No matter how great your home is, from time to time, it’s nice to do a little renovation work to
breathe new life into it. Every home looks better for a minor revamp once in a while, and
even just some simple touch-up work can make a massive difference to the appearance of
your home.
As with most things in life, the key is to start with good planning. Decide how you want to
improve your home, think about the potential outcome, and formulate a route for how you’re
going to complete the work.
Renovation projects can be as simple as a small repaint job or scale right up to adding extra
rooms or an extension. Take some time to decide what you want to achieve and try to
formulate a budget and schedule to complete the job. Remember always to include
contingency funds for unexpected over-runs or expenses.
Depending on the scope and complexity of the work you intend to do, there are three main
options when it comes to completing the job: doing it yourself, hiring an architect/builder or
working with a design build remodeling company. Each has its advantages, both from an
ease of work point of view and also the cost.
The DIY route
In most cases, it will be immediately apparent whether you can complete the work yourself –
though, often, you may decide to hire skilled professionals anyway. For example, simple
painting or wallpapering is well within the scope of most people – although you may prefer to
use a professional anyway to save time.
Replacing cupboards, plastering, laying carpet/floor tiles, or basic furniture refits are also
relatively easy tasks, but, again, many people opt to call in the professionals rather than
undertaking to do the work themselves.
While it’s easier and less stressful hiring experienced workers, by doing things yourself, you’ll
likely feel a greater sense of pride and satisfaction at completing the work, and you’ll also be
able to add your own personal touches along the way.
Hiring an architect and builder
For larger, more complex projects, it’s almost always a better idea to bring in the services of
skilled professionals. Extensions, structural alterations, or other larger-scale projects will
almost always be completed quicker by qualified companies.
Working with an architect, you can draw on their considerable expertise while also offering
your own input to the layout, materials, and finishes. A skilled builder will then take over the
project, sourcing everything required for the job. While the process might not be quite as
rewarding as doing the work yourself, it will be considerably quicker – and, in many cases,
can even work out cheaper.
Taking the design build route
Working with a single company for the design and build of your alterations is often the most
streamlined way of renovating your home. By employing the services of just one company,
you’re likely to reduce potential complications or misunderstandings between architects,
designers, and builders. Also, you’ll only have to deal with sourcing one quote for the work,
from start to end.
It’s also worth remembering, working with two separate companies usually means coordinating two different project managers as it’s unlikely your architect will manage your
builder – and vice versa.
Design build companies are becoming an increasingly popular option for home renovations,
putting you in complete control of the job while bringing a coordinated methodology to the
project.
Add Outdoor Space
Everyone wants some more space to use in their home, but not all of this has to actually be inside your home. Instead, it could be worth upgrading your outdoor space to something much more usable. Custom porches, patios, and similar structures can all be recommended with this.
These can all let you enjoy the outdoors around your home while staying protected from the weather. Add in the fact you’ll have more home to enjoy, there’s no reason not to consider them. They can even improve your home value if you’re considering selling in the future, making them even more appealing.
*contributed post*
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