Our expertise at INSPIRE goes further than just helping to buy or sell property. We are also strong in renovation projects. And we’re happy to share with you 5 tips to renovate a house in a record time!
First of all: broaden your property perspective. Many people see a house and if – at first sight – it seems worn, messy and dingy, they run away. We approach it differently and plan ahead to create a better layout and explore all the possibilities the property could have.
After reading this post, you will give a second chance to a property that did not meet your expectations at first glance.
KEY Nº1: Perfectly know your needs and preferences
First, make up your mind if you want to sleep on the street or courtyard side, whether you want 2 or 3 bedrooms and an open or closed kitchen. Always keep it in mind when you visit properties to see if your desires can be achieved by pulling down one wall or raising another, changing the direction of the door opening, or even placing it somewhere else.
Demolishing walls may sound and look scary, but for a professional, this merely takes one hour of work and could turn your flat into the perfect home.
KEY Nº2: Quotes & Budget Follow-up
Ask for quotes from several trusted professionals and understand how much do they charge. You will have to know exactly what you need, understand your daily needs, and what you can do without. Above all, you have to lead the reconstruction process so that you can minimise the costs.
A budget is a key to start your renovation and understanding it will help you do your weekly follow-up so that you do not end up with a price tag that is way over your expectations. The common assumption is that a renovation project can go up to a maximum of 10% over budget, but in our case, it has rarely happened. We always know upfront what tasks will be performed, and what amount and quality of materials need to be ordered.
Liking the article? check out our previous post about How to decorate a house with €10 000.
KEY Nº3: Planning the renovation
A renovation project of about 50m2 needs a maximum of 2 months if it has been organized properly, so plan in advance before you even start thinking about how to renovate a house. And organising means planning the building process so that the workers do not sit without work or do not have the materials they need. This includes choosing the kitchen furniture and appliances, the tiles, or the colour of the marble before the project begins. These choices are often the ones that delay the works and emotional last-minute choices are the classic reason for extra construction delays.
How can you avoid it? Create a mood board for your property.
What is a mood board?
A mood board is a set of conceptual images that help you build a creative concept design or decoration idea. This mood board will show you which elements to select so that you do not get lost in your choice of items, qualities, colours, and materials in general. Use it, it is practical and useful. Even if it seems to be a lot of work with no added value, it will be your guide throughout the process and will help to get your work planning perfect.
Below are mood board examples we make at INSPIRE.
KEY Nº 4: Construction Follow-up
No matter how much confidence you have in your builder, floorer, or manufacturer, the captain of the ship is you. It’s your house, your money, and above all your dream, so it’s key that you keep track of the construction works weekly and carefully audit what is done, the materials used, and monitor the pace each week.
We always plan two site visits per week, one on Monday morning to organise the rest of the week and another one on Thursday to control, clear up doubts and verify that everything that was agreed on Monday has been executed correctly.
If there has been any problem, this is the moment where we want to understand why and – if needed – adjust the timings. Don’t be afraid the workers will not appreciate your presence. They love us! We bring them croissants, ice cream when it’s hot or an after-work beer to cheer up together!
KEY Nº 5: Attention for details
Quality reflects itself in the details, not in the things that are not visible. Which of course are also important. But what is visible is key to making a large or small house look amazing. If what you see already doesn’t look good… imagine how the non-visible parts are executed.
Therefore, take a good look at the small details, the placement of the features, how the doors are opened (all in the same direction), look at the windows, the distribution of the cabinets, where the plugs are placed (at a comfortable level, all at the same height, etc.).
Below is an example of one of our renovation projects:
Also, make sure to check our Instagram account: we post each stage of our ongoing house renovations, so you can follow the process from scratch.
We truly hope we managed to answer the question about how to renovate a house today. These key steps made us successful renovators and allowed us to create properties our customers fall in love with. Even if they think a certain type of style is too farfetched for their budget, we create their dream home after an adroit and quick renovation.
We always put expertise, dedication, and a fair amount of good taste into these properties while renovating so that they do not become obsolete. They become a Spanish wine – stay delicate regardless of age and even become tastier over the years.
In case you need help or advice on house renovation, feel free to contact us at raf@inspireapartments.com.
Ready to renovate?
Our architect Kim and renovation expert Anna will be happy to guide you: info@inspireapartments.com
