Home renovations are costly and messy and often strain relationships. However, homeowners still renovate their homes for various reasons. It could be to give it a fresh look, to repair an aging house, or to enhance functionality. Whatever the case, if you do it right, you’re in for an adventure of a lifetime. But first things first: the task will require proper planning, budgeting, and hiring the right contractors for a successful outcome. Here are some helpful tips to help you execute a successful home renovation project.
1. Speak to Reputable Roofers
Most homeowners dream of owning a roof with a long service life; and while the roofing material plays a key role in ensuring this, the contractor is equally important. According to IBISWorld, there are 251,805 contractors in the roofing industry as of 2023. Choosing a contractor from this broad catalog can be challenging for many. However, consulting with different contractors is one of the home renovation resources you should consider before embarking on the project.
Roofing contractors aren’t all created equal, some are cheaper than others. Remember that cheaper doesn’t always equate to better; most of the time the contrary is more likely. Since a roofing project is arguably one of the biggest projects you’ll take on, it’s important to ensure reputable roofers do it. One of the ways to gauge a contractor is by the number of years of experience behind them.
A contractor with many years of experience has weathered many storms in their line of work, meaning they can handle the toughest hurdles that may come up during the project. Getting referrals from previous clients is yet another way of onboarding a reputable roofing contractor; they can give you crucial information, such as the time it took for the contractor to complete the project and if they stuck to the budget. This information can help you when deciding on who to hire.
2. Inquire About Your Home’s Siding
The exterior of your house is the first thing people see upon encountering your home. It gives your home character and protects its occupants from harsh weather conditions. Since it’s constantly exposed to harmful weather elements, such as strong winds, snow, and heavy downpours, it’s prone to damage. Consider siding as one of the crucial home renovation resources for your project.
Siding is the skin of a house. It covers most of the exterior. It plays a vital role in the general appearance of a home, among other benefits, such as enhancing energy efficiency and protecting your home from pests and water damage. It’s, therefore, essential to hire reputable siding repair services during a home renovation exercise. Along with enhancing the general curb appeal, the siding bumps up the value of your home, which can be a great selling point during a resale.
3. Upgrade Your Electric System
As a homeowner, when you think of other home renovation resources to improve the aesthetics of your home, safety is a major consideration. The electrical system in your home is one of those things that can jeopardize safety in your home if ignored. Unfortunately, it’s one of the systems within a home that is often ignored; well, until something goes wrong. Imagine living in a home whose electrical wires are dangerously exposed or have sparks. You won’t feel safe, right? The truth is, it pays to hire expert electrician services sooner rather than later; of course, every home is different, but when you’re taking on a major home renovation project that includes upgrading your entertainment rooms, kitchen, and bathroom, it’s important to consider an electrical upgrade as well.
If you live in an old home, the electrical system is likely outdated, and, over the years, your electricity demands will continue to increase. To accommodate the demands of an energy-efficient home, hire a qualified electrician to help with the much-needed upgrades. The right candidate shouldn’t only have the skills and experience to ensure a safe upgrade. They should also ensure that the upgrades comply with building codes that dictate how electrical work should be done in your state.
4. Ensure Your Furnace Is Working Properly
Typically found in the basement, attic, or closet, a furnace is a heating unit that distributes heated air throughout a home. When summer is over, you get to enjoy the cooler temperatures of fall. However, before you know it, winter comes knocking, and if you don’t have a proper working furnace, brace yourself for a cold winter season. Of course, no one wants to go through this. A proper working furnace is one of the home renovation resources to check off your list.
As temperatures drop, your furnace becomes your best friend. It ensures your home is warm and cozy during winter. The truth is, that even a seemingly well-functioning furnace can be faulty. It’s, therefore, essential to schedule annual maintenance and furnance repair services with a local contractor. Many homeowners tend to overlook furnace repair and maintenance services. However, they have no choice as the services are not an option; rather, they are necessary in ensuring efficient heating throughout the home, and clean indoor air, and are great at extending the life of the unit.
5. Assess Your HVAC System
Home renovations require one to make big decisions. One of the big decisions you’ll have to make is about the HVAC system in your home. Renovating your home gives you a great opportunity to get the most out of your HVAC system; after all, it ensures your residence is comfortable all year. According to BUCKEYE, you should service your HVAC system at least once a year. However, renovations may require one to get a new system entirely.
Ideally, the size of your HVAC system is matched to the size of the house. You may need to add more rooms when renovating your home. This, in turn, alters the demand for your HVAC system as it serves a larger space. One, therefore, needs to consider hiring air conditioning services or installing a new system. Failure to make proper adjustments results in high energy bills, uneven temperatures, and undue wear and tear on your system.
