There are some jobs in life that just seem to take up more time than we’d really like. Home renovation is one of them. Obviously, you want the benefit of the improvements and better living space.
But, when you are trying to run a household, live and deal with the disruptions caused by the work, day in and day out, it can become a drag rather quickly.
It doesn’t have to be that way though. In the following article, we will highlight some great home renovation tips to help you to speed up the work and complete it in a much quicker way
5 Home Renovation Tips
01. Hire Professional Tradesmen
We understand that you want to do the work on your own. There is a certain sense of pride you can feel when you look at something you have done with your own hands and sweated over.However, unless you are trained in some of the more specialist work you may need one. The money you save initially in trying to do it yourself may not compare to the amount of money you may need to pay out to correct bodged jobs.
It is far better then, and less time-consuming, to hire professionals who are qualified, experienced and skilled to complete specialist tasks.
So, from the planning stages to the finishing touches, get professional interior designers, bricklayers, electricians, plumbers and any tradesmen involved.
You’ll appreciate much of that stress being lifted that you may feel when trying to tackle it all yourself. They will be able to come in and do their bit and move onto the next thing and won’t need to spend hours watching tutorials on YouTube.
02. Plan Out the Work Fully
This may require the help of an interior designer or a project manager for the construction company you may need to hire.However, there is no getting around the need for a proper plan to be in place. You need to think about the work that you want to carry out. You need to consider the scale and how labour-intensive it will be. You also need to have achievable deadlines in place.
Over and above all that, planning everything out before a hammer is lifted or a non-supporting wall is removed, can stop the budget increasing way out of control.
Once you have a plan of the work then you can start working out the materials you may need and the tradesmen you need to hire.
So, although this is second in our post, both this and the first point should be considered at the same time, i.e. in the beginning and not halfway through the project when you realize you don’t have enough cement or need more timber.
03. Budget Accordingly
Setting the budget for a project like a home renovation, whether it’s just one room, a garage or the whole property, can be difficult. That doesn’t mean you should avoid doing it entirely, though. It just means you need to make estimates.This is again where experts and tradesmen come into their own. By having a reliable and experienced interior designer on board, you will have a better idea of how to calculate the cost of the work.
It’s always a good idea to have a buffer zone in place so that if you go over your budget, you don’t need to break into the income you have set aside to live on.
04. Enlist the Help of Willing Volunteers
Never underestimate the old saying that quoted by John Heywood “Many hands make light work”. Sure, you are hiring professionals to handle the more technical and specialist side of things.
There’s no reason, though, why you can’t enlist the helping hands of some of your family, friends and even work colleagues.
You may need to buy them a 6-pack or two or compensate them with a nice meal in their favourite restaurant, but having all hands on deck to help move things and handle the clean-up and finishing touches can be a real help for ensuring the work is completed on time.
It can also strengthen your bonds because you have worked on things together and are able to look back at the results with pride.
05. Take Shortcuts Where Possible, but The Right Shortcuts
It’s not something you’d normally see as a recommendation – taking shortcuts. That’s why we were careful to note that you can take shortcuts, but make sure they are the right shortcuts, otherwise shortcuts will cut you short.
Don’t be silly and use inferior materials that could interfere with the sound structural integrity of your building for instance.
Don’t just handle the electrical work on your home’s wiring instead of getting a fully qualified electrician in. Not unless you want the very real possibility of starting a fire or injuring you or anyone else in the vicinity.
What shortcuts are okay then?
Well, once the bulk of the work has been completed and you are left with the finishing touches such as painting the newly plastered walls, there is nothing wrong with making use of an indoor paint sprayer, rather than doing it all manually by hand with a roller or brush.Not only can a paint sprayer, especially if you invest in a good quality one, help get paint on the walls quicker, it can help ensure it goes on the walls more evenly than if you were to do it by hand.
Really, when you are at the stage when the last thing you need to do is put those last layers of paint on walls and other fixtures, you will have less motivation and energy than when you began. That’s why a paint sprayer is a good alternative to all those blisters and callouses.
So, if you are planning some extensive renovation work on your property, you may be feeling a little overwhelmed and worried that it will take up too much of your precious time.
Summing up, by keeping the above home renovation tips in mind, though, you will have a better chance of ensuring it is completed within a reasonable timeframe and falls within your budget with less stress.