Five Ways To Go About Your Renovating Your Home

Renovating Your House

Whether you are owning your own house for the first time or looking to renovate your long-time house, knowing how to invest in your home renovations now means you have lesser touch-ups to worry about in the years to come.

When you are renovating your house, you want to be sure to have thought your plans and designs carefully for the long term. House renovations can be quite costly, so it is wise to take your time and make every penny count! This way, you are able to achieve what is best for your needs so you can live comfortably without having to plan for the next renovation anytime soon. Here are five tips that will help you in this process. If you think you’ll need a little professional help, try Cutler Interior Design Firm in Vancouver.

1.   Universal Design

All of your renovation plans should be based on Universal Design principles. This means that each design should have features that make them adaptable. There should be flexibility in your house, including having various height levels and having doors that can be accessed by everyone. Your house furniture and items should also be easy for everyone to use, especially for people with disabilities. For example, they should be large enough for people to locate and low enough to reach. Universal Design thus places importance on how the renovation of your house can improve your quality of life no matter how old you are, whether it is through easier access, adaptability, or efficiency. Not only will your house look newer, but it has also added functions that will benefit people from all walks of life. After all, a house is somewhere you can take comfort and rest in, so these principles can definitely aid in making the house one that you want to live in without discomfort.

2.   Take advantage of the space

If you live in an apartment, then perhaps you may not have much space, to begin with. However, you can still have a beautiful home with an Open Plan design.

The Open Plan design, as suggested by its name, means bringing down the walls that separate the common rooms like the living room, kitchen, and dining room. This frees up more space for more storage of items and furniture. Not only that, but it serves as an aesthetic frame for your house with easier entry and arrangement. Instead of walls, you can opt for doors instead, which will give you increased utility, where multiple people can be using a single room for different purposes together.

In addition, your basement could be used as an overflow room to increase space for living without the added costs and taxes for land and space restrictions as well. The basement is a great space to renovate into a place for leisure or a separate office room. Imagine being away from all the noise in the house! This investment is particularly useful for families who intend to live in their house for generations to come.

However, because it is the basement, the costs of renovation could be high depending on what you want. For example, the costs of adding in windows or electrical wires could spike up your budget since they are not available. To solve this, you could simply purchase more lights and other ornaments like paint or carpets to make it look more like a livable space. On the other hand, you can go all in and completely refinish your basement to a room that is like any other room in your house, but one with windows and charging ports. The most important thing you cannot forgo, however, would be insulation. Basements tend to be colder especially in the winter since cold air sinks, so be prepared to spend some money to stay warm!

3.   Insulation and energy

Talking about insulation, that is a necessity for the rest of your house such as the attic as well to save energy. Attics that are not insulated can result in a waste of energy, especially when you use heaters. The unit would have needed more energy in order to adjust to the heat or the cold. Instead, you can insulate your attic using spray foam to save up on those energy bills!

4.   Restoring is key

The restoration of windows could bring you much more value. Data on energy shows that it is as, if not more, energy-efficient when you restore your single-paned windows using insulation strips and the addition of a storm window. On the other hand, replacing windows can be either really expensive or not done right. If you live in a historic house, then the issue becomes much more complex with the need to preserve the historicity of the house. Thus, it is wiser to opt for renovation instead of replacement and can be easily done by reaching out to your local government officials in charge of the preservation of historical places.

5.   Renovate the kitchen

Kitchens are also another space in your home that you should renovate, and is probably the largest renovation in your house you have to do. So, this is where your long-term and careful planning is especially essential. There are many ways you can renovate a kitchen, such as how you want to reface the cabinets or how and where you want to completely remove them in place of new ones. Thus, you have to be clear about what you want. For example, if you are renting the space out or selling it, then there is no need for a replacement since a few fixes to the existing structure will do. If you are going to be living there for a long time, then you might want to redesign the whole kitchen to your liking, including the layout and upgrading your appliances. The important thing is that you design it in a way that pleases you, not others because it is you who will be living in this house and using this kitchen!

Conclusion

These tips will surely guide you to plan better when you’re looking to renovate your house, big or small, old or new!