If you like the area you live in, but your house doesn’t quite fit your current needs, then you are not alone. In fact, this is probably the number one reason why people end up renovating rather than buying new. Yes, renovating can be stressful. But it really has nothing on selling up, moving and buying somewhere new. Never forgetting that there is a very high possibility that once you are settled into your new home you will start to look around and see a whole lot of changes that need to be made. Here are some renovations that will make your life nicer.

One of the best reasons to renovate your home is to ensure that you are getting exactly what you want. But the type of renovations that people do can range from simply adding a bath in to essentially demolishing the entire house down to its foundations and rebuilding up again. You can also turn your basement into a gym, office, man-cave, etc.

When you start looking at what changes you want to see you will certainly have at least a question for your home builder, which is usually “how much will this cost”, and from there you will have a sheet of questions numbered 1 – 100. However, before you can start getting quotes and preparing your 101 questions, you need to have a pretty good idea about what you will be doing – although it is also an excellent idea to take your wants to a trusted builder and discuss it with them, often you will find that they have completed so many renovations that they will have done something similar before, and will have some great tips on how to make the whole project work even better.

More Room Or Less Room?

Often renovations start when either a couple is wanting to start a family, or that family is hitting the teenage years and the kids are needing a bit more space, and possibly a bit more independence. This might include adding a room above a garage, putting in a sleep out, or even something a little outside the box like adding a murphy bed that converts into a lounge sofa so that they can have private living space as well as a bedroom. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy_bed

However, once the kids have moved out of home is also a great time to start re-planning your house to suit your needs and hobbies. You really don’t need to keep bedrooms as shrines to your children who only come home for a few weeks a year. Look at converting their bedrooms into guest Airbnb rooms with walk-in wardrobes and en suites or into hobby/craft spaces and add in a pull-down wall bed for when guests (or the kids) come to stay. If your kids are at the age where they are starting their own family, look at the wall beds that turn into bunks as a possibility.

Better Bathrooms

Bathrooms spaces are often very badly planned, taking up too much room without really giving much useful space back, and with the improvements on solar technology and passive heating architecture if could be a great time to incorporate these ideas into your bathroom rebuild.

Often the main reason for a bathroom renovation is not so much renovation, but an additional bathroom to try and reduce the early morning combatants as your children scramble to get ready.

You may want to build out and create an entirely new space, you could redesign your current room, or you could convert another space such as a laundry or cupboard into a smaller bathroom with just a basic toilet, shower pan, handbasin and shower.

Your bathroom may end up being the biggest job when you are renovating, as you will obviously need your builder, but also a good plumber and electrician. If you are adding in an additional toilet you may also need to put in additional sewage pipes or drains connecting outside as well.

Because a bathroom can be, although doesn’t have to be, quite a big job, if you are looking at other renovations down the line, think about how they will work with your current bathroom and planned bathroom. For example, if you are looking at a sleep-out then maybe that could solve your bathroom issues just by moving that build forward on your timeline and putting a bathroom in this space.

Solar Energy

Now the way you run your home may not sound particularly thrilling, but there are a myriad of hidden benefits if you make the switch. For one, homes are becoming increasingly modern and one of those modern flourishes that many homeowners are starting to adopt is solar panelling. 

Solar panels are sleek and stylish and unobtrusive on your roof. Also, more and more people are becoming environmentally conscious, and running your home on solar energy shows the world around you a commitment to preserving the planet and a conscious effort to make positive changes. This is not to mention how much money you’ll be saving on energy as solar panels keep cost down allowing you to spend more money on the things that you want. There are so many more benefits you can get out from making the switch, all hassle free. learn more and find the right Solar company for a greener home and greener life.

Clever Kitchens

There is almost never enough accessible storage space in a kitchen, and this is probably one of the primary goals for any kitchen renovation. However, if you are particularly tall or particularly short, or are a couple with one of each, this is the perfect time to make sure that you have benches that are just perfectly designed so that you can work comfortably.

Generally with workbench height you would aim to have it suit the dominant chef, however if you are in a relationship with someone who is of a wildly different height that you, you might need to get some clever and creative solutions in place. This might include things like built in pull out steps that allow for the shorter person to have very easy access to shelves and benches (see here), to have benches that are adjustable (similar to the walk/sit style of desk), or to have cupboards that pull down to access.

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