Is your New Years’ resolution to finally get around to renovating your home? It can seem an incredibly overwhelming and daunting task, especially if you’re planning on making big changes.
So if you’re feeling a bit disheartened, anxious, and not sure where to start – don’t panic! Stop for a moment, take a deep breath, and read on.
Whilst we’re not able to physically help you with your home renovation, we have got some extremely helpful tips to get you started. There’s a lot to consider before you even get started and pick up those power tools, so taking time out at the beginning of the process to properly plan and think ahead is crucial. It may seem boring & time-consuming, but believe us when we say – it’ll save you a lot of time and even money in the long run.
Let’s take a look at exactly what you need to know before starting a home renovation, and the processes you should go through:
Building surveys
We know – more boring paperwork! But honestly, before you can even get started on the renovation process, it’s vital to commission any necessary building surveys. We recommend surveys for older homes, where you may find underlying issues such as dampness, problems with your roof, and potentially even movement to the structure. If you don’t the first rule out any of these larger issues, they’ll only come back to haunt you later down the line. So whilst this can be a time-consuming and anxiety-ridden process, we promise you it’s not only essential but absolutely worthwhile too.
Plan of action
We cannot stress enough the importance of a plan. Here we’ll be ruling out a few steps you can add to your plan to get you started, but the more detail you can add to your plan the better. When you’re taking on a big project like a renovation, there can be so much to consider and therefore a lot of room for error. We recommend beginning your plan by considering what needs completing, room by room. Then you can work out what order you’ll need to start tackling these jobs in, a rough timescale for each of these jobs, and notes on whether you plan to carry out all of these jobs yourself or whether you’ll occasionally call in the help of professionals. We’d also recommend you consider planning and tracking your budget for your renovation work. Most renovations do unfortunately end up going over budget, but it’s still important to be aware of how much money you’re spending.
Think safety
This is so often an area that is completely overlooked in renovation work, especially by those carrying out most or all of the work themselves. But thousands of accidents happen due to DIY every single year, some of them can be life-changing. So it’s absolutely crucial to make sure you take the necessary steps you can to ensure your own safety. A home during major renovations is essentially a building site after all, and so it needs to be treated with the same caution and respect. Investing in PPE, such as hard hats, protective gloves, safety footwear, safety goggles, and protective clothing, can be potentially life-saving. You can find affordable PPE for DIY online, such as at Pronto Direct.
Invest in tools
Finding the right tools for the job can save you A LOT of time. Attempting to carry out a job with the wrong tools can not only be incredibly time-consuming and make hard work out of a simple job, but it can also be dangerous. For more complex jobs, such as tiling, it’s worth doing a short amount of research into the right tools you’ll need for the job. Then deciding whether to invest in them and purchase them yourself or to potentially rent them. Renting larger DIY tools such as floor sanders or saws is an affordable alternative. It allows you to enjoy the benefits of using expensive, high-quality professional tools, without having to outlay a huge amount of money on something you may only use once or twice. When creating your plan, work out which tools you’ll need and how often you’ll use them, then you can easily make the decision on which to buy and which to rent. Then, you can work out how much money you’re saving by renting tools – you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
Consider waste
One of the worst parts of a renovation is the amount of waste you’ll end up with lying around your home. It’s a part of the process that often comes as quite a surprise for anyone relatively new to DIY, but it’s wise to consider it. After all, all of your rubble, rubbish, and waste has got to go somewhere! Whilst you might be able to dispose of certain waste in your usual recycling, or by taking regular trips to the dump, it could be a good idea to consider hiring a skip. It’s worth considering what will work best for you and your renovation.
With thorough planning and a little bit of patience, we’re sure your home renovation will be a huge success! Try and enjoy the process, and keep your eye on your final goal – it’ll all be worth it in the end, we promise.
Read More: Outdoor Home Renovations You Should Consider
