Planning and executing a home renovation of your home or rental property is a daunting task, even though it’s something that most (if not all) homeowners encounter at one point. Some do this to boost the resale value of their home, while others prefer to focus on things that will boost the living conditions, therefore investing in their own lifestyle. The first one is particularly popular, seeing as how real estate prices in Sydney are still quite high. All in all, here are five things you need to do when planning a house renovation.

Bring in a surveyor

The first thing you want to do, especially when doing a renovation for the sake of boosting the resale value is bringing in a surveyor. In this way, you get the exact value of your home at the moment as a starting point, which means that you get an easier job at measuring the ROI of your remodeling efforts in total. Needless to say, while this may seem as an unnecessary expense, it’s also a good idea to bring in a surveyor (a different one) once you’re finished.

Focus on utilities

The next thing you should think about are the utilities. This means checking your pipes and your electrical grid. This a safety measure that affects you regardless of whether you’ve decided to stay or sell. For this, you need to find a reliable local plumber and a nearby electrician. So, for instance, if your property is located in western Sydney, you should look for a reputable electrician in Blacktown, rather than expanding the search to other suburbs.

Windows, doors, and insulation

To reduce your home’s heating bill, you should find a way to reduce the amount of heat that abandons your home. This means replacing windows (for double-glazed ones) and doors, and properly insulating your walls. One of the oversights that a lot of people make is forgetting about the insulation of your attic. This, however, is a mistake that’s fairly easy to rectify.

Cover larger areas

When it comes to the visual impression that your home makes, you need to start by covering all the large areas in your home. Here we’re talking about the walls and the floor. Alongside those, if you consider new windows, potentially even new curtains, blinds, and awnings, you’ll give your home a completely different look, even without replacing a single furniture piece. Once you’re done, you might even want to think about the façade, even though this might be a massive blow to your budget that you can’t afford to face at the moment.

Upgrade to smart systems

Once all of this is done, if you still have some money in your budget, you might want to consider upgrading your home with a smart system or two. A smart thermostat and a Wi-Fi sprinkler are both frugal and pragmatic, even though they probably shouldn’t be the first two things you need to upgrade. A smart lock and a smart lighting system, on the other hand, might be a better (as well as cheaper) choice.

Conclusion

Dealing with all of these issues separately is much harder than doing it all at once, seeing as how it causes one turnaround inside of your home, instead of causing several. Apart from this, applying for a single larger renovation loan is much easier than looking for a couple of smaller ones, especially if you intend to do so in a relatively short time span. The only advantage of doing all of this separately lies in the fact that such a method might be a bit lighter on your budget, yet, even this isn’t necessarily true. Therefore, don’t be afraid to enter this entire ordeal a bit more ambitiously.

By Amelia Atkins