What To Check Before Starting A Home Renovation
Home renovations are so exciting, especially if you’re making your home feel more like you, or giving yourself a better layout (or perhaps doing things that are going to increase the value down the road). But it’s crucial to know how to start the whole thing properly before you get too carried away and find that you’ve missed an important step – there are definitely a few things that can happen behind the scenes that can make your dream project more of a nightmare if you’re not careful. With that in mind, keep reading to find out more about what to check before starting a home renovation.
Understand What You’re Working With
Before you do anything, it’s vital to get to know your space properly – that means more than just measuring the kitchen or deciding where you want the sink to go; you’ve got to understand your home more indepth. That means finding out if there are any structural issues, checking that the wiring is up to scratch, and making sure the plumbing does what it’s meant to.
If your property is older, and especially if it was built before the 1980s, there’s something else to consider as well. The fact is that certain materials that were once standard can now be really dangerous if they’re disturbed, and that’s why asbestos testing is important. You might not be able to spot it yourself, but disturbing asbestos during renovations without knowing it’s there can be a serious – even fatal – health risk. Getting a professional to check means you’ll know what you’re dealing with and can plan around it while staying safe.
Make A Realistic Budget
Renovations are one of those things where costs have a sneaky way of adding up and getting higher. You think you’ve priced everything up, and then suddenly there’s a fee you didn’t think about or prices have changed or you just fall in love with something and just have to have it, even if it wasn’t in your original plans.
That’s why it’s a good idea to build in a buffer from the start. Having a little extra money set aside means you’re not going to run into difficulties every time something unexpected pops up, which, of course, can happen at any time and very probably will!
Check The Rules
It’s easy to assume that because it’s your house, you can do whatever you like with it, but depending on where you live and what kind of home you have, there might be rules or permissions to deal with, so you need to check to be sure. And it’s especially true for bigger projects like extensions or anything that changes the structure of the building, so bear that in mind as well.
It’s worth a quick call to your local council or a chat with your contractor to find out what applies and what you might need to do because sorting this out as early as possible in the process saves the hassle of having it hold things up if you do it later. And definitely don’t do any work before you get permission or you might have to pay a big fine or even undo what was done. It’s just not worth it.
