They say that a house looks great until its first scratch. All homes are shiny and beautiful upon their establishment, and then through the years, some scratches go unnoticed and stay that way. The homeowner continues on with their life, not aware of the many “scratches” that accumulate in the home.
The small cracks on the walls, the oil splatters on the kitchen tiles, and the fading paint in your home may be some of the things that have been bothering you for a while now. Perhaps these cosmetic flaws and blemishes in your abode prompted you to make a renovation plan.
But what exactly is renovating? Renovation means reviving your home: taking its parts that have deteriorated through time and breathing new life into it. When you renovate, you honor the original architecture plan and interior design of your home. Essentially, you continue following the blueprint. So what makes renovating different from other strategies of preserving or maintaining a home?
Know the Difference: Renovation vs. Remodeling
Many people think they mean the same thing, but renovation and remodeling are essentially different. Renovation is all about restoring your home and preserving its original design, while remodeling is creating a completely new home design.
Replacing termite-infested wood or sanding and repainting chipped walls are examples of renovation, while demolishing walls between bedrooms to convert it to a bigger room is part of remodeling.
Now that this is clear, you can figure out what you want for your home. If remodeling is what you have in mind, then this article may not exactly be for you.
But don’t worry, you can stick around and pick up some helpful hacks from here too. With that being said, here are 4 surefire tips to a successful and relaxed renovation.
1. Make a budget plan.
This is what most people have trouble with. When making a renovation plan, make sure that you plan where your money goes. Most of your budget must go to the parts of your house that need immediate fixing, and if you have spare budget, then that’s when you can fund some extra furnishing work for your home.
For instance, if you need foundation repair or fixing concrete floor swelling, then prioritize that over buying a new sliding door for your living room or an eye-catching yet expensive lava lamp, especially if the old door and lamp you currently have are perfectly fine. Avoid going over the budget plan by listing down what fixtures, pieces of furniture, or parts of the home should be fixed. Once you have narrowed things down and settled with a definitive list, stick to it.
Don’t be tricked by offers and deals on renovating parts of your home that don’t actually need to be renovated. Don’t cave in to pressure to get a mini-fountain or a koi pond within your space, especially if you don’t like how it looks or you don’t actually need it.
However, if you happen to have extra budget and you feel the need to shell out more, then do so with precaution. Avoid overspending because you might regret it in the end. Worse is, you didn’t get the results you were hoping for even after overspending, so really think things through, which leads us to the second point.
2. Contact trusted workers
It is important that you reach out to your trusty and highly-skilled masons, painters, and carpenters so you don’t have to worry about who is willing to help you execute what you have in mind since they worked for you before.
If you lost their contacts, then utilize your networks to find them. If you cannot find them or if you are a first-timer in home renovations, then get referrals from friends. Ask them about their experience with the workers (and how well they did their work) so that the service you are getting is of quality and worth your money.
If you had bad experiences with your former workers, but they’re the only ones in your area that you know of, then it’s time to do some research. If you can get access to a database of workers within your area, then by all means do it. Inquire on their rates and see which one you think has the best offer. This is also a good chance for you to talk to your neighbors or your landlord, then ask them about their trusted handymen.
Getting the right workers for the job is important because you’re shelling out hard earned money to keep and preserve the design of your sanctuary, and as a client, your requests must be honored. Treat your workers nicely so they are more motivated to get their job done, neatly and beautifully.
3. Pay attention to color
After discovering brown spots on your ceiling, torn-up couches, and a dirty tint of gray on your walls, it’s now time for a fresh color makeover. Choosing the exact same colorway or at least picking a similar one to your original palette would be the safest choice as far as visuals go, but what if you don’t like the initial color plan of your home? Then this is your time to shine!
If you want to get creative, then make sure the new colors you choose for your home blend well together. To take this up a notch, use the color theory for better mixing and matching of colors. Make the color wheel your reference for complementary colors.
Complementary colors are colors opposite each other on the color wheel, and when put together, give a harmonious contrast. For instance, pair a dark blue couch with bright orange pillows, as shown below.
If you think the color combinations are too bright, then you can tone it down a bit by opting for softer pastel tones of complementary colors, like mint and soft pink. You can also make one color highly saturated and the other color lighter, as seen below.
Compared to the bright orange and denim blue mix above, this color scheme pushed the warmer tone forward while the cooler shade of blue took a backseat. This is commonly done by interior designers to add a cheerier burst to an otherwise calm and monochromatic colorway.
Other color combinations include emerald green and salmon suede for a more feminine touch, or navy blue and dark red, which are mostly used for sports themed bedrooms. These combinations might sound a little weird at first, but when executed carefully and tastefully, the results are amazing.
4. Source your materials wisely
Go on a home supplies purge, from the most popular home furnishing stores to the small furniture shops in your town. Explore your options and find the items that work best for your home design. Check if an item can be bought for cheaper, like if it’s available in a physical store rather than an online shop that actually sells triple the price.
Weigh what you want and need, and strike a balance between them by looking for functional pieces with sleek and timeless designs. If you follow current trends, chances are, they will go out of style in the coming years, so be wise and pick classic designs.
If you’re concerned about sustainability, go the extra mile and do some research on your home supplies. Know which manufacturers are taking into account the processes and regulations on making sustainable and eco-friendly products. In recent years, local stores, both physical and online, have been popping up one by one and are taking the necessary steps to promoting, manufacturing, and distributing sustainable products.
So, what’s your plan?
Have you came up with something yet? Do you have other tips in mind? How is your renovation plan looking? What part of your home do you think needs immediate renovation? Let us know by participating in our Facebook poll.
Sources:
Entrepreneur India. (2017, July 19). 10 tips to renovate your House Beautifully yet economically. Retrieved May 13, 2021, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/297458
Price, N. (2021, April 04). Small spaces: 4 Renovation tips for a small apartment. Retrieved May 13, 2021, from https://constructionreviewonline.com/management/small-spaces-4-renovation-tips-for-a-small-apartment/
Rapczynski, C. (2019, October 21). Remodeling vs renovating: Definitions: Sleeping dog properties, inc. Retrieved May 13, 2021, from https://www.sleepingdogproperties.com/perspectives/difference-remodeling-renovating/
Wallender, L. (2021, April 30). 13 Steps to Full Home Renovation. Retrieved May 13, 2021, from https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-renovate-a-house-1822429