What Should You Do First When Renovating a House?

When it comes to renovating a house, the first step is to start with design and planning. It's important to make sure you have enough funding for the renovation and to look for contractors and subcontractors for jobs you don't want to do yourself. It's also important to postpone some decisions, such as paint colors, carpets, and lamps, until you spend time in the space you're renovating. This will help you make sure that the paint palettes selected before the renovation began will work with the other aspects of the renovation.

It's also important to be prepared for the unexpected. All homes keep secrets, on walls, under floors and elsewhere. A renovation can bring them to light. For example, when your contractor tells you that your floors are uneven due to a displaced central joist while measuring your expected new hardwood floors.

Now you need to talk to the home inspector who didn't do it and repair the floor joist before the new material falls. If a total renovation is out of your budget, there are still ways to give your home a fresh feel. Paint the house, inside and out, to give it a fresh feel. Replace the floor, using wood if you can, to add value.

Redesign front and rear grass for curb appeal. Install new bathroom and kitchen accessories if a total renovation is out of your budget. However, before doing any work, you have to plan, hire contractors, obtain permits, and so on. all of which takes time. The most important aspect of the planning process is making sure that you have enough money to pay for the project, regardless of how large or small the scope of the work is.

So, the second step in planning a home remodel is to make a simple list of the work you want to do and decide if it's something you can do yourself or not. Once you have your plan in place and have chosen your contractor, it's time for the demolition to begin. To make way for the new, we must first eliminate the old. This involves not only demolition, but also debris removal, so you'll likely need to rent a large rolling container to manage waste. This will minimize risks and clutter during your demolition project and allow you to finish it as quickly, safely and seamlessly as possible.

If you decide to do any of the demolition work yourself, be careful and follow all safety precautions. Demolition can be very dangerous, especially when it's done at random. Once the demolition work is finished, the “dismantling process” can begin. Since wiring and plumbing will likely need to be reinstalled, do all roughing work before working on floors, drywall and paint, as they could be damaged in the process. Once all plumbing, electrical, and HVAC upgrades have been addressed and approved, it's time to address frames and drywall.

Painting is something you can do yourself, but it can also be an exhausting job. Do you need an architect or interior designer in your “dream team”? Every major renovation project requires a general contractor to handle the actual construction work done. However, some renovations require a trained home remodeling architect for technical and design services. This may include creating architectural drawings for the board or the Department of Buildings (or their local equivalent), issuing permits and approvals. Some renovators hire architects to provide a level of style, detail and management. Some think it's worth the expense, which is sometimes estimated at 20% of the budget.

Controlling a design direction will help you avoid being convinced of a designer's personal ideas which may be different from your vision of renovation. If you're renovating your entire home, you'll probably want each room to match in style and design at least in the main meeting spaces such as the kitchen family room and basement. However it's still a good idea to have a 10-20 percent contingency to account for unexpected expenses that may arise during renovations. Medium-cost remodels include everything included in a low-cost remodel plus complete renovation of master rooms and high-end floors. If you are going to follow this route find out what those stages are and estimate when each step of the renovation will be finished. Be clear about the steps you will need to take to renovate the property before starting and give priority to works that stop further deterioration or stabilize the structure. If you only want to improve one or two rooms replace some floors or maybe paint some walls definitely consider renovating your current home. When looking for properties to renovate it is very important to consider planning permission before buying.

A good working relationship between owner and contractor will go a long way in ensuring successful renovation so be sure to meet needs of builders. Install mobile kitchen in alternative room with microwave respect schedule carry out renovation efficiently comfortably without losing consciousness.

Judy Laubach
Judy Laubach

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