There are a variety of reasons why you may want to consider a home renovation.
Perhaps your appliances and fixtures are old and need to be replaced; perhaps you simply want to spruce up the interior decor; or perhaps you want to give your house a final face-lift before you sell it.
Regardless, the home renovation process is no small feat, and certainly not something that people should be doing on a whim.
There’s a sizeable laundry list of things to consider when it comes to giving your home the makeover it deserves:
- Your budget
- The right interior designer or contractor
- The style of interior design you wish to upgrade to
- The appropriate type of furniture to incorporate
Though a home renovation may be a time-consuming and emotionally exhausting process, it’s incredibly worthwhile once everything comes together.
Benefits Of A Home Renovation
Whether you’re simply giving your house a fresh coat of paint, or planning a complete bathroom or kitchen renovation, there are several benefits that come with remodelling your home to make it feel new:
1) Save Face
Do you no longer invite friends or family over for meals and parties because you’re embarrassed about cracks in the walls, peeling paint, chipped furniture or stained curtains?
By carrying out renovations and making your home look good as new, you’ll save yourself the shame of allowing your guests to see your house in a dilapidated condition.
No longer will your guests have to see the sight of a bathroom with water stains all over!
2) Let Your Personality Shine
If you purchased a fully-furnished house, you’ll have had no control over the initial design.
But with a renovation, you’ll have the opportunity to customise the interior décor so that it suits your preferred style. Your newly redone home will reflect your personality, style, tastes and preferences.
From the colour of the couch to the type of stone used in the kitchen, you’ll control every single element of the interior improvement so that your home finally feels like you.
3) Update Your Home
Along with personalisation, a home renovation also allows you to transform your home from an outdated style to a contemporary one, complete with modern furnishings, eco-friendly household gadgets, and efficient fixtures.
If you’re a green-minded person, you can even consider adding plants to better your home and living environment.
4) Higher Property Value
If you plan to sell your home in the near future, giving it an upgrade might be the key to commanding a higher price.
The more updated a residence is, the more likely it is for people to snap it up quickly.
Types Of Home Renovations
1) Basic Home Renovations
If you’ve been inhabiting the house for a while, it’s only natural to sustain some wear and tear, such as cracked walls, leaky faucets, cracked tiles, faulty wiring, etc.
While fixing these damages will not damage your pocket considerably, it’s better to get them checked before they snowball into bigger problems (for instance, allowing a leaky faucet to go unattended will result in higher water bills, and can even damage the entire bathroom itself!).
2) Minor Construction
If you plan to give your walls a fresh coat of paint, replace old furniture, or hang new wallpaper, those count as minor construction.
A simple cosmetic makeover for your house is cost-effective, and will instantly give it a fresh lease of life.
Minor renovations may also be limited to one room in the house, such as the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, or living area.
3) Major Construction
Whether you’re looking to modify either a specific section of the house, or the place, it will count as major construction.
Mould removal, adding a new room/door/window, demolishing walls to create a new section of the house, adding a new floor to the house, replacing the roof, or fixing damaged walls with new steel beams, all count as examples of a major renovation.
It should be noted that at NO POINT should you attempt to undertake any of these renovation tasks by yourself – they’re best left in the careful hands of a cautious and competent professional with prior experience in rehauling homes.
How To Budget For Or Finance A Home Renovation
1) Shortlist All Your Renovation Needs
Focus on the word “needs”. If you’re working with a limited budget, you should maximise your resources wisely and spend only on those items that require your immediate attention.
For instance, if you have water damage or a nasty case of black mould, your priority should be to fix those problems rather than replacing your kitchen countertop with expensive marble or buying fancy light fixtures.
If you have some money left over after having accounted for the most important renovation needs, then you can opt to spend on non-essential items.
2) Choose Materials Wisely
If you’re planning to remodel surfaces or switch to other types of materials (for instance, replacing a laminate countertop with a stainless steel one), but are shocked at the high costs involved, then you should consider using pocket-friendly alternatives.
If you want to give your home an industrial feel, copper is durable, and can be utilised in pipes, utensils, sinks and light fixtures. Granite, quartz and solid surfaces are all cheaper alternatives to marble.
3) DIY (But Only If You Have Prior Experience)
Doing some parts of the renovation yourself can definitely help cut costs.
However, you should exercise caution when attempting to do things yourself, as you may end up causing more damage and shelling out more money to get things fixed.
Even if you’ve painted walls or assembled furniture by yourself before, you ought to be careful not to make a terribly expensive mess.
4) Earn Some Money
If you plan to purchase new furniture for your home, you can off-set that cost by selling off your old furniture at a yard-sale, or via social media – especially if the pieces are in good condition.
Alternatively, you can send your old couch or kitchen table to a second-hand furniture store for some little extra cash.
5) Select The Right Renovation Company Or Contractor
Many reputable renovators or contractors now offer renovation packages to suit a variety of budgets.
Always check for reviews and recommendations when selecting a renovation company or contractor to work with.
There’ll always be unscrupulous people wanting to make a quick buck off of the clueless, so do your due diligence before hiring someone.
When it comes to payment, always read the fine print carefully, so that you don’t have to pay more money than originally agreed upon.
Your local municipal council should have a list of pre-approved home renovation contractors and architects that are trustworthy and reliable, so if you don’t know where to start looking, start there.
Legal Implications Of Renovating Your House
As mentioned before, renovating your house is not something you should do on a whim. There are legal considerations to take into account when deciding to begin the renovation process.
For example, after selecting suitable professionals for the job, you must obtain permission from all your neighbours – yes, in all directions!
While this may seem tedious, consider the fact that it’s not nice to impose on your neighbours – especially if the renovation takes place during the weekends.
Additionally, you’ll also need to obtain permission from your local municipal council before starting any major renovation works.
If you don’t have the sign-off from them, your renovations would be considered illegal. With proper research and planning, the renovation process will be less arduous and tiring in the long run.
Whether you’re changing things up for aesthetic or economic purposes, renovation gives you the chance to make a fresh start in your own home.
If you’re thinking of sprucing your home with some much needed renovation for resale purposes, then you’d better read more about how to invest in properties in Malaysia!
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