An introductory guide for first-time homeowners.
Know your needs
Sometimes, people mistakenly think of “home improvement” as something that caters to wants more than needs. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Sure, home improvement can include recreational or luxury renovations: installing a hot tub, turning part of the backyard into a basketball court, converting the basement into a home theater, etc. But home improvement also includes maintenance and repairs, as well as measures to protect against future problems.
What you need is more important than what you want, so before you start thinking about building a bigger bathroom or adding a patio, consider the condition of your home and where you live (or, if you’re still house-hunting, where you will live). For instance, if you’re looking at homes for sale in Vancouver, it’s important to know how extreme cold affects buildings. Meanwhile, buying a house in Miami might necessitate installing hurricane shutters or an air conditioning system.
Contractor or DIY?
One of the most important decisions you can make before embarking on any home improvement project is exactly who it is you will entrust with it.
It can be tempting to try and perform all your home improvement yourself. After all, who cares more about your home than you do? And, of course, it sure would save a lot of money. If you have experience doing repair work or construction, or if your renovations are relatively minor, this might be the way to go. But no one is an expert on everything. Not even Bob Villa.
Hiring a good contractor can be an expensive proposition. An even more expensive proposition, though, is paying for the tools and materials to do it yourself, then realizing you really didn’t know what you were doing and now you need to pay a contractor to redo your work. Or even worse, you could lose part of your home due to an accident involving bad wiring, structural instability, or water damage. For example, faulty air conditioning installation not only causes poor unit performance but also poses electrocution risks. Therefore, hiring experts like American Residential Services is highly recommended. Don’t skimp when it comes to the place you lay your head (not to mention the heads of your loved ones). Professional expertise is worth its weight in gold.
Build your budget
If everyone could afford to turn their home into a literal castle, everyone would. No matter how much you love your house, though, you can only pump so much money into it.
That’s why it’s important to know your home improvement priorities (your needs vs. your wants, as discussed above). And that’s why it’s also important to know what you can afford. Everyone has to eat, after all. Renovations can be expensive, especially if you are (wisely) employing professional contractors. Taking out a loan is always an option, but never a good one.
Instead, do your research. Ask for recommendations from friends and co-workers. Request estimates. Figure out what your desired renovations will cost before getting started on them. Whatever the final number is, add an extra 20%. You’d be surprised how often unexpected costs pop up during the construction process, so it’s good to have some wiggle room. Once you’ve settled on a budget, you might need to save up for a while, so try not to get impatient. It’s better to do things right than to do them fast.
Photo by Home Decor Interiors from Pexels
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