Sooner or later, everyone who owns a home will have to face home improvement. Whether to repair an electrical or hydraulic problem, or to make the residence beautiful, comfortable and with the owner's face. Renovations are the ideal solution to renovate the home, as long as they are very well planned and executed.
In order for you to achieve the results you want, home renovation requires investment of time and money, in addition to demanding organization. It is essential that there is a control and planning of works so that everything is conducted in the best possible way, in order to minimize inconveniences with breakage, dust, debris , noise, in addition to unforeseen events that can compromise your budget.
Sound complicated? Do not worry! With organization and following the tips in this post, you will be able to start the renovation of your house soon! See, below, what are the first steps to start the works of your “home, sweet home”.
Define the scope of the reform
First of all, you need to assess the reasons for starting the reform and, with that, set priorities. For example, is it time to maintain the paint job? What is the condition of the bathroom and kitchen ceramics? Are there leaks, leaks or outlets that don't work? These are emergency reforms and should be among the priorities.
If all the functioning
about interior design is in order and the house reform is to bring greater comfort and beauty to the environments, then creativity can speak louder! Think about how your family likes to spend time at home, what rooms you like best, and what you want to feel in each room.
Search for references
If you are not an architect or decorator, you may find it difficult to design the transformation of spaces. And, if hiring this type of professional is beyond the available budget, a good starting point is to look for references on decoration sites and related social networks, to update yourself with the news and trends in interior design and get inspired.
At this stage, it's important to have a clear sense of the styles, colors, and materials that you and your family like best. Also, think about how to make the ambiance of the rooms as pleasant as possible. For example, the rooms call for tranquility, so it is common to use light colors and soft coverings.
In living spaces, such as living, TV and dining rooms, you can be more daring and invest in warm colors, textures and the most striking decorative pieces. Painting the kitchen and bathrooms can be replaced by a more practical coating, such as ceramic.
It is also worth using lighting to create a new atmosphere in the environments, through nuances, sectored lights, highlights in decorative pieces or dimming.
Innovate when choosing materials
Knowing the decor trends will help when choosing paints, floors, coatings and decorative items for your "new" home. It will also allow you to stay on top of new technologies and materials that, in addition to beauty and comfort, will bring modernity, economy and practicality to your daily life.
Take advantage of the home improvement opportunity to invest in these features. For example, if lighting is on the change list, how about replacing the old light bulbs with LEDs ? Is the wooden floor deteriorated? Replace it with woody ceramics !
Plan the cost of the work in detail
The first step for a successful home renovation is to make a very detailed planning . The ideal is to hire an architect, interior designer or decorator to prepare the project and to monitor the work. This is the most effective way to transform spaces, stay within budget and minimize setbacks.
However, if this additional cost is out of the question, put down everything you want to include in the project on paper, create an outline of the intended changes, list the materials that will likely be used, and make varying budgets.
In addition, check all the labor needed to start the home renovation: electrician, plumber, finishing masons, painters, plasterers, among other professionals. Make the first contact so they can evaluate the service, set the deadline and help with the list of materials.
This care is essential for you to detail the expenses. Remember that the control and planning of works is the best way to ensure respect for the budget, the duration of stages and to prevent setbacks.
Set a spending limit
To avoid headaches with unnecessary expenses, losses and excessive commitment to the family budget, it is necessary to stipulate the spending limit before the start of the work.
Assess your actual financial conditions at the time, set a maximum amount to be invested and do not stray too far from the established ceiling. It is prudent that you consider the final value of the renovation to be around 10% to 20% of the limit of this budget. This is because, no matter how thorough the planning, reforms are always subject to unforeseen events.
Evaluate material purchase options
If your intention is to save, bet on strategies such as buying quality materials, which are affordable and offer good cost-benefit. Don't forget to check the product warranty and save the invoices.
Shopping online can also be a way to save. For this, you must pay attention to the material specifications, the quantity per package, the availability in stock, the freight value and the delivery time. In addition, check the site's security certifications, whether there is a service channel, whether the store trades and what its reputation is like.
It is important to have a safety margin for the acquisition of materials, as losses commonly occur during service. Assess with the responsible professional the percentage of loss he or she estimates — 10% is a good reference.
Create a worksheet to control and plan works
One of the best tools for planning and organizing the process is the work management spreadsheet. It allows you to carry out the steps in a timely manner, in addition to making it possible to control expenses. In this type of spreadsheet, it is necessary to include all expenses, especially with labor and construction material.
It must be prepared before purchasing inputs and hiring specialized professionals, as it works as a map of activities and helps control disbursements.
To make an efficient cost projection , have material and service provider budgets on hand. Below are two examples of possible spreadsheets. The first one concerns construction materials:
Set priorities in the work
First of all, priorities must be clearly established. It will not always be possible to transform everything at once, so it is necessary to define what is most important at the moment. At this stage, identify the spaces where reform is really urgent and start with these services.
Another essential care is to identify the critical paths for reform, that is, activities that compromise or influence the progress of others and must be treated with attention. This will allow you to determine the correct sequence of tasks. For example, to make a plaster ceiling, it is necessary that all electrical points are already defined and prepared. Painting is the last job to be performed.
For this purpose, the prior conversation with the professionals responsible for the services is essential. This interaction will allow you to create a schedule with achievable deadlines for each task, schedule disbursements, and hire more accurately. In other words, it is not necessary to buy all the material at once or close the contracts at the same time, if it is a longer renovation.
In addition, knowing the activities that will be performed and the duration of each one prevents different teams from working in the same environment simultaneously, which can create interference between services. Also, don't forget to plan the logistics for accessing the material and removing debris.
Build a schedule
Having defined the priorities and critical activities, prepare a practical control of the work through a schedule with each phase, respecting the order of importance. Establish start and end dates for each of the activities, remembering that the deadline for completion needs to be sensible.
In any case, it is worth considering a safety margin to prevent inconveniences. If you want your new home for the Christmas party, for example, plan to finish the home renovation in November at the latest. That way, unwanted delays won't compromise your initial desire.
Another tip is to avoid starting the renovation at holiday times such as the end of the year or Carnival, as some professionals do not work during these periods. Ah! And if the renovation includes outdoor areas, a valid recommendation is to avoid the rainy seasons.
