Things You Need To Know: A Home Renovation Checklist
Be an Informed Renovator
We love giving homeowners the insider information needed to master the art of a renovation! We created the Renovation Roadmap as an online tool that helps you navigate the remodeling process when working with a general contractor.
Ready, get set…wait!
A home renovation is a big undertaking. Sure, we might have tons of inspiration from HGTV and Pinterest boards, but most of also have budget and time constraints to consider. Before you start Demolition Day: Chip Gaines style, check out this renovation checklist first to ensure that all of your ducks are in a row.
Know Your Budget
Everything costs money and knowing your budget is one of the most — if not the most — important steps in the home renovation process. Being aware of your financial standing will help you prioritize what’s truly relevant for your home renovation. Yes, you may want a hot tub grotto, but is that more important than new marble countertops, a fresh set of cabinets, and hardwood floors? Also, keep in mind that surprises do happen, and you will more than likely end up spending more than you anticipated, so make allotments for that from the onset.
Focus on small sections of the house at a time
Unless you are planning on moving out during the house remodeling process, it is easier (and more economical) to focus on updating certain sections of your house a little at a time. If the bedroom, kitchen, and dining room are in shambles, your mental state is bound to be a wreck, too. If, though, you work on and complete certain smaller portions at a time, you’ll be able to have some reprieve from the renovation chaos
Gather inspiration
A well put together renovation checklist will include tons of remodeling ideas. Whether you create boards on Pinterest, take screenshots of Google pictures, or put together a vision board using magazine clippings, it’s important to know what you want before you go out looking for and interviewing contractors. That’s where the Renovation Roadmap comes in. Not only will your inspiration and planning help out the contractors — some might not be comfortable doing the type of work you’re seeking — but you will be able to keep a consistent visual flow going throughout your house.
How to Renovate Your House on a Budget These Days
House renovation can be costly as you move to make your house a luxury place with comfort and style. Staying on a limited budget during the remodeling process thus requires more than general concepts on how to renovate a house. You have to take into consideration a number of factors to avoid spending too much beyond the limits of your budget. This is where creativity and resourcefulness come in handy. Let’s have a look at some of the tips to make the renovation process easy.
Clean up
This is the first step before you introduce any changes in your house. Put every item away from the house and have it cleaned well. You will notice the house looks better right away. Cleaning will also give you the chances to visualize how household items are arranged. This will give you more ideas on how to choose different places to store your belongings or how to rearrange the furniture well. Doing so will make the renovation more effective and appealing to see. Get rid of any unnecessary items in the house. This will add more space to the house and make every room look much bigger than before. Crammed clutter makes the house look so messy. Moving furniture to different rooms will help add more space making your house more useful without spending a single cent.
Create natural light without putting windows
It is a noble idea to go for affordable and less invasive ways of bringing light into your house. This should be done before you rearrange the framing and make a large hole in the walls of your house. To come up with a windowless way with natural light, install a light tube for instance which taps light from the roof rafter to the living room.
Improve efficiency, not size
Equipping and rearranging the kitchen for maximum usefulness will help you avoid demolishing some of the walls of the house to gain more space. The shelves which consume a lot of space should be replaced with cabinets drawers. The preferred height of the pullout drawers should be 8 inches. This will create additional space where you can store canned good and other household items.
Demolish by yourself
Demolishing the house may not be as expensive as renovation, however, you can still save a few coins by doing the process by yourself. However, you need to take good care of yourself to avoid unnecessary injuries. Doing a demo is mostly preferred on a deck but when it comes to the interior, it is advisable to seek the services of a contractor. Start from the front door now that you have had your house properly cleaned, the next step involves renovating. But where should you start from to make the process more effective? Of course, the front door is the first focal point.
TIPS FOR SURVIVING A LIVE-IN KITCHEN RENO
As you know, we’re smack dab in the middle of renovating our kitchen. You guys have given me SO many good tips and suggestions for surviving my kitchen renovation, I thought I’d share a bunch of my favorites here on the blog. If anyone is in the same boat… living amongst a mess and renovation- this post is a must-read! This may not be the prettiest post, but trust me when I say- there are so many amazing hacks to help you keep your sanity if you’re also planning to survive a reno.
