Renovating a home is exciting, but also exhausting. Trying to manage a million things at once, dealing with one catastrophe after the other and spending probably more money than you should have – it can feel like a bit of a nightmare.
However, the simple act of thinking ahead, having a good game plan, and talking to people in the know, can really help you glide through this journey and survive it unscarred. Here are a few things to keep in mind before you get started.
Pick Your Battles
When you’re remodelling your home, try to remember you’re not building it from the bottom up. When you’re on a budget it might be a good idea to make some decisions about what really needs to be remodelled and what’s fine as it is.
Consider elements like window replacement, new doors, flooring, ceilings, countertops, etc. The list goes on and on – there are a million things in a home that you could technically rip to shreds and start over from scratch. But are each and every one of them necessary? Probably not. Choose what matters most and start there – you can always return to other elements at a later stage.
Forget the Internet
Homebuilding and renovation are good examples of projects NOT to rely on the internet for. While the world wide web is a great place to look for inspiration and companies you might like to work with, it’s not recommended to purchase any materials or hire any contractors or designers without seeing them in person first.
You Can’t Do This Alone
As nice as it would be to have full control over every step of this process, you know that’s not physically impossible. With a project like this, you’re going to need to rely on professionals to help you with various steps: planning, design and of course, the actual building.
Working with people means that there are going to be clashes. Whether this comes down to creative differences more serious misdemeanours, be prepared to deal with some conflict, and be prepared for the fact that things won’t always go your way. Doing your research is an important aspect of the journey, in order to give yourself the best shot at hiring the best people for the job. When you’re working with designers and contractors you trust, the stress levels can come down a little.
Don’t Forget the Details
Remember to talk through minor details with your designer. Consider elements like storage space, place for your appliances like washing machines and dishwashers, how to ensure that the home is child-friendly (if you have children) and other details like this. Once the home is built and remodelled, there’s no real turning back – unless you pay a whole lot of money to change things again.
This means it’s really important to have each and every detail that’s important to you mapped out before the work begins. Thorough planning is definitely the key to a stress-free home renovation.
