Renovating a property, whether it’s your own home or an investment project, can be a hugely rewarding experience, but it’s not something to be taken on lightly. Like any large-scale home improvement, a house renovation requires careful planning if it’s going to be a success.
In this article, we’re going to give you a step-by-step guide on how to plan a house renovation—one that will improve your chances of getting the home you always wanted while minimising any associated risk.
A step-by-step guide to house renovation
1. Figure out your budget and determine priorities.
A home renovation will often involve a significant investment of money, and you aren’t always guaranteed to have the funds you need to cover every aspect of your initial idea. The first step, then, is to determine your overall budget, compare it to your estimated costs, and decide which elements should take priority.
2. Engage the experts
Like any major construction project, your home renovation will be completed much quicker if you leave it to the professionals. This includes architects, designers, contractors, builders, and various others. Take time researching your local specialists to ensure you engage a firm with a reputation you can trust.
3. Seek planning permission
Granted, not every house renovation will require planning permission, but it’s important to determine whether yours does before you instruct your builders. Failure to make a formal application for planning permission with your local council could result in substantial fines and even having to undo any completed work.
4. Plan the schedule
The schedule for your renovation will be dependent on many external factors, including the scale and complexity of the job and the availability of your builders. You should discuss these issues with your contractors and, between you, agree a timetable for construction and completion that suits both parties.
5. Prepare for the builders.
There may be certain tasks you need to attend to before the builders arrive. Whether that’s ordering the materials, hiring a scaffold, getting rid of unwanted items and waste, or moving furniture and other large items into storage. By getting these issues resolved ahead of time, you can avoid unnecessary delays.
6. Work begins
Once the project starts in earnest, you will want to keep track of the progress. This involves liaising with your contractors to ensure they have everything they need to keep to your agreed schedule. For long-term projects, it can be useful to arrange regular catch-up sessions to ensure things are running smoothly.
7. Snagging
Any major home renovation can result in snagging, particularly on an older building. This term covers a variety of minor issues caused by the building work, such as minor leaks, cracks in your new plastered walls, issues with the heating system, and so on. Any good builder should include the cost of snagging in their estimate.
Planning a house renovation: final thoughts
While it might seem like a lot of work to plan for a house renovation—and it is—it will ultimately be worth it. If you enter into a major refurbishment project with no plan in place, you run the risk of delaying the work while you resolve any issues you’ve missed, which will increase your costs and the time taken to complete.
Whatever plans you have for your domestic property, RJS Construction is here to help. From Wednesbury to Halesowen and across the wider West Midlands area, we provide an end-to-end house renovation service. From the initial design phase to the finishing touches, you can depend on us to get the job done. Call today on 0121 661 8044 or by emailing rjsconstruction@aol.com to arrange a free home visit and consultation.
