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October 13, 2019Helpful Home Renovation Tips
The average person considers a house to be the biggest investment he’d make in his life. It’s true. A house doesn’t come cheap these days. You’d be lucky if you could secure a modest house in a nice, quiet suburban area outside the city, even luckier if you could afford a car after that.
So the question… why do people renovate their houses in Singapore? If they had put so much work in acquiring it the way it was, why do they spend even more money that could’ve been invested on a car, child education plans, etc.to change and redesign their home?
There are hundreds of different reasons, valid reasons, why a family would decide to renovate its home. A baby being born into the family means a new bedroom is needed to accommodate the newest family member. Another example is that adjustments might be necessary following one of the older family members growing a handicap. The wife might decide she wants more energy efficiency in her home and convinces the husband for a renovation.
There’s more than one way to skin a cat when it comes to home renovation. But you need to have some plan of some sort if you want to make it work, some of which involves:
1. Overall Design and Plan
First and foremost you need to make sure you have enough funding for your home renovation. Write down a list of projects you could do yourself and projects you want professionals to handle. That should give you some idea how much money you’ll need to perform the renovation.
2. Secure the Foundation
You need to make sure the house won’t collapse on you especially when you’re looking to make some big structural adjustments during the renovation. Consult with professionals about this matter.
3. Professional Carpentry
Don’t hesitate to call in a professional to help you some with some of the more complex projects required for the renovation. For instance, you need a professional to help you construct new walls, or to add beams to support the greater weight coming from upstairs, to punch in new doors, etc. Home renovation is a serious endeavor that often requires the help of a professional individual.
4. Installing Insulation
Install any insulation equipment while the walls are still open. You won’t be able to do that afterward after the walls have been boarded up.
5. Flooring
The flooring is the last part of the house you need to be worried about. Doing the flooring last saves you the trouble of having the floor surface take significant damage during the entire renovation project.
Don’t be afraid to opt for a complete renovation or bto interior design of your home if you feel like you need a change of scenery or simply a change in general. It’s your home after all. You know what they say: when it comes to home renovation, the homeowner knows best.
Home renovation tips
Thinking of renovating your home? Equip yourself with these tips deciding on your contractor or interior designer in Singapore. Below are some key tips for you to take note of to help you ease into the process:
Go window shopping
When you’re on the hunt for an interior designer or contractor, be sure to spend time getting quotations from different providers. Make sure that you provide the same specifications to each vendor so that you’ll be able to make a fair assessment of the prices and services.
Ask for quotes from at least three vendors. Ask as many questions as possible regarding the materials used, the renovation period and services included in the quotation. As a general rule, charges tend to be higher if there is a shorter timeframe to work with, so always provide ample time to do your renovations.
You may also find that the lowest quote may not be the best for you. That’s because standards in services, materials, and workmanship can vary among the providers.
If your home is an HDB flat, make sure that your renovation contractor is registered with HDB. Go a step further to check if your contractor is registered with Renovation and Decoration Advisory Centre.
Before signing the contract
Read the contract carefully to make sure that every item discussed and agreed upon are included in the contract. Ensure to ask about any hidden costs and read through the fine print before you finalize the contract.
Any concerns about the contract must be raised before you sign upon it, and always make sure to communicate your requirements clearly to your vendor. Some types of renovation works require permits, especially if you live in a HDB flat. Issues like obtaining permits for renovation works must be discussed to prevent any lapse in communication.
Be present
One effective way of ensuring quality workmanship for your renovations is to be present during the renovation process. Constantly supervise the renovations and bring up any issues if you are not satisfied with the work. It also helps to maintain a good relationship with the providers and their staff during the process.
When making payment
Beware of contractors or interior designers who ask for full payment upfront. Payment is often done progressively throughout the renovations, with the balance payment upon completion of the entire project. Make sure you keep all receipts after payment has been done at each stage to avoid any problems. If the renovation standards are not up to mark, speak with your contractors so that they can solve the problems. By taking these steps, the renovation process need not be a problematic affair.
In conclusion, although renovation is a strong recommendation, it will never be a good property management practice to simply demand renting families to move out in order to accommodate more well-off families. It may yet be better for the property manager to offer gradual renovations and then try to impose correspondingly gradual price increases. He has to be careful though, lest the renting families may still find the arrangement inconvenient and eventually move out.