Having recently renovated a mid century home, after having done many renovation and new build projects before, made me realise that every renovation is just another learning experience.
Planning is crucial to any renovation project no matter how small.
The devil is always in the detail
Going over budget is also very common so a good plan is important. Knowing what you could be up against is a good way to plan for the unexpected. That way if you include a 20 % buffer in your budget you will be pleasantly surprised if you don’t have to use it.
Nasty surprises could include ripping up the carpet to find rotten floorboards, or finding layers of old floor coverings like “lino” which could have some asbestos in it.
Perhaps when you remove wall tiles from the bathroom wall you could find that the tiles have just been laid upon more tiles?
Dry rot, mould, termites….there could be many hidden nasties just waiting to be found by enthusiastic renovators!
Be strategic when planning as every little thing adds up.
Here are some renovation ideas to get the look you want for less:
Natural Light: If you want more natural light why not install a light tube so that sunshine can funnel through into a darker living space. The cost of busting out a window to make it bigger would probably cost much more given all the structural unknowns.
Kitchens: If your kitchen seems small, what about re-organising it to include slide out drawers and racks for maximum storage. You could replace the cupboard door fronts or handles plus the bench tops to smarten them up. There are more cost effective ways of updating your kitchen than knocking it out completely.
Painting: Make sure you prep all wall surfaces well and then your finish will be a good one. Don’t take shortcuts and use good quality paint.
Demolition: You can still save money if you do some of the simple demolition yourself as long as you proceed with care. Remember NOT to remove structural beams for instance.
Removing tiles off an old patio floor might be time consuming or digging the holes ready for the posts are ways that you can save money before your chosen contractor begins.
Make sure you know what is required first and certainly know where any underground cables or drainage pipes are before you begin any work.
Hitting a pipe underground with a pick axe and cutting off services can be a costly exercise, just as uncovering live wires in a wall can not only be very dangerous but costly when things go wrong.
Do your research well: Knowing what materials were used in the era that your home was built in will come in handy.
For instance some plumbing pipes in the late 1970’s in NZ were called Dux Quest, postdating copper pipes. Read more here
Dux Quest was withdrawn from the market a number of years ago after hundreds of faults were reported.
It was notorious for splitting, particularly around the joins and if it cracks can cause a nasty mess, and often insurance companies won’t cover damage done by Dux Quest piping, especially if it has leaked before.
If it is worth doing, then it is worth doing well
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