Renovating Auckland Villas – Mistakes You Want To Avoid

Renovating Auckland VillasIf you have made the decision to renovate your home, you have to be particularly careful if it is an older one. There are many mistakes people make when renovating villas in Auckland and you do not want to do something you will regret. This article notes some of the more common mistakes. Here is a list of things you do not want to do while trying to fix up your home.

 

Going For A Look That Is Too Modern

There is nothing wrong with making your home ultra-modern if you plan to do this to all parts of the house. It is a big mistake to make one room look like a scene straight from 2025 and the rest of the place is from 1925. Try making subtle changes that will mix the old with the new. This will look much better than having a home with different styles that do not mesh.

Not Budgeting Enough Money

One thing that you should understand is that renovating a very old home is usually more costly than working on more modern houses. Things like older plumbing and wiring may have to be removed or replaced, and this can be very costly. The costs are not just in the plumbing or wiring themselves but as these services are hidden away behind the walls, the workers will have to take out and then replace a lot of the walling. Plus of course, you will then have decorating costs on top of that.

Many people make the mistake of getting started without making sure that they have enough money to complete the entire project. This is not something that you want to do, so be very careful when planning financially for a renovation project. Talk to a number of builders or trades people to get some ball-park ideas on costs, add them up and add 25%. Yes, every renovation project goes over budget so to avoid major stress and disappointment, build in a hefty contingency before you start. If you cannot afford the contingency, then seriously, gold off doing the project until you have the extra money saved. In all probability you will need that extra but if at the end it has not all been spent, then you can pay off some of your mortgage.

Forgetting To Replace The Foundation

It is often said that older homes were built more solidly than modern ones but this does not mean that they are built to last forever. One thing that you should know is that foundations start to wear out over the years. In some cases, this can make your home structurally unsafe.  Also, modern building codes require deeper foundations than in the past. With moving and settling of land, it is a good idea to think about this aspect. If you are planning to do major renovations to your home, it would be a big mistake to forget about the foundation.

Not Considering Resale Value

You may look around your home and have this feeling that all it needs is some new and modern renovations to really make it look nice, but you have to consider the fact that you may want to sell your home one day. People who purchase older homes do so because they are a fan of the classic look and feel. They may not be too happy to take a look at an older home that had too many modern conveniences

Another common problem with major renovations is that people over-capitalise. This means that they build a house that is too big for their area. While a five bedroom house might seem like a good idea, if all the others in your road are only three bedrooms, you will find it hard to get a buyer. When you are doing renovations, make sure that you don’t do so much work that it removes all of the character from the place.

Failing To Set Aside Money For Asbestos Removal

Asbestos is not used when building houses these days, but it used to be very common to find them in all kinds of building materials. If you are living in an older home it does not necessarily cause a threat if it is not moving often and releasing particles into the air. Once you start removing walls and that type of thing, it is common to find asbestos. You will need to have the asbestos disposed of before the job can continue. It is important for you to have money set aside for this since you never know what lies behind the walls in your home.

Finish Renovating Auckland Villas

Clearly the renovation tasks outlined above are not for the average DIY-er. These are serious jobs which require a lot of experience and equipment to carry them out. They are definitely tasks for a professional builder, preferably a Master Builder who has the correct insurances and training.

There is nothing like making a solid plan for renovating villas in Auckland to make it look like new. While this is the result you are looking for, there are several things that can happen along the way to make things turn out very differently than you had hoped for. As long as you follow all of the advice given here, your project should be a complete success.

For more details on renovating villas in Auckland contact Repair and Restore.

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