Home renovations are everywhere you look these days...
TV reality shows, DIY TV shows, Social Media, Home Shows. It is easy to get excited and want to be part of the reno crowd, that sometimes people forget the important things!
On the surface, home renovations are all happy days and excitement. They appear quick and the important pre-planning stages are mostly edited out or not shown on social media.
What you don't see is the hard work, stress and also the strain on relationships.
Here are 4 super important questions that you need to ask yourself when you start to think about renovating a house.
1. Why do you want to renovate?
Are you wanting to renovate to add value to your property to sell? Or are you wanting to renovate the family home to make it more enjoyable?
This will greatly influence your design style, the features and areas that you spend money on, and the time frame.
2. Who is going to be doing the work?
Will you do most of the renovation tasks yourself? Are you willing to get your hands dirty and learn how to do new things? Or do you want to organise and supervise your tradespeople?
Either way, this needs to be discussed to make sure anyone else involved is on the same page. Doing it yourselves will involve more time taken away from other family members (which may be OK if it is just you, or you and your partner, but add in young kids and you start to see the issue).
3. When is a good time to start renovating?
You have a birthday coming up and want to renovate in time for your big party? Maybe now isn't the time to start the renovation project. It wouldn't be ideal to be part way through a bathroom renovation and holding a party at your place.
Or is the peak family event season coming up? Every weekend, you have birthdays, events, holidays - you have no time to be renovating - best to save the messy stuff for when it can have your complete attention.
These things need to be considered when discussing the timing.
A good tip is to renovate your interior spaces during the warmer months. This way, you or the family can be relaxing and spending the days playing outside and won't be disturbed as much by the renovation work inside.
Also, by renovating the outdoor living spaces in the cooler months, these areas will be ready for use during the warmer months.
Smart, huh!
4. What style do you want to achieve?
The look and design that you want to achieve, is going to partly depend on if you are renovating to sell or to live there.
If you are renovating to sell, the idea is to keep the home mainly neutral with pops of colour that are changeable (think decor - cushions - throws - wall art). This way, the prospective buyers can imagine their furniture, their decor, and ultimately, their lives there.
If you renovate to be able to enjoy your home more - research and choose your design based around your style, the house style and the way that your family will use the space. You can express your creativity in your new spaces! You want to paint that wall blue? Go for it!
Now you know what you need to be thinking about, when you start considering home renovations.
It wont be easy but it will be worth it.
