You bought a fixer-upper thinking it would be easy to flip it into your dream home. Having seen more than your fair share of DIY and home renovation shows you thought, “How hard could it really be?”
Now that the new home buzz is wearing off and you’re actually living in your not-so-perfect home, you’re probably having second thoughts on renovating. Don’t let buyer’s remorse set in, instead read through these tips and get excited about the potential of your new home.
Reno Tips For New Homeowners
1. Prioritize What’s Most Important
Walking into a new home that needs major renovations can be overwhelming. Especially if you’ve never renovated before. Before you start packing your bags for a turn-key home, take a minute to think about what you really want in your new home. Write a list and then prioritize it.
Think about the rooms that need the most work versus the ones you use most. If you’re not much of a cook and can live with a kitchen stuck in 1979, keep it as is while you focus your attention on your not-to-code staircase. If you’re an aspiring chef then the kitchen is probably high on your to-do list. Keep in mind that if you can’t use your stairs to get to it, then there’s no point in renovating it now.
Having a well prioritized list will keep you motivated to fix the essentials so you can get to the fun renovations.
2. Timing & Budget
Rome wasn’t built in a day and your dream home is no different, in theory. Once you’ve prioritized which renovations are most important to you, it’s time to make a plan. If you know you want to update your master bathroom in 6 months, create a budget that will allow you to properly afford this renovation. Stick to in and in 6 months time you’ll be even closer to that rainfall shower.
3. Make Small Changes Now
Coming home to a house you’re not thrilled with after a long day’s work is something we’d all like to avoid. While you may not be able to afford major renovations right away, there are still plenty of small things you can do around your home to improve it.
Consider hiring a handyman for the afternoon to do those small projects you don’t have time for or don’t know how to do. Have them patch up holes in the wall, fix leaky pipes, and put up shelves. It might not be your dream home quite yet but it is still your home and you should enjoy being there. While these small changes might be only temporary, you’ll be glad you did it in the meantime.
You can either spend a year hating your existing kitchen or you can spend a little bit of money now and like it enough to actually want to cook in it. Simple changes can make a big impact, and they don’t need to take long either. Changing the hardware and painting the cabinets can be done in an afternoon. Even if you’re going to rip it out a year later, if you can afford to repaint now, there’s no sense in waiting for your renovation for a year in a kitchen you hate.
4. Research Your Reno
Half the battle of any renovation is the time spent planning and researching. To ensure your renovation goes as smoothly as possible, make sure you are prepared. You don’t have to be an expert — that’s why you hired a professional in the first place — but it doesn’t hurt to know what’s going on and what you can expect.
Like most things these days, a good portion of your research can be done online, but it never hurts to ask friends and family about their experiences. If you can’t find a friend or family member who’s done a complete basement renovation before, you can bet someone in the HomeStars community has.
HomeStars’ reviews are there to help you learn not only about the type of work done, but also about other homeowners’ experiences with similar projects. Read reviews to better understand what others wish they had known before they started their projects and how they handled things that did not go to plan. Once you’ve found a couple companies you would like to get quotes from, be sure to ask them the questions the reviewers had mentioned.
Taking on a home renovation, no matter the size, is always exciting and overwhelming. While there may be stressful times ahead, proper planning will be the key to your success. Looking for more information? Check out our Renovation Tips and Tricks board on Pinterest. Good luck and happy renovating.
