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6 Steps to Follow Before Starting to Remodel Your House

If you are going to renovate or update any room in your home, it is important to take these considerations into account so that you can complete your project faster and more economically.

After you read this article, you will know when it is necessary to hire a professional, the best time of the year to start the renovation and what is the starting point for your project to run smoothly until the end. Let us begin!

For those cases where you need to remodel or fix your house roof, the best way is to search in Google for roofing contractors near me and you will get a good number of professionals that will do the job.

  1. To start choose a design style

Once you get the best remodeling ideas based on a scrutiny of interior design websites or changes to floor plans, you can have a clear idea of ​​the style you want to apply to your new environment. This can be modern, classic, rustic, minimalist or eclectic.

  • Observe in detail what construction and finishing materials are used.
  • Save the images on your Smartphone so that you can consult them at any time later.
  • The chosen style is what should prevail when you select accessories, furniture and construction elements such as stairs.
  1. Elements to take into account in the remodeling for the budget

2.1 For changes in interior design

  • Furniture (sofas, beds, tables, armchairs)
  • Accessories (functional accessories, for example in bathrooms: towel rails, soap dishes, roll holders)
  • Lighting (lamps and bulbs)
  • Floors (wood, ceramic or porcelain, cement, stone, marble or adhesive vinyl floors as an economic option)
  • Paint for walls and ceilings

2.2 For room extensions

They are mainly changes in:

  • Electrical and sanitary installations (especially in bathrooms and kitchens)
  • Floors, walls and ceilings (take into account the construction material to be used in the changes, be it wood, concrete or prefabricated drywall type)

In the event that you hire a professional architect or contractor, the payment of fees.

  1. For the structural aspect trust a professional

When it comes to making important changes in the remodeling where structures are involved, such as columns, beams or foundations, it is important to hire an architect or engineer to prepare the design. It is also important when there is a radical change in light installations, water and drain. In the long run it will result in savings since you will avoid later problems such as cracks, leaks or even rethinking the entire project.

  • Professionals charge from 5 to 10% of the total cost of the project or according to the footage.
  1. When to use an interior decorator

An interior designer is in charge of the design and acquiring of the furniture and accessories for its correct implementation. This process has a higher cost but with the guarantee of obtaining a decoration as you wish, since you will be able to see in digital format how your kitchen will look, bathroom or living room and make changes both in color and equipment before bringing it to reality. An alternative is to request only the design and take care of the purchases and implementation of the equipment.

  1. When to call a contractor for the project

Usually, when it is required to do a job with prior knowledge such as the construction of walls, concrete and iron columns or the hiring and management of personnel.

In general, in small renovations, it is only necessary to make a contract for some elements, such as granite countertops in the kitchens or the installation of ceramic tiles in the bathrooms.

  1. When to undertake the reforms yourself

Take into account the time and experience you need before undertaking the remodeling or updating of your home yourself.

You can undertake to make some furniture yourself with materials such as melanin that come in sheets of various colors and textures and are easy to cut and assemble. Search the internet for “melamine and mdf furniture plans”, and make room divisions with materials such as drywall or wood panels that are easily found on the market. Additionally, it is possible to do the work of filing and painting surfaces of both furniture and walls without having much experience.

When it comes to installing ceramic tiles in bathrooms and kitchens, it requires more experience and time.

Before starting the renovation and doing it safely, you must have personal protective equipment such as gloves, safety glasses, sturdy shoes or boots, and a helmet if applicable.

  1. How long will the renewal last?

This depends on the size of the room and the changes to be made, usually, a bathroom can be remodeled correctly in a week, a kitchen in fifteen days and the expansion of a room for a month or more, which implies changes in floors, walls, ceilings and installations inside the walls. The time is substantially reduced if prefabricated materials are used for the walls, ceilings and floors.

Tip: if you do the remodeling yourself, follow a process in steps and finish each level before moving on to the next one. It is preferable to concentrate all your efforts in one room before continuing with the next one.

Important final recommendations

Increasing the efficiency before the size of the spaces may be the main point to base the remodeling when it comes to saving. For example, a better organized kitchen can be achieved if some upper cabinets are replaced by pull-out drawers to segment products such as canned goods, cereal boxes, etc.

Continuing in the line of savings in remodeling and renovation, some aspects may be left to you, such as painting both interior and exterior walls, as well as sanding and polishing wooden furniture and also general cleaning.

It is preferable to make changes or renovations in a season of the year when contractors, masons, cabinetmakers, etc. are less busy. Do not hire at times when important dates such as Christmas or anniversaries are approaching since both labor and construction materials tend to become more expensive.

If you are going to use prefabricated products such as doors and windows, you must take into account that the openings in the walls have the exact measurement according to the dimensions provided by the manufacturer. In this way you will avoid later customization or having to change the dimensions means of the space where these constructive elements will be placed.

As a final recommendation, you must be very specific about all the construction finishing materials and accessories that you plan to implement, then take a tour of the home centers and write down the price of each one of them. It is possible that you will change for better materials, even at a lower price. This detailed note on paper or digital is also important to avoid unforeseen expenses that a contractor may request.

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