Home Improvement

Home Renovation or remodeling is not a piece of cake. Making decisions about what to change and what not to change, making a budget, and preventing time overruns are the things that make this task even more challenging. A lot of times, people go lose focus and get unnecessary changes made. Consequently, they face time and budget overruns. A to-do list is extremely important to keep track of everything. It lets you decide what you need to get done, sets a time frame for the upgrade to complete, and prevents you from cost overruns.

In this article, we are presenting a checklist that you can follow if you are giving your house a major refurbishment. If you are planning to remodel your house, this checklist could not have come at a  better time.

1. Make a List of the Changes that Need to be Made:

First things first, you cannot get started before you know what it is that you want to do. So, the first step is to make a comprehensive list of things that you want to get done. Shortlist the things that you NEED to get done from the list that you WANT to get done. That way, you will be absolutely sure and will start with the things that are of utmost importance. For example, repairing that broken sink may be necessary, but replacing all the kitchen cabinets? Not so much.

The best way to do so is to go around the house and analyze everything. Do you need to change the furniture? Does the gas leak? Do the pipelines or the electric wires need to get replaced? Does the floor need polishing or a top-to-bottom up-gradation? Do you need the walls painted? Do you want to convert the outdoor area into a home garden?  Do you need a dining area/room? The list needs to be all-inclusive and exhaustive.

2. Make a Budget:

The next most important task is to finalize the estimated budget. Make a budget of your own to see what it is that you can take out of your own pocket. Set some funding aside for last-minute fallacies (say, 10% for overheads or something that, through no fault of anybody goes out of the estimated financial plan). You can get a loan from the bank or take some investment out. It is also important to decide at this point where the funding would come from.

3. Talk to the Contractor:

Contact the contractor, architect, or remodeling firm. Do not pay attention to those advertisements on TV or the internet ads. These things almost always turn out to be more expensive than what is claimed (they are either fabricated or are outdated). It is always better to call someone and let them tell you what kind of funding does everything needs. The pricing plan should include everything, the cost of material, labor, design, and overheads. After that, you can compare the prices told by the contractor to your own budget. If they fall under budget, well and good. If they don’t, you may want to skip some of the things to avoid the last-minute hassles of arranging funds.

4. Draft a Timeline:

Check your calendar to see if any important events are coming up. Like hosting a thanksgiving party, for which you may need at least the living room and the kitchen ready. You also do not want to replace the chillers during peak summers as that may turn out to be quite a disaster in the scorching heat of Dubai. Plan everything in your list in alignment with the upcoming events so as to not rush into getting things completed at the last minute.

5. Get, Set, Go:

Once you have the outline of your home renovation project, a timeline ready to go, and funding on hand, it is time to get started. Bring the painters, carpenters, contractors in and start renovating your home. It may be a tedious project but it would feel totally worth it once you see it all coming together. So sit tight and work your way through the list.