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We’ve talked about renovating your home before in this blog, and even came up with a checklist to help you keep track of what you need to do. This time, however, we’re not going to talk about administrative things, budgets, or even time management. We’re simply going to give you a couple tips so your renovation goes as smoothly as possible!
1. Always complement the original architectural style.
Sometimes you might get carried away by your vision, and you can ignore what you already have. We’ve all seen houses that look like Frankenstein monsters; classical frames that are ruined by modern additions. Cohesion is the most important thing to take into account when you decide to revamp your house!
2. Don’t be too trendy, consider resale value.
When it comes to bigger construction decisions, it’s important to consider the long-term implications they carry. Yes, we know that Architecture Digest says full window paneling is the hottest trend right now, but how will that age? Will it mean sacrificing future buyers?
This doesn’t mean you don’t have to be trendy, but you can try to change things up in your furniture and decoration, keeping it smaller scale. There are also reversible ways to give your home a “cool” touch, like painting your walls!
3. Always order extra flooring
This is a practical tip, but it is one that is essential. You never know how an installation might backfire, and even after the renovation is over, you might need to break flooring to do plumbing work in the future. It’s always important to have backup flooring to replace the original if needed!
4. Don’t choose contractors on a whim (or just because they’re the cheapest)
This should go without saying, but contractors are people who are going to be in your lives constantly for months, and you need to trust them and get along with them. It’s always important to ask for references and to look into different options, and news flash! Sometimes it’s better to spend a little more money to get a better service.
5. Always take safety precautions!
You might think that this is a silly recommendation, but renovating your home might put you and your family at risk if you don’t take the correct precautions. The EPA has a safety guide you can follow!
6. Always measure twice
The saying exists for a reason! It’s never a bad idea to be cautious, and you’re going to be thankful that you meticulously measured your spaces and your furniture. A mistake many people make is buying furniture without taking into consideration their spaces, which is how you might end up with a gigantic couch or a tiny rug. It’s always better to keep a document (or a notebook, if you’re an analog fan) with all your measurements.
7. Not everything can be DIY'd, that’s why professionals exist!
In the era of Tik Tok and Youtube tutorials, we all think that everything can be done ourselves. This is not true, of course, and there are many jobs in design and construction that are essential. There’s a difference between installing your own shelves and doing demolition work, and you need to learn to pick and choose what you can and can’t do, and know where your limitations lie.
8. Always have a clear vision
We know that not everyone is a Type A planner, with moodboards, color schemes and thousands of reference pictures at hand. You don’t really need that to be able to make your spaces look great, but you do need to have a vision, to have something in mind. If your ideas are constantly changing and you’re always adding new design elements, your renovation will take forever and will end up costing more than you expected.
9. Avoid purchasing decoration too early
Only pick out decorations once the skeleton of the room is already done. Even though you might be tempted to get that gorgeous lamp you saw at the flea market, you might have less space than you thought you would, or it might clash with the wall color! It’s always best to be patient and do one thing at a time (as we talked about in this blog post).
10. Don’t rush the job!
It’s very natural to want to get things done as quickly as possible, but it’s always better to have things done well than quickly!
If you’re looking for something interesting to add to your spaces, you’re in luck! We’re a stretch ceiling company and we love revamping rooms. You can contact us via our contact form!
