Complete guide on how to renovate a home (2024)

Home renovation can be an arduous, hugely draining exercise that can wreak havoc on your mental peace, relationship, and bank balance.

The constant need to strive for a balance that would bring to life all the vision boards you may have made and saved or the Pinterest ideas to make into your real home is not for the faint-hearted.

Bit by bit, day after day, you will find yourself on this rollercoaster where one day you'll be in control, and another, you'll find yourself sucked into the whirlpool of doubts, disappointments, anger, and defeat.

Now, take a moment and evaluate the happy prospect of living in the house of your dreams. It's thrilling, right?

Think of the value you'd add to your house and the whooper resale value it may bring to you in the future - worth all the tears and blood, one would agree.

When considering a complete home renovation, you'll have to work around the basic flow of how things need to progress. It will help you plan things more effectively and map out things better to approximate a start-to-end schedule.

So, whether it's revamping a place to make it more functional or just more beautiful, here is a guide that will answer most of your questions and alleviate some of your fears.

What is home renovation?

Home renovation or remodeling is a project you undertake to draw a floor plan for your dream home, depending upon the 'season of life' you are in.

For example, those with little children would like more floor space. The empty nesters may wish to remodel and convert a spare room into an office space or even a home gym.

Basically, it is the process of making significant changes or improvements to a property's structure, design, and functionality. Like everything else, big and small changes breathe new life into dated structures.

The renovation process can entail alterations, additions, and enhancements to various aspects of the home, such as its interior and exterior spaces, fixtures, layout, and overall aesthetics.

From minor tweaks to improve a home's appearance to significant overhauls where you decide to give it a different and new character. What you factor in are things such as remodeling rooms, replacing the flooring, upgrading appliances, renovating bathrooms and kitchens, and addressing structural and aesthetic issues to achieve a desired transformation and meet the needs and preferences of the homeowners.

How long does it take to renovate a home?

Home remodeling is not for those who run low on patience. It is a labor of love, painstakingly putting little visions into the brick-and-mortar and making dreams turn into reality.

It will take less time if it doesn’t involve major structural changes and is just a cosmetic enhancement. If you want to change the entire facade, the project may run into months, even years.

Haste makes waste. If you can spare time, it is when you should think of renovating your home.

Also, if you rope in the help of experts, they help you with timelines, of course, on approximations. Building a home takes time.

But here are some averages we have noticed over the last few years:

How to organize a home renovation

All other major projects with regard to building the home have to be wrapped up before you start with renovation. What you’d do inside and to the outer edifice is a lot decided by the basic structure that comes up. Let’s enlist the pre-requisites of renovation-

1.STRUCTURAL

• 1.1 Foundation and structure- make sure to lay/ strengthen the foundation by repairing all leaks, and cracks and strengthening walls, if need be. Pay attention to the joists and the load bearing beams.

  1.2 Roofing- just as the foundation will make your home stand strong for long, a patiently laid roof will protect everything inside of it. Do what it takes to avoid leaks, cracks and help with some insulation to regulate the temperature a little bit.

  1.3 Siding- fix or replace the sidings if you anticipate leaks. You may leave this for later if not seriously damaged.

  1.4 Windows and doors- you could replace them or just repair them. These may be worked on, later. Take a call depending on their condition.

2.FUNDING

• Smaller tucks here and there like remodeling a bathroom or a single bedroom, painting, and flooring can be managed with cash. Complete home renovations are typically large, expensive, and lengthy. It needs outside funding and this needs to be arranged well in advance to enable unhindered work and unnecessary delays. Again, loans that use the equity of your house as security and with a lower interest rate as against personal, unsecured loans that close quickly and have a higher rate of interest, are intelligent choices you’ll have to make.

3.PERMITS

• If you employ the services of a contractor or some agency, they will look into getting all the permits and other official paperwork done. They will also do all the meet-ups required with the different inspectors, from time to time. If you choose to secure the permits yourself, you will have to complete the applications, inspections, and filling out the permits.

