Renovating Your House – Five Things to Consider
Perhaps you’ve started to outgrow your home, or maybe you simply want to restyle your property or add value to it. Whatever the reason for your renovation, there are a variety of issues you should consider when you’re gearing up to make major changes to your house or flat. Here are five of the most important.
1 – Have you got enough money to make the changes?
One of the worst mistakes you can make when altering your property is to not do your sums and run out of money part way through the project. To prevent this from happening, you’ll need to make sure you have sufficient funds before the work gets underway. If you don’t have enough money upfront, you may need to consider taking out a personal loan. It’s now possible to do this online through websites such as www.chillmoney.ie. To discover whether you’re eligible to access money, simply fill in a few basic details. You may find you can get the money within a matter of days.
Allocate your funds carefully too so that they cover all aspects of your renovation from start to finish and you don’t end up overspending on certain parts of the project.
2 – Who should do the work?
If you have some DIY knowledge and skills, you might be tempted to cut costs by doing some of the work yourself. However, it’s essential that you don’t over-reach your abilities. If you do, you could endanger your safety and cause unnecessary damage to your home. For many renovation tasks, it’s far better to turn to the professionals.
Some renovation tasks like subsidence resolution may require advanced tools and equipment that you simply don’t have access to, like groundworks machinery, but you can learn more and get it right by:
- Research – make a list of local tradesmen and machinery specialists.
- Visit website – of trusted tradesmen to see their services, equipment and portfolio.
- Talk & Agree – with a professional tradesman about your project and the fee you’ll be charged.
To make sure you get a good deal, always take quotes from a number of specialists. Also, draw up written agreements with the companies or tradespeople you use detailing how long the project will take and how much it will cost.
3 – Are you making a sound investment?
If you’re making changes to your property for investment purposes, it pays to do your research before you start. Certain alterations can prove to be much more cost-effective than others. For example, according to figures cited by the National Association of Estate Agents, extensions add-on average 11 per cent to the value of homes, while adding a double bedroom could increase the value by 10 per cent. This contrasts with extra bathrooms and conservatories, which typically both add around five per cent.
When you’re deciding how worthwhile particular changes are, calculate how much you’ll need to spend on them and roughly how much you can expect the value of your property to rise by.
4 – Have you dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s?
There are various rules and regulations to consider when you’re renovating. For example, you may need to inform your home insurance provider before you start any work. If you don’t, you risk invalidating your policy. You should also make sure you have any the relevant planning permissions in place before you get stuck into improvement projects. This is particularly important if you’re making structural changes to your home, you’re extending it or you live in a conservation area.
Further Reading: 3 Simple Home Renovations You Can DIY For a BIG IMPACT
5 – Will you be able to cope with the disruption?
Your revamped property might be a pleasure to live in when the work’s all finished, but bear in mind that there might be a lot of disruption to put up with along the way. Depending on the nature of the changes you’re making, you may even have to move out of your property for a while. If this is the case, will you be able to stay with friends and family or can you afford to rent a property temporarily?
Also, will you have to place to store any possessions you need to move?
You need to factor in the cost of renting another property or storage unit when you are planning out your renovation tasks, as well as considering the emotional toll that it’s going to take on you and your family when you have to be away from your property. This may lead you to break down your renovation work so that just one room gets tackled at a time, as this way you can remain in your home without too much fuss while the work gets done.
These are all issues that you can’t afford to ignore before you embark on a renovation. As long as you’re methodical in your approach though, you should be able to ensure the project runs smoothly.
PIN: 5 Things to Consider when Renovating Your House
Written by Anna Longdin. Anna is a freelance writer specialising in home improvement and lifestyle.
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