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Lessons learned from a bumpy renovation

1 Heart it! Ambreen Sajjad 66
July 20, 2018
Ambreen Sajjad
1 Heart it! 66

I am writing this story from a freshly renovated one-bedroom apartment in an old building in the US. I have got that unit at the start of 2018, inspired by the large airy windows, 11-feet ceilings, and good neighbors. But on the downside, the old owner had already put in different design elements, such as the loft canted at the slight angle and blue lacquer at the kitchen counter and cabinets; this was not only looking quirky but also much outdated.

After observing this condition of the apartment, I and my partner thought to renovate the area without professional help and managed to do everything on our own. We updated the entire kitchen, renovated bathrooms, added various closets, and then replaced some disturbed finishes on the walls and floors.

And finally, we felt very lucky to have a place where we can finally sit, cook, relax and eat comfortably. But what happened after just 1 week? We observed that our project didn’t go smoothly. We wasted 50% more than our expected budget. The rooms don’t have maximum storage, and the kitchen and bathroom were not looking great. Oh, after so many efforts, and it’s still not as efficient as we were expecting.

Well, everyone knows that when you are renovating your home, there are great risks and troubles which need to overcome for smooth handling. The work might be burdensome; that’s why we finally decided to hire a renovation contractor to work with great expertise, as they can play a vital role in offering more efficiency and smoothness to their project.

The role of Renovation Contractor:

After hiring a contractor, we found out that an expert professional can handle a range of responsibilities without any difficulty. We finalized the meeting and have shared our opinions and build a great set of expectations into our contract and budget.

Here were some of the services that we were unable to manage and they performed efficiently;

Draft a plan:

Drafting a plan is the main thing that everyone should consider at the first moment. Technical drawings play an important role while developing a plan for your home improvement project. And this could be amazingly done with the professional help. Developing these drawings help the renovators to flesh out different ideas, like where they need to develop a wall, where it is required to maintain the walls and ceilings etc.

Add some creativity:

I always wanted to add a creative and artistic touch to my home. Most of the people prefer adding some interesting visual elements where more light can enter than the floorplan. Renovators also know where it needs to add a storage space. They baked different special elements into their technical drawings and tried to give a new look to their overall space.

Advise on finished and fixtures:

Finished and fixtures is a very vast term that simply includes flooring, countertops, tiles, paint, kitchen counter & cabinets, faucets, lighting, door knobs, appliances, and many more. If you are working with a home renovator then he would also guide you efficiently on finishes and fixtures and will tell you the tips to maintain them according to the latest trends.

Remember, if your renovation contractor is not meeting expectations during your project, then it’s time to count on other reliable contractors for more professional work. While during a renovation, you might see some low moments and it may feel like it will not work. But you have to be calm during the overall process and discuss the details with your general contractor as well. You can also get in touch with the professionals of Renovaten for more expert advice.

 

Browse Front PageShare Your Idea
1 Heart it! Ambreen Sajjad 66
1 Heart it! 66

Own-ur-Rehman Sheikh Jul 20, 2018 4:42am

I think the best part is where you take off from your regular routine and drafted a plan and worked on it then hired a home improvement contractor.

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