4.DEMOLITION

• If your home remodeling is going to require a lot of breaking down of the existing or perhaps, razing down to the ground, make sure that you have made arrangements for safety nets and large containers to move the rubble. It is a good idea to ask for experts who can suggest the best way forward without environmental hazards or causing distress to the people in the neighborhood.

5.STRUCTURAL CARPENTRY

• Moving walls, making new walls, adding beams for more weight upstairs, installing doors, removing doors, adding frames for new windows, and widening existing windows, will call for a contractor’s expertise. Some would like to DIY things but the bigger and wider spaces should be left to skilled hands.

6.ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, HVAC

• Open ceilings and walls make it easier for HVAC companies to install the necessary ductwork for central heating and air conditioning. Also, the electricians and the plumbers can work better at laying their lines and pipes that would later be covered under plaster, maintaining the aesthetics of the house, once made.

7.INSULATION AND DRYWALL

• Look for all your insulation options for the different parts of your home. All walls and the attic will need it. Make sure to get a second inspection from an electrical inspector and the plumbing inspector, before covering up the walls. The drywall is a multi-step process that involves hanging, mudding, and sanding repeatedly to get a smooth surface. This is a slow, painstaking process. Make sure to get the wires and pipes adequately concealed for improved aesthetics.

8.FINE CARPENTRY

• Baseboards, moldings, trims around windows and doors, and built-in elements such as bookcases and breakfast nooks. Fine carpentry is all about giving your house a refined, finished touch.

9.PAINT

• Towards the end of the project, there is covering the walls with paint or wallpaper. Many like to do it on their own while others would rope in the professionals. Here, one gets a lot of room to play with not just the type of product but also, how expensive or not you want it to be. More intricate work like painting the moldings and trims, is slow work and requires a deft hand.

10. FLOORING

• Try and do the flooring of your choice as late in the renovation process as possible to save it from damage and staining. You could choose from hardwood, engineered wood, laminates, vinyl, tiles, or marble. This part of the remodeling is again something that brings in room for play. It depends on personal preferences and of course, the overall budget you may have assigned to this task.

11. EXTERIOR WORK

• Building a lawn, or swimming pool, installing gutters and siding, adding a front porch or a sunroom, a detached garage- once the main home has been remodeled, you can take your attention to external elements that’d accentuate the look of your house.

Home Renovation Ideas

When remodeling a home, the basic necessities like the bedrooms, the bathrooms, the living room, the dining area, and such are pretty generic. Let us help you with a few ideas that you can incorporate to give your home a better fit for your personality and practical needs.

1.Fresh and bright exteriors

• A striking facade, a statement-making edifice is just what you need to compliment the painstaking work on the interiors you may have undertaken. Don’t stop yourself from getting some fresh paint on the exterior walls. Invest in some aesthetic lighting to make your house stand out. Choose window boxes, planters, and plants, and bring in other green elements to add to the allure of your house.

2.Color Palette

• Color can create the atmosphere and tone of your home. It can draw attention to areas you want to emphasize or even demarcate. For a touch of drama, you could think of adding an accent wall. Alternatively, a pop of color on the window trim could be the statement you wish to make to those who come visiting your house and on your eclectic taste. The ones amongst us who’d rather stay with the neutrals, well, there is no denying their allure over time and trends. Select the colors with prudence and turn every corner of your home into your most favorite sanctuary.

3.Bring in the shapes

• Move away from rectangular table tops and think of curved ones, think of adding arches to your window frames. Think of hexagonal tiles in the bathrooms instead of the regular square ones. Think of curved pendant lighting to bring in the element of not just shape but also, movement over the dining table or in the living room.

4.Make lighting interesting

• The favorite parts/ features of the exteriors and interiors of your home can be made to stand out by installing the right kind of lighting. Be it the shelves and storage that you get installed having discreet lighting or low-hanging pendant lights or spotlights. Good perimeter lighting is a good mood setter. There are smart lights that can be made subtle, bright, warm, cool, and even made to change colors, as per the owner's discretion. To bring in reflective luminosity, think of getting countertops/ table tops in marble, stone, or even glass.

