Want to renovate your home but don’t know how to begin? Well, you’re not alone!
Many homeowners start home renovation without a clue of where to start.
We’re not going to deny that home renovation can be a stressful and challenging prospect, especially if it’s your first time.
There’s a lot of planning that goes into it, on top of the physical labour and never-ending costs.
To make things a bit easier for you, we’re here to discuss everything you have to know before doing up your home, as well as give you some home renovation ideas and interior design tips!
1. Set a budget for your home renovation cost
Before anything else, you have to set a budget to know how much you’re willing to spend in terms of financing your home renovation.
Establishing a budget will help you understand the scope of what you can do, especially if you have limited funds.
Begin by defining your renovation goals as clearly as possible. Possible goals include increasing space, enhancing function, or even improving aesthetics.
Whatever your goal, clarifying it in advance will help you with all other decisions afterwards. Among other things, it will help you figure out your timeline and budget.
Now, going back to the topic of renovation cost, any home renovation can be expensive, so you need to plan carefully. That being said, the thing about renovation budgets is that you have to be open to adjustments, no matter how tight your budget is.
For instance, the expected amount will almost always change after pricing out the materials and labour, but you’ll have a better sense of how far you can go after doing this.
As such, it’s always a good idea to have backup funds in case there are delays and accidents. We recommend allocating an additional 10-20% of your budget for contingencies so that you can address unforeseen issues without derailing your project.
We also recommend obtaining at least three quotes from different contractors. Don’t be shy about requesting this – it’s among the most frequently asked questions for renovation companies, so they’ll expect it.
Those quotes can give you a better understanding of the market rate and help you get the best value for your money. For the best insights, ask them to include a breakdown of the costs. You may well find more cost-efficient options this way, e.g. companies that can do budget interiors vs. those who can’t.
2. Be realistic about your home renovation timeline
Your home renovation will often take longer than expected, so be prepared for anything and prepare to make adjustments if you have to – it will help you avoid frustrations.
Before setting your timeline, it may be wise to research the typical duration for each task involved in your project. Speak with contractors with experience in similar projects, e.g. ones who’ve done many HDB renovations for kitchens if you’re getting an HDB kitchen redone.
Such professionals can use data from experience to estimate timelines. Aside from them, you can also check home renovation guides or even online tools like Houzz.
The latter is basically a home renovation planning app for homeowners. Aside from showing you how to plan a renovation, it lets you browse inspiration photos, shop for furniture and hardware, and even connect with renovation professionals.
Anyway, tools like that can help you add timelines to your plans for home renovation in Singapore. Just remember that while timelines are helpful, it’s hard to stick to them because anything can happen during a home renovation.
For example, delivery of construction materials can get delayed or in some cases, renovation permits can get denied.
Or you might think that replacing bathroom tiles will only take a few days, but locating high-quality tiles alone can take weeks.
Home renovation is tough work, ultimately. So, be realistic about the renovation process and its timeline and avoid putting pressure on yourself and the people working for you in a way that won’t serve your actual goals.
3. Talk to multiple designers or renovation contractors in Singapore
Whether you’ve chosen to work with an interior designer or contractors directly, it pays to get in touch with multiple people and compare their estimates. That way, you can find that one whose rates match your renovation budget.
Suppose you want your bedroom’s wallpaper replaced.
The first designer you talk to plans to charge you $2,000 for a single bedroom, while the second designer can do it for $2,500 for 2 bedrooms. All other things being equal, the latter certainly offers a better deal!
The same applies to many other parts of the process, even replacing old items for interior design. Say you want a new rug to fit your new wallpaper and interiors, for example. Don’t think you’re stuck with just buying from the same rug brand as before!
You may even find the best value in a manufacturer that does custom work like ours, for instance, as it would lead to less searching and assure a perfect fit. We ourselves personalise every aspect of our bespoke rugs to meet clients’ needs that way.
Although it sounds like too much work, talking to multiple designers and contractors can really help you save money. You don’t end up paying too much and not getting what you want when you have different options to choose from.
That’s why we recommend doing your homework first and searching for the best designers and contractors in your area before making a final decision.
4. Be specific about designs
Before meeting with a designer, you’d want to have a list of your interior design ideas and styles. Browsing magazines and design websites will help you have a clearer picture of what you want your home to look like – as will showing photos of what you like to your designer!
We’ve had clients use photos of our work to guide their interior designers, in fact. Those who love minimalist style tend to use our Supertextures Collection as a prompt, for instance, while those who love nature and colour go with our Tropical Collection.
Familiarising yourself with different interior design styles can prevent you from being talked into the designer’s personal ideas, which might be different from your own vision.
The clearer you are on what you want, the better your designer will be able to execute your own interior design ideas.
Plus, remind your designer that you have a budget to follow, so they don’t purchase expensive materials that you don’t really need and make you pay for them.
5. Get to know your space
One of the most common mistakes homeowners do when doing renovations is not spending time to know their own home.
It’s important not to make design decisions like the paint colours, furniture pieces, carpets, and fixtures until you know the space by heart.
For instance, if you want to add a statement piece to your home, what item should it be and where should it be located?
The answer may depend on other renovation aspects, such as the paint colours and size of each room.
Freshly painted walls and a bright coloured carpet can reveal that some light fixtures just don’t illuminate the rooms as you thought they would.
Try to spend a little more time familiarising yourself with each room and how everything could work together, so you can prevent having to change designs at the last minute.
6. Expect the unexpected
Home renovations aren’t necessarily a straightforward process.
Even with months of thorough planning, you can encounter unexpected problems during the renovation.
For example, your contractor might tell you that your floors are uneven while attempting to install the brand new hardwood floors.
Before the renovation continues, you need to have the floor joist repaired before the new material can go down.
All sorts of things can go down during a home renovation, and there’s no way around it other than by being prepared for whatever may happen.
Expect the unexpected by adding extra days to your renovation timeline and extra money to the renovation budget to make room for mishaps.
In sum
The thought of renovating your home is definitely exciting, but don’t go into it without doing your homework first and planning accordingly.
Otherwise, it’d only make the entire process more stressful and frustrating than it should be.
However you want your space to look, make sure to leave yourself with enough wiggle room so that everything can go as smoothly as possible. If you’re interested in adding a custom rug to your space, don’t hesitate to reach out to us! We can design one for you and give you tips on how to decorate your room as well!
