A home renovation is different than redecorating. While redecorating can be accomplished on any size scale and by virtually any type of person, it takes a specific tenacity to approach a home renovation on your own. The term renovation itself implies an element of physical labor that redecorating does not typically require. Not to mention there are budgetary differences that determine what constitutes one over the other. If you are someone that is not afraid to roll their sleeves up and put in some sweat equity than taking a DIY approach to a home renovation like excites you instead of intimidates you. Even for the most determined, or experienced DIY’ers there are some things to consider that are specific to a home reno, a few are listed below for you to ponder before you take a hammer to a wall.
Leave Room in Your Budget
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Sometimes projects are straightforward and simple and other times you might get halfway through one and realize that you need some help. Leaving room in your budget for the possibility of having to outsource things you might not have initially planned to have to is going to eliminate the stress of the financial aspect of something like this. If you are paying out of pocket this is especially important because you might not even have the additional funds on hand to complete a project and leaving something essential halfway done will affect the functionality of your home.
Conversely if you are planning to use a loan of any type to cover costs, you will want to make sure that the original amount you apply for will include a percentage that can be allocated to the unexpected. If you have been in your home for a while the likelihood that you can tap into existing equity to cover these costs is high. A home equity line of credit allows you to access profit on built up value that your home has established over time. You can review a guide on everything you need to know about how to qualify, what the funds can be used for, and how to begin the process so that things are as simple as possible when you decide to officially get going.
Do Not Make Things Too Hard
Just because you have elected to do much of this work yourself does not mean that you have to do everything the hard way. There is no prize for struggling through a project with your bare hands that could have been significantly more efficient with the use of proper tools and equipment. Especially if you plan to bust through walls or move objects that carry a heavy weight there are some pieces of essential heavy equipment that you should plan to have to rent or borrow to keep on task and on your timeline.
Keep Project Sizes Manageable
When you are doing work by yourself, you need to consider what is going on in the rest of your life as well. It is probable that you will still have to work, be social, parent children if applicable, and take care of yourself throughout the process, so do not bite off more than you can chew. It helps to make a list of projects before you begin and prioritize them with assigned timelines that are attainable. If you build your own deck, for example, but underestimate the time you can dedicate to it, you run the risk of weather causing a chance for incompletion or that materials that you had access to at the start no longer being available. If things get too tough, don’t hesitate to search for a “handyman near me” for support.
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