Home is where your heart is. Everyone has a different meaning for home. One gets nostalgic with the memories created. It’s the place where you come back again and again. It is also a place where you call your friends and family for lunch.

Everyone dreams of having a home which looks simple yet elegant. You can buy your own home or perhaps think of improving it. The latter does sound interesting. Are you someone who is thinking of home improvement? Well, you are in the right place.

Today, Heather Neves will tell you five steps you need to think for home improvement. 

Step 1: Think about your Budget

Renovations are much cheaper than buying a new home. But, you might be unaware of the expenses aligned with a different kind of improvement. You don’t want to break the bank, therefore its best to think about the budget first.

Get a notebook and pen, write down your monthly budget and examine it. Look out for the expenses you have. Think about the areas where you can cut down the expenditure and save some money.

In addition to that, there are many online services that provide you offers available on the household things. There are even the coupon codes available to get you cheaper on deals. Go for it. It will help you in saving the money, which you can use for the home improvement.

Once you decide on the budget, you will come up with final numbers. Consider an estimate per room where new items, supplies, and other things will be added. Always keep 10 or 20 percent extra money for the unexpected costs.

Step 2: Do the Planning

Planning is a crucial part after budgeting. It includes consulting the contractor or interior designer. By seeking advice from them, you will get a bright idea about what to do for improvement and what to avoid.

You can start with simple things like flooring. Most of the architects you will come across always suggest wooden flooring because it lasts for years and changes the look of you home altogether.

They will help you in sketching a few points and suggest the wooden flooring which is best for you. There are many options available such as parquet flooring, hardwood flooring, engineered wood flooring etc. Likewise, there are many other options such as interior wall colors and other things. These sketches are helpful for blueprints of construction plans.

Step 3: Protecting the Home

You have worked hard in creating your beautiful home. It is but obvious that you need to protect it. Most of the times, homeowners are ignorant about the entire process. Therefore, it is essential to get your home insured.

Contact your insurance agent and explain your current position. S/he will suggest confirming that your home insurance policy does not have the exclusion for the construction. If it has then chances are you will have to undergo and issue a course of construction policy.

Remember, that the insurance plan will not cover any of the appliances at home. Items like the dryer, air conditioning systems, water heating systems and other devices are not under the plan. If there is any damage to the structural components, then the insurance policy will cover it.

When you are improving your home, for example upgrading the kitchen/ bathrooms or replacing your carpeting to wooden flooring, it will change the replacement cost of your home. You’ll need to re-evaluate the replacement cost to ensure you have sufficient cost coverage.

Step 4: Hire a Contractor

You must have seen DIY videos on YouTube. Small projects like plumbing, fixing the lights, can be done quickly. Sometimes, it is good to manage the renovations on your own during the weekends.  

But, if you are not sure about your skills, always hire a contractor for everything. A DIY project in the hands of a newbie will be more expensive than that of an expert. Therefore, get a contractor to save the damages.  

Be ready to hear out your contractor. S/he might have brilliant planning and suggestions on materials that are less costly.

Step 5:  Get Recommendations from Your Friends & Family

As you begin the hunt for the right person who will help you in making your home “dream come true”, ask for recommendations from your friends and family. It might be that they have gone through home renovations and have reliable references.

You will stumble upon few contractors who will have the lowest wage. But, don’t fall for it because you might get a low quality work. You can also look into The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website which offers valuable information regarding the licenses and experience of the contractors.

 Also, NEVER pay for everything upfront. As the working starts, pay the amount gradually until you feel satisfied with the outcome. Make a contract and agree upon a time limit when and how the payment will be paid.

Pro-Tip:

When you are thinking of improving the home, you are bound to have some stress. Always try to reduce the pressure by following a time schedule that will help you throughout the process resulting completion. Write down everything from the tiny details to the final changes like final painting, hardware, seal ups, or whichever you feel like having.

Wrapping Up:

We can’t put into words or even try to articulate what we genuinely feel for home. Because it is the only place, we love going back. And you can always keep improving your home with the trending home improvement ideas.

Follow the tips mentioned earlier that would help you to improve your home. With suitable budget, right planning, and guidance, your home will be your heaven.