Planning a Home Renovation: A Mini Guide

More and more people are choosing to purchase fixer-uppers these days. The homes are cheaper, and you get the opportunity to tailor them entirely to your needs. If you need more room than the house currently has, you can also choose to build an extension while you are renovating. You get the opportunity to make a house into a home. That being said, renovating is not necessarily easy; there are a lot of things that you need to bear in mind to ensure that the process goes as smoothly as possible. Let’s explore.

Initial Considerations

There are a lot of things that you need to think about before you commit to renovating your home. Firstly, you need to think about how much the renovation will cost versus how much value it will add to your property. You need to ensure that it makes sense financially, and looking at the value that it is likely to add to your home can help you when it comes to working out a budget too.

Secondly, depending on the scale of the project and whether you are going to be adding on to the property or just renovating the inside, you might want to consider whether or not you will need planning permission. Some work doesn’t, especially if it is a smaller project, but some will. It is always worth checking with the local authority to see whether or not you need to submit an application for planning permission.

If you do find that you need to submit an application for planning permission, then you need to make sure that you have everything that you need. Some applications require you to submit evidence alongside your application. They might be your renovation or extension plans, or they might be things like an environmental impact survey. Make sure that you have read the requirements. It is always worth overpreparing. Check out Arbtech; they have a number of ecological surveys; you can get a newt survey or an emergence bat survey, or just a general wildlife survey.

Next, you need to look up the laws and regulations that your renovation needs to adhere to. Again, this may or may not be relevant depending on the scope of the work that you are doing, but if you are doing structural work or installing appliances, then the likelihood is that you will need to look these up. Most people choose to hire someone to undertake this task, and therefore the onus is on them and not you, but you still need to find someone with the correct qualifications to ensure that they aren’t cowboy builders who work is at best subpar and at worst, dangerous.

Before the work starts, it is also worth contacting your home insurance provider. When you renovate your home, you are likely changing its value, and the value of your home is what your insurance company uses to work out your premiums and often your level of coverage too. By not letting them know, you risk rendering your insurance policy null and void should you incur damage.

Finally, building work at your home can often cause annoyances for your neighbours. The noise and the increased traffic around your home can cause disputes. Although most of the work will take place during the day when your neighbours are likely to be out of the house, you should still do them the courtesy of letting them know your plans. You might also want to let them know when the work is likely to be finished. Remember, you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Planning the Renovation

A renovation takes a lot of planning. The first thing that you need to do is work out a budget. How much do you have to spend on these renovations, and what do you want to achieve? You can design a renovation yourself, but if you haven’t got the time or the inclination, then you might want to consult an interior designer. If you want to save some money, then research is going to be your best bet. Look up room designs online; you can consult websites like Pinterest or publications dedicated to home design. Additionally, if you're looking to enhance the aesthetic appeal of your home during the renovation, consider incorporating high-quality interior doors from UK Oak Doors, which offer a wide range of beautiful options to suit your style.

Depending on the size and scope of your renovation, you might be able to undertake a lot of the work yourself, especially when it comes to the decorating side. However, the bigger tasks like ripping up and relaying floors, knocking down walls or installing new appliances should be delegated to professionals. You need to have a solid plan in place before you bring in the professionals; limiting their role can save you money but not using them when you should be costly.

How to Choose the Right Tradespeople

The tradespeople that you choose to use can affect all aspects of your renovation, from the finish to the timescale that you can expect. Reviews can be a great resource and give you an idea of how they work and what their previous customers have thought about them. You can also use sites like checkatrade to vet them before you commit to them. Finally, you should also always get quotes for the work you want them to do. Ask for quotes from your main contenders; you can use them to get an average for what the work should cost. If they all come back with similar price points and good reviews, then any of them would be a good option. However, if you find that one is too high or too low, then you might want to avoid them.

The Bottom Line

A lot of people outgrow their homes or find that it is not to their tastes anymore. Some people buy cheaper homes that needs work doing to it because they are cheaper and allow the homeowners to really mark their mark on the property. A good renovation can also dramatically increase the value of your home. Planning and preparing are key to ensuring that the renovation goes smoothly, so be sure to keep in mind the advice above.