You may have heard of the phrase “putting lipstick on a pig.” It’s hardly a polite description, and in actual fact is quite dismissive of pigs, who despite their muddy pens are still intelligent animals worthy of respect.
That said, the saying emphasizes that covering up the exterior is not the solution when the core is less than appealing. This is a vital concept in home ownership and renovation. The last thing you need as a homeowner is to manage a household that holds all the latest and coolest bells and whistles but fails to function on a fundamental level.
This might involve poor repairs, structural issues, or even dampness, poor ventilation, and actual health-risking issues like asbestos in the roofing structure.
However, when you have money to spend on your house, it’s often quite tempting to try and opt for new fixtures like a garden path, instead of fixing the actual underlying problems that exist, or that you may not yet know exist. So, let’s discuss how to resolve that issue:
Schedule A Home Inspection Before Renovation
If you’ve moved into a new home, or it’s been some time since you’ve made any changes, it can’t hurt to ask for a home inspection before you move forward.
Getting a contractor’s opinion on how best to renovate a basement, even if you do all the work yourself, can help you identify issues you might have missed, such as problems with the crawlspace or the chances of accruing pests if you don’t seal off some areas. This way, you can save yourself money in the long run, and find the real issues that need addressing first.
Focus On Essential Areas
It’s very easy to keep renovating the trimmings of a household, especially if they allow for a quick and relatively affordable upgrade. There’s nothing wrong with this of course, but we’d also suggest that a larger expense on a fundamental necessity can look better than anything else, and then set the stage for even better trimmings that now fit with the base. That might include upgrading your windows and doors for security and better natural light, replumbing your bathroom for better orientation, or perhaps even fitting a skylight into a property.
Undo The Damage Of Past Owners
Many homeowners find that during the course of their renovations, they begin to wonder just what their previous owners were thinking. If you’re not living in a new build home, there’s a strong chance that previous people have lived on your property. Statistically, they’ve probably made a few silly decisions too.
That might be clogging up the fireplace completely and rendering the beautiful chimney inoperable, despite having space for a gorgeous wood burner. It might be that they reformatted the entire basement room for purposes you can only guess at, or perhaps they thought it was a good idea to raise a family in a house without staircase banisters or landing gates. Sometimes, it’s good to bite the bullet and resolve the mistake, or bring the home back to its basic necessities.
With this advice, you’re sure to avoid putting a fresh face on a work-in-progress house alone.
