Plan home renovations in lockdown

Being in a lockdown or home isolation may not be the best time to start a renovation or get general maintenance completed, but it is a great time to get ready for one!

Here's some ideas to ponder over when stuck at home so you are ready to spring into action when restrictions lift.

MAKE A LIST

Work your way through your house room by room and make a to-do list, or a wishlist, of projects. Nothing is too big or too small - perhaps your bathroom is looking rather dated; or the kitchen tap has been leaking for some time; or all this family time spent together has made you realise you would love to extend your home to get the teenagers out of your hair. Do not forget the exterior of the house - go into the yard and check the condition of gutters and paintwork, the cleanliness of windows, or if the yard could do with a cleanup.

PLAN

Smaller home maintenance jobs will be easy to tick off a checklist. For larger jobs or renovations, start to plan which one/s to do first, and how to go about them. Don't just look through social media, interior design sites and the like for inspiration on what you want to achieve - go a step further by pricing goods and figuring out where you will buy materials or fixtures, so you can hit stores immediately when you are free to do so. You may even be able to purchase them online so they are delivered in time for installation.  

Determining how much money you have available to spend may help you prioritise which projects to tackle first and what can be left for later. It may also be a good time to call your bank for an over-the-phone loan consultation.

START MAKING CALLS

Determine which tradespeople you will need for the job. If it's a job that you would like a quote for, list at least three of each trade that you will contact, and get in touch. Even if the tradesperson cannot attend in-person immediately to provide a quote, they will be able to provide advice on rough timings, and perhaps talk through some key points with you over the phone.

GET READY

Consider preparing the area you will work on while you are at home to do so. For example, painting a room or laying new flooring requires furniture to be shifted out of the way, and a kitchen revamp may require cookware to be packed up. Also consider things such as if temporary storage may be required, if pets should be housed elsewhere while work is completed, and if a waste removal service will need to be contacted, and make those arrangements.

By Cara Jenkin