Tricks to Reducing Wastage When Renovating
While remodeling a house can be extremely fulfilling as it makes the house livable and improves its appeal giving you an easy time selling it, there is always the issue of wastage. There is no shortage of waste materials at a renovation site, from shattered drywall and excess boxes to decrepit appliances and leftover materials. The unfortunate thing is that you spend money on these items, so every time you let them lie to waste, you waste them. Can you do a condo remodel or any other renovation project without wasting a lot? Well, the good news is that it’s possible. To help you out, here are tips you should follow: Sell the excess As much as you might try to be as economical as possible, it isn’t easy to accurately anticipate what you will require for a project ahead of time. Thankfully, you can ensure that any extra is not wasted by finding another purpose for it in the community. You can resell or give away unwanted items on Facebook using the Marketplace option, or by posting in specific groups such as Buy Nothing or Take My Shit. The NextDoor app also has a section for free and for sale items where you can post the items left behind after a renovation. You can also try local community groups that might be interested in purchasing your stuff. Consider the organizations near you and what they might require, then call out to inquire before delivering the goods. For example, a club that assists low-income neighbors with house repairs may require extra bathroom tiles, whereas a children’s support group may want excess paint and decals for classroom decorating or crafts. Buy what you want Nobody wants to get home, start a project, and then find they must return to the store for more paint, tiles, or whatever. However, overbuying a product, such as paint, is far more prevalent than underbuying, and only some are used. Though it may be tempting to shop in bulk to take advantage of lower prices and save on future excursions to the store, only buy what you need. A great way to ensure you don’t buy more than you need is to take your time and analyze the items you need. A great way to do it is to get quotes from different companies and buy only what is necessary. Work with an expert Homeowners might need help understanding their alternatives for decreasing remodeling waste on larger projects. A lot of times with construction, I think people feel a little bit like it’s outside of their control in specific ways because there aren’t many obvious resources for where to find that information. But feel free to ask your contractors if they agree with you on decreasing waste and how they intend to do so. Working with a skilled professional with a plan is crucial to achieving zero waste or coming close. Regarding construction materials, work with experienced pros to help you do all kinds of cool things with leftover materials, such as repurposing countertop remnants in a powder room or a home bar. Use secondhand products or […]
Read more
5 House Remodeling Traps to Avoid
Are you looking to remodel your house? Home remodeling architects report that many homeowners make plenty of mistakes that turn their projects into money pits. Do you want to be one of these homeowners? To dodge the magazine of bullets, here are some of the common home renovating traps you should avoid: Failing to do enough research When you are excited about giving your house a new look, it’s easy to go straight to the renovation stages, but you should try as much as possible to fight this. The right thing to do is to take your time and thoroughly inspect the house. During the inspection, you will identify hidden dangers, structural botches, and other house defects that might be a surprise when you start the renovation work. If you are buying a new house, be ultra-cautious and work with a certified professional who will help you identify even the most minute issues that might be there. As a rule of thumb, stay away from a house requiring expensive structural work, as you will spend more money than you should. When buying a house for renovation, take your time and find a house that simply needs a decorative makeover and a little updating of the kitchen and bathrooms. Not a complete overhaul. Underestimating the cost of renovations Most homeowners underestimate the cost of renovating their homes, which results in their projects stalling and leads to unnecessary stress. The right thing to do is always to take time to understand your project and all the costs involved fully. Consult an experienced builder who will visit your home and help you approximate a ballpark price for the project. You should note that the budget isn’t set in stone, so always have an extra amount set aside for emergencies. Experts recommend you set aside at least 20% of your budget. Replacing instead of repairing When your property is old, it’s easy to want to replace everything. As much as this will give the property a new, exciting look, it will be expensive. To save money, consider repairing instead of replacing. For example, overhaul the doors and windows instead of installing new doors. Using extremely cheap materials As much as you want to save as much money as possible, you shouldn’t be too cheap. Cheap is always nasty expensive in the long run, so it’s wise to avoid materials that are too cheap. While you should avoid cheap materials, it doesn’t mean you should buy only expensive items, as expensive doesn’t always translate to quality. There are plenty of moderately priced, but quality items in the market, and these are the ones you should go for. To avoid buying the wrong materials, don’t buy online. Remember that it’s hard to tell the quality of the product (even if it has plenty of raving reviews) from online pictures—you need to see the materials in person. You should be cautious of where you buy your materials from. As a rule of thumb, avoid buying from high-end stores as they are often too expensive. Overcapitalizing your renovation Overcapitalizing your renovation involves adding high-end finishes to your low-value […]
Read more
Is Remodeling A Waste Of Money?
