There are many reasons why you may want to change the look of your house, inside out. You may be in need of more space, or you just can’t bear living within the same exact walls for so long. There is even the possibility that you want to sell it and you would like to get more on the market by updating it. No matter what your personal reasons are, here are a few tips to help you bring your house into the 21st century.
Find the Right Construction Company for Major Work on the House
If you are going to touch upon the structure of the house, create new rooms, or even add another floor, it is always better to call upon a construction company to do the structural part of the work. Your architect may be able to find the right one for you, as well. When choosing the company, you can also ask if they can provide you with a full video of the renovations in the end. Construction companies often install a time-lapse camera on their sites so that their managers can check on the work of the employees while sitting in the office. To do that, they use the best jobsite cameras that will accumulate data and send it through Wi-Fi during the whole time that the job will take place. Therefore, in the end, they can provide you with a time-lapse video of the restructuration of your house. A really cool souvenir to keep with you and to show your kids later on.
Spend Time with the Architect
If you want your house to look modern yet still feel like home, you need to be able to explain what you expect out of work but also to listen to what the architect will suggest. Some ideas that you have may not be possible in terms of restructuration, but if you are able to explain what you were looking for precisely, the architect may find different solutions for you. You may also be impressed with some of the ideas that will be brought your way. Just keep one thing in mind: You will be the one living inside it when it is all said and done. So make sure that the work fully reflects your primary objectives.
Talk Budget
Before you start this discussion, you should already know how much you are willing to spend. This will be important to share with the architect so that he can come up with solutions that will fit the budget envelope. When providing numbers, you should always think of keeping twenty percent hidden. In other words, if you are willing to spend fifty thousand on the renovations, tell the architect that you have forty thousand at your disposal. This way, if there are any extra fees needed in the end to render some of the work done more to your taste, you will still have money to work with.
Do Your Own Research
Don’t expect the architect that you work with to come up with all the ideas. You should take time to look at architectural magazines so that you find ideas that you like. You will be surprised to discover, through images, so many structural views of houses that you may not have even known existed. And if you are unsure if these changes can be done to your house or not, always ask. You may be delightfully surprised.
Be Careful with the Size of Rooms
If you are going to restructure the house, you will look at the rooms on the plans. Sometimes, what seemed like a good idea on paper, can be disastrous in real life. One of the main dangers is to go too small. Once it is built, you may find that you feel cramped inside it, even with the furniture that you had imagined for it in the first place. If you need some rooms to be smaller, Make sure that they benefit from a lot of natural light, and try putting mirrors on the walls to make them look bigger than it really is.
Open Up the House with Windows
The previous paragraph has opened up the door to an important element: Windows. On new houses, they are everywhere, in large format. Today’s houses are open to the environment that surrounds them. You and your family need to be able to look at the garden throughout all seasons. Ask the architect if you can tear down the back wall and replace it with sliding glass doors. You will be happy when summer arrives, and you and your guests can come in and out of the house easily. Finally, all rooms need to be flooded with light. Even if it means closing down the blinds in the evening for more intimacy.
Paint and Lighting go Hand in Hand
When you get to paint the rooms, you also need to start thinking about lighting. Of course, the first one that you need to take into account is natural light coming through the windows. But once evening comes, a room with a dark color on the walls will be more difficult to light than one with white or light shades. Be creative, but make sure also that you can fill the room with light thanks to a ceiling lamp and create the special vibe you want each room to have, through lamps, posted on the floor or on furniture.
Think About Storage Space
If you are restructuring your house, you have the unique opportunity of providing yourself with more storage space. This is what is usually missing the most in all houses. As you work on the plan, chances are that you will find that every square meter matters. Especially because they are expensive. So, you may be thinking that storage space is unnecessary. Do not make that mistake, for your sake, but also if you want to resell the house at a good price one day. Storage space is something that buyers are looking for, as they are too often missing.
