Few of us are lucky enough to move straight into a perfect dream home. Indeed, the true way both to add value and to make your home truly perfect for your own family and your needs is to take on a house which needs a little TLC. Tackling a home renovation is equal parts exciting, challenging and frustrating. It can be a very steep learning curve, especially if it’s the first time you’ve taken on a project of that scale. One thing’s for sure, you’re likely to come out the other side with a few lessons learned, as doing up a house tests your skills, your budget and your patience. Here’s a few things your home renovation project will teach you…
Planning Is Key
Not just when it comes to commissioning a few drawings from a firm of Residential Architects – you need to strive to establish and maintain a strong working relationship with both your architect and your builder. It’s a process of understanding what your aims are and how the work will be planned out. Make it a regular part of your routine to check in before the beginning of each week to keep on top of progress, catch smaller issues before they spiral into larger ones, and understand exactly what is currently taking place in your home. This gives you the chance to plan out your own week – especially key if you are still living in the property while works are taking place – to understand what supplies and materials will be needed and also to know what decisions that you, as the homeowner, will have to make. You’ll soon find that most building projects require an endless series of decisions on everything from the position of your power outlets to the colour of your window frames. Timing is hugely important here as time is literally money when it comes to paid labour, so you don’t want to be the cause of any available delays.
Accept The Chaos
There is no way to really prepare yourself for the mess, chaos and the sheer amount of dust home renovation work entails. Trying to keep on top of it and whip the Dyson cordless vacuum out every time you see a bit of debris is a surefire way to drive yourself crazy. You have to learn to let go of the mess and chaos a little bit. Try to find a balance between accepting the reality of a renovation and not completely letting the dust win. When the build is over and you have your home back, schedule a deep clean and perhaps even hire a cleaning firm to help.
Don’t Be Afraid To Ask
Sometimes we can be a little hesitant to ask questions of the tradesmen we work with, perhaps as we’re intimidated by a subject we feel we don’t know much about. But there is a huge difference between placing your trust in someone who has been recommended to do a job for you, and not speaking up if you see a problem or your gut tells you something is wrong. Remember, you are directly paying wages and this is your home – you have every right to ask questions without feeling like you’re wasting time. Taking the opportunity to communicate is never a waste of time – in fact, it’s essential.
Nb. Collaborative post.
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