Set Your Priorities Straight: The Ultimate Home Renovation Checklist

Homeowners usually do not think about any major renovations until the structural integrity of the house gets compromised. By then, it is too late to renovate, so you have to reconstruct and in some cases tear down your home and start anew. That is why a “preemptive renovation,” to put it like that, is much more feasible and you will gain a lot from it. The only problem is where to start? Furthermore, when the renovation starts, how do you determine its scale, i.e. which parts of the house get top priority and which rooms can wait a year or two? Another important thing is to not go overboard with the costs of your renovation. In order to get things right the first time, there should exist a checklist that you will go by when renovating your house.

Inspecting the foundations

First thing’s first, before a single nail can be built into the house, you need to make sure that the whole structure is stable. Go to the basement or walk around the house to make sure the foundations are not damaged in any place. Concrete can crack even if there wasn’t an earthquake recently as earth constantly shifts and there is underground water that undermines the foundations from below. Once you are 100% certain that your home is stable, it is time to pick up the tools and start from the top, literally.

Repairing the roof

High on the list of priorities is to repair any damage the roof structure had sustained. Any leak in the roof will result in water coming down the inside of the house’s walls, damaging the furniture inside. Since working at height is a precarious venture, you can only inspect the roof for any obvious signs of leaks and perhaps clean the gutters using a ladder. Any major repairs, like applying caulk to the flashings, should be left to professionals who have years of experience in roof repairs.

Power and heating

Once the whole place is secured from above, it is time to check wiring and piping inside your walls. Apart from gas pipes, water lines, and sewage ducts, special care need to be given to electrical wiring. If the house is old, then wiring should be replaced, as worn-out wires without isolation are one of the leading causes for house fires. The same goes for heating, as it too sheds insulation over time, exposing the pipes to the elements, especially if they run under the floor of the house. Have an expert take a look at the wiring inside the house and replace any potentially hazardous metal wires.

Tending to the façade

Once you are sure that your house won’t go under, burn down or get flooded, it is time to turn to the seemingly less important issues. One of them is the front façade which has probably become dilapidated because you were constantly rescheduling the long overdue rendering. A thick rendered application will increase the strength of the façade and make it shock-resistant. Apart from being applied on new facades, acrylic rendering repairs are long-lasting and durable as well, so they should make their way onto your home’s renovation checklist.

Bathroom and the kitchen

Only after you are done with securing the outer perimeter of the house, you can turn your attention to the most frequented rooms. These are the kitchen and the bathroom that both have a respective function that is necessary for human life and they are used every day. This means that you should repair or buy new kitchen utensils and fixtures, such as cutlery or a new dishwasher. The same goes for the bathroom that you can update by installing a clothes dryer or a towel warmer.

Decorations

The final order of business on the home renovation list should be the decorations part. Interior décor is really the icing on the cake, so rooms such as the living room and the bedroom are last to receive their facelift. These interventions mostly consist of adding new pieces of furniture, repairing anything broken and giving the entire house a thorough scrub. At this stage, you can change the wallpapers or polish all the doorknobs; you know, the little things.

The most important thing during a home renovation is to clearly set out your priorities and take things slowly. The spruce-up can take place in stages that can be months apart but you need to prioritize and first take care of the issue of structural stability.

Comments 1
  1. Great post indeed, I loved to read it as it provides all the necessary details of what I was searching for. Thanks for great information you write it very clean. I am very lucky to get these tips from you.

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