Planning Your 2021 House Renovations

If you are planning to improve your living space, house renovations may not be far from your mind. Although it is an exciting project, and profitable if done well, renovating can be quite daunting.

There are a lot of benefits for renovating; from allowing your living space to showcase your personality, discovering house features that were hidden away by previous renovations to expanding and improving your living space.

Renovating is a big project and its success will depend on how well prepared and aware are you of the things that may lie ahead. In every construction project, there is always an element of surprise, so expecting the unexpected is always a good attitude to have. This may include hidden costs that may crop up along the process. Knowing where these hidden costs may sneak in during the schedule of works will help you remain on schedule and within budget.

Creating a good schedule will help you put things into perspective. It should clearly indicate all the tasks needed to be done in their proper order and how long it should take. To make it more detailed, indicate the persons responsible for accomplishing the tasks and the budget allocated for each step.

Get your Plans drawn up

Before you start the renovation, it is important to get your plans drawn so you can get a layout of what you are looking to achieve. Professional designers can walk you through the process of getting planning permission, create designs based on your preference, give you advice on what you are looking for and give you an idea of how far your budget can go.

Get Planning Permission

Before you are allowed to begin your project, you need to accomplish several consents to avoid construction delays. Depending on the type of renovation you are looking to undertake, you m ayneed planning permission as well as building regulation approval from the Local Council and listed building consent if your property is Listed. Be sure to contact your Local Council before you start any works.

Building Work: Where to Start

If you want to preserve the original character of your house, you may opt to retain your doors, fireplaces, floors, original mouldings, roofs, timber beams and windows.

After creating site access for the works to be commenced, you need to think about drains: are the existing ones still working or do they need replacement? If you are planning to build an extension, you may have to relocate them.

Renovating will also mean making changes to your electrical wiring and plumbing system. You have to take note that these works don’t come cheap. To make your thermal performance optimal, you may have to update your electrics and heating systems too. At this stage, the following should be installed before concealed by plaster:

• alarms
• extract ducts
• hot water cylinder
• speakers or any other home automation equipment
• ventilation ducts
• wiring for central heating controls

After the plaster has been laid, underfloor heating, cable and pipes can be put in place. After the flooring is finished, the second fix work can commence. This usually involves adjusting the heating system, keeping soil stacks and pipes boxed in, installing fitted furniture and kitchen appliances, installing radiators and boiler controls, installing bathroom taps and fittings, hanging all doors, installing light fixtures, phone, TV, and more.

Revamping the Exterior of Your House

Sprucing up your house exteriors does not need to go above your budget. All you need to do is take into consideration small changes that will affect the overall look of your property and include them in the budget. For instance, you can paint the brickwork to change the look of your exterior, change the landscaping, paint the fences and gates, add a porch for character and repaint or replace any timberwork.

The Permitted Development allows these changes but if your house is under a special designation, these changes may not be allowed. To be safe, ask your contractor about it.

Prepare a Snagging List

In any construction project, something unavoidable eventually creeps in after the project has been completed. To address these issues, you may ask your contractor to fix them and expect to pay for any defects that are not their fault. It is custom for clients to hold back 2.5 to 5% retention of the final payment. This will be released in full as soon as the client is satisfied with the works and all defects are resolved.

Renovating is a process that involves a lot of things and it may be confusing to some, especially for first-time homeowners. If you need help, don’t hesitate to contact AU Grab Hire on 01793 297217 or enquiries@augrabhire.uk. They have been working in the construction industry for many years, providing various services that are vital to renovation such as plant machinery hire, aggregate and waste management, bulk bag services and more! Their customer service personnel would be happy to assist you with anything that you need!