How to start home renovation

Renovation is such a pleasant and terrifying word at the same time. On the one hand, you really want some pleasant changes: change the boring colour of the walls, change the worn flooring, finally buy that cute chair that will go well with the new wardrobe. But on the other hand: it takes a long time, it’s expensive to do, and it’s hard to understand. However, we hasten to assure you that the most important thing in the renovation, as in any other business is to start. So, where do you start renovating your house so that it is as quick, affordable and easy as possible?

Decide on the type of renovation

First, you need to decide on the type of renovation that is needed in your house or apartment. These options may be as follows:

1. Minor renovation. The easiest, cheapest and fastest option. It is available to those who only need to slightly refresh the appearance of the space. There will be no particularly dirty construction work or some global changes. In this case, we will re-paper the walls, replace the floor and ceiling covering and the tiles, and install new switches and fixtures. Also, this stage of the renovation includes the dismantling of old coatings, sockets and switches.

Usually, this type of renovation is chosen by the owners of apartments and houses in which there are no problems with electrical wiring and other utility lines. If you want to add a couple of sockets, replace water pipes, or finally align the walls, then minor renovation is not enough here.

2. A more serious construction procedure is an overhaul. It suits customers just if the usual minor renovation will not be enough. This type of renovation includes:

– the dismantling of old coatings (floor, wall, ceiling)

– laying out new utility lines (electrical wiring, sewerage, replacement of water pipes)

– alignment of walls and ceiling, if required. In the case when you are a happy owner of secondary housing, in 90% of cases you will definitely need this item. Usually, the owners neglect this stage because they want to save money, but then there are no guarantees that the paint will be properly applied, the wallpaper will not start to “bubble”, and the new built-in furniture will not move away from the walls. A perfect renovation will be possible only if the initial data are perfect, therefore we do not recommend skipping this item of surface levelling. By the way, provided that you want to do the renovation by yourself, you will need to try very hard to comply with this item, since it will be very difficult for non-professionals to deal with alignment

– floor screed replacement

– installation of a switchboard that meets modern requirements

– floor waterproofing and installation of new plumbing (sinks, toilets, faucets, etc.)

– redevelopment of space.

Of course, these are not all the stages that are performed during the overhaul. We will discuss the exact number of works, time and cost at the consultation.

3. The best option, if you do not know where to start renovating the house, is a turnkey renovation. In this option, we take care of everything. All that is required of you is wishes and requirements, approval of estimates and design ideas. In the case of a turnkey renovation, you will not even have time to understand that construction works are carried out in your house, since today you will come for a consultation, and soon you will receive the keys to a perfect finished object. And all this without unnecessary questions and control on your part.

When is the best time to start renovating and why?

If you have the opportunity to choose when to start the renovation, then we advise you to do it in the spring or summer period for at least three main reasons:

1. Daylight hours are longer, which means you can do more.
2. It’s warm outside, which means it’s the perfect time for indoor and outdoor work (paint will dry faster, the screed will harden faster, etc.).
3. The heating season is over, which means that radiators can be easily replaced.

Also at this time, it is more convenient and practical to renovate balconies and loggias, replace windows, install air conditioners, and clad walls and replace roofing. Some building materials can even be transported and stored only at positive temperatures, which makes the task very difficult in winter.

However, if you need not very serious minor works, then they can be carried out in any season without sacrificing speed and convenience. For example, it is easy to re-paper the walls, replace lamps and sockets, or change the flooring in the autumn and winter period. Moreover, often the cost of finishing materials at this time becomes lower, as the number of renovations becomes less and demand falls.

Choosing an interior design

When it comes to interior design, discussions are redundant here. It all depends on what exactly you like: discreet or bright colours, complex stucco or simple lines, spaciousness or a large number of details. Based on this data, our designers will help you create the perfect project that will not only meet all technical requirements but also visually satisfy your every wish.

In total there are more than 100 different directions. Conventionally, all styles are divided into three categories:

1. Classical (historical). This includes antique, art deco, gothic, classicism, modern, etc.
2. Ethnic (national styles): American, Mediterranean, Chalet, Scandinavian, etc.
3. Modern and new styles: minimalism, Boho-chic, avant-garde, loft, pop art, futurism, hi-tech, etc.

All of them differ in the palette, floor coverings, type of lamps and upholstered furniture. Every detail in this case creates its special style. We can choose not to stick to any specific trends or we can mix them up, helping you to combine what you like.

Still, if all these words in the style names don’t tell you much and you don’t know why each next one is different from the previous one, don’t rush to google each of them. Just come to our office and tell (or rather show) what you like. What colour palette do you prefer, what kitchen planes do you like, and what upholstered furniture and decor do you prefer. From this, we will help to build a complete picture and offer options for your space.