5.Optimize space

• When designing your spaces, room design and overlooked spaces should be a part of the overall plan. Some clever storage solutions can be built out of them. Usability makes a home space more flowy. Pull-out or rotating cabinets under the kitchen counter would better utilize the difficult-to-reach nooks and crannies of your kitchen. The space under the staircase can have shelves for a home library, be turned into a bar, or if the depth allows it, have a walk-in closet for coats, etc., or pull-out drawers for storing household paraphernalia.

6.Baseboard drawers

• It is a great idea to add baseboard drawers or toe-kick drawers in the wasted space under cabinets. These are not large spaces but work well to store receipts, stationery items, batteries and flashlights, even your appliance manuals and other important papers such as warranty cards and such.

7.Open shelves

• These are a good idea because they can be used to showcase books or other trivia from your travels and interests. You can use them to keep plants, too. Some interesting play of lights can amplify the beauty of the shelf space. The shelf could be made in wood or engineered wood or a mix of concrete like marble and wood. In many homes, open shelves are used to divide spaces without actually having a thick wall stand. Depending on what design you choose to side with, open shelves are multi-functional and add more character to your space.

8.Steel frames are trending

• If you are looking at making structural changes but want to make it low-cost, think steel. There is a resurgence of steel doors and windows. They can be painted black for a bolder statement, gold for an opulent look, or white for a subtle statement look. Steel doors work very well with minimal decor. They lend a feeling of roominess and light and a seamless blending of the outdoors and indoors.

9.Low seating

• In houses that are built with large open plans, there are fewer walls. In such spaces, it is best to lower the height of the seating. This will help make the space look airy uncluttered and more intimate. The sight lines will remain unaffected and a general sense of large spaces will remain.

10.Kitchen islands

• A family that eats together, stays together’. In the hustle of the times we live in, having large kitchen counters is another way of making the family come together as food is being cooked and served. The kitchen islands are supremely functional and look visually attractive, too. Make sure there are enough electrical outlets for plugging in your appliances. There could be a mini fridge under the island. Bigger kitchens could also have a wash and drain island. These islands add to the storage and seating capacity of a home.

11.Jazz up the bathrooms

• Move away from the regular tiles, the white color, and the basic fitments. Experiment with different colored and shaped tiles. Look for statement-making tapware and bathroom accessories. Glam up the bathrooms by bringing in more elements like wood, live plants, lighting of your choice, and eclectic mirrors. It can be a magical, restful place.

12.Walk-in closets

• In bigger homes, these are easily installed. The shelving is decided as per the needs of the owner. Even in smaller spaces, people have started to look at wood/ metal rail stands that can hang clothes, and store a few shoes and essentials. This looks like an improvised walk-in closet because there are no doors.

13.Study nooks

• Under the stairs or an odd-shaped corner can be turned into a study nook. Add some floating shelves, a good reading light, and a comfortable chair and you are good to go. You could think of some custom woodwork too and make it suit your taste.

14.Cozy window seats

• Window seats take up very little space and can also have some discreet storage space underneath. These could be drawers or cupboards. These spaces offer a feeling of warmth and are ideal for curling up with a book. They get enough light throughout the day.

Pro tip: renovation can be continual

Renovation and remodeling can be quite addictive, especially if things go perfectly and as planned. It is important, however, to put a plug on it. One has to take a call and decide when you've reached where you wanted to in vision boarding your house. The internet buries us under choices. Trends change by the minute. It's only prudent to keep an eye on your expenses. This should stop you from the urge to keep at the task of making your house perfect. Savor what you build, leave room for changes, give it time and everything fits into a budget.

Conclusion

It takes a lot of mental and physical strength and adds to that some financial muscle for one to start renovating. It takes months, years, sometimes to see what you desire taking shape. The length of the project can be nerve-wracking and quite the spoiler when it comes to relationships. The surveys, the purchases, and the overseeing of work being done are not easy tasks.

It is a good idea to enlist the services of some renovation experts to make sure that timelines are adhered to and deadlines are met. A lot of time and energy could well be saved. From getting permits to inspections to arranging material and manpower, putting your money on some trusted people is a wise investment.