When we think of house renovation, the thing that clouds our minds is usually the cost estimation. However, there are actually many other considerations that must be calculated far before the remodeling starts. Here, we’ll discuss five of them.
1. Store Your Belongings Safely
Unless your house has a shed that can be repurposed as a storage room, you must consider renting secure storage units. A renovation will be a messy business. And the last thing you want is to find your furniture and other stuff dirty or damaged.
If you think that putting them all in boxes is enough, then think again. Ask yourself these questions:
- Does the renovation contractor cover lost or damaged goods as resulted from their work?
- Can you get the exact same replacement for the stuff you leave behind at home?
- Are you super busy that you do not have time to relocate all of your belongings at home?
2. Examine the Terms with the Contractor Carefully
Although almost all contractor companies send emails these days, you still need to make sure that they keep records of everything and you get the copies. Pay attention to points that discuss excess expenses and warranty because those two things potentially drain your budget empty.
Second, if you think it’s necessary to hire a property lawyer, then allocate your money for it. Contracts are very much flexible to change, and this is why you need some legal protection against faulty agreements.
3. Define the Scope of Work Clearly
When dealing with the renovation contractor, you must know how to define the works the need to be done. For example, you can’t just say, “create a beautiful landscape on my yard,” to them. It must be more specific than that.
You can start by listing the landscape features, such as walkways, a water fountain, some mulches, and a drainage system, that you want to have in your yard. And this mindset must apply when you discuss the indoor improvements.
4. Allocate a Reserve Budget
It will be very difficult to have a renovation with a cost that matches the estimate accurately. There will be at least 5% to 10% deviation. And you must have a reserve budget for that. Otherwise, the whole process gets halted, and your productivity might get negatively affected.
5. Do Not Replace Everything You’ve Got
This point will be very tricky to realize because it is the code of many contractors to suggest that their clients need to replace most of the parts at their house. And in this case, you have no one to back you up but your understanding of how the stuff works at your home. For example, regarding the plumbing, you must know how to check if any parts of the pipework need a replacement or not. Corrosion is indeed irreparable, but clogging can be fixed. Searching for knowledge from the Internet can be a good strategy for this case, but you should also bear in mind that everything you read may not match the real condition of your house.
