Like most things in life, the key to carrying a great refurbishment to your property is to carefully think through your requirements, limitations and budget before even thinking about starting the work.
The first point to consider is the use you are going to give the property. If you are designing the work to give you a comfortable, attractive home to live in then you need to have clear in your mind which features are particularly important to you. If you need a garage, a study, a second bathroom or a big kitchen then these are your starting points for planning the work. Of course, we can’t always get everything we want in life so you might have to prioritise at some point during the work. It is highly recommended that you have a list of your priorities clearly laid out from the outset, and that you don’t lose sight of which features are must haves and which are nice to haves.
In the case of someone carrying out an upgrade to a property in order to then sell it, you have to focus on the areas of a house which are most important to potential buyers. A quality, spacious kitchen and a clean, attractive bathroom should be among your priorities. Don’t forget the garden either. This is a common oversight, but a simple, welcoming garden area can really give people a great first impression of the property. Bear in mind also the market you are looking at. If the property is going to be in the first time buyers range then putting luxury tap fittings and expensive under floor heating probably aren’t good investments. If you are looking to develop and sell an expensive studio flat in central London then quality features and accessories are expected.
A strategy which many people use to save money during the redevelopment is to do some of the simpler tasks themselves. In this case you have to be honest with yourself and only do the jobs which you know you are capable of doing as well as a good builder. At the same time you should be careful of over stretching yourself and having your work or home life suffer from spending hours sanding or painting.
For the jobs which need an expert tradesman it is recommended that you choose a “find a builder” site. Here you can find a local builder and check out their details online. Once you post details of the job you want done you will be contacted by local tradesmen eager to give you a builder’s quote for the work. The great thing is that you will only be contacted by local, recommended tradesmen. This means that if you live in London you don’t need to sift through useless quotes from builders from other cities. All the building estimates you get will be from London tradesmen.