Renovating your home is an exciting task to take on. However, home renovations come with a lot of responsibility. A surprising 35% of remodeling jobs involved the whole home (i.e., whole home renovations). Since there’s a lot that goes into renovating your home, it’s important to plan out the process from start to finish.
Where do you even begin? And how can you plan everything out without getting stressed? Here are ten ways to plan for your easy DIY home renovations and what to do during each step of the way.
Plan Your Budget
One of the most important aspects of planning easy DIY home renovations is making a budget. You can have big plans for your renovation projects, but you must make sure you have the money to complete them. Otherwise, you’ll either not have enough money to do all the projects or put yourself in a financial pinch trying to get them all done at once.
Something to remember is that some home DIY projects will be more expensive than others. For instance, if you’ll be roofing or doing any repairs to your roof, it’ll likely be a more expensive DIY project. However, even though it’s an expensive project, it’s one that will provide a lot of value and protection for your home.
If you don’t have the money to do all your DIY projects at once, you can prioritize your projects based on necessity. If there are projects you absolutely need to do in order for your home to function properly, start with those. Then, prioritize your projects based on preference. It’s better to have an organized list of projects you can mark off than try to randomly complete each project on a whim.
Look Into Financing
If you don’t have the money to complete the DIY projects you want, you can look at your financing options. You may be able to take out a loan or move money around in order to finance your projects and get your home updated.
There are a number of ways you can finance your DIY home renovations. You could get a personal loan, but be cautious of the interest rates on these loans. Over time, you may end up paying more than the value of the renovation if your personal loan has a high-interest rate. You could also look into home equity loans if you have more expensive projects on your plate, such as a bathroom remodel. Bathroom remodeling services can cost thousands of dollars, and if you’re doing it yourself you’ll have to pay for all the materials yourself. If you’re tight for cash, a home equity loan could help you get your high-priced projects completed.
It may be tempting to finance all your DIY home renovations through loans and other financial means, but remember that your home renovations shouldn’t put you in deep debt. Be financially responsible for your renovations and make sure they aren’t putting you in a poor financial state. You can always spread out your projects over time to make them more affordable.
Set a Schedule
A key way to plan your easy DIY home renovations is to set a schedule for your renovations. This is especially important if you plan on doing multiple renovations to your home. If you try to do all the renovations at once, you risk getting burnt out and blowing through your budget quickly.
Set a renovation schedule and stick to it. Start with the one you think is the most important and work your way down to the ones that can wait. For example, you may want to fix your foundation and update your bathroom at the same time. Ideally, you want to get the foundation project done during the warmer months so the colder weather doesn’t damage the foundation further. Since this is a time-sensitive project, you have to plan for it, especially if colder weather is just around the corner. You can redo your bathroom and get new bathroom countertops and new tiles for the floor at any time of the year, so that project can be flexible.
Another reason to set a schedule for your renovation projects is so you don’t get burnt out doing all the projects at once. DIY projects can take a lot of time and effort to complete. Trying to tackle them all at once may exhaust you and cause you to become frustrated and unmotivated to finish the projects. Take on one project at a time to reduce stress and frustration.
Research Which Materials To Get
While you’re planning your easy DIY home renovations, you have to research what kind of materials to get for your renovations. If you’re planning on making these renovations last, you want to make sure you get the right materials.
Look for materials that will last a long time and match your home’s interior. You may want custom kitchen countertops made with granite, but you have to make sure granite countertops will work for your home’s style for years to come. Or, if you’re replacing wooden wall paneling, make sure the drywall you get will last. It’ll take you time to complete these home renovations yourself, so you want to make sure they last.
It’s also important to research if certain materials have toxins or health hazards before you start building with them. You may want to use certain plastics in your DIY projects, but they may contain toxins that, if inhaled enough, may cause health issues. Thoroughly research the materials you renovate with and determine whether or not they’re safe for you and your family.
Get The Right Equipment
You won’t be able to do your easy DIY home renovations without the right equipment. If you’ve never done home renovations by yourself before, make sure you go out and get the right tools for the job. If you’re painting your home’s interior, make sure you have the proper painting supplies to get the entire project done. Get the paintbrushes, rollers, painter’s tape, and other necessary materials for the project. If you’re tiling your kitchen floor, get equipment like a tape measure, hammer, and a level. If you’ve never done a specific home renovation project before, do your research on what equipment to get and ask your friends and family who have done DIY projects what equipment they’ve used.