6. Install New Windows
If you live in an old house, you’re likely missing out on the many benefits of new windows. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize how age affects the quality and functioning of windows; they become difficult to open and shut, and soon start to show signs of water damage. Such windows not only affect efficiency within the home but also take away from the home’s aesthetics. When renovating your home, consider investments that supersede what meets the eye, and installing new windows is one of the home renovation resources that will help you achieve that.
Getting new window installations is an important step when looking to enhance comfort, energy efficiency, and the appearance of your home. However, only choose windows that complement your lifestyle and home design. Consider energy-efficient materials such as fiberglass or vinyl which help enhance insulation and lower energy costs.
7. Consider New Flooring
As soon as you open your door, the first physical contact with your house is the floor. It plays a significant role in the overall interior design of your home by serving as the foundation. Without the right floor, your house may have all the right furniture and decor items and still not look right. Therefore, installing new floors should be on top of the key home renovation resources during a home renovation project.
Aesthetics aside, the floor in your home plays an important role in ensuring functionality. Choosing the right flooring materials requires consideration of essential factors, such as load requirement and foot traffic. If your home typically gets high foot traffic or will house heavy loads, choose a durable material that can withstand the weight of heavy furniture and other fixtures.
A good example of a resilient flooring material is vinyl. It’s durable but easy to clean. If vinyl is a material that ties in well with the overall design of your home, consider hiring a reputable company that offers expert vinyl flooring services. Although installing new floors is challenging for many, you’ll reap the benefits of durability, longevity, and beauty.
8. Restore Your Brickwork With Experts
Bricks are typically a robust construction material found in many buildings for benefits such as temperature regulation, and longevity. However, age, weathering, and poor maintenance often lead to deterioration of the bricks. Damaged bricks not only compromise your home’s curb appeal but also affect the structural stability of your home. It’s, therefore, important to be on the lookout for the tell-tale signs of damaged bricks, which include discoloration, spalling, shifting bricks, and chips. Whenever you spot these signs, contact a qualified brick restoration services contractor.
There may be some things you can do yourself to maintain a home, but it’s best to leave restoration to the experts. Don’t be tempted to pick up your hose and start cleaning your bricks upon noticing dirt has collected on them. You may end up causing more damage to your bricks. Experts know the right pressure to exert to get dirt out without damaging the bricks. They know the ratio of water-cleaning chemicals to use. Hiring professionals for brickwork restoration is an essential consideration in the list of home renovation resources.
9. Fix Your Concrete Driveway
Your home is not just a structure that houses your family; it’s more than that. It involves several elements coming together to create an ideal living space. As you renovate the building structure of your home, both interior and exterior, don’t forget the driveway. You have probably come across a messy and ill-maintained driveway. How did it make you feel? You likely judged the book by its cover and concluded that the house’s interior was equally messy.
Your driveway is the first impression visitors get as they walk up to your house. It also has functional purposes, such as providing a play area for children and a walkway to your house or garage. Always keep your driveway in pristine condition, and should you notice cracks and potholes on it, contact a local concrete contractor to mitigate the problem before it escalates into costly damage. This hack is perhaps one of the most ingenious home renovation resources that can instantly raise the value of your home.
10. Repair Your Outdoor Furniture
Outdoor furniture is designed to make your time outdoors as comfortable as possible. It’s typically designed to withstand some of the harshest weather conditions. UV-rated fabrics, rust-free powder-coated aluminum, and naturally rot-resistant wood are excellent materials for outdoor furniture. Since the furniture is constantly exposed to different weather conditions, it inevitably gets damaged over time. You can, however, extend the service life and maintain the beauty of outdoor furniture by scheduling routine care and maintenance or using outdoor furniture repair services.
Although it’s possible to repair and maintain some of your outdoor furniture on your own, hiring professionals to do the job is a wise move. A professional as the right skills to get the job done, and is equipped with all the necessary tools and equipment for efficiency and effectiveness. Even if you can do the job yourself, hiring a professional frees up your time for more crucial tasks that only you can do. To keep your furniture in pristine conditions, if you’ll not be using it for a couple of months due to bad weather, safely storing it indoors for that duration.
Your home renovation project may be expensive. You’ll be spending money hiring contractors and buying all the supplies you need for the project. It helps to do your research before investing such large sums of money. Right off the bat, you should have a good idea of the renovations you want, the materials you wish to use, the color pallet to work with, and how you envision the finished work. Of course, with so many designs and styles to choose from, the process can be overwhelming. However, with the right contractors by your side and with the help of home renovation resources, you can bring your vision to life. You don’t have to live with a home you don’t fully enjoy. It could be parts of the home that you find uninspiring, such as a bathroom or kitchen. With the tips and home renovation resources in this article, you can turn your home into the masterpiece you’ve always envisioned it to be.
