3 Things to Consider Before Starting a Remodel

David Banks
Authored by David Banks
Posted Friday, April 17, 2020 - 7:45am

Remodelling your home is a great way to make a property your own. With the opportunity to strip back a house and enhance its structure, you can make it infinitely more functional and even more visually appealing. To get the most out of your renovations, however, careful planning is required. If you want to ensure your remodel goes without a hitch, be sure to bear these three things in mind…

1. Get to know the space

Many people decide to renovate a recently acquired property before they settle into their new home. This can certainly be advantageous, as it means you won’t be living in the property while the renovations are underway. On the other hand, you could be drawn into making big decisions about the future of the property before you’ve had time to really get to know it.

It takes time to familiarise yourself with any new property. When you’ll be living in the home, however, it’s essential that you get to know it before you decide what changes you want to make. Even if you won’t be living on site during the remodel, be sure to take the time to get to know your new home before making major alterations.

If you are making changes to a house that you’ve only acquired recently, it can be helpful to undertake some investigation work first. Land records, data pertaining to the local area and prior planning refusals can give you an insight into problems you might come up against when you’re planning your own renovations. Similarly, talking to nearby property owners could give you first-hand information about what issues might affect your own remodel.

2. Consider your utilities

Your proposed renovations may create a stunning aesthetic, but will they add function to your home? Designing the interior of your property and creating a bespoke exterior may be more exciting than examining pipework and planning an electrical rewire, but these are essential elements of any renovation.

Depending on the extent of your remodel, now could be the perfect time to replace drains, install new electrical sockets and switch out old central heating systems for something new. At the very least, you’ll want to ensure that hidden issues are brought to light and addressed. If you wait until the renovations are complete, you could end up tearing up your hard work to fix underlying problems.

Remember – it isn’t just the essential infrastructure within the property that’s important. Generally, homeowners are responsible for any pipework on their land. This means the drains under your driveways, patios and gardens may need modifications or upgrades. Fortunately, no-dig solutions, such as those offered by this drain unblocking company in London, make it simple and straightforward to carry out these repairs. With a full CCTV drain inspection and electrical consult, you can ensure your newly renovated property will be safe and functional, as well as stunning.

3. Get expert input

One of the major advantages of remodelling a home is getting the chance to really make it your own. By using your own creativity to design a bespoke environment, you can enjoy living in a house that’s been customised to suit your needs and your style. However, this doesn’t mean you have to handle every aspect of the project yourself.

Seeking expert guidance doesn’t just make your remodel go more smoothly, it can enhance the results too. When you collaborate with architects, landscapers, interior designers and contractors, you’ll have the opportunity to use their experience to inform your own plans and improve the final product.

In addition to this, professional assistance can make it easier to secure the approval you’ll need to move forward with your plans. If planning permission will be required, for example, working with a residential architect or planning consultant can be invaluable. Planning application refusals can delay potential works by months and could eat up a significant portion of your budget. By getting expert input, however, you can hone your applications, increase the likelihood of success and get your remodel underway.

Designing Your New Home

Whether you’re making relatively small changes to a property or going for a full structural overhaul, it’s essential to consider every element of the project. When you modify one aspect of a property, it inevitably affects other areas. That’s why remodelling an entire property can actually be easier than tackling one room at a time. By viewing the project holistically and taking a cohesive approach, you can ensure that your new living environment will be the home you’ve always dreamed of.

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