New furniture? A seven-seater sofa? Different paint on the walls?
All these ideas, and many more like them, come to mind when people first consider renovating their homes. With so many options and possibilities available, deciding can be difficult.
Oftentimes, the price of the new items and the renovation can make things go from difficult to challenging. When this happens, most people just abandon the idea altogether. But did you know that you can, indeed, renovate your home without having to break the bank?
In this article, we’ll go over some home renovation tips that’ll help you cut down the costs. We’ll even cover how to choose the right contractor and factors to consider before renovating your house.
Let’s begin!
What Is Home Renovation All About?
If you want to redo your home in a budget-friendly way, you need to know what home renovation is. You see, home renovation is more about making cosmetic improvements. This may involve replacing existing items, making some repairs, and maybe adding in new windows, doors, or flooring, depending on the condition of your house.
It’s common for most people to think that renovation is about redoing your house from the ground up. But that’s not entirely true. Renovation and home remodelling are often used synonymously, but they’re entirely different from one another. You see, home renovation, as mentioned, is more about giving your house a fresh new look.
A home remodel, on the other hand, is more about changing the entire structure of the house. This can include things like:
- Moving walls.
- Reconfiguring the floor plan.
- Modifying the room layout.
- Adding a new room.
Despite the significant difference between the two, home renovations can still be costly without effective planning. Did you know that research findings state that the average cost for a moderate home renovation in Singapore is around S$45,600? So, to cut down on that cost and use home renovation tips effectively, there are some things you need to consider.
Factors to Consider Before Renovating Your House
Renovating your house can be exciting, and the possibilities are practically endless with the different options available. But diving into home renovation headfirst without properly thinking can lead to unwanted expenses. What’s worse? The results might not end up being what you expected them to be. We’ll dive into tips for home renovations soon, but let’s look at some factors you should consider beforehand.
1. Reason For Renovation
To ensure a low-cost home transformation, you need to consider why you want to renovate your home in the first place. Are you planning on selling? Do you just want to amp up the space? Answering questions like these helps you determine the extent of renovation work your house needs and can help keep the cost under control.
2. The Impact Of The Renovation
The next thing you should spend some time on when it comes to low-cost home transformation is what impact it will have. So, for instance, if you’re looking to sell your house after it’s renovated, you need to see the impact renovations will have on the price. This can oftentimes help you create a budget and stay within it, too, because you’ll know what the renovations are worth.
3. Renovation Permits And Guidelines
Before you move forward with any cost-effective home renovation plans, you need to look at the required permits and regulatory guidelines applicable to your region of residence. In Singapore, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) requires you to apply for approval.
In addition, you must work with contractors listed in the Directory of Renovation Contractors (DRC) when renovating your house or flat. But that’s not all. The HDB also has different guidelines and requirements for renovation that you must follow. Consider these HDB renovation tips for feasible results.
4. The Weather
Yes, you read that right! If you want an affordable home renovation, you must look at how the weather is. Now, it’s possible that this may not impact any indoor modifications. But if your low-cost home transformation plan includes outdoor work, bad weather conditions can delay the process or even negatively impact the work that has been done.
5. Your Routine
Another important thing you should consider when renovating your home is your daily routine. Believe it or not, renovation work, regardless of how big or small it may seem, can cause disturbance. To avoid this, you should prepare a schedule beforehand. When doing so, it’s important to account for any items or appliances that need to be moved from one place to another.
6. Accommodation
This factor might come off as a bit far-fetched at first regarding cost-effective home renovation. However, renovation work can lead to a buildup of dust. In addition, you may also find it difficult to live in rooms where renovation work is being done. To cater to such circumstances, it’s imperative to consider suitable alternative accommodation options beforehand.
Budget-Friendly Home Renovation Tips 2024
Now that you know what home renovation is and what you need to consider beforehand, you’re probably thinking that it could be expensive. Well, it can be if you haven’t planned it out. Not knowing what you want from the renovation can lead to poor purchase decisions that increase costs and could even lead to undesirable results.
However, with these home renovation tips and tricks, you can cut back on the costs and get the results you were initially looking for. Some of the best home renovation tips to save costs include:
Say “No” To Built-In Furniture
Built-in furniture is when you have things like a wardrobe, cabinets, shelves, etc., specifically designed for your house. This type of furniture can’t be moved around and helps you add an additional layer of customization to your house.
However, custom-built furniture is more expensive than premade options and contributes to an increase in renovation costs. Using pre-made furniture is one of the best tips for house renovation.
