Home Remodelling Made Easy with Trusted House Extension Builders in London
Remodelling your existing house can be demanding and usually has a certain degree of complexity as it involves reshaping and restructuring an entire part of a house or the building itself. But, how to go about it? In this article, discover essential tips and techniques to remodel your existing house from one of UK’s most trusted builders.
Remodeling a home can be an exciting journey as you are going to live in a place you have delicately planned and desired. At the same time, it can also be overwhelming as it requires meticulous planning and execution, which is not possible without the intervention and professional guidance of construction experts.
Remodeling a home involves making changes to improve your home’s layout by enhancing the functionality and aesthetics of your existing home for a comfortable and enjoyable living experience. These can vary from making structural adjustments, interior enhancements, exterior upgrades, to building a new wing such as an extension to expand your living space.
The process of remodeling a home includes thorough planning, detailed budgeting, and keeping track of the timeframe within which your home remodeling project should complete. The process of planning itself entails major work that involves obtaining the necessary building permits such as planning permission, ensuring adherence to building regulations or checking for party wall.
It is almost similar to approaching a new build. The only difference is, when remodeling a home, you may have to take down a part of your home to structurally alter it and rebuild according to your new plan.
Home Remodeling Made Easy
There is no such thing like a secret sauce when considering remodeling a home, nor there is a silver bullet solution. What makes a house remodeling easy is adherence to planning and a methodical approach that needs concrete execution. There also lies the element of taking the right decisions and making smart choices, and if done effectively, is when you realise what it takes to remodel a home.
Below is a detailed breakdown of essential tips and methods that can help you remodel your existing home.
1. List Out Your Plan
Start by making a list of what you want to do and what you need. You may have multiple plans to remodel your existing space and may have identified specific areas. For example, you may want to enhance your living area for more natural light. You may also want to create an open plan living area and in addition add an ensuite too.
As you can see there are multiple jobs that require structural and design considerations. Listing out your definite plans will help you prepare. This will also help in accumulating the necessary materials, resources required and helps you in budgeting.
2. Identify Your Needs
Once you have decided on what parts and portions of your house you want to remodel, start accumulating the required materials and resources required for the project. Talk to experts and seek guidance on how to go about shaping your project. This is where you require the help of professionals.
3. Hire Professionals
The next step is to hire construction professionals. Because remodeling a home involves structural alterations and along with making enhancements inside and outside of your house, an architect or a structural engineer are the only professionals who can successfully guide you to accomplish a hassle-free project.
Once you have hired the right professionals, sit through and elucidate your plan. Professionals such as them are best positioned to advice and guide you in making your project a seamless journey as they can provide valuable insights on the feasibility of your plans and can help you make smart and informed decisions whilst saving huge costs.
4. Set a Budget and a Timeline
Setting a defined budget and a timeline is crucial to ensure your project is on track and does not lead to overspending. If you have decided on a definite budget and timeframe, it facilitates better management of resources. A realistic budget will help you to spend on materials and features that will be most required for your project.
This will also help the builder to guide you on the right materials and resources according to your budget. New innovations and advancements in the construction sector have enabled architects to adopt smart and efficient means that can do the job rather quickly and efficiently. Also, keeping aside a contingency fund is critical to manage any unforeseen situations and expenses.
5. Explore Financing Options
Exploring financing options for your home improvement project is crucial especially when you don’t have a defined budget but still want to get things done. Even with defined budget, unforeseen circumstances will lead to sporadic spending, and you may be required to allocate a contingency fund.
In the UK there are a lot of financing options available when considering remodeling a home –
Unsecured Loans (Personal loans), though lend smaller amounts, are less risky as they do not involve any collateral, which means there is no risk of losing your property. You just need to ensure regular payments are made until you clear the debt. Unsecured loans are usually offered on shorter periods with higher interest rates.
