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For many, renovation is a real nightmare: it takes a lot of time, effort, and money. There is an opinion that to calculate the final cost, and you need to double the amount from the estimate and add another 30%.
That is why many postpone repairs until the last or even refuse to make major changes altogether. But if you approach the issue wisely, it is not as scary as it seems. And we are already ready to share the ways to save money!
1. Plan and Count
Most of the problems with the timing, price, and progress of repairs arise precisely because, initially, no one paid due attention to planning, design, and calculations. So don’t be in a hurry to get ready for the repair: write down the approximate procedure and let it rest. During this time, you will have time to think it over, analyze and make adjustments that would otherwise arise just on the go.
If you are renovating the whole apartment at once, make several plans. In one, write down the general order of work: which premises and stages to start with, what needs to be done as soon as possible. Then, in the rest – actions for each room separately. And it is better to develop this plan right away with a team that knows what work will take how long. Then, if you decide to trust the professionals at this stage, you can get all the information about the repair and calculate the cost.
2. Don’t Buy Anything “Just in Case.”
Many people remember from childhood those extra rolls of wallpaper and boxes of tiles gathering dust on the mezzanine for years. Usually, they are left just in case if something needs to be repaired or updated. But, in practice, it rarely comes to this, and if the need arises, one tile is enough and not several packages.
This amount of unnecessary materials remains because initially, no one wanted to waste time on meticulous calculations. Therefore, do not be too lazy to measure the entire apartment and calculate the real consumption to the nearest centimeters. Or contact the construction team with this task – even this will be cheaper.
Buy strictly according to these calculations, do not take anything in excess: even if something is not enough, the collection is unlikely to disappear from production and sale within a month of repair. But this will definitely save you from the deposits of unnecessary but already paid for building materials. In the process, minor waste will remain – that’s what they can be saved in case of minor repairs.
And one more subtle trick: some hardware stores buy back the leftover materials. Of course, this does not apply to opened cans and bags, but if you still have sealed rolls or boxes, be sure to find out if there is such a possibility.
3. Explore the Offers and Assortment of Stores
Prices for the same materials in different stores may vary by 15-30%. Study them carefully in advance, especially since now the Internet is often enough for this. Make a table and write down what and where you can buy cheaper – as a result, you can save a tidy sum.
If you have a huge construction mega-market in your city, then it may be more profitable to buy in bulk immediately. If the amount is large, the store can make a profitable discount, offer free shipping or bonuses. Do not refuse the help of the manager – perhaps he will help with the registration.
Consider the time of year, especially when choosing seasonal items such as radiators and air conditioners. And repair work in general in winter out of season is much more profitable than in the height of summer and the vacation period when everyone is doing it. Sometimes this way, you can save up to 20% of the total amount.
4. Stock up on Paint and Dry Mixes
Simplicity and minimalism are in vogue, which is not a new trend but a stable trend in recent years. This means that you can safely save on complex, expensive, and not particularly necessary finishing materials. But, of course, textile wallpapers with artistic parquet look very expensive – but do you really need them?
The cheapest, affordable and versatile materials, which are enough for half of the repair work, are dry mixes and ordinary moisture-resistant paint. Choose a shade, tint, and paint over all walls, partitions, and, if desired, even ceilings. If the surface is uneven, use decorative plaster or liquid wallpaper: they simultaneously solve functional and aesthetic problems.
To save on leveling a floor that is too curved, pay attention to bulk mixtures. And for ceilings – on tension structures, behind which at the same time you can hide all communications. You don’t even need to remove old paint or whitewash under them.
5. Save on Materials Wisely
To save on repairs in the future, do not save on the quality of materials initially. For example, if you use paper wallpaper instead of moisture-resistant non-woven or cheap linoleum instead of wear-resistant laminate, you will save money at the time of purchase. But within a few years, this one-time benefit will turn into even greater expenses for redoing everything.
But there is no need to overpay either: choose quality, not brands. It would help if you had mixtures of a certain composition, wallpaper – a certain density and laminate – a certain class of wear resistance. All these parameters have long been standardized, and most manufacturers have different collections.
Do not take the most famous and well-known trademarks at once, in which at least half of the price is the name of the brand—instead, pay attention to local manufacturers or just lesser-known firms. Perhaps you will find the perfect tile or laminate there.
6. Decor Versus Major Renovation
If you like frequent changes but do not plan to renovate every few years, choose the simplest and most neutral finish. It will already be cheaper by itself, and in the long term, you will not have to re-glue the wallpaper, rearrange tiles and floors. And add style, mood, individuality, and atmosphere to the room with the help of decor, furniture, and accessories.
The same goes for the nursery: children grow up quickly, and their tastes and interests change. So the princess’s castle or treasure cave will have to be radically redesigned within a few years. But if you immediately make the walls, floor, and ceiling as simple as possible, it will be enough to update furniture, toys, and other little things.
7. Self-Cleaning
One of the unobvious but inevitable expenditures during renovation in an apartment is removing construction waste. Professional teams and cleaning companies charge a separate fee for this service. And it depends on the amount of work and the scale of the disaster.
But even here, you can save money if you plan the order of work correctly and minimize construction waste. For example, always start in the backroom and work your way up to the front door. So you will not get constantly dirty and litter the finished premises.
First, make the kitchen and bathrooms – there is the most complex work related to communications and tiles. Living rooms can be repaired in any order, and at the very end, go to the corridor and hallway.
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