5 Ways to Simplify Your Home Renovation Project
Deciding to start a renovation project on some part of your house can be a smart move. If done correctly, you can add a great deal of value to your home and improve its overall functionality. However, a major renovation project is no small undertaking.
If you are not careful, your project can end up costing you far more than you had initially planned and fail to provide the results that you were hoping to achieve. This is particularly true in cases where the project you take on is a bit over your head. By taking on too much, you risk making a mistake and then having to pay twice to go back and make any necessary corrections.
Your best course of action is to take the time to plan out your projects properly. With the right roadmap and plan for your project, you can end up with the results you want and come in under budget. Moreover, you can avoid overcomplicating matters so that you can get through your renovation project with as little stress as possible.
With the above mind, here are five things that you should consider doing that can help you to keep your home renovation project simple.
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1. Map it Out
One of the most important things to do before getting your renovation project rolling is to plan things out properly. When you are taking on a large scale project, such as completely redoing your kitchen or bathroom, you need to make sure that you have everything mapped out as clearly as possible.
In such cases, simply sketching things out roughly by hand might not be good enough. For example, when planning for flooring and cabinets, you want to be absolutely certain that your measurements and layout are as precise as possible.
If your project involves plotting a layout that needs to be precise, consider using an online tool to help you calculate the area of the space. This will help you know just how much space you are working with so that there is very little room for error as you get your project going.
2. Create a Realistic Timeline
Allowing your home renovation project to take too long can be one of the things that destroy your budget. To keep the process as simple as possible and avoid letting things take longer than they should, take the time to create a realistic timeline for yourself.
By laying out how long each step of the process will take as precisely as possible, you can give yourself realistic deadlines to stick to. This can help you prevent things from taking longer than they should so that you can finish your project on time and under the budget.
3. Be Strict with Your Budget
When it comes to home renovation projects, there is nothing quite as important as sticking to your budget. There is a real risk with such projects of overspending and ending up in a worse financial position than when you started. If your goal is to add to the value to your property, this can be completely counter-productive.
Before you get your project started, take the time to honestly evaluate how much you will be willing and able to spend. Bear in mind that it is not necessarily the planned big-ticket items that can potentially hurt your budget. Rather, the cost of smaller aspects of your project, such as finishes and final touches, can really add up before you know it.
Moreover, there is always a risk with older homes when you start opening up walls and really getting into things that you will find more work than you anticipated. If, for instance, you discover a major issue with electrical wiring that must be addressed, and for quite the cost, you will need to re-evaluate your budget.
You might need to reduce the amount you had intended to spend on the design aspect of your renovation to accommodate such issues. Even though this can be disappointing, it is far better to do so than end up going way over budget to complete your project.
4. Know When to Bring in an Expert
Another thing that can complicate the process of renovating a part of your home is taking on too much regarding the skills required to complete a certain task. You might think that DIY is the way to go in the name of saving money, but the fact of the matter is that you will need to ensure that certain things are completed correctly and safely.
For example, unless you are specifically trained in electrical work, you should not attempt to rewire things or replace old wiring in your home. Failure to do this correctly can pose a serious safety issue. Furthermore, if done incorrectly, you will simply have to pay extra to have an expert come out to fix your mistakes in the end.
Ensure that you are honest with yourself about what you can and cannot accomplish when it comes to your home renovation project. Then, bring in the experts when it is right to do so.
5. Have a Backup Plan
As you go through the process of completing your home renovation project, you will find that there will be times when not everything goes according to plan. For instance, if you have asked a friend to come to help you to move some heavy materials on a certain day and they cancel on you at the last minute, you will want to have a contingency plan in place.
If you fail to do so, your project can end up taking far longer than it should, and your timeline and budget can both be negatively affected. Evaluate what sort of help you will need for each step of the way so that you can have the right backup plans in place just in case something falls through at the last minute, and you’ll be sure to keep your project on track at all times.
