8 Home Renovation Tips

STAFF WRITER

Renovating your home can be an amazing experience. You’ll learn a lot you didn’t know before and increase your home’s value while you’re at it. But while it’s rewarding, undertaking such a project can also be overwhelming. There’s noise, mess, and general chaos, which can sometimes last months (and even years if you’re not organised!).

And while there’s no way you’ll avoid all the disruptions that come with a home renovation, there are a few things you can do to make the process easier. Below, we’ve rounded up 8 home renovation tips to help make it less stressful and more successful.

Start with a Plan

It’s an obvious one, but the best starting point for a home renovation is to draw up a detailed plan. This process involves a lot of things, from scouring the internet for design inspiration to choosing what materials you’ll be using. You’ll also have to decide what tasks you can do yourself and what you should hire a contractor to do.

Being as detailed as possible in this step will make things far easier down the line. Think of your plan as the strong foundation on which your home renovation will be built.

Set a Budget

With a detailed plan in place, you can also work out a rough budget of how much this renovation will cost. This is far better than going with the flow and running out of money halfway before you’ve finished updating your kitchen.

When setting your budget, be realistic about what you can and can’t afford, and then stick to your guns. It’s of course fine to splash out here and there but do it too many times and it’s possible you’ll run out of money before you’ve finished.

A budget will also come in handy when approaching a contractor. When you know how much money you can dedicate to their job, they’ll be able to produce a more accurate description of the end job.

Get the Right Tools

A fun part of home renovations for a lot of people is getting stuck in and figuring out how to do a lot of it yourself. If you’re going down the DIY route, then it’s important to get the right set of tools. Stonex has a wide selection of everything you’ll need for any job.

There’s something for every kind of task you can imagine, from simple measuring tapes to power saws. With the planning stage done correctly, you should also be able to narrow down what you need and what you can go without.

Finding A Contractor

Remember, you don’t have to do it all yourself – and sometimes DIY isn’t the best idea for what you have planned anyways. That means you’ll need to hire a contractor to help.

There are loads of great contractors around Sydney ready to step in and help. Do some research to find out who in your area will do a professional job. Also remember to ask around your friends, families, and co-workers, checking if anyone has a recommendation.

If you’ve planned well, you should be able to give a contractor a thorough description of the job, resulting in a more accurate and detailed quote. Ask around several contractors for a quote to compare with each other, and you should be able to make an informed choice.

Prepare for Delays

No matter how thoroughly you planned out your home renovation project, it’s likely that there will be some delays. It could be anything: the wrong material for the job, a DIY error, or even bad luck with the weather.

Sitting around while progress grinds to a halt can be frustrating. But if you’re mentally prepared for a delay, it becomes a bit easier to bear. You can even have a list of tasks that you can do if a delay pops up to keep the momentum rolling forward.

Upgrade Where you Can

Remodelling a home is one of the best ways to increase its value. But a smart idea is to take it one step further and upgrade things while you’re at it.

If you’re already going to be tearing down walls, why not upgrade the insulation? Ripping out the kitchen, why not throw in a new dishwasher while you’re at it? All this in the long run will add more value onto your home.

Another great tip is to upgrade your electric plugs. There’s no better time to install more outlets than when you’re renovating a room anyway.

Pack Away Your Valuables

Renovating your home will be messy – packing away all your valuables to protect them is a good idea. That means framed photos, decorative items, and more. It’s also a good idea to put down protection for what you can’t take away, for example covering up the hardwood floors and draping protective covers over larger furniture items.

For the more precious valuables, it’s a good idea to pack them up in a box and either take them to a relative’s home or store them away in a safety deposit box. If you need more home decoration and ideas.

Take a Vacation if you Need it

If all the dust, sand, noise, and mess is starting to get to you, don’t be afraid to take a mini vacation. Getting away from it all for even one night helps you disconnect from the stress and hectic pace of a home renovation.

Distancing yourself also helps you reflect on the job and find solutions to problems you were having on site. Afterwards, you can bring back your newfound energy and throw it all into your home renovation.