If you’re taking on bigger home renovationn projects, like fixing your plumbing, getting the right tools is essential. If you’re working on plumbing services with the wrong tools, you could damage your pipes and wind up spending money on professional plumbers to fix your mistakes. If you’re working on essential parts of your home, research the correct tools to get and how to use them properly. The more prepared you are, the better.
Look Up Tutorials
Before you take on your easy DIY home renovations, watch some tutorials online about the renovations you’re going to do. You may think these home renovations will be easy to complete, but you could face hurdles along the way if you don’t know what you’re doing. You can look up video tutorials on projects ranging from at-home painting services to installing laminate flooring on the internet. You can also look for how-to articles on websites that show examples of how to do the project you’re taking on.
If you do decide to look up tutorials online, make sure they’re from a trusted website. Look for websites that have a lot of valuable content surrounding home renovation tutorials. Also, check more than one site to make sure the advice you’re looking up is legitimate.
Prepare Your Home For Renovations
Your home may get disorganized and messy as you take on your easy DIY home renovations. That’s why it’s important to prepare your home for renovations as much as you can. If you’re going to knock walls down, put protective materials on your furniture. If you’re putting in new kitchen cabinets, cover the kitchen counters and the floor to protect them from damage and falling debris. If you’re putting in new windows, plan to adjust your heating and cooling system so that you don’t waste energy and end up paying a higher energy bill.
Also, keep your home clutter-free when you’re doing DIY renovations. The last thing you want to do is trip over the things in your home while you’re trying to spruce up it up. Put away things like ottomans and excess furniture while you’re working on your home. If you have children, make sure their toys are put away so you aren’t tripping over them. This will help make the renovation process smoother and easier.
Vision Your Home’s Style
Before you start on any home renovations, be sure to keep your home’s style in mind when deciding what to do. Pick materials and do projects that compliment your home’s aesthetic. If the renovations clash with your home’s look, they may stick out in a bad way and cramp your style.
For example, if you’re going for a classic home look, installing hardwood floors could add charm to your style. However, if you’re going for an ultra-modern look, you may want to install obsidian floor tiles to keep the look consistent. If you want your home’s style to be farmhouse chic, painting it neutral colors like grey and cream white can accent the decor well. However, you’d want to stay away from bolder colors like bright red or orange. If you’re not sure if your renovations would complement your home’s style, you look up tips online or consult your friends and family.
Recruit A Crew
A key way to plan for your easy DIY home renovations is to recruit a crew to help you out. Doing home renovations all your own can be a lot to take on, especially if you’re balancing the renovations with work, family, and other hobbies. See if your friends and family can help you do some of the renovations. Everyone can pitch in and get your renovations done faster. Someone can be on mulch service and work on your yard while you work on painting the kitchen.
Recruiting people to help you with renovations does a couple of things. First of all, it helps you get your renovations done faster. It also helps you bond with your friends and family. If you all get together, work on the house, and eat a meal afterward, you’ll create memories that’ll last for years to come. Plus, when they come to your house, they’ll think of the memories they created while fixing up your home.
Plan For Any Hiccups
You may think your easy DIY home renovations will be simple to complete. However, there may be some hiccups down the line. You may measure certain things wrong, buy the wrong materials, or put something together just to have to take it apart. You may pick out backyard fences that can’t be installed right away, or pick the wrong color paint for your living room.
There may be hiccups with your home renovations from time to time, but the important thing to remember is that it’s all part of the process. Don’t get frustrated if things go wrong. Instead, focus on how to fix it and prevent it from happening again. Also, go easy on yourself, especially if this is your first time doing home renovations. You’re doing the best you can, and if you stick with it, your home is going to look great once all the renovations are done.
There are many things to plan for when it comes to doing easy DIY home renovations. You have to think about planning your budget, scheduling out your renovation schedule, and getting all the materials you need to complete the renovations. It’ll take some time, but once these renovations are complete, you’ll get to marvel at how great your home looks. Plus, you’ll feel pride in knowing you did a lot of work that paid off. Your home will feel more like your home, and you can relax in it knowing you did a good job making it your own.