Renovating your home could sometimes be a thing of necessity; something you cannot improvise. However, the energy challenges of renovation are enormous. In order to make the right choices and prepare your site for the renovation, there are questions to ask yourself. Below are some useful tips to help prepare you for your home renovation.
#1: Study the situation of the house
Before buying a house or apartment to renovate, there are a series of questions to ask yourself. It is even advisable to visit with a professional like Renovco contracteur that understands the game well. This allows you to better know the good and to avoid unpleasant surprises. Check the localization to know if there are access and easy parking on a daily basis, and what the means of transportation look like in such a neighborhood. How is the building oriented? And what is the state of the building, including the roof, electrical installation, windows, and heating system.
#2: Specify a maximum budget
It is prudent not to devote 100% of your savings to the purchase and works. How much of the savings can be attributed to it? Are there any other major expenses to be expected in the coming years?
#3: Draw living spaces
What living spaces are needed (rooms, office, etc.) now and in the future? Where to situate them ideally? Will it be necessary to cut down walls or create new partitions? Is circulation in the house easy? Do the windows provide the necessary light? Take the time to draw sketches on the scale of each floor.
#4: Project yourself in the works
What are the works to be planned to meet your objectives? How do you pahse the work? Will they all be made by professionals or will you get your hands dirty? Will the house be occupied during the work?
#5: Estimate costs
The costs of renovation are very variable depending on the state of the building, the project and the energy ambition, as well as the choice of materials. They range from a few hundred dollars per square meter for a light renovation up to more than $1000/m² for a major renovation. Contractors can be asked for quotes or estimates if their intervention is required as part of a permit application.
#6: Surround yourself to confront the project
The intervention of an architect is necessary if the planned works are important. It can help to make the synthesis between your project, your energy ambition and your budget. He will also be able to play the conductor with the contractors and the public administrations to obtain the urban planning permit or to send requests for premiums.
#7: Choose an economical and efficient heating system
The heating system is chosen according to the insulation level at the end of the work. We will obviously not achieve the same energy performance for light work that improves comfort than for a complete renovation in low energy housing. The final result influences the heating needs.
#8: Choose ecological finishing materials
Which floor coverings to choose? What wall coverings? These choices are decisive if you want a healthy and comfortable interior. The finishing materials create the daily atmosphere of the house.
