I am new to renovation and where should I start?
Renovations can be big or small and if you are just starting out we’ve found it’s a good idea to start small. Before you are going to put yourself into the deep end, by starting small you can decide if you really like renovation.
Remember, it is a learning experience and I can promise you that there’s a lot to learn and its easier with a small chunk at a time.
With a small renovation job, you can finish quickly and this gives you confidence to move on to something bigger.
So, How to get started?
The quickest and easiest type of renovation is cosmetic – things you can do to change the appearance with no structural work involved.
Types of cosmetic renovations include
- Weeding and tidying the garden
- Adding plants
- Pruning trees
- General cleaning
- Repainting – inside and out
- Replacing door handles
- Replacing / painting kitchen cupboard doors
- Repainting / replacing kitchen benchtops
- Replacing carpets / vinyls
- Painting wall tiles
It may sound like a lot yet it’s all fairly simple stuff. And you can do most of this yourself quite easily.
Depending on your renovation budget you can call in the professionals (which you will need if using an electrician or plumber) and that’s one method of doing it. For us we discovered the best way was doing it ourselves. It has given us an incredible amount of knowledge to be able to talk the language of trades and know how things are done. You’ll also learn what quality to expect when employing trades in the future.
Another tip is get as much knowledge as you can before you start (and preferably before settlement) so you can get stuck into the work straight after settlement. If you can negotiate access prior to settlement to start a few minor things that’s great. Otherwise ask the agent to show you the property again and take measurements, list what needs replacing/repainting etc. This will save you a lot of time getting things together before settlement like paint, ordering new kitchen doors and benchtops, the number of plants to buy, painting equipment etc.
And once settlement has gone through you’ll be so prepared you can just blitz the renovation in record time!
These are some of the basics we’ve learned when starting on a small cosmetic renovation and we’ve found this the best way to start for us to move on to the next and more complex level.
Drop us a line and let us know how you started.
