If you’ve been reading here for a while now, you’ll know that we are currently renovating our Victorian house here in Somerset and are making lots of little updates before winter. Below you can find some of my top tips for anyone thinking about doing the same this summer, in preparation for the colder winter months.
Disclaimer: AD: post in collaboration with Heating and Plumbing World. We have full creative control over content.
Find yourself a good builder – finding yourself a good, reliable builder is one of the first steps you should take when starting any home renovations project. If you have the skills yourself then that’s amazing but it never hurts to have a professional on hand for some of the trickier projects or to bounce ideas and advice off of. Find someone highly qualified locally in your area and ask for references and reviews.
Learn new skills yourself – sometimes all it takes is a little bit of dedication and some practice to pick up new skills that could help you with your home renovations. Things like reupholstering furniture and making your own artwork to adorn the walls of your home are all things you can teach yourself and will give you a sense of achievement and add a personal touch to your decor.
Prepare for winter – If you are starting to think about making your home warmer ready for winter then Heating and Plumbing World have all the equipment you need. You may want to think about having a new boiler installed if yours is an older model, or simply start looking at ways to save on heat during autumn and winter months. If you live in an older house like us then we are already picking up on some tips that are super easy to implement. Things like investing in draught excluders for the front and back doors of your home will always be an effective way to prevent heat loss and you can find some really stylish ones in the high-street stores.
Get your windows checked and perhaps invest in double glazing if needed. If budget won’t allow this then we’ve also found that thick, floor length curtains on bay windows keep a lot of heat in the room and leave it feeling lovely and cosy. They look so dramatic too!
No need to move out – take it from us, having house renovations doesn’t always need to mean that you can’t live on site. Sure, it’s easier to haul up in a rental property or a hotel while the work is being done, but if budget is tight then living in your house while works are being done is definitely possible. We lived in our house during the depths of winter whilst the plaster was being taken off the walls and the flooring was being completely re-done. It wasn’t always fun, but the plus side definitely meant that we were always ‘on site’ to ask questions and understand every step of the work.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions – one thing we quickly learned is that when you own your own home, pretty much anything is possible to change and improve as long as you find the right person for the job. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and to do your research. You may think a project sounds absolutely massive, but a professional will be able to work through design and keep your anxieties at bay.
Hopefully you’ve found this article helpful or reassuring in some way? Follow us: @lifestylelinked on Instagram for regular home renovations stories and posts!
