If you’re like many people, owning a home is a significant investment. As such, your renovation decisions will affect your quality of life and the value of your property in the future. This means that you need to handle renovation projects well, however small they might be.
But for most individuals, losing sight of the long-term benefits when undertaking small-scale renovation projects is quite common. They may consider their renovation budget, but features that improve comfort, increase their property’s resale value, or reduce energy bills may not immediately be among their priorities.
If you’re planning to renovate your home, here are several tips to help you handle your small-scale projects:
Budget For The Renovation Well
In most instances, people who renovate their homes end up spending more than they’d initially budgeted. Additional expenditure results from challenges in anticipating all the possible problems that may come up during the renovation. Failure to plan and budget well can also result in higher costs.
When you’re planning to conduct minor renovation projects on your property, prepare a list of all the materials you need, the tasks that have to be completed, and the person who’ll be doing them.
Ensure that your budget covers equipment costs, including the hire of the scaffold, mini skip bin Perth, and other tools that might be required. If you’re financing the renovations with borrowed money, add interest costs to your budget as well. Remember to factor in a 10% incidental fund in your budget. You can work with an experienced professional to review your budget and get quotes for the trades and materials required.
You may also reduce renovation costs by identifying items like windows, doors, timber, flooring, cabinets, and timber that can be reused. To secure the materials, consider placing notes on the sections or items that you wish to reuse.
Also, consider the changes you want to make during the renovation. This ensures that you know where your reusable materials will go in order to prevent double costs.
Come Up With A Renovation Plan
Though this may sound like an obvious thing to do, most people initiate small-scale renovation projects without preparing a plan. Crafting a clear renovation plan allows you to work within your budget and complete the project within the stipulated time.
If you start a renovation project without a plan, you risk blowing your budget, which means you end up paying more than you’d have if you’d planned well. Often, budget leaks occur because you don’t have a framework for coordinating the renovation work.
Additionally, most people end up spending more because they fail to consider how the entire property will function in the short and long run. For instance, it’ll be expensive for you to renovate the kitchen only to relocate it after a few years out of necessity.
Work With Experienced Contractors
If your contractor or builder does a lousy job, your renovation project can become a nightmare. To keep this from happening, be wary of picking contractors who quote the lowest prices or those that aren’t available to work on the project right away.
To ensure that you hire an experienced contractor, request references and talk to them about the quality of work you expect them to deliver. Before hiring a contractor, ensure that they have experience in delivering similar projects, understand what you want, operate a legal business, and provide a contract and business details, including insurance and license number.
Of course, choosing a reputable company to work with shouldn’t apply to building contractors alone. Everything you purchase for your project should come from sources offering excellent products at reasonable prices. Even something as simple as skip bin hire has to be provided by a company that can meet your waste management needs.
Utilize Your Space Well
Space is important to consider when it comes to handling small-scale renovation projects. Before you formulate a plan for your project, check the available space and explore different designs to see what works. When picking a design, opt for one that adds value to your home while making it appear more spacious than it actually is. If you can, work with an architect to create a flexible and inexpensive design to implement.
Avoid Doing Too Much DIY
While remodelling a home by yourself can save you some costs, taking on too much work can overwhelm you. If you handle more tasks than you have time or skill for, it’ll be challenging for you to finish them successfully. This can slow your project down significantly and expose your family to accidents and conflicts. Avoid this by limiting your DIY efforts to matters you’re comfortable dealing with and those you can complete within the scheduled time.
Final Thoughts
Small-scale renovation projects are perfect for when you want to change the look of your home, create additional space, or keep your energy costs down. Though these kinds of projects don’t sound demanding, they can become a nightmare if you don’t plan well and allocate sufficient funds to the project. To avoid those pitfalls, apply the five tips presented above before commencing any renovation work.
