Renovating a house is an adventure and, in fact, you want to get started. From an old village barn or from the little house inherited from your parents, you will make a comfortable and trendy place to live. A successful renovation begins with good preparation and methods. We must also avoid certain pitfalls that increase the bill and waste time. We have listed the 5 classic beginner mistakes to avoid in order to renovate serenely.
This house is what you dreamed of. But when renovating for the first time, the fear of making a mistake is never far away. Did you do well to break that wall? To open at this location? For a Zen home renovation , anticipate. Everything must be thought out (financing, fittings, equipment) even before touching the first tool. Also, be sure to surround yourself with good professionals.
Mistake 1: redesigning an old building without an architect
Since you don’t need a building permit, you’ve decided to do without an architect. That’s always a way to save money when the budget is a bit tight. Fault! You underestimate the architect’s contribution . Its role is not confined to the signing of a building permit; far from it. It will help you to:
- make the initial diagnosis of your house: its weaknesses, the most urgent work,
- take a step back and develop a global vision so that the renovation corresponds exactly to your needs and your budget.
- prioritize and cost the work,
- give personality to your project and enhance the house,
- Finally, if it coordinates the work, it will deal with the delays, errors, omissions, overbilling, etc that have punctuated any site since the dawn of time.
Clearly, the architect’s fees are your best investment. You save time, avoid stress and, in reality, recoup it by paying for your work at the right price. Take the time to choose your architect well based on technical criteria (the quality of his achievements) as well as human criteria (quality of dialogue, convergence of views).
Mistake 2: underestimating the renovation budget
On the budget side, you navigate in the fog. You have planned a starting envelope and after … we’ll see as we go. Not that easy ! Renovating is expensive and you risk leaving feathers if you do not anticipate budget issues. Never forget that it is more profitable to carry out an overall renovation than to do it bit by bit.
You must establish a precise financing plan for the purchase of the house and its renovation, integrating your personal contribution, any credit and all the assistance to which you are entitled. The mortgage is the solution best suited to a combined project: purchase and renovation. Currently, the rates are historically low, you can borrow large amounts over a long period of time. To obtain this credit, you must have the quotes from the companies in hand. They must be realistic and adaptable to the project. Once the credit is granted, you will have two years to carry out the renovation work.
Can we renovate with consumer credit? With this type of credit, you don’t have to justify the use of the funds. You can therefore carry out your work yourself, choose your materials, etc. On the other hand, the rates and the repayment periods do not agree well with major renovations.
To get a clear picture of the conditions for granting this aid, the possible combinations and the preparation of files, contact the renovation information service point closest to your home.
Mistake 3: rehabilitate without making a prior energy balance
Energy is a big expense in the house. Renovating is the perfect opportunity to put everything back together. Also, do not rush to replace a boiler, radiators, or oil tank; rather, make an inventory of your needs and your possibilities.
Since the best energy is that which is not consumed, priority must be given to reducing the energy consumption of the house: insulation, replacement of windows, installation of shutters and closures, adapted ventilation, and sober equipment.
Then comes the delicate question of the choice of energy. It depends on many criteria related to the house (surface, orientation, location, etc.) and your lifestyle choices.
Some solutions make everyone agree because they are ecological and economical, such as solar thermal. With a well-oriented roof, you save up to 70% on the bill linked to the production of hot water.
Heating engineers or thermal design offices are best placed to help you make this choice. Finally, don’t forget that to optimize your energy consumption, good control of the installation is essential. You will then consume as closely as possible to meet your needs.
Mistake 4: renovating your house while forgetting the ventilation
The air inside our houses must be renewed so that the inhabitants and the buildings remain in good health. In older houses, leaks provide this ventilation. But this model of natural ventilation “by default” is no longer tenable because it is accompanied by strong energy losses and increases the bills more than reason.
To properly ventilate your old house, you will have to make it a little more waterproof and add mechanical ventilation to it. The double-flow CMV (centralized), which equips many new homes, is, in practice, not very suitable for renovation because it is bulky (two duct circuits) and requires a very tight frame.
Individual extractors, placed in damp rooms, are a good compromise. As the system is not centralized, no duct passes through the house, and ventilation is efficient.
Mistake 5: arranging the house without questioning your lifestyle
A common mistake is to arrange the house without first thinking about your lifestyle. Forget for a moment the major decorative trends of the moment, and also forget the habits of the former owners; it was another era. The house must now be adapted to your family, your rituals and your tastes.
Review every moment of the day. How do you live? What are the key moments of your day? Are you getting up when your spouse is getting up? Do you like to receive?
Starting from your needs, you will more easily find technical and layout solutions. Finally, is the kitchen completely open to the living room and made for you? professional modular kitchen designer can make way for the most innovative kitchen designs. Is the shower in the bedroom such a good idea? You found the kitchen to be too big; does it really make sense to partition it? How do I bring light into this dark room? Is the bedroom on one side of the house and the bathroom on the other comfortable on a daily basis? Think not only about the layout but also about the light, the distances, and the points of view that you will have from each room, inward and outward.
For a 100% successful renovation, never stay alone with your project. Join local associations or DIY networks; they have gone through the same questions as you and will not be stingy with advice.