Home Renovations: When It Pays To Get Your Hands Dirty
Have you got your eye on a project? Have you spotted a perfect piece of land to build your dream home? Are you eager to do up an old house and bring it back to life? Often, it pays to get your hands dirty when renovating or building a property. If you have the insight, the vision, and the determination, you can create the home of your dreams and save money. Here are some handy hints to help you plan and carry off an ideal home renovation.
Planning the build
If you’re taking on a large-scale building project, you’ll need to plan carefully. You may need to submit planning applications, and you’ll need the help of architects and builders. At this stage, it’s best to share and discuss ideas, but let the professionals draw up the plans. Once you have permission to go ahead with the build, you can start getting more involved.
Clearing and preparing the site
Have you bought a run-down farm with outhouses and barns? Is the land full of rubbish? Or does the house need gutting? The next step involves clearing the site. You can get people in to do this for you, but a bit of elbow grease will save you a lot of money. Get friends and family to help out and investigate equipment hire. Using machinery will save you time and effort, and hiring is much cheaper than buying. It’s always wise to have at least one skip on the go to store waste.
Once you’ve cleared your site, you can start prepping it for building. If you’re starting afresh, you’ll need a building firm to lay foundations. If you’re renovating, your structural survey will indicate whether any work needs doing to the foundations. It will also contain information about the supporting walls and joists. If you are having foundations laid, investigate local firms and get some quotes to hire an excavator.
Building jobs you can do yourself
When it comes to heavy-duty building work, it’s best to leave it to the experts. But there are many jobs you can help out with. If you can put in the hours, this will save you paying somebody else to do it. If you have friends with building, bricklaying or plastering experience, rope them in and treat them to dinner to say thank you. Once the major structural work is complete, you can help with clearing rubble and debris and lining up bricks. You can also help with knocking down walls that are no longer required. Make sure you have the relevant safety equipment to hand if you’re offering your services.
Cosmetic work
Most of us have a vision of what we want our homes to look like when all the legwork is complete. The good news is that you can do many of the interior design jobs. Grab your overalls and dust sheets and get painting, or climb a ladder to hang curtains and blinds.
If you’re renovating a new home, it often pays to get involved and get your hands dirty. If you’re willing to put in time and effort, you can cut your build costs significantly. Look into machinery and equipment hire. Get ready to devote evenings and weekends to clearing, building, and painting.