What is Involved in a Full House Refurbishment?
Whatever improvements you’re looking to make, a house refurbishment takes time, planning and finances. However, the more work you undertake, the more resources you need. So what exactly is involved in a full house refurbishment?
Step 1 – Planning
Assuming that you already own, or have recently purchased a home for development purposes, the first stage of a full refurbishment is to plan out the work and budget with military precision. It’s also important that you have a clearly defined idea of what you want at the end of the process.
For instance, if you are looking to rent out or sell the property when the refurbishment is complete, you have to ensure that your spend is kept under control in order to guarantee profits. This includes evaluating the price of properties in the area to see what your return is likely to be. Some buyers demand the finest finishing touches, others just want a cost-effective blank canvas. So refurbish with this in mind.
Of course, if you plan to live in the home when it is complete, then you can have a clear idea of what work is required, the amount you have to spend and the standard of decoration that you’re looking to achieve. However, you still need to work out who is going to carry out the various jobs (and there could be quite a few), where your budget is going to go, and the time needed to complete the refurbishment.
Choosing the right tradesmen, designer, and maybe even an architect is often the key to a successful makeover. So get your quotes, discuss the project with a few companies or individuals and get a feel for those you trust to do the best job. Look for recommendations wherever possible to ensure you don’t hire any cowboys. Also, consider any work that you might be able to do, as any free labour can cut costs and time significantly.
If you are making structural changes or looking to extend the property, you may also require a survey and the relevant planning permission. This can take time, so get this cleared up before starting the project.
Step 2 – Commencing Work
Altering a house from top to bottom is going to take time, so don’t expect instant results. As the project commences, you will need to make sure that the dirty work is completed first. So if you’re taking down walls, ripping up floors and tearing out kitchen appliances, make sure this is completed during the opening stages. Once you have a blank canvas, you can then start to look at rewiring, new partitions, and installing bathroom suites.
Building the shell and getting the basics right will give you the foundations to complete all other tasks within the home. Refurbishing a home shouldn’t be about papering over the cracks, it should see a fundamental change to the look and feel of your home. This is why it takes so much time and money, because if it was that easy, everybody would be doing it.
Step 3 – Beautification
Whilst the heavy work will often take the most time and demand much of your budget, the final design is what will turn a practical home into a personalised oasis. So choose your materials and colours wisely. Make sure you find furniture, appliances, and other accessories that fit in with your theme too.
Creating the perfect home requires a balance of practicality and aesthetic appeal. If you have a property that looks fantastic but doesn’t have a working central heating system then it won’t be inhabitable for most of the year. Equally, a drab, uninspiring finish can ruin an otherwise perfect house. This is why each step in the process is equally important.
If you get the planning wrong, the work will go awry and your budget might not stretch to cover all of those beautiful bells and whistles that you get to the end of the project. Should problems arise during the work itself, you could be blighted by delays and extra costs. Finally, if your decoration isn’t quite up to standard, then it can seriously undermine all of the other hard work that has gone into the full refurbishment.
If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. This is the mantra that you need to have throughout a full refurbishment. Cutting corners, accepting compromises and forgetting your end target will, more often than not, end in disappointment. Choose the best professionals to carry out the work, don’t overlook the paperwork, and make sure you have the finances available to cover any overruns – after all, even the tightest budgets need leeway.
Vincent Rogers is a freelance writer who writes for a number of UK businesses. For House Refurbishment Services, he recommends Tyler Mandic.
Vincent Rogers is a freelance writer who writes for a number of UK businesses. For http://www.tylermandic.co.uk/ House Refurbishment Services, he recommends Tyler Mandic.
Author Bio: Vincent Rogers is a freelance writer who writes for a number of UK businesses. For House Refurbishment Services, he recommends Tyler Mandic.
Category: Home Management
Keywords: house refurbishment services, refurbishment services, house refurbishment