Read This Guide Before Renovating Your Home

When embarking upon home improvements, you need to be sure that what you are doing makes financial sense. What the work will cost needs to be balanced against how much reward you will get, and how much value it could add. You also need to consider the disruption to your living space and decide how much you are willing to go through to make your house better. Read these top tips and make sure you are doing what makes the most sense and will have the most impact on your environment.

1. To Extend or Not to Extend

House extensions can add an enormous amount of value to a property if done correctly, but they can also be nightmarish. Before you decide to go ahead and extend, ask yourself whether or not you really need the extra space, and whether the rooms you do have could be better used. If you are sure that a renovation is exactly what you need, make sure you use a reputable firm and have all the relevant permissions from your local authority. Under some circumstances, even adding a conservatory requires planning permission. Do not get caught out and end up having to tear thousands of pounds worth of work down.

2. Cost your project accurately

Whether you are building a new room or renovating an existing one, make sure you work out exactly what everything costs before you undertake any work. If you are putting in new wardrobes, adding an office or having storage fitted in your living room, make sure you know how long it will take and how much the materials will cost. Using a local building firm can have advantages, but you may also find the costs included will soar without you expecting them to. For example, a building firm may struggle to give you a quote if you want to install bespoke wardrobes into the newly renovated room. One way to avoid this situation is to use a company that know the ins and the out of the wardrobe business, from sourcing the materials to installing your new units. By using a well-known company, you can avoid nasty surprises.

3. Consider the impact any work will have

When building work is taking place, the whole house will be affected. If it is going to be a protracted building process, work out whether or not you could afford to rent somewhere for the time that it is going on – especially if you have children in the house, or have a busy work schedule. If what you are proposing will take a few days, that is different to a project that could take a month. If you do decide to have an extension built, for example, remember that living there might slow it down and ultimately make it cost more.

4. Careful not to Overdevelop

When doing work to your house, it is easy to get carried away and overdo it, but remember to keep it within budget and include the basics with a few extra perks like built-in wardrobes, a bay window or a fireplace. There is no point doing work to your house if the cost of the work will fail to give you a return on your investments – you want what you have spent to be added to your property. Consider having an estate agent around to provide a valuation and have a look at what else is on the market in your local area. You could save yourself a lot of money and heartache.