Renovations are an amazing way to help you improve how your property looks, feels and how it arose for your family life. And whether you're updating an old home, extending a newer property, or restoring old character, major renovations all have one thing in common. They all need you to make some important decisions prior to starting, so you can deliver the results you need. But these decisions are about more than just finishes, small details or even the layout. And they happen in the early stages, where many projects succeed or fail. With that in mind, let's take a look at the 3 considerations to make that will influence the project.
By Team Savant
Image: D5 Render
Whether You Decide to Keep Any Original Features
This isn't usually applicable for newer buildings, but if you have a period property from the 80s backwards, especially if you have a Victorian or Georgian era property, you'll need to know if you can make changes, especially in period buildings or if you want to retain any period features at all.
There's been a resurgence of late for preserving and reintroducing period or period style features for older properties to retain their character and original essence. And this can improve the aesthetic appeal and value, too, if you choose this.
That doesn't mean everything needs to stay intact, but determining what needs to stay, what you can modernise and how you're going to blend both the new and the old is something you need to know. Even if the new is supposed to look old.
Whether the Renovation Company as The Right Experience
Not all renovations are the same, and not all renovation companies have the right experience for all properties. And if you're going to be undertaking a more sympathetic renovation for the property, you'll need a company that understands what you need to do.
It doesn't matter if you're renovating a Victorian terrace, Georgian townhouse, or you’re bringing a more palatial property back into habitable condition and need a more astute company used to working with high-value properties.
Experienced specialists like Berkeley Place help ensure renovations are carried out with an understanding of the property itself and modern building regulations to make the process tougher for exceptional results.
What Your Long Term Goal Is
It's all well and good to undertake renovations, but you need to do so with future goals in mind. For example, if selling on the cards in 5 years is something you're aiming for, you might want to make different decisions on certain things as opposed to if you're not planning on moving at all. The same goes if you're renovating to accommodate a growing family or to have parents move in with you at some point.
All renovations need long-term goals, even if you're not making it your forever home. This enables you to add the elements that will really benefit you. For example, if it's a family you're renovating for, then adding in storage areas and more durable materials would be a good idea, but if it's for resale, then you might prefer to focus on upgrades such as the kitchen, adding bathrooms or improving natural light. Clear goals will help shape and drive the project forward to deliver the right results.