Is remodeling a waste of money? Well, while there are many projects you can do and you fail to recoup your investment, there are some that are worth it. So to answer your question, no, house remodeling isn’t a waste of money as there are plenty of remodeling projects that you can do and greatly increase the value of your house, selling it at a much higher price. Which are these remodeling projects? Here they are as given by home remodeling architects: Adding an outdoor structure Outdoor structures such as pools, fire pits, decks and others are great additions to your home as they bring extra enjoyment and add usable space in the house. While this is the case, you should be cautious of the outdoor structure you add as you can spend too much money and fail to get it back. For example, be cautious when installing a swimming pool, as chances are you won’t get your money back. There is also the risk of your house staying in the market for a long time as some homeowners view it as unsuitable for their young family. To sell your house fast and get your money back you need to invest in the right units. Some of the best ones being: Fences: A new fence adds more privacy to your house and keeps your kids safe. It can also have a significant impact on your curb appeal and improve the value of your home. Deck: Installing a new deck isn’t cheap but it pays off if you have installed the right one. A deck adds more usable space, making your home more attractive to a prospective buyer. Depending on the size of the deck, the scope of the project and the materials you use, you can increase the value of your house by up to 80%. Undertaking a Kitchen and bathroom remodel When done right, a kitchen and bathroom remodel can significantly add the value of a house. When undertaking the project, pay close attention to the functionality and accessibility of each. Also, factor in the aging population and those with disability. While a bathroom or kitchen remodel can increase the value of a house, it can sometimes fail to if you use the wrong materials. For example, when you use high-end cabinet and countertop materials. To be on the safe side, stay clear of the high-end materials as you won’t recoup your investment. Replacing an old roof An old roof with buckling, curled or missing shingles isn’t a sight to be proud of, is it? No buyer will be attracted to a house with a buckling roof, is there? To make your house attractive and valuable, you should install a new roof. For the best outcome, get a quality roof that isn’t too expensive and have it professionally installed. Also, ensure that the new roof has a good warranty. To make your house even more attractive, install solar panels that heat the water or provide an alternative power source. Replacing the windows The same way a house with an old roof is a turn off is the same way […]
Read more
4 Ideas on How You Can Lower the Cost of Your Remodeling Project
When you are having a home remodeling project the last thing you want is to bust your budget. This is because you are most likely on a tight budget and you can’t afford to spend even a single cent more than you had set out to. To ensure this doesn’t happen, work on maintaining the budget or even better, bring the remodeling costs as low as possible. How do you do this? Here are ideas on how you can lower the costs of your remodeling project as given by home addition companies: Don’t increase the size of your house When many people hear about house remodeling, their mind goes into increasing the size of the house. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. In fact, if you don’t want to go past your remodeling budget, you shouldn’t increase the size of your house. If you are simply looking for addition storage space, instead of knocking down a wall or building additional space, build space saving shelves with pullout drawers, racks and other materials. Bring in natural light One of the primary reasons people remodel their houses is to allow in as much light as possible. Most of these people hurry to cut holes in their walls and put up a window, but you shouldn’t do this. To save money, consider less invasive and less expensive ways of capturing light. For example, you can brighten up a dark hallway or bath by installing a light tube slipping between the roof rafters and funneling sunshine down into your living space. For the best outcome, work with an experienced professional that knows what they are doing. Pay in cash You might think that you still spend money when you pay in cash but it saves you a lot, as you don’t pay high interest rates. If you are doing the renovations to simply improve the look of your house, avoid paying using a loan. The only time it makes sense to pay using a loan is when you are renovating the house for sale. This way you are sure that you can include the interest accrued in the price of the house. If you aren’t renovating the house for sale, come up with ways to cut your household budget and save as much money as necessary to foot your renovation bill. It will take you long to save the money but it won’t leave you in debt once the project is over. Enlist the services of an architect It might sound out of place that you are trying to cut costs while we are telling you to enlist the services of an architect, right? Well, having an architect on board might actually end up saving you a lot of time and money in the long run. Of course, you shouldn’t hire the architect full time on a full architectural commission that involves meetings, multiple job site visits, and several construction drawings. You should tap into the architect’s design skills and ask them to sketch out a few solutions for you. These sketches can be as simple as opening up a partition wall or moving a […]
Read more
What Do I Need To Know Before Remodeling?
A home remodeling project isn’t cheap, so you need to be cautious and ensure that you have all the details before the project commences. What do I need to know before remodeling? If you are asking this question, you should know that there are plenty of things you should know, with the common ones being: Work with an experienced contractor. This is a no-brainer as there is no way you will properly remodel your house if you are doing the work yourself or working with home remodeling architects who don’t know what they are doing. The contractor is the most crucial person in your project as they are the ones to guide you on what to do and the materials to get for the project. Remember, this is the first time you are remodeling the house, and you don’t know what to do, so the last thing you want is someone that doesn’t know what they are also doing. To be on the safe side, take your time when finding a contractor. In short, don’t be in a hurry to work with the first contractor you come across. As a rule of thumb, take time to sit with the contractor and understand them. As you are doing the interview, don’t only pay attention to the licensing, bonding, and insurance. Also, consider how the contractor conducts themselves. If you have a large project, you will spend a lot of time with the contractor, and you don’t want to be stuck with a contractor with an awful personality, do you? So ensure that the contractor is qualified to work on your project and has a beautiful personality that you will be comfortable spending long hours with them. Know what you want As much as you need a knowledgeable contractor by your side, you should remember that you are the dream carrier while the contractor is the executor. So before you even start scouting for a contractor, you need to know what you want. Walk around home improvement stores and design showrooms to see what is available. It also doesn’t hurt flipping through magazines and browsing online to see home renovation ideas available. It’s good to have your taste and preference, but it’s also good that you see what is trending and what other homeowners are doing with their houses. This will give you a sense of what is available, which gives you plenty of options to play around with. Have a budget Any home improvement project costs money, and in most cases, it isn’t small money, so you need to have a budget of the amount of money you are looking to spend on the project. Of course, your budget will be informed by the size of your project, the quality of materials you want to use, your location, among many other things. To come up with a more accurate budget, have a sitting with experienced architect builders Washington DC and draw it up. As you are putting together the budget, don’t just consider the top line renovation needs. Also, factor in the unexpected costs such as a few tiles breaking and […]
Read more