A big home renovation project represents one of the most ambitious, aspirational undertakings a property owner can make. But words like ‘ambitious’ also hint at the difficulties involved; nothing aspirational ever came easy, after all.
Home renovations can be a costly and time-consuming affair, full of unforeseen obstacles and hurdles that seem to get forever higher, which is why families are often hesitant to commit to one.
However, while renovations may be complicated, there are plenty of good reasons to allow the prospect of one to percolate, ready to be consumed by the whole family when you present them with these 8 great reasons to renovate your home.
MAKE THE HOME WORK FOR YOUR INTERESTS
From the outside, the average home is the same in many parts of the world – four walls, a few windows, a front door. Hey, it’s even one of the first things a child can draw capably; suggestive of just how identikit properties are.
While we all tend to do much of the same things in a house – cooking, eating, sleeping, socialising, working from home, quietly comprehending the ending of it all – not everyone uses a room in the same way. Everyone has different interests and hobbies and we think that the inside of your home should reflect this.
Living in a space that reminds you of your hobbies and what you love to do most can help embed your hobby into your everyday life, transforming your lifestyle.
Maybe you love to rock climb and would like to renovate the outside of your home a create a rock climbing wall (hey, we did mention ambition earlier)? Or perhaps you’re a keen cook and need space to display all your cookbooks and have somewhere to store your expansive larder of cooking ingredients? Or maybe you’re a musician. In that case, a room designed with acoustics in mind might be a good idea. Tailor your renovation aspirations to your hobbies and you’ll reap the benefits.
EMBRACE BIOPHILIC DESIGN
Biophilic design in architecture has been gaining increasing traction in interior design circles for some time now and its influence in modern home design is only set to continue.
As explained by Homes and Gardens, “Biophilic design plays on our evolutionary need to be close to the natural world, and is often described as ‘architecture of life’.’’
By increasing our connection with nature, biophilic design could even make us happier and healthier. It’s said to improve our wellbeing and expedite healing, enhance creativity and improve clarity of thought…and who doesn’t want that?
So how can you incorporate biophilic design into the architecture of your home? By renovating it to have good natural light and ventilation is a good place to start. This can be achieved via the additions of windows, skylights and doors. You could also add a living wall indoors, adding that sense of green nourishment to your home.
HELP THE ENVIRONMENT
Reducing our carbon footprint is, quite plainly, something we all should be doing. Urgently. Indeed, we all should be rapidly ramping up our efforts to minimise our individual impacts on the climate crisis.
One of the best ways you can do this begins domestically. Not only is an eco-friendly house good for the environment, but it also saves you money, too.
Improving your house’s insulation, investing in renewable energy options like installing solar panels, or introducing rainwater collection buckets to your roof and garden are just three ways you can do this. Making the house more energy or water efficient may also end up paying for itself in a few years, and all of these investments are good for the environment on top of being good for your wallet. Now that’s an aspirational home renovation project we can get on board with.
Read: 4 tips for future-proofing your house
CREATE A CHANGE OF STYLE
Most people spend their entire lives living in roughly the same interior style. If their home is contemporary when they move in, it stays that way for the duration of their stay. But for some, a change could be just the thing to breathe new life into the home.
Changing the style of your home, though, is a great reason to renovate and pulls together disparate ideas and desires into one clean focal point. Just think of the opportunities! You could add Danish sideboards, new drapes, or even Georgian windows.
When you change the style of your home, you also change how you feel when you live in it. Don’t be afraid to experiment with trends that reflect your spirit and values.
ADAPT TO CHANGES & FUTURE PROOF YOUR HOME
A renovation can also be used to make your home more kid-friendly, more accessible to the elderly, or make it function better as a home-office environment. In other words, if you have a major life change coming up such as kids or an elderly relative moving in, making relevant renovations can help make the transition a lot smoother.
Forward planning and foresight should also be a consideration when renovating your home. It should be as adaptable as possible to accommodate the inevitable yet unpredictable lifestyle changes that the passing of time brings. Should you be playing the long game, then particularly important is to consider the concept of ‘Aging in Place’ and making your home more livable for your golden years.
And while the over specialisation of your house can make it harder to sell later, with some patience you will be able to find a buyer willing to pay a premium for a home that already comes with these adaptations.
Read: 5 ways to future proof your later life
Speaking of changes….
CREATE A WORK FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT
Over the past eighteen months, working from home has been assimilated into our lives. If you are planning to remain a remote worker or are switching to a hybrid model of working, then tweaking your home to create a more work friendly environment has many benefits.
We’re not just talking about setting up a permanent desk in the corner of your home, but rather making some structural changes that will make working from home more enjoyable.
When it comes to working from home, light and bright is best. To make your home office as productive a space as possible, then you should consider adding a whole new source of natural light. While knocking through a section of wall or installing a new window is a big job, make no mistake, it also represents a smart move in the long run.
Read: How to boost the natural light in your home office
Or perhaps you can convert an unused loft space into an office, which can add value to your home. Speaking of which…
IMPROVE THE VALUE
Renovations both big and small can also be made in preparation to sell the property. Repairs and changes that improve the property’s kerb appeal, add an extra room or amenity, or simply modernise an existing space, can all be used to improve the sale value of the house.
Cleveland home buyers Favour Home Solutions tell us that a cellar or loft conversion can boost a property’s value by up to 30%. Other home renovation projects worth investing in include a kitchen renovation or extension and a bathroom refit.
Online house ads are much more common these days too, so it’s good to make changes that make the house look good in pictures, such as improving the interior lighting and adding a few pieces of decoration here and there, can have a big impact.
Read: Add value to your home with these 5 interior hacks
MAKE THE HOME SAFER
From improving fire safety to dealing with structural problems, all the way to getting rid of mould or damp, there are plenty of safety concerns that warrant renovating a room or even an entire house.
You may find that you can easily get rid of mould in the kitchen while changing the fixtures, or that it’d be easy to replace old support beams in the basement while waterproofing it. The more you can get done while you have people working on renovations, the better. In the long run, the investment will likely save you money.
Also consider burglar-proofing your home, by installing new locks and alarms. We’ve got more on that here. Do check it out!