Renovating your home is an exciting process, especially if you’re passionate about DIY. You are improving the space in which you spend every single day, all according to your personal vision. You probably can’t wait to get started.
But DIY home renovation can be tricky. If you’re not fully prepared for it, you might incur extra costs while taking a lot longer to finish than you planned. Make sure you do some homework and learn about home renovations before starting different types of renovations before you even start the planning process.
Once you’re ready to start planning your DIY renovation, take the following 5 steps.
1. Flag potential structural issues
DIY home renovations often hit a snag along the way when the homeowner realizes that what they have planned could actually damage the structure of the home. A seemingly unnecessary wall that they wanted to bash through to join the kitchen and dining room turned out to be load-bearing. A feature that was supposed to beautify a room happens to be too heavy for the walls.
Flag any potential structural issues before you start making decisions. This shouldn’t be too difficult, as most of your ideas won’t touch the foundations. However, by noting the sites of potential problems, you avoid getting too invested in an idea that won’t work out.
2. Consider your living arrangements
Certain renovations may require you to find somewhere else to live for a short amount of time. This is something you should think about before deciding on doing these renovations, as there may not be a simple solution. There are a couple of problems you might run into. The size of your family and the rising cost of accommodation could make it financially impossible to move out.
Furthermore, you cannot know exactly how long it will be before your home is inhabitable again. If you are relying on being back in the home after a certain amount of time, you may find yourself in trouble.
Consider how much of your budget you can afford to spend on living somewhere else. If it is exactly as much as you think you’ll need, it’s not enough. If you are planning on living with friends or family, ask them to give you an honest answer as to how long will be too long.
3. Get quotes from contractors
Some jobs you will want to do DIY, as only you will be able to realize your vision and you enjoy it anyway. Other jobs are straightforward but more labor-intensive. For the latter, get quotes from contractors. The reason is that DIY in this case may not be cheaper. Contractors will do the job more quickly and efficiently than you could, with a much lower risk of mistakes. Consider the value of your time as well when working out what is cheaper.
4. Buy all the tools and materials upfront
Many DIYers do not want to spend the money on tools and materials they may not end up using. They, therefore, buy only the essentials and get anything extra they need as the job goes on. However, this can derail your renovation, as something may not be available or you may need to drive around to different places to find it, wasting a day.
By buying everything up front, you run the risk of spending more than you absolutely have to. But if you don’t have what you need when you need it, your whole job could be thrown off course.
5. Find a hardware store you can trust
That said, there will be things that you did not realize you needed. In these cases, it is important you have a source you can go to who you trust. A good hardware store nearby will not only save you time and money but will be able to help you make some difficult decisions. When you need something quickly, they will also put in more effort to help you get it as soon as possible, perhaps even giving you discounts on tools and deliveries.
The above 5 steps will help prepare you for your DIY home renovation. While you may be eager to get the work started, do not skip any of these steps.