Who will do the renovation

So, when deciding where to start renovation in the house, first of all you need to understand who will deal with it. If you turn to a construction company, for example, to us at Euromed-Bud, then we will take care of all the tasks and difficulties. All that is required from you is a desire and approval of projects with estimates. This is the simplest solution you can give yourself. Especially if you decide to opt for a turnkey renovation option.

If you are completely ready to do the renovation by yourself, then you will have to carefully prepare for this. In one of our articles, we wrote about how to speed up the renovation process, but you should remember that some work is still better to entrust to professionals. If you are interested in not just wallpapering and replacing sockets, then there is a chance that you will need to redo everything again in a year or two, or even earlier. For example, it is unlikely that you will manage to correctly pour a screed or level the walls so that the angles are exactly 90 degrees without proper knowledge and experience. But the whole appearance and duration of use of your renovated housing will depend on this.

Selection of necessary materials

The building materials market is overfull today, you can choose anything for every taste and budget. However, not everything that modern manufacturers offer is really worth the money, and in principle, materials are sometimes of such terrible quality that it is better not to spend a single penny on them.

We have been cooperating for a long time with suppliers who have been tested by more than one hundred renovations in Warsaw. We keep up with changes in their assortment and quality, constantly monitor the market and compare new players with those already proven. Therefore, we can guarantee that the cost will equal the quality, whether it is premium materials or the economy segment. 

Renovation Budget Projection

Even doing the renovation by yourself, you need to calculate how much it will cost. We offer the following calculation:

1. Decide on the type of renovation. We wrote about the possible options above. This will determine how large the estimate can become, and whether you need to dismantle old coatings, pipes, etc.
2. Calculate the area of space (floor, walls and ceiling). To do this, first, find out the floor area from the plan of the apartment or house. If there’s no plan, you will have to calculate it yourself.

The formula for the calculation is as follows: S=a*b (width multiplied by length). With irregularly shaped rooms, you will have to remember the school geometry course and break the space into simple shapes, calculate their area and add them together.

With the area of the ceiling, things are a little easier, since the floor area is usually equal to the ceiling area.

Next walls: add the lengths of all sides of the room and multiply by the height of the walls. Calculation formula: S=(2a+2b)*c. Here you also need to calculate the area of doorways and windows and subtract them from the total area of the walls.

3. Make an estimate for the work.

In this item, you:

– calculate everything by yourself again. Then you need to specify in detail all types of necessary work, then find the cost on the contractors’ website and enter them in the table. This way you can compare the cost of different companies. However, this is a very long and complicated process, the prices on the sites may be out of date or there may be no information at all for some types of work.

– turn to different companies for advice and all this long work is done for you by managers. They will make a preliminary estimate and then you can rely on these amounts.

We want to warn you in advance if you choose the second option: at many construction companies, the initial estimate may differ by 3-4 times from the real final amount! Be sure to discuss this issue before starting any work and signing the contract. We guarantee that when cooperating with us, such situations will not arise, since the estimate is calculated immediately and does not change during the renovation works.

4. Calculate the cost of materials. Here everything will depend on the manufacturers that you prefer.
5. Take into account additional costs: furniture, redevelopment (if necessary), household appliances, delivery, assembly, etc. 

Room renovation plan with work sequence

An approximate room renovation plan would be as follows:

1. Dismantling of floor and wall coverings.
2. If necessary, replacement of old windows, front doors and air conditioners.
3. Alignment of walls and ceilings.
4. Arrangement of water and heating pipes. If necessary, batteries and heated towel rails are replaced. In parallel, electrical work can be carried out.
5. Installation of drywall structures.
6. Levelling the floor and installing floor heating.
7. Plastering work for walls and ceilings, their preparation for applying the finish coat. In parallel, tiling work can take place: finishing the toilet and bathroom, as well as grouting and priming the ceiling and walls.
8. Finishing work begins with the application of any finishing coatings: paint, wallpaper, etc. When the walls are ready, you can deal with the ceiling, floor and doors.
9. Installation of lamps, sockets, air conditioners, switches, skirting boards, etc. This also includes the installation of built-in furniture and kitchen units.
10. General cleaning. 

The advantage of ordering the renovation in our company

If all these calculations turned out to be too complicated and very long, if you still don’t know where to start the renovation in the house, you are already tired, and at the same time the renovation has not even begun, we still advise you to make your life easier and contact us at Euromed-Bud. We will help you calculate, decide and visualize the desired result without any hassle, answer any of your questions and help you choose the best of the best. Contact our managers and call a time convenient for you, and we will do the rest for you.