Living in a reno is a difficult task in itself, but living through a KITCHEN renovation is a totally different ballgame. I’m not going to lie- it’s miserable. Imagine going two or three months without a sink, oven, cooktop, or in some circumstances, a fridge. Over the past couple months I’ve picked up some invaluable tricks that are helping Emmett and I survive the day-to-day without a kitchen.
Give Up Some Control
This might seem counterintuitive, but trust me- it’s better to let some things be. Depending on the scale of your reno, the house will get messy. That’s just a fact. It’s impossible and tiring to clean every single day for months on end. The end will come soon enough and there will be a day where things are neat, tidy, perfectly organized and clean once again (at least I hope so). However, until that day comes… I’ve found it’s not worth it to obsess. I had to limit my cleaning to 2-3 times per week because it was stressing me out and taking so much valuable time. There is NO way to keep up with the dust, so eventually embrace what is out of your control.
Section Off the House
Obviously there are some things you can do to keep the dust and dirt from spreading to other sections of your home. Here’s a list of things we’ve tried that I’ve found to work:
Plastic and Tape (tape off doorways)
Flat Sheets (wet the sheet and hang in the door way, in front of the plastic, when sanding- it helps to attract and catch drywall dust)
2 Pairs of House Slippers (one for the clean areas and one for the workspace… the easier to slide on and off, the better)
Shop Vac (if you don’t want to ruin your regular vacuum cleaner)
Moving Blankets (so much better than contractor paper to protect your floors- especially in the winter or rainy seasons)
Dusting Mit (this is my favorite because it doesn’t require cleaner… super quick and easy for keeping surfaces in other rooms drywall dust free)
F O O D
During most full fledged kitchen renos, there will be a point where it’s out with the old appliances and in with the new. We’ve been without appliances for almost two months now and it’s about as fun as you’d expect.
Want to renovate your home but don’t know where to start? A step-by-step guide to renovating
Don’t wait until you are halfway through your renovation to discover that you should have painted the walls before laying the solid timber floors or that the wiring should have been finished before the new ceiling went in. Follow a checklist in your renovation project for less stress and mess.
Design and planning
“Keep it simple and be as final about your decisions as you can be before you start. Changes to designs and materials during the process add delays and costs that can really destroy your budget,” says
Decide if you are going to do it yourself or hire a project manager or builder
“Employ a project manager/builder as this will keep the work flowing and they will employ licensed trades that will turn up and do a good job. You will also receive a seven-year warranty for the work completed,” says
Get council approval
You will need to check with your council to clarify the local regulations before you start renovations, says
“Are you doing additions? Are you changing the use of any rooms? (for example changing a bedroom to a bathroom.) Are you making structural changes? Are you planning a deck larger than 20 square metres and higher than one metre? Some areas require council approval for changes to the external appearance of the property, even changing paint colours,” she says.
Home Improvement: Keeping Your Things Safe While Renovating
Renovating your home is an exciting time.
Goodbye, pale green porcelain bathroom. Goodbye, carpet where the original colour is as unknown as Grannys real age. Goodbye, terrible water pressure and cramped necks from washing your hair over the bath.
With finishings and swatches, colour palettes and fixtures, installations and furnishings all occupying your mind, you might not have stopped to think about how you will keep your home and belongings secure during the renovation.
Hire The Best Contractor in the Business
This has got to be on the top of your agenda. There’s nothing quite as important in terms of safety and securing your home and possessions than checking out the credentials of your contractor before handing over the keys to your home
Find a Good Removal Company
One way to make things much less stressful is to hire a good removal company to make moving your possessions as safe and secure as possible.
Keep Things out of Sight
If you are going to keep some of your possessions in a separate part of the house or in the garage, you’ve got to make sure they are tidied well out of view of any passers by.