Development Finance can fund renovation projects and can typically do them for a period of 6 to 24 months. They can be beneficial as they offer quick access to funds, flexible payment options, and can be borrowed for both light renovations (non-structural) and heavy renovation (involving structural alterations) projects.
If you are planning to sell the property after remodeling your house, the proceeds from the sale can be used to repay the development loan.
If you instead wish to keep the property for yourself, then you can choose to refinance the development loan through a standard mortgage.
You can also explore other loan options, such as bridging loans, secured loans, which have their own features and advantages.
6. Material Selection
Researching the right type of materials for your remodeling project is important, as it not only ensures adherence to planning laws but also helps you align with your style and budget.
If you are changing the exterior of your home and if it involves material changes, some parts of the planning laws mandate the inclusion of similar styled materials when you refurbish your home.
When choosing materials for your project, consider factors like style, durability, appearance similar to original materials, and budget, as advancements in material research and processing has resulted in several eco-friendly and sustainable options.
Visiting home improvement expos, trade shows, and exhibitions can help you to explore a variety of material options and types of finishes.
Decide Your Home Remodeling Venture
There are a lot of factors that play a key role when deciding what to consider when remodeling a home.
Taking an assessment of the current layout remains key. Determining how the functionality of your home will be, how aesthetics will transform your home, and which are the parts that require enhancements and upgrades, remain key factors.
Importantly, considering the factor of property value when thinking about which part of the house to refurbish is critical, as you do not want to lose out on advanced methods and materials that are highly energy efficient and remain relevant in the future as well.
Examples:
If your plan is to create an open plan living, you must first assess the space for convenience. Identify areas that are more favourable for expansion. Be aware of load-bearing walls if they are to be removed. Define zones and consider how you are going to use the space and create definite zones for each function.
If you are planning to build an ensuite, then first determine the space for its potential. Consider what your ensuite can include within that defined space. Check whether the exterior plumbing and sewage lines are nearby or can be accessible to connect to your new ensuite.
Potential for more Natural Light is a factor that is important to consider. When remodeling your home, you don’t want to open up or renovate an area that is not conducive to natural light inflow. So, consulting an engineer or an architect and planning in the right area that allows maximum natural light is important.
Identifying Areas for Upgrades is critical both from a cost and value perspective. Look for rooms or areas that are outdated or which have great potential for higher value upon resale.
Tips: Remodeling Your Home
- Decluttering will greatly help you to be organised at first and in identifying key areas for remodeling.
- Don’t DIY for larger tasks. Though we still recommend hiring professionals for smaller remodeling tasks too, as experienced professionals, we strictly do not encourage DIYs for remodeling tasks that involve structural alterations or similar jobs.
- Look for areas that require demolition. Identify and remove unwanted works that act as barricades for higher efficiency improvements.
- Prioritise first-fixes and second fixes accordingly when planning installations for plumbing and electrical lines.
- Look for damaged roofs, leakages on walls, and fix them with advanced insulation methods. This is your best and only chance.
- Investing in energy-efficient appliances will save you huge money in the long run, though it may cost you a bit upfront. Upgrade to insulate parts of your home, such as lofts, windows, walls, etc. Adopting energy-efficient means will also make you eligible for grants from the government.
- Consider affordable and sustainable alternatives in materials, especially when remodeling your project. Go for reclaimed wood, cork, sheep wool, hemp wool, etc, which are not only eco-friendly but long-lasting alternatives.
- Build around your existing plumbing or electrical lines and do not consider shifting them. This will save help you save money on a lot of things.
Conclusion
Remodeling a home requires both mental and physical efforts. Working with a clear vision and being preemptive to anticipate and make early decisions can save you from unforeseen circumstances and dodge unnecessary delays and expenses. This will also help you make informed decisions and ensure a smoother project experience.
At Extension Architecture, we are your go-to experts for all your home renovation projects. Whether it is large structural alterations or small cosmetic upgrades, our specialists have extensive experience in handling extensions, conversions or home improvements irrespective of the scale and budget your project entails.
