7 Tips when Renovating your house
Renovating the house is a comprehensive project that requires commitment, knowledge and planning. To make it easier for you before you start, we have put together a checklist with 7 tips that we hope can come in handy!
1.Planning
To begin with, solid planning is a must when renovating a house. Partly to give you a clear picture of what you need to do, but also to minimize the risks of unforeseen events that can easily occur when renovating the house. Before you get started, be sure to have these thoughts clear to you:
Condition of the house. Get a good understanding of the condition of the house. Does the entire renovation need to take place now or are you going to take it in stages?
Set a budget. Will your budget handle everything you want to renovate or will you need a loan? Keep in mind that there should also be 10-15% in financial extra saving that covers unforeseen costs.
Is a building permit required? In detached houses and villas, you do not need a building permit for internal renovations, but for an external renovation of the house, for example if something is to be added to the house such as a new building or a wall, you may need to apply for a building permit. Keep in mind that it can take some time to get a building permit through.
- Find the right carpenter
Start in time to find the right carpenter who understands what you want to achieve with the renovation. Ask for quotes from several carpenters to find one that fits your budget. Also think about what jobs you hire carpenters for and what you can do yourself.
Things to keep in mind when choosing a carpenter:
Does the carpenter want a variable or fixed price? As a rule, a variable price is cheaper than a fixed price, as carpenters often add a safety margin to a fixed price for preventive purposes should a problem arise.
Can the carpenter provide any guarantees? If something should be done wrong or if it does not turn out as you imagined, will the carpenter fix it?
Does the carpenter have references from previous work? It may be wise to review what other house renovations they have done before.
Require a written quote. Always request the quote in writing with all expected costs. You do not want to have to pay for any hidden cost later!
- Get the help from a renovation architect
When renovating a house, it can sometimes be difficult to see the big picture of the result, or plan how to use all the surfaces to get the most out of your newly renovated house. Then it may be an idea to bring in a renovation architect. It may not be something that you usually include in your budget because you want to do such work yourself, but sometimes your creativity can limit you.
- Among other things, they can help with:
- Color choice / choice of wallpaper
- How to get a smart plan and layout
- Furniture tips
- Lighting
- Renovate in the correct order
When you start and renovate the house, it is easy to get excited and start several projects at the same time, when you really should take everything in stages and above all in the right order. When you put the ranking on the renovation and decide what to do yourself and not, you should do it in the following order:
The roof
When completely renovating the house, the roof should be the first thing you look over. If a leak occurs in the ceiling, it can destroy the entire facade. Check if the roof needs to be replaced completely or only repaired. In connection with this, you can also take the opportunity to review gutters and downpipes.
Are you thinking of investing in solar cells? Then you should consider doing it in connection with the renovation of the roof to save money but also valuable time instead of doing the renovation and installation of solar cells on two different occasions.
The foundation
The next step is to ensure that the drainage works, that is, that there are ditches around the house that divert unwanted groundwater or surface water from the plot. If you have a basement, you can use an inspection to make a moisture measurement of the walls in the basement.
Facade and windows
Make sure that the facade and windows are sealed and insulated. If not here’s a new product just for you!
Wet room – bathroom, kitchen & laundry room
When the outside is ready and the inside is to start, it is wise to start with wet areas, such as bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms. Especially since these rooms are usually used the most requiring. Make sure that the wet rooms are moisture-proof and meet all the requirements for the insurance to apply. You do not want moisture leakage through floors or walls in your newly renovated house!
Renovate the rest of the house
Last but not least – when the wet rooms are ready, it’s finally time for the last parts! Now you can lay new floors, re-upholster or paint the interior of the house.
5.Set a realistic time frame
When you are going to renovate the house, you want to see that the renovation is completed immediately. But to get the best possible result, you should expect 3-5 months to renovate both externally and internally, and in some cases longer than that. Remember to take it slowly.
- Insurance
Make sure you have an insurance policy that covers the entire house and yourself before you start renovating the house. Sometimes not everything goes as planned, and then you want insurance that covers unforeseen events such as construction defects or bankruptcies.
- Evaluation
As you begin to approach the end of the renovation of the house, make an evaluation of how the whole work. How did it go? How did the costs compare to the budget you set up before the renovation? By evaluating the renovation, you can next time improve what did not go as intended or exclude such things that were not actually necessary.