, and you are already planning a housewarming party in week 5, then don’t. Renovation jobs are notorious in how they can take much longer than expected. However, you structure the timeline, you should always factor in delays, shipment problems, and all kinds of other issues that can come up. Ideally, you should aim for fifty percent more time for small jobs and at least 25% more time for large jobs that will take a few months.
4. Plan Ahead
If you are getting a renovation done that you have never experienced before, such as installing a new smart locking system, look into the FAQs and try to cater to all the common problems that other people face. Someone has already done what you are doing, and they have posted their feedback. Learn from their mistakes and try to avoid those errors. This might require you to spend a little extra money upfront, but it will save your investment and also make the process a lot easier.
If you are doing the renovation yourself, then there is a learning curve, but nothing is impossible. If you are using contractors, then make sure they know what they are doing so that you don’t have to face the consequence of their inexperience later on. Also, don’t be afraid to invest in the right machinery to get the job done. The right tools will make the job that much easier and that much quicker.