Why? It costs less, and you can move around as you like. If you ever want to relocate, well, guess what? You can take it with you. So, this is one of the best tips for home renovation to keep in mind.
Avoid Debt
When it comes to tips for house renovation, know that there are loans you can take in Singapore. With the financial aid these loans have to offer, you can max out on the renovations. But using them isn’t a good option.
You’ll have to pay these loans back with interest. They’ll help you get what you want in the short term. But you’ll end up paying more than what the renovation is worth. So, if you plan to continue living in your house, it’s better to avoid taking out a loan.
Things are a bit different if you’re looking to renovate and sell. Suppose you’re certain that the resale value of your renovated house will cover the loan repayments and be profitable. In that case, they can be a feasible option for cost-effective home renovation.
Develop A Plan
One of the best house renovation tips is to create a plan. When we think about renovating our house, it’s common to let our imagination get the best of us. This can oftentimes lead to a desire for things we don’t need.
Developing a plan for the house renovation can help keep expenses within the necessary measures. But, when creating a plan, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. First up, you need to define the scope of the renovation.
Doing so will help you implement boundaries for ideas you want to pursue. Then, you should write down the details and cost of each idea. Next, analyse and compare them based on the abovementioned factors to choose the best option.
Don’t Throw Things Out
One of the best cheap renovation tips is not to throw things away but to reuse them. When people renovate their homes, it’s common for them to think they must get rid of old materials.
This can be true if the material has degraded to a point where it can’t be used. But, most of the time, this isn’t the case. Let’s say you’re renovating your kitchen and want to install new cabinets. Reading kitchen renovation tips will help.
But, it would be better to take out all the old cabinets, and instead of throwing them out, maybe you could install one in your bathroom for some extra storage space. You could even disassemble them and use the wood elsewhere.
Don’t Use Delivery Services
This is one of the more unconventional renovation budget tips, but it’s worth noting. When you renovate your house, it’s entirely possible— in fact, likely, that you’re not going to find everything in one store.
If you’ve read some bedroom renovation tips, they probably say something like buying a bed from one store. Then, look at matching cabinets at other stores to get the best overall cost.
But this leads to multiple delivery charges. So, to avoid ending up paying more than you should, it’s best to pick up your own materials. Sure, you’ll have to drive around a bit more, but it won’t cost as much as paying delivery charges to multiple vendors.
Try Refinishing Floors
One of the best home and condo renovation tips is to opt for refinishing as opposed to rephrasing. One can get carried away with all the replacing associated with renovations and think about changing the flooring altogether.
But this can come with a hefty price tag. To avoid such a scenario, you can refinish the floors instead. This would generally involve thoroughly cleaning and scrubbing the floor.
Once that’s taken care of, floor cleaning and polishing can be used to get a refreshed look that compliments all the other renovation work. This neat little trick will save you a ton of money down the road.
Work With A Renovation Contractor
One of the best tips for house renovation you should be aware of is to consider working with a renovation contractor. A DIY approach might sound fun, but things can go wrong if you’re not an expert.
This means that you’ll end up paying extra to replace the damaged material. An experienced renovation services provider like AT Identity is the better option. It’ll help you save both time and money and will lead to quality results.
Factors To Consider When Choosing A Renovation Contractor
Now that you know home renovation tips and tricks, let’s see what you need to consider before choosing a renovation contractor. Working with a contractor is a feasible option that helps you get quality work done in a shorter span of time. To choose the best contractor for your home renovation, consider these factors.
- Portfolio – review their previous work and see if their style aligns with your requirements.
- Expertise – look at contractors’ expertise and consider those who specialise in home renovations.
- Licence and Insurance – check to see if the contractors have a licence and liability insurance coverage before working with them.
- Reviews – read customer feedback and see what others are saying about the work they’ve done.
- Packages – check to see if the contractor offers renovation packages, as such deals can help you reduce costs.
AT Identity offers five different renovation packages that cover resale kitchen renovation and more. These packages are a great money-saver option and can make the most of your home renovation.
Final Thoughts
Home renovations are a great way to increase the monetary value of your property and to amp up the living space as well. But renovating your house without proper planning can lead to high costs and undesirable results. To avoid this, we must use the home renovation tips and tricks we’ve covered. Working with a home renovation contractor is also feasible, as it can help save both time and money.
Renovate Your Home With AT Identity
AT Identity is one of the best renovation contractors in Singapore. We offer multiple renovation packages that cater to your requirements and come with affordable prices. Renovate your home with us and get the transformative results you’ve imagined! Contact us and learn more.