Every home is a labor of love. It is the physical manifestation of people’s passions, interests, design preferences, and lifestyle needs. It is the one thing that quite literally, makes people feel relaxed and at ease after a long day of work or play.
But like every other gadget like laptops or smartphones, homes too need to be updated and re-envisioned. How to decide which area or areas you would like to renovate or extend will generally be determined by your lifestyle requirements and budget considerations.
Did you know you can obtain a staged permit which means you can complete your renovations over 1 – 4 years. This could help you with your budget and deciding exactly what your would like to achieve and if your dreams are in fact a possibility.
1/ Change in lifestyle
Welcoming a baby in the house? Are the parents getting older or have to now use a wheelchair to get around? Children getting older and needing more space? The home should be able to adjust to many life changes that happen to ensure that everyone is comfortable.
Compartmentalizing renovations based on specific needs work, too. New passions in life such as cooking or baking are a valid reason as well to upgrade the kitchen. Choosing to work at or from home also needs a bit of tweaking to create a space where one can produce and be creative is also important.
2/ Upgrade your home
If the house is still stuck in the 80’s or 90’s, it’s time to really upgrade it. Updating also opens a new business opportunity for the homeowner by selling the house at a higher rate in future, especially since older houses have bigger areas in square meters and often come with prime amenities such as gardens and pools. Older homes are generally on much larger blocks than the homes you find in todays newer sub divisions.
When renovating, sticking to more neutral palettes and having more natural light and air coming in is a current favorite in today’s real estate market. Grey has taken over from the last 7 – 10 years of browns and fawns, and is still a fairly neutral colour where you can add pots of colour through accessories.
3/ Presence of pests
Having pests in the home is not just an inconvenience – it is also a health hazard. Completely gutting walls that are home to a host of pests such as rats, cockroaches, and termites is a good way to clear the home.
One of the best places to start the renovation to remove pests is in the garden. Hiring a landscape artist to accomplish this hits two birds with one stone: it creates a great sanctuary plus it cleans the area.
4/ Make the house more sustainable
Today, there are more ways to make the home more efficient, which can be achieved through renovation. Removing electricity guzzlers such as lighting fixtures that are non-LED or wirings can have a big effect on the bills. Putting in place water saving fixtures such as rain catchers or making used water reusable for flushing toilets and watering plants make for a home that’s environment-friendly.
These changes, no matter how small, have a big impact on the home’s carbon foot print. Because of it, homeowners are not just able to enjoy saving money but contribute as well to assisting our environment.
When trying to decide whether to renovate or move into a larger newer home there is a lot to consider. Do you like the area you live in and your neighbours? Whilst a new home will present very little to do maintenance wise and may give you a lot more spare time, the downside can be a home on a smaller block with neighbours so close you can just hear what they are saying inside their own home.
The cost of selling, buying and shifting can add $60,000 – $100,000 to the actual purchase price of the home by the time you add Stamp Duty, Discharge of Mortgage fees, Real Estate and Conveyance costs and of course removalists.
The downside of renovating is the inconvenience of having people working on your home for days/weeks/months depending on the size of your renovation or extension. Lets not forget having to either relocate furniture or cover it up to stop the dust and dirt getting on it and generally living in shambles for the time of the renovation.
However if you decide to renovate over moving home then you can experience the elation of the difference in lifestyle and the pleasure of seeing the finished product and best of all utilising how it has enhanced not just the value of your property from a Real estate and bank view but your life.
Enjoy the renovation process!
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