Expert advice on home renovations Guide, Property Tips, Online House Advice
Expert Advice on Home Renovations
29 Mar 2021
Home renovations are just what the doctor ordered for your less-than-fabulous home. In most cases, you can make any property into your dream home just by investing properly in the look and design. Renovating your home isn’t vanity, either. Adjusting the look and function can help improve your mental health and wellbeing significantly as well.
You’ll improve the value of your property, and in turn, improve the quality of life that you lead in your own home. There is every reason to renovate, and with this guide, you’ll do it right:
Know When You Can Fake It
There are a lot of beautiful renovation options that will cost an arm and a leg. There are also a lot of instances where you can fake it. Take a stone fireplace. Rather than invest in real stone (that is very heavy and expensive to build – you can instead invest in a fake stone alternative. Lighter, cheaper, and looks just like the real thing.
There are many examples of this. Instead of investing in heavy, solid wood reclaimed beams to add that extra character, you can make new wood look old. The look is what you want, so if you cannot afford the real thing, or your home cannot structurally handle it, fake it!
Getting the Funding that You Need
Home renovations can be costly. The obvious way to pay for them is, of course, outright. Saving up for a smaller renovation is a good option, but it can be difficult for many people. What do you do then?
You can work with the company itself if they have payment plans and other similar deals, but you will be looking at a loan in most cases. You could take out a loan over the short term and then pay off the cost of smaller renovations over the course of several months.
Know What You Can and Cannot Do
Before you get excited about what you want to do with your home, go and check with the local council to remind yourself what you can and cannot do. Listed homes, in particular, may have regulations on them that make it difficult to, for example, change out the exterior. Some may be so old you won’t even be allowed to update the windows.
What Renovations to Focus on First
You’ll likely break up the full renovation project into different pieces. To get the most out of your home sooner, renovate in this order:
- Storage
- Functionality (ex: insulation or a water softener)
- Kitchen
- Bathrooms
- Aesthetic
This way, you get more out of your home in terms of functionality and can slowly add in the beautiful aesthetic updates that will turn your house into a work of art.
Find the Right Contractor
Finally, you need a good contractor. Get a poor one, and you actually invite future costs in the future as professionals need to renovate or fix damage caused by that first person. Never skimp out on the contractor. Instead, follow this Eden guide and look at reviews, get in touch with their previous jobs, and learn about the people you’re going to hire before you get started.
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House Designs
Key contemporary Residential Developments in Strathclyde – key selection:
Smillie House, Dullatur village, near Cumbernauld, Scotland.
Design: jmarchitects
Smillie House
Bearsden House
Bearsden House
Hill House, Helensburgh, northwest of the city
Hill House
House for an Art Lover, Bellahouston Park, south west of the city centre
House for an Art Lover
Comments on this guide to Expert advice on home renovations advice article are welcome