New Home Renovation: Separating the Needs from the Wants

New Home Renovation: Separating the Needs from the Wants

Breathing new life into a home through a renovation can be rewarding. Remodeling not only enhances the overall outlook of a house but also goes a long way in bolstering its value. In an era where costs for raw materials or labor are increasingly rising, having a clear idea of renovation needs and wants is crucial.

According to HomeAdvisor, the average cost of renovating a house, which is less than 1,000 square feet stands at about $18,000. Costs can double to highs of $36,000 when dealing with homes that are 3,000 square feet or more. Likewise, renovations done on older homes tend to cost more, given the amount of work needed as well as replacements made.

Prioritize Renovation needs

Prioritizing renovation needs is essential if one is to keep costs at the bare minimum. The very first thing to do is to assess the scope of renovation works. It would be essential to list down all the projects that ought to be carried out.

Walk around the house, writing g down what needs to be done in every room from drywall repairs to painting or the redoing of electrical and plumbing works. The list should include any fixtures that need replacement, such as wall outlets, light switch covers, and door hardware.

The list can as include all the appliances that the new home may need as part of the renovation process. Do not forget to list small items such as paintbrush, tapes as well as drop cloths hand tools and sandpaper.

Once you have listed everything down, write down everything you would want to do. This way, you would be able to downsize the list, consequently separating needs from the wants. The needs should entail renovation projects that need immediate attention. Electrical and plumbing works are some of the projects that a house cannot do without. Likewise, painting and flooring can follow suit closely

If you’re looking to buy or sell a home, renovations will be a must.

Create a Detailed Remodeling Plan With Cost Estimates

Once you have separated the needs from the wants, creating a detailed plan on how to tackle the projects should follow suit. The detailed plan should include expected costs, as this would go a long way in helping remodel a budget. Likewise, the plan should include a timeline for each project.

While creating a plan, it would be important to consider:

· What the project ought to do

· All the details required to bring the project to fruition

· The compromise that can be made on each project

Creating a Budget

Creating a budget that focuses purely on needs is essential. While building a budget, it would be wise to create a spreadsheet including each portion of renovation project as well as the estimated cost of materials and labor.

For rough estimates on labor costs, resources such as HomeAdvisor can come in handy as it is known to provide rough estimates of what engineers, plumbers, electricians, and repair people are likely to charge. You can scan the internet to get an estimate of what the renovation materials are likely to cost while creating a budget, including all the appliances materials and fixtures you need and the expected spend on them.

With the budget in place detailing what you want and the pelted spend, it should not be hard to remove some of the things that the renovation project can do without. When it comes to labor costs, you can reduce the number of people working on the project and include yourself if you have the experience and expertise.

Likewise, you can remove some items that the project can do without as a way of making the budget look realistic and reducing cost. If you were working with a contractor, he or she would come in handy in providing valuable information on the materials needed as well as those that will not be necessary.

If you wish to trim renovation costs even further, you can opt to do any demolition needed on your own instead of hiring somebody. Likewise, you can order fixtures approved by the contractor by yourself to avoid any markup fee. Similarly, you can opt to be your own project manager instead of hiring someone else.

Conclusion

When it comes to house renovation, planning is essential if overall costs are to be kept at a bare minimum. Likewise, it is important to separate needs from the wants to be able to complete essential projects within the remodeling budget.

 

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