The do’s and don’ts of remodelling

You don’t have to move house in order to bring about big change to your living space.
You do have the chance to alter what you have to engineer more space and a completely new look. Already that’s one ‘do’ and one ‘don’t’ but there are plenty more when it comes to the process of remodelling your house. Here’s some tips you need to take on board…

*You do need to check if you’ll be needing planning permission for large projects such as extensions, although normally you don’t need this for loft conversions.

*Don’t forget to set a budget for your project or else your costs could well spiral. Do set aside 10-15% of the cost as a ‘rainy day fund’ should anything go wrong.

*Do what you can yourself to cut costs but don’t push yourself to do things beyond your capabilities. Put simply, take care of the easy things such as the picking your colour scheme from the Dulux chart and decorating the walls in your new style but leave the fitting of your Velux electric windows from Ken’s Yard to the pros.

*Don’t be restricted by the current layout of your house but do realise that moving things such as your sink, cooker, bath and toilet will need plumbing work and increase the cost.

*Don’t forget to take into account which way your house faces and do what you can to enhance the natural light you get, bearing it in mind when choosing colour schemes, furniture arrangement and the positioning of mirrors etc.

*Make sure you do your homework by getting several quotes for any work you have done and don’t be afraid to ask for a discount to try to get the cost down.

*Do look around for inspiration in magazines and online but, once you’ve settled on something and planned it, don’t change your mind too much as this will add extra cost and time to your project.

*Don’t try to do every single room in one go as this will cause you undue stress. Instead do the rooms that are the biggest priority first. If anything needs fixing, then you want to make sure you can do this before your budget and patience runs out.

*Don’t forget that there WILL be dust and mess as a result of work in your house, so ensure that you do remove any valuables from any room you are working in before you start to prevent them being damaged.

*Don’t throw out old pieces of furniture without considering a potential alternative use for them. Do attempt to repair or reuse these items.

*Do some research into the value you can add to your property through your renovation and don’t forget that your house is an asset that can gain value with the right project done in the right way.

*Do your measurements before you start to plan your project and don’t forget to check your numbers before you begin work.

*Your friends and family might well have recommendations about who they do and don’t recommend for work – ask them for their advice.

There’s plenty of things to consider when remodelling your property. If you do your research and plan everything properly then you don’t need to be put off from carrying out